DELIVER US: EXODUS 3:7-12
by Mako Kato
Read Exodus 3:7-12
When I think of examples of God’s deliverance in the Bible, one of the first stories that comes to mind is how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. There are a couple things I take away from this story. One lesson is how it points to the awesomeness of God above all other powers: Pharaoh, his priests, and the Egyptian gods didn’t stand a chance. A second lesson is how the story of the Exodus fits in with God’s plan.
The story shows God’s deliverance, and he does so in a mighty, spectacular, way. God performs miracles and he purposely displays his power to both the Israelites and the Egyptians. In Exodus 11:9 ESV, it says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh was hard-hearted (a.k.a. ridiculously stubborn) and God continued to display his glory.
But the question of why God delivered the Israelites brings us to the second point, and that is how Exodus fits in with the rest of God’s plan. We read in this passage that God listened to his people. Earlier in Exodus we read that “God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob (Exodus 3:2).”
God remembered His covenant. The Exodus not only displayed God’s power, but it was part of God’s great plan to fulfill the promise made to Abraham. Abraham’s descendants would inherit the land that God promised.
God chose to deliver His people in accordance with His covenant. He didn’t give up on them or annihilate them, even if they deserved it. In Judges we read of the Israelites falling away time and time again, but God would always work through someone to deliver the Israelites.
But we as Gentiles are part of God’s new covenant. This same God who displayed his power to the Egyptians and delivered the Israelites out of Egypt had us in His plan. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him” (Romans 10:12 ESV).
Talking about God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt is a great display of God’s power, and it relates back to our deliverance in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It was one part in the covenant that said that through Abraham’s offspring, all the nations of the world would be blessed.
It was through Jesus that all of the nations of the world will be blessed. Yes, God cared about Israel, and I believe He still has a special place in his heart for Israel, but I rejoice that all of us are given the opportunity to be saved. Praise God.
