"The Tender Compassion of Our God"-When Jehovah Showed Compassion to a Nation

The compassion of Jehovah is clearly seen in the way he dealt with the nation of Israel.  By the end of the 16th century B.C.E., millions of  Israelites were enslaved in ancient Egypt, where they were severely oppressed.  The Egyptians "kept making their life bitter with hard slavery at clay mortar and bricks." (Exodus 1:11, 14)  In their distress, the Israelites  cried out to Jehovah for help. How did the God of tender compassion respond?

Jehovah's heart was touched.  He said:  "Unquestionably I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry as a result of those who drive them to work; because I well know the pains they suffer."  (Exodus 3:7)  Jehovah could not see the sufferings of his people or hear their outcries without feeling  for them. As we saw in Chapter 24 of this book, Jehovah is a God of empathy.  And empathy-the ability to identify with with the pain of others-is akin to compassion.  But Jehovah did not just feel for his people; he was moved to act in their behalf.  Isaiah 63:9 says:  "In his love and in his compassion he himself repurchased them."   With a strong hand," Jehovah rescued the Israelites out of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 4:34) Thereafter, he provided them with miraculous food and delivered them into a fruitful land of their own. 

Next time: "The Tender Compassion of Our God"-Conclusion of When Jehovah Showed Compassion to a Nation

From the book: Draw Close to Jehovah