The Bible is full of stories and foreshadowing of deliverance. Some of my favourites are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Daniel in the lion’s den. Samson. Gideon, Ehud and who can forget about Esther. God right from the very beginning of our fall into sin had a plan to deliver us from it at the cross. You know why? Because he is a God of Deliverance. It’s one of his names, it who He is, Jehovah Mephalti.

Jehovah Mephalti is the Lord my Deliverer. As we have been exploring the Psalm 18:2 (2 Samuel 22:2) “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer (Mephalti); My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” Mephalti is one who delivers; releases or rescues; a preserver. David was constantly being pursued by his enemies. BUT the LORD delivered him each and every time. He delivered David from Goliath, Saul, Enemy Kings, Armies and Rebellions.

One can’t talk about deliverance without speaking of Moses. The story starts with fear gripping Pharaoh, so he plotted to afflict them to keep them subdued. Exodus 1:9-11, sets the scene.

“And he (Pharaoh) said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens”

When people are afflicted, oppressed and abused it would be more than fair to say that they cry out! When we cry out to God, we are addressing Him, petitioning Jehovah to intervene. And God does intervene as he communicates this to Moses in Exodus 3:7-8, “And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians…”

So God sends Moses to act on his behalf in God’s plan of deliverance. It was important to know that Israel was God’s child and he is a fierce parent when it comes to his children. So after 400 years of affliction, God shows up on the scene with this opening statement to the hardhearted ruler of the Egyptians. Exodus 4:22-23 “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.”

Now this is a God who means business. We often remember the last plague that came upon the Egyptians without remembering the way God introduced himself and then with mercy gave Pharaoh chance after to chance to comply with letting his son go. This is our Mephalti, our Deliverer, a mighty God who will boldly defend and bring freedom to his children. We all know how the story unfolds, ultimately, God delivers his children and in the process of the deliverance the wealth of their enemy was transferred to them. Further, those who oppressed them were utterly destroyed.

David expresses his gratitude to Jehovah Mephalti in another Pslam (34:17-19)

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

All throughout history God has been in the process of Delivering his people, even when the afflictions they suffered were from their disobedience. In Judges 2:16 “Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out the hand of those who plundered them.” God is surely in the delivering business.

There is one more attribute that I want to bring out about Jehovah Mephalti. Deliverance not only speaks of what you have been saved from but also what has been given to you. Judges 1:2 clearly shows us this “And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.” In this situation, God delivered the promise land to his people. God is more than able to be the Deliverer of goods to you in every situation of your life.

No weapon formed against you will prosper. No trouble, no addiction, no hurt, no person or nation can prevent your deliverance. Christ secured this victory for us at the cross of deliverance. Romans 8:2 “For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin death.” He has delivered us from sin and the power of it. He’s delivered us from the lies of the enemy by revealing to us who we are in Christ as our Deliverer, we are free from fear, anxiety, unworthiness and the bondages of this life.

Let us pray,

I thank you Lord, that you are my Deliverer this day. You set me free from the cares of this world. You give me freedom from sin, bondages and addictions. Give me the strength to walk in your ways as a free soul. I thank you that no weapon formed against me with prosper this day. Thank you that you are delivering me from my enemies and they are falling into their own traps. You truly are Jehovah Mephalti and are leading me into the promised land of destiny for my life.