God had His plans for the children of Israel. He had told Abram long before that they were not to remain in Egypt (Genesis 15:13-2113And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. (Genesis 15:13‑21)). Canaan was to be their land, and although they had been in Egypt for several hundred years, God had not forgotten His promises — He never forgets them! However He used means that might have seemed strange to the natural eye of man. He was going to bring Israel out of Egypt, but they had become idolaters like the Egyptians, and they needed to be awakened out of their sleep.
God Uses Circumstances
The children of Israel had multiplied greatly in the land, and God used this to arouse a feeling against them. Of course it was very wrong for the Egyptians to turn against them and harass them, but God used the circumstance, in His perfect wisdom, to work out His own plans. A king arose who didn’t know Joseph. He forgot the mighty deliverance which God had brought through Joseph, and he decided to make the Israelites slaves. Doesn’t this remind us of the world today? It is quickly forgetting Christ, and what He has done for sinful men. Kings, governors and statesmen are coming to power who do not know Christ, and in many places it is becoming very difficult for those who wish to be faithful to Him. But God is still in control. He is still working behind the scenes, and just as a special wave of trouble preceded Israel’s great deliverance out of Egypt, so we know that as things become worse, it is a sure sign that the Lord Jesus will come soon.
Primarily, of course, this incident illustrates what is happening to the Jews in our day. God has used persecution to bring them back to Canaan. Now they are going back in unbelief. However, God will soon bless them in their land, as He has promised in His Word. Just before this they will experience a horrible time, the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:77Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:7)) (the tribulation).
Satan’s Treasure Cities
The Egyptians made the lives of the Israelites miserable, for they forced them into difficult service. They had to build treasure cities for Pharaoh. Satan, like Pharaoh, is a difficult master, and he delights to enslave people. The sad part is that many do not seem to realize that they are Satan’s slaves and that they are building his treasure cities. Men, women, and even children get so engrossed admiring the treasures of the cities of this world that they forget they are doing Satan’s work. Then suddenly sickness and death overtake them, and they wake up in a lost eternity. If you are unsaved, listen to this warning now, while God still shows His grace. He will deliver you from Satan’s power, setting you free in Christ. God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that He had come down to deliver them. In the same way we can gladly tell you that the work of redemption has already been finished at Calvary. Will you accept Christ as your own personal Saviour today?
Further Meditation
1. Why did the Israelites need to be wakened up?
2. How is Egypt like the world today?
3. A wonderful and simple explanation of God’s plan of salvation can be found in A. Marshall’s God’s Way of Salvation.