The Bible Courseනියැදිය

Egypt and slavery – God’s people in trouble

Reflect:

In 2003, Aron Ralston, an American mountaineer, fell into an isolated slot canyon in Utah and found himself trapped, his wrist pinned to the canyon wall by a boulder. Worse than being stuck and helpless was that no one knew he was out there (watch the film 127 Hours)! It's one thing to be in trouble. It's another thing to be in trouble alone. The people of Israel knew the feeling; they were oppressed, enslaved, and cried out to God for help.

The fruitfulness of Israel was now a threat in the eyes of a new Pharaoh. He forced the people of Israel into slavery and set up labour camps for them. To limit their population growth, Pharaoh ordered a mass infanticide, but God raised up midwives of faith to protect Israel’s babies. God honoured their courage. And he still does so today. He sees the heroic acts that no one else sees. So, keep choosing to have faith, even when you’re afraid.

Then, the story zooms in on a desperate act from a desperate mother. Placing her baby in a basket and hiding it among the reeds at the riverbank, she did not know what would become of him. But God had plans for the child. He brought the ‘ark’ – the Hebrew word for the basket – to the attention of Pharaoh’s daughter, who ‘drew’ Moses out of the water. God worked through the danger and led the child to safety, even fixing up Moses’ mother as his nurse. What a turnaround! This wouldn’t be the last time Moses experienced God drawing him out of trouble.

God is rarely mentioned in these passages, but his hidden hand directs the events that protect Moses and Israel’s future. The people of Israel are not alone in their troubles.

In life, we can feel as though we’re in the waters, desperate and alone, wondering whether we’ll sink or swim. But God is near. And he’s working out a plan for our good, even when it feels like our lives are threatened and out of our control. If you’re in the water today, put your trust in him! You’re not alone in your troubles.

Respond

Find some time this week (grab a coffee if you can) to encourage and be encouraged by a friend. God often uses other people to lift us up out of the waters.