The God Who Hears

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.

6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

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22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

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23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

The Israelites were the Old Testament people of God, chosen to become a nation through whom God would bless all other peoples (see Genesis 12:1-3). But, as we can see in the opening chapters of Exodus, God’s chosen people were in a bad way. The people of Israel had become slaves in Egypt. And in this way, they were not able to be the blessing to others that God had promised.

The king of Egypt feared the Israelites because their numbers were a potential threat to his domain. So he made life unbearable for them until the people cried out in their slavery and suffering. Some of the deepest weeping happened because many baby boys were murdered. What trauma and hopelessness!

But finally, after seeming to be absent for a long time, God heard the people’s groaning and acted to bring them freedom. It wouldn’t be easy or quick, but it would be decisive and provide rescue for God’s suffering people.

And isn’t it startling, as we find in the next chapter, that while God was moved to help the oppressed, his first move was to call a human being, Moses, to be the agent of his liberating power?

Dear God, see and hear the groaning of people who suffer everywhere in this world. Be concerned, righteous God, and move us to be faithful to your call to act in your name. Amen!