Moses Delivers His People

One of the common themes throughout the Old Testament is that, while hostile governments oppress God’s people, God saves his people and judges the nation. Egypt, during the time of Moses, is perhaps one of the clearest examples of this theme.

God told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt but would come out as a great nation.

God told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt but would come out as a great nation. Initially, Pharaoh recognized that the Hebrews were a great blessing. Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream and plan to store grain for the years of famine saved not only Egypt but surrounding nations as well. On top of that, selling the grain put Egypt in a very strong economic position.

In Egypt, God blessed the Israelites so that they multiplied quickly, and this worried a later pharaoh. What if these foreigners within Egypt allied with their enemies in some conflict? He ordered all the newborn baby boys to be murdered at birth, intending to decimate any potential army before the boys could grow up.

Levi’s grandson Amram married the daughter Levi had after arriving in Egypt, Jochabed. When she had her third child, a beautiful son, she couldn’t bear to kill him. So instead, she placed him in an “ark” covered in pitch and floated it into a gentle spot of the Nile, doubtless hoping that just as God saved Noah and his family in an ark covered in pitch, he would similarly have mercy on the baby.

The campaign of oppression, slavery, and murder of Hebrews was not a momentary whim of one pharaoh—it was still going on when Moses was 80 years old. Doubtless, some Egyptians thought it was harsh to enslave them—there was a “mixed multitude” (Exodus 12:38) who believed and left Egypt with the Hebrews.

Today, Christians are persecuted in many countries where it remains illegal for them to gather and worship and to share their faith with others. As secular attacks against Christianity become more overt, Western Christians are facing accusations of being unloving or intolerant simply for holding orthodox Christian beliefs and traditional Christian practices.

At one time, Christians in the United States and other Western nations were able to claim they lived in a “Christian nation” because most leaders were professing Christians, and our laws and traditions had a biblical basis. This has rapidly changed, and with the celebration of what the Bible calls “abominations,” Christians must remember that we are “in, not of” the world.

Question for Discussion/Reflection: How does the changing culture in the West impact how Christians share the gospel?

Suggestion for Prayer: Pray for a specific politician, whether local or national, who needs to be saved (1 Timothy 2:1–2).