The gospel of Jesus Christ is not primarily about how we are freed from sin and forgiven. It’s primarily about how God made a way to dwell with us forever. The good news doesn’t end at the cross; nor does it end at the empty tomb. The story reaches its full conclusion at the burning edge of the first New Creation dawn, when heaven and earth fully unite and we are right in the midst of God’s eternal, glorious presence forever — enjoying him and being enjoyed by him. Entirely and utterly caught up into Blessedness himself. So one vital part of that gospel message is that Jesus frees us from sin, and in him we are forgiven. But there’s so much more! Similarly, it’s so easy to think that the book of Exodus is all about how God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. But it’s not. That’s just the prelude. Exodus is primarily about how God made a way to dwell with his people.

In Exodus 2:23–25, we see Israel move from slavery to groaning to prayer—and God responds with salvation. This shows us that God will not deliver us from what we still love, but when we come to hate our sin and groan under its weight, he delights to hear our cries and act on his covenant promises. Human hopes will always disappoint, but when our groans turn to true prayer in Jesus’ name, God hears, sees, remembers, and knows—acting not on the basis of our worthiness but on the basis of his covenant with Christ. Therefore, every believer can have confidence that God answers prayers, because for him to ignore the cry of one for whom Christ died would be to break his promise, betray his Son, and waste his suffering.

In Exodus 2, Moses emerges as a deliverer, a man of faith, and a man of failure. Yet in each of these, he ultimately points us beyond himself to Christ. Moses tries to rescue Israel but cannot free them from Egypt or from sin. Only Christ delivers fully—from our enemies and from ourselves. Moses chose to identify with God’s people by faith, looking to a greater reward. We strengthen our faith the same way: by fixing our eyes on Christ, who left glory to suffer for us. Moses sinned and feared, yet God grew him through failure. We must admit, learn, and entrust our failures to Christ, who alone can redeem them for his glory and our good.