Exodus 2: 23-25: “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. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”
The king of Egypt, who could well have been Hatshepsut, Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted Moses, died but nothing else changed for Israel. It is possible that Moses was free to return now that the Pharaoh was dead. God heard Israel’s groaning; who wouldn’t groan under the yoke of slavery? When God hears he acts. This is not to suggest that there is any moment in time when the Lord is not in full contact with every part of His creation. It is just that He delays, from time to time, in grace so that other people have chances to take advantage of His grace. He was still giving the Amorites a chance to repent (see Gen 15: 16 “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”) However, now that the time was ready God made preparations to fulfil the promise that he had made to Abraham all those years before. It is good to know that when God remembers He acts. This is not to suggest, again, that God has forgotten. However, we can all take comfort in these words, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor 10: 13) The most important thing for us to remember is that God does hear and God does remember.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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