Read Exodus Chapters 4-6
Focus Scripture
Exodus 6: 6-8 (NKJV)
6 Therefore, say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.”
History
God created a separate people in the Israelites. He set them aside for a SPECIAL purpose. God wanted them to be a MODEL nation. In the early days of false gods and idol worship, the Israelites were the ones chosen to teach the other nations about the ONE true God. They were the prophets and priests of Biblical times. The Israelites were also the direct ancestors of Jesus. Because of all this, God needed them to remain "PURE."
God did not want His children to be slaves. The Israelites made some very bad decisions while living in Canaan and as a result they were taken into captivity by the Egyptians. This tragedy was a direct consequence of their sins. Even though they had sinned and were suffering the consequence of their sins, God still loved His children dearly. He continued to be with them even during their bondage in Egypt.
God did not wish this bondage upon His children, but He was able to bring something good out of this terrible situation. This time spent in Egypt allowed the Israelites to remain pure of heart, to reproduce, and grow in numbers and strength.
Connection To Us
I am sure the Israelites wondered how something good could come out of their bondage. Since their story is documented for us in Exodus, we can understand all aspects of it and learn from their past story!
- We may NEVER get answers to all of our questions in THIS lifetime.
- Things may happen to us that we never FULLY understand.
- This is where FAITH in GOD comes in: Faith is the belief, trust, and loyalty to a person or thing.
- It is VITAL that we in TRUST God.
- We MUST remain LOYAL to Him.
- We must BELIEVE that He TRULY LOVES US!!!
My prayer is that God will speak to you. That your FAITH will become EVEN STRONGER. The Lord CAN USE bad things for HIS GLORY, but He does not CAUSE them to happen.
God LOVES EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US!
