Iron – Bondage

In the scriptures there are strong correlations between various objects and different bible subjects. I am convinced that God has given us this so that we can better understand the bible subjects and doctrines that are taught in the scriptures. There is a strong correlation between the metal, iron, and the subject of bondage in the scriptures.

This correlation is manifest in the following verses:

1. Deu. 28:48 "Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee."
2. 2 Sam. 12:31 "And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem."
3. Psa. 105:18 "Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:"
4. Psa. 107:10 "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;"
5. Psa. 107:16 "For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder."
6. Psa. 149:8 "To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;"
7. Isa. 45:2 "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:"
8. Jer. 28:13 "Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron."
9. Jer. 28:14 "For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also."

We will use this correlation between iron and bondage to show some of the biblical teachings on the subject of bondage under the following headings:

Egypt – Iron Furnace

In the scriptures there is a strong correlation between the use of the metal, iron, and the subject of bondage. Egypt is referred to as the iron furnace in three verses of scripture:

1. Deu. 4:20 "But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day."
2. Jer. 11:4 "Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:"
3. 1 Ki 8:51 "For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:"
While the metal, iron, speaks to bondage, the word, furnace, is used in the scriptures to represent judgment. Thus, Egypt as the iron furnace connects both the bondage of the children of Israel and the judgment of God together.

Egypt is also referred to in the scriptures as the "house of bondage:"
1. Ex. 13:3 "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten."
2. Ex. 13:14 "And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:"
3. Ex. 20:2 "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
4. Deu. 5:6 "I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."
5. Deu. 6:12 "Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."
6. Deu. 8:14 "Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;"
7. Deu 13:5 KJV) And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee."
8. Deu. 13:10 "And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

In the first fifteen chapters of the book of Exodus God delivered Israel out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage and from the iron furnace. There are some very interesting parallels between God's deliverance of Israel out of the house of bondage and God's delivering his people from the bondage of the law of sin and death. We will now look at some of these parallels.

First, deliverance of Israel from Egypt was brought about based on a covenant that God had made with Abraham and confirmed with Isaac and Jacob before the children of Israel were ever in Egyptian bondage. This covenant is manifest in the statements of Exodus chapter 6: Ex. 6:2-8 "And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD."
Based on this covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob God promised to give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel. He also promised to deliver them out from under the burdens and bondage of the Egyptians, to redeem them with a stretched out arm, and great judgments, to take them to him for a people, and to be their God. This covenant was made before any of the children of Israel had gone into Egypt to dwell.

Likewise, God made a covenant to deliver his people from the bondage of the law of sin and death before the foundation of the world. This covenant is referred to as the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus in Rom. 8:2: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." This covenant is often referred to as the covenant of redemption and is clearly stated in Rom. 8:29, 30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
This covenant began with God choosing a people to be his before the foundation of the world: Eph. 1:4 " According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" Additionally, God predestinated those people he chose before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, he called them into spiritual life, he delivered them from unrighteousness to be justified, and he will subsequently glorify them in the resurrection from the dead. Thus, he delivers them from the bondage of their corrupt nature in the new birth. He delivers them from the bondage of condemnation in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Finally, he delivers them from the bondage of corruption in the resurrection of the dead.

Second, we see that God sent a deliverer to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt. In Exodus chapter 3 God appeared unto Moses and told him to bring His people out of Egypt: 3:7-10 "And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt."

Likewise, we see Christ come as a far greater deliverer to deliver His people from their sins:
1. Matt. 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
2. John 6:37-39 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."

Third, most of the children of Israel that were in bondage in Egypt were born into bondage. There were only seventy of the descendents of Jacob that originally went down into Egypt. The rest of the children of Israel were born in Egypt and thus were born into bondage. This is like the descendents of Adam. Adam ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree and brought himself under the bondage of the law of sin and death. All that were subsequently the descendants of Adam were born under the law of sin and death. Their sins did not deliver them into the bondage of the law of sin and death. They were already under the law of sin and death before any of them sinned. This principle is referred to as the doctrine of federal headship. Rom. 5:12-19 shows forth this principle.

Fourth, in the deliverance of Israel out of the house of bondage, Moses was the prophet, Aaron was the priest, and God was the King. In contrast in delivering the elect family of God out of the bondage of sin, Jesus Christ is the prophet, priest and king.

Fifth, in delivering the children of Israel from the house of bondage, God sent forth ten sore judgments upon the land of Egypt. It was the tenth judgment that ultimately led to Pharaoh deciding to let the children of Israel go. This judgment was the Passover. In that night, each house of the children of Israel took a lamb and slew it and sprinkled the blood of the lamb on the upper door post and two side post and God passed over the children of Israel in judgment. Yet no lamb was prepared for the Egyptians and that night the firstborn of every house of the Egyptian died by the judgment of God.

Similarly, the judgment of sin set forth in Revelation chapter 20 has a people being cast into the lake of fire as they are judged according to their works. Yet there is a people that is passed over in judgment and they are not cast into the lake of fire. These are said to have their names in the lamb's book of life: Rev. 20:12-15 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Those whose names are written in the lamb's book of life are passed over in judgment, yet judgment was meted out because of their sins. This judgment was meted out on a slain lamb. It was meted out on the Lamb of God: John 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Christ, the Lamb of God, took away the sin of the elect world by dying on the cross in their place.

Sixth, the chief enemy that reigned over the children of Israel was called Pharaoh. This was a Pharaoh that knew not Joseph. He evil entreated the children of Israel, and was an evil task-master. He made their lives bitter with hard bondage. He made them serve with rigour.

Similarly, when we were under the law of sin and death, we too had an evil task-master. He is called Satan in the scriptures. He has us under the bondage of the law of sin and death and we are made to serve with rigour. The scriptures describe to us that bondage in several places, but none more thoroughly than in Rom. 3:9-18: "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Seventh, final deliverance out of Egypt, the house of bondage, and the iron furnace came at the waters of the Red Sea. When the children of Israel came to the waters of the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army marching against them, God had Moses stretch forth his rod and the Lord parted the waters of the sea with a mighty east wind that blew all that night. The children of Israel crossed on dry ground. Pharaoh and his mighty army pursued after the children of Israel, but God caused the waters to return and drown Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea. The children of Israel were delivered at the Red Sea while their enemies were destroyed in the same place.
The scenario was such that an East-West directional wind crossed the Red Sea where it was running North-South. This was a sign or figure of a cross. Similarly, at the cross of Calvary, Jesus delivered the elect family of God from their sins, by being made to be sin in their place. Here Jesus delivered the elect family of God from their sins and destroyed the enemies that were against them in the same place. The host of enemies against the children of God included sin, death, hell, grave, and the devil. The Lord in his death, burial and resurrection destroyed all those enemies who were opposed to the elect children of god.

Just as the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, the house of bondage and iron furnace, so the elect family of God is delivered from the bondage of the law of sin and death.