Understanding the Kingdom of God預覽

The Kingdom of God and the Exodus

All of us have a life story to tell. Our life story is what defines us as individuals. Now, everyone’s life story surely comes with both ups and downs, and our experiences of both joy and sorrow contribute to our identities as individuals.

The nation of Israel also had a life story (or story of origin), and the most important chapter in this story is that of the Exodus.

The Exodus’s story begins with Abraham’s descendants living as slaves in Egypt. God promised Abraham that the land of Canaan would be his inheritance, that his offspring would live and prosper in the land, and that they would become a blessing to the nations. However, now they were being oppressed by the tyrannical Egyptian empire. They were working as slaves to build Pharoah’s kingdom. It seemed as if God had abandoned His people and that Pharoah and his gods had dominion over Israel and Yahweh, Israel’s God.

In Exodus 2:23-25, we read that God heard His people crying out to Him, and He knew (verse 25). The word “knew” (yada in Hebrew) connotes a deep intimate knowing of someone else. God knew His people’s suffering with the deepest part of His heart.

Through Moses’s leadership, God redeemed His people from slavery in Egypt. It was a spectacular showdown between God and the idols of Egypt. Behind Egypt’s idols stood the same dark forces that lured Adam and Eve into sin, death, and destruction. These powers ruled with tyranny and oppression over the people of God. But God defeated them – He is the victorious King!

The parting of the Red Sea is the story's climax of God’s victory and Israel’s redemption. The God of a slave nation is the King of the universe! This tells us about God’s heart for the weak, the poor, and the oppressed. God is all-powerful, yet He uplifts the lowly, gives grace to the humble, and protects the vulnerable. We can trust in God’s heart of compassion because He will not despise those who call on Him in their hour of need.

The story of Israel can thus be summarised: They were slaves, but God redeemed them and adopted them as His beloved children. This became Israel’s very identity.

Reflect on Exodus 2:23-25. God empathizes with us in our sufferings. He hears our cries and knows our pain. Have you ever experienced God’s heart for you in this way? In prayer, ask God to reveal His fatherly heart of compassion to you.