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(23) Now it happened in the process of time that
the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the
bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the
bondage. (24) So 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 acknowledged them. New
King James Version Change your email Bible version
A cursory reading of these verses might give a person the impression that God
was just sitting on His throne, twiddling His fingers, and waiting for Israel to
do something. But God had already begun to act. He had ensured that Moses
would live through the slaughter of the Israelite children. He had directed the
little ark into the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter. He had ensured that Moses
would receive the benefit of a tremendous education, the best kind of secular
education that one could receive at that time. He had put thoughts in Moses'
mind that he could be Israel's deliverer. He had spared Moses' life when the
Pharaoh tried to take it. He had prompted Moses to flee the land and led him
into the wilderness to the family of Jethro. He had given Moses the time and the
opportunity to continue his preparation for leading His people out of Egypt.
Who initiated all this? Certainly not the children of Israel! God did! We
find all the way back in the book of Genesis that God had already prophesied
that in about 400 years, He would move to bring the children of Abraham out of a
captivity, which He also arranged.
Could God - who does not change, who sets patterns in His Word so that we
will understand - ensure, long before we were born, that there would be a church
for His people at the end time and that someone would be prepared by Him to get
the doctrines they would need to understand at the end time? We know very well
He could - and did.
How did Israel get out of Egypt? Not through any rebellion, revolution,
intelligence, or negotiations on their part. They got out because God wanted
them out. It was part of His purpose.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see: Unleavened Bread and Pentecost
Related Topics: God's Control God's Control of History God's Deliverance God's Intervention God's Involvement God's Maintenance God's Manipulation of Events God's Purpose Patterns of God Patterns, God's Purpose of God Red Horse
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