Good Morning Everyone~ I Serve A God Who Knows. What About You! What has caused you to cry out to God lately? Have you cried out in pain after the death of a child, mother, father, husband, sister, brother, friend? Have you tried to save money to meet your obligations, but found that all those savings have disappeared through unexpected medical bills, or needs of relatives? Are you yourself suffering from an illness you can’t shake? Or are you crying out to God for those you love who are walking in sin, who are headed to destruction? Are you crying out to God for unreached peoples, for those who presently are following in the footsteps of centuries of ancestors – people without hope in the word? Have you prayed and prayed and yet see no answer? This morning as I begin to read and try to understand chapter 2 and verses 23-25 of Exodus, three verses about God’s response to the suffering of His people just blew my mind. Yes, I have read and heard these verses many times but this morning it finally clicked. (I am still under construction) Though written 3500 years ago, these verses will speak to you today if you belong to God. Your sufferings, your cries bring the same response from God today as the sufferings of the Israelites in Egypt. Whatever the content of your cries, the passage is for you too. Recall that the first chapter of Exodus tells us of the change in the situation facing the Israelites in Egypt during the centuries after the death of Joseph. As God prospers them, they grow in number to such an extent that the new rulers of Egypt see them as a threat. So Pharaoh issues three commands in this chapter: (1)To enslave the Israelites, setting ruthless taskmasters over them. (2) For the midwives to kill all their baby boys at the time of birth. (3) After that fails, to throw all baby boys into the Nile. Although the Israelites continue to grow in number despite this oppression, they are suffering greatly. Exdous~23 during those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. Recall that the Israelites have now been In Egypt almost 400 years. There is no biblical record of any prophet speaking to the people during this time. There is no record of any writings handed down from Abraham to subsequent generations about God’s dealings with the patriarchs. While certainly, there is an oral tradition, stories of their forefathers that are told from parents to children, the days of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph must seem far away. Think of your own ancestors of 400 years ago – in the year 1602. How much do you know about them? So here are the Israelites: slaves to a king who hates them, who is trying to wipe them out as a people by killing all their baby boys. They still cry out to God – through the generations they have been taught to do that. But: Is God there? Is He aware of what is going on with His people? Does He care? Does He remember? These are the same questions we ask in our times of trouble. Their cries are our cries. How does the book of Exodus answer these questions? Let us read verses 24 and 25: 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel- and God knew. These two brief verses answer these questions in a profound way. The Israelites are asking, “Is God there? Does God hear?” I read In the Hebrew; the author uses only 15 words in these verses, but repeats the word “God” four times. Each time “God” is used as the subject of a verb, putting strong emphasis on the Lord Himself. God Hears! God Remembers! God Sees! God Knows! So what are your sorrows? What are your pains? Why are you crying out to God? Whatever your sorrows, whatever your pains, whatever your cries, know this: Your God Hears! Every word you cry out, even your unspoken thoughts, God hears. Your God Remembers! All the promises of God are Yes in Christ Jesus. And He is faithful to all those promises – including the promise to work all things, all things, together for the good of those who love Him. Your God Sees! He sees what is behind and what is ahead, all the threats, all the dangers. Your God Knows! He knows you: Your sins, your failures, your weaknesses; He knows your enemies, and the trials they will put in your path; most of all, He knows His plans for you; He knows the path by which He will lead you, and how He will work all these trials together for your good and His glory. As the author of Hebrews puts it: And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (4:13). Smile and embrace your day. God is just that good.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 14:02:40 +0000
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