In the life of Moses there are also
interesting parts of God's character that shine through and I would
like to briefly discuss it today.
The first thing that caught my eye
was:
"The Israelites cried out for help
and their pleas for deliverance rose up to God. God heard their
cries and remembered His covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. He looked down on the Israelites and felt deep concern for
their welfare." Exodus 2:23 - 25
Now the word 'remembered' in
English would suggest that God had forgotten all about them and
suddenly remembers now that they are struggling. But it is not the
meaning of the word. It means that God called His covenant to
remembrance. He had never forgotten about it, but He is thinking
about it now. God was just waiting for the perfect time to rescue
His people. He had predicted it to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-16
already. He knew they would be there for 400 years; it didn't come
as a surprise to Him.
But why did He wait so long? He
waited because He is a God of grace. He waited until the evil and
the sin of the people occupying the land had run its course
(Genesis 15:16). He waited until they had become so evil that they
didn't deserve to stay in the Promised Land anymore. As you all
probably know, when the Israelites finally entered the land, they
were told to kill all the people in the land. God wasn't being
cruel when He ordered this, it was justice being done. Also as I
mentioned in my devotion on Noah's prophecy, these Canaanites were
truly cruel, heartless people. Archeologists are shocked at what
they dig up about this nation. They were really evil and deserved
the punishment from the Lord.
God gave the Canaanites 400 years
to repent and they didn't. He knew they wouldn't. How did He know?
Well, God is omniscient, all knowing. He knows everything. From
start to finish.
He also knew that Moses would
protest. He knew Moses would use the excuse of his speech and
therefore He already had Aaron lined up to help Moses.
"All right," God said. "What about
your brother Aaron the Levite? He is a good speaker. And look! He
is on his way to meet you now." Exodus 4: 14
God had sent Aaron to come even
before He spoke to Moses. Amazing. He knew what Moses was like and
He already lined up Aaron to come and help. God knows everything,
every little detail. And He knows everything about you too. Give
your life over to Him, He knows best.
What a wonderful God we serve! Wow.
You are amazing. You are infinitely above all we can ever imagine.
You are our wonderful God. Amen