Promise of deliverance from suffering

Exodus 6:5-8; 12/21/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

God’s promises to the people of Israel are based on the covenant He made with their forefathers.  God keeps His covenant and shows steadfast love in order to fulfill His own nature.  For God is love, and in His love there is no fear.  Let us look at the first point:

Hearing the cry of the chosen people

Today’s passage continues the dialogue between God and man that began in chapter six, verse one.  Throughout this dialogue, God speaks in the first person, declaring that He is the LORD.  Therefore, first of all, this is the hearing of the Lord.  God says, “I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are oppressing.”  Then the question is: who else heard it?  I believe the angels heard it as well—and they have been hearing it continually, paying close attention, and constantly reporting the daily situation to God.  What does this tell us?  It shows that the persecution of God’s people on earth is something widely known in heaven—widely spoken of, and fully known by God and by the hosts of angels.  When the angels go to gather the ashes from the altar—that is, the prayers of God’s people—God declares:   以色列人、the toil, sorrow, and suffering of the Israelites, God’s children on earth, even their persecution by the spirit of antichrist, I know it all.  I have heard the cry of their suffering.

Secondly, this is the covenant of the Lord.  We might wonder, How does God hear my pain?  By chance? By accident?  Or because of some sudden event?  No! For God says, “I also remember My covenant.”  It turns out that God’s hearing is His faithful coming according to His promise—He comes specifically to hear our hearts, to perceive our pain, and, because of His covenant with us, to grant us the strength and grace to overcome suffering.  Therefore, when hardship comes and persecution intensifies, what should be our first concern and consideration?  Is it how to escape?  Is it how to give up and lie flat?  Of course not!   We only need to be sure of one thing: that we are the people who are in covenant with God—and that is enough.

Finally, this is the arm of the Lord.  If God is our only reliance, then there is no longer any need for the arm of man.  There is no need for Moses’ fleshly zeal and killing, nor for the quick sword in Peter’s hand.  The arm of God has not grown short, nor has His power diminished.  According to His covenant, and when God’s appointed time is fulfilled, He will say, “I will stretch out My arm and strike the Egyptians with mighty acts of judgment.”  Not for any other reason than this: “I am the LORD.”  The prophet Jeremiah says,  “I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?”   With the Lord, what more do we need?  With the Lord, what is there left to fear?  Let us look at the second point:

Deliverance from the heavy burden of Egypt

The core of God’s salvation is deliverance from the bondage of sin and the bringing to an end of all toil and sorrow in the land of Egypt.  First, the restoration of the relationship between God and humanity.  If there is any relationship that matters most, it is our relationship with God.  Yet simply saying that we should rebuild our relationship with God is easy—how is it actually done?  Or to put it another way, by what merit do we have to establish a relationship with God, let alone restore one?  This is similar to the question we often struggle with:  How do we know God’s will?  Of course, we may seek God’s will through His Word, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and objective confirmation.  But throughout this process, God is always the One who takes the initiative in our lives.  God declares, “I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.”   Therefore, it is not that we are the ones rebuilding our relationship with God;  rather, it is God who is rebuilding His relationship with us.

Secondly, deliverance from heavy toil and burdens.  Since we are God’s people—His chosen ones, the sheep of His pasture—our burden is light and our yoke is easy.  All the toil and sorrow of human life will ultimately be blown away by the wind and vanish in a moment.  Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  For the Israelites under the whips of the Egyptians,   to be freed from Egypt’s forced labor and heavy burdens was true liberation of life.  More than four hundred years earlier, the Israelites followed Jacob and Joseph into Egypt, thinking they would enjoy blessings there—perhaps even settle in comfort and ease.  Who could have known that God Himself would take the initiative to seek sinners?  He comes to deliver us from the bondage of sin, to pay the debt of our sins on our behalf, and to grant us peace.

Finally, to know the Lord God.  The outcomes of a person’s life flow from the heart; it is not the presence of toil and sorrow that is most to be feared, but a heart that has no peaceful home.  More than six hundred years earlier, Abraham left Ur—that is, he left his former “land, kindred, and father’s house” and went to the land that the LORD would show him.  Now God allows His people to journey again and again—into Canaan, out of Canaan, into Egypt, out of Egypt, and back to Canaan—with one purpose: that God’s people might know Him more and more.  Not only that, but God also intends that all nations would be blessed through Israel.  This is also our mission: that through our faith in Jesus Christ, all people may come to salvation.  Why? Because God does not want anyone to perish.  Let us look at the third point:

Entering the promised land

If God hearing our prayers represents our faith, then deliverance from the bondage of sin represents our hope.  Now, God intends to lead us into the Promised Land, which is the assurance of love we receive in Christ.  First, the sworn promise.  If we remember, we will certainly recall that Jesus once taught His disciples not to swear at all.  What was the main reason?  From God’s perspective toward humanity, there is no need for humans to swear.  If something is true, say it is; if it is not, say it is not.  Honest sharing is enough—there is no need to swear.  At that time, the disciples sometimes had the habit of swearing, fearing that others would not believe them.  But where there is swearing, human weakness can lead to false oaths, blurring the line between truth and falsehood.  However, Jesus’ instruction does not apply to God Himself.  The LORD certainly has the authority to swear or not, right?  Indeed, in fact, Genesis only mentions one instance of God swearing—when God encourages the weak Isaac in Genesis 26:3: “I will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.”

Secondly, the gift of land as an inheritance.  This is an important message in the Old Testament, expressing God’s mercy and faithfulness.  God even had Moses reiterate it in Exodus, saying, “I will bring you in and give you the land as an inheritance.”  The essence of giving the land as an inheritance is that God intends to provide His people with a spiritual home on earth.  More than six hundred years earlier, He promised Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites as an inheritance.  All the people of the world were watching: would this promise come to pass?  It concerned God’s glory and whether the relationship between God and humanity was trustworthy and faithful.  Especially after more than four hundred years had passed—did God’s Word still hold true?  On May 14, 1948, the Israelites were indeed re-established as a nation in accordance with God’s promise in the Scriptures!

Finally, truly knowing God.  Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   This verse should be our motto and our guide for life.  But let us ask: how many people truly live without anxiety?  God, through Moses, simply encouraged the Israelites by saying, “I am the LORD!”  Because He is the LORD, because He is the God of our ancestors, I could trust that He would lead us into the Promised Land.  Jesus says that He is the way, the truth, and the life!  By faith, we are justified, we follow the Lord, and we walk in the path of Christ’s great commission.

Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters, the promise that we will be delivered from suffering is entirely within God’s own authority—we have no need to worry.  He has already heard the cries of our prayers and fully knows the anguish of our persecution.  God is not to be taken lightly.  Who would dare to defy the eternal God?  Who would dare oppress God’s children, seize His servants and handmaids, destroy churches, or tear down the cross?

God has spoken:  He will, with His outstretched arm, bring mighty judgment upon the Egyptians and the pawns of the Antichrist!  The time has come—the time is now!

 

Let us pray together……

 

5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.

6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.

7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.