The Creator Reveals Himself-To Our Benefit -Part One-A Nation Ruled by the Creator

Abraham's descendants became slaves in Egypt. Finally God raised up Moses, who led them to freedom in 1513 B.C.E.  When Israel became a nation, God was its ruler.  But in 1117 B.C.E. the people sought to a human king.

What developments led to Israel's being with Moses at Mount Sinai?  The Bible book of Genesis provides the background. Earlier, when Jacob (also name Israel) lived to the northeast of Egypt,  a famine occurred throughout the then-known world. Concern for his family caused Jacob to seek food from Egypt, where there was an ample supply of grain in storage.  He discovered that the food administrator was actually his son Joseph, whom Jacob though had died years earlier. Jacob and his family moved to Egypt and were invited to remain there.  (Genesis 45:25-46:5; 47:5-12)  However, after Joseph's death,  a new Pharaoh conscripted Jacob's descendants into forced labor and "kept making their life bitter with hard slavery at clay mortar and bricks."  (Exodus 1:8-14)  You can read this vivid account and much more in the second Bible book, Exodus. 

The Israelites suffered ill-treatment for decades, and "their cry for help kept going up to the true God."  Turning to Jehovah was the wise course. He was interested in Abraham's descendants and was determined to fulfill His purpose to provide a future blessing for all peoples. Jehovah 'heard Israel's groaning and took notice,'  which shows us that the Creator is sympathetic toward people who are downtrodden and suffering.  (Exodus 2:23-25) He selected Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery.  But when Moses and his brother, Aaron, cam to ask Egypt's Pharaoh that this enslaved people be allowed to leave, he responded defiantly:  "Who is this Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice to send Israel away?" -Exodus 5:2. 

Could you imagine the Creator of the universe shrinking from such a challenge, even if it came from the ruler of the greatest existing military power?  God struck Pharaoh and the Egyptians with a series of plagues. Finally, after the tenth plague, Pharaoh agreed to release the Israelites. (Exodus 6:3)  But both Pharaoh  and the Israelites were to learn yet more concerning that name. 

This occurred because Pharaoh soon challenged his mind. He led his army to heated pursuit of the departing slaves, catching up with them near the Red Sea.  The Israelites were trapped between the sea and the Egyptian army.  Then Jehovah intervened by opening  away through the Red Sea. Pharaoh should have recognized this as a display of God's invincible power. Instead, he led his forces headlong after the Israelites-only to drown  with his army when God let the sea return to its normal position.  The account in Exodus does not say precisely  how God performed these feats. We can rightly call them miracles because the deeds and their timing  were beyond human control. Certainly such deeds would not be beyond the One who created both the universe and all its laws. -Exodus 14:1-31.  

This event demonstrated for the Israelites -and it should highlight for us too-that Jehovah is a Savior who lives up to his name. However, we ought to discern from this account even more about God's ways. For example, he executed justice against an oppressive nations, while he showed loving-kindness to his people through whom the Seed would come. In regard to the latter, what we read in Exodus is clearly much more than ancient history; it relates to God's purpose to make a blessing available to all.

Next time: The Creator Reveals Himself -To Our Benefit - On to a Promised Land

From the book Is There a Creator That Cares About You?