Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
God’s time-clock keeps ticking. He has His plan all laid out from before the foundation of the earth.
Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Abram was told that his descendants would need to face some difficult times prior to being given the land that Abram was walking on. God knew the amount of time involved. Through it all, He was going to make sure that Abraham’s descendants would be multiplied. The nation of Israel would be a nation to be noted. God would change the course of history and the Middle East would be the central focus of world history with Israel taking centre stage.
We know that since God brought Israel back to their homeland in 1948, many U.S. presidents have tried to be the peace brokers of the Middle East. None of them have understood the important place that Israel has in that region and indeed, in the world. Most have tried to take land away from Israel and want to give it to the enemies of God in the hope that there would be peace. They all reject God’s Word which declares:
Isaiah 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
In our text we read that in process of time, the king of Egypt died. Every person has an appointment with God. Every person is appointed to die at some point. God knows the time. In the short time we have on this earth, it is essential that each person stop and take note of the importance of knowing the true God. Most people, like this king, never consider that important need. Thus, when they die, they enter into an eternity of torment and gnashing of teeth. This end is entirely avoidable, if the person will stop and listen to the voice of God that is speaking in their conscience.
This king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage he had put them under. The nation of Israel was not walking in the fear of the LORD at this time. They still had some remembrance of God but it was not a vibrant relationship with Him.
The nation of Israel was not an aggressive nation. They were not like some other nations that took up arms to fight. The Egyptians assumed that Israel was of that nature, and thus the king had made them slaves and taken away any opportunity for them to develop into a military force. There were a few like Moses who were not the type to let evil go unchecked. However, Moses was not a part of the nation of Israel at that time. He was a Hebrew, but he had been raised in Pharaoh’s household. His aggressive nature needed to be tempered by God and thus he needed to spend some time in God’s school of learning. God would have him as a shepherd for a number of years, as He refined him to the place where he needed to be.
We read that the nation of Israel was groaning about their difficult life, and God heard their cry. God raised up this nation. He watched over them. They were never out of His sight or out of His care. We have already noted how the women of Israel could give birth to sons even though the Pharaoh wanted all sons killed. The Pharaoh did not have the power to limit the growth of the nation of Israel. He tried, but he could not succeed. He should have taken note of this and turned to God himself, but he chose not to do that.
We read that God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God never forgets His promises. Man may assume that God needs to be reminded of things. God knows what He is doing and He is working all things according to His purpose and plan.
God looked upon the children of Israel, and He had respect unto them. God knew exactly what the nation of Israel was experiencing. He had warned Abraham that his descendants would face trouble for some four hundred years. That time was now coming to an end. It was time for Israel to move out of Egypt and be prepared further for entry into the land of Canaan.
God would begin to show them in a greater way, of the importance of trusting in Him. Israel needed to be reminded that they were God’s people. They needed to be reminded that He was well able to provide for them when things seemed humanly impossible. He would bring them out of Egypt with a strong hand. They would not need weapons. There would be no loss of life in war. The Egyptians would face loss of life, but not Israel.
Israel did not know the plan of God. They needed to trust in Him for their daily needs. We need to learn the same thing today. We are not Israel. Those who are saved are a chosen generation.
I Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
We are not given all the details of what God is doing at this time. We know that we are saved to be a light in our time. Born again Christians are designed by God to show forth the praises of Him. We are to exalt God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to be trying to copy the world. We are also not in competition with the world. We are to be a separated people that can show the world the blessing of knowing the true God. We cannot do that when we choose to be like the world. The use of perversions and the use of ungodly music and the immodesty that has permeated most churches today, does not show forth His praise.
Our world needs to see the blessing of knowing the Lord today. Canada is in big trouble today. Many are pointing a finger at Mr. Trump. They claim he is an irrational man who is impossible to deal with. Mr. Trump is simply pointing out the bankruptcy of this nation. Canada is scrambling to find other trading partners and other places they can use to hide behind. Canada is a nation in decline. We are in decline because we have chosen to reject the true God. There is much religious activity in this country. Most of it is a noise that disgusts God. It is no better than that which Aaron led while Moses was up in the mount with God.
Those who are truly saved need to be sure we are following the true God. He does not need an army to prove Himself. He has already proved Himself.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
God has given us the privilege of showing forth His handywork as well. We need to follow His lead and trust in Him even when things look difficult. He knows how to guide His child.
Pastor Bartel
