God’s Love for IsraelEsimerkki

Day 1 – Israel is God’s son

When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God heard their cry and sent Moses to Egypt with a message for Pharaoh: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.” God calls Israel His ‘firstborn son.’ This is primarily an expression of His special bond of love with this people. God is the heavenly Father, and Israel is His son. God created Israel, and just as a father cares for His Children, God cares for Israel (see Day 2).

On the other hand it is also a clear message to Pharaoh. Pharaoh himself was seen as a ‘son of the gods.’ He was the link between earth and heaven, like a god on earth. As such, he guaranteed Egypt’s prosperity. Yet here was a ‘desert god’ telling him that this nation of slaves was God’s firstborn son. In other words, that these people had a special and unique relationship with God. That it was through this group of people that God chose to be present in the world and that God’s blessings would flow into the world through them. This must have sounded absurd to Pharaoh, but here we are actually hearing the gospel!

Something to think about: Today, there are also many ‘false gods,’ and people want to be gods themselves. How can you resonate the message of God as Creator and King of heaven and earth despite this?