Sunday
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them [Israelites] go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”
God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established a covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.”
“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”
(Exodus 6:1-8, NIV)
The remarkable story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is one of the earliest events in Jewish history involving warfare on a large scale. The story begins with the call to Moses, who is tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro, to lead his flock to the far side of the desert where God confronts him through a burning bush. After identifying himself as the “God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” God tells Moses that he has “seen the misery of my people in Egypt” and has “heard their crying out” (3:6-7).
Right from the beginning, God makes it clear to Moses that he would rescue the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. After repeated excuses for not doing what God asked of him, Moses finally agrees. Today’s verses contain God’s final instructions for Moses concerning his encounter with Pharaoh.
Did you notice the compassion of the Lord and God’s remembrance of his covenant to Abraham’s seed? The prime mover in this act of liberation is God. He is the One who will free the Israelites. He is the One who will stretch out his arm to redeem his people.
When, after 430 years of living in Egypt, God leads the Israelites out of slavery into the Promised Land, he is the One who fights their battles for them and protects their stragglers from the ensuing chariots of Egypt who are in pursuit. In Exodus 14, the frightened warriors of Egypt cry out, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt” (v. 25). At that point it is too late. The entire army that pursued the Israelites is drowned in the Red Sea and no one survives.
God protects his people. In the face of attack by the armies of Pharaoh, the slave masters of the tribes of Israel, God destroys the aggressors. In the history of God’s people, as recorded in the Old Testament, the theme that begins in the Exodus story is repeated: God is the protector and liberator of his people. It is by the strength of his hand, not theirs, that they are freed.
Prayer
Lord, the record of your freeing of the Israelites from Egypt shows us your compassion and your faithfulness. You are a God who keeps promises. Help us to trust you and to seek our security in your strong arm. Amen.