And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
God looked upon Israel in Egypt not with indifference but with remembrance of His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, regarding His oppressed people with favor, compassion and active care. They were under long, cruel slavery and hard servitude that made them groan and lament, yet when they humbled themselves and cried earnestly for deliverance, promising obedience if He would break their yoke, their cries reached Heaven. Their prayers had seemed long unanswered, but the time for deliverance had come, and God heard in Heaven and in His own time acted to deliver and protect them, though not without trials of their faith and patience. He answered with a strong hand and outstretched arm through Moses and Aaron, with angels with them to bring plagues on Egypt, to bring Israel out to Himself as His peculiar treasure and His people into a good large land flowing with milk and honey. So He looks upon all held in bondage as no more than brutes, hearing their groans rising to Heaven to free them, making Israel's deliverance the pattern for freeing the enslaved, and punishing the nation for the long curse of slavery and its tyranny and murder.
God Sees Afflicted Israel
God was not indifferent to Israel in Egypt and had not forgotten or forsaken His oppressed people, but remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob and looked upon them with favor, caring regard, compassion, and active care. Their bondage was long slavery under groaning, hard servitude, oppression, cruel abuse, and deprivation that made them lament, wail, and offer anguished prayers. The Egyptians treated them as if they had right to control soul, body, and spirit. Israel's later saying that it was well with them in Egypt was a falsehood.
Their bondage came upon them and was permitted because they did not walk in God's ways but dishonored Him by continual transgressions of His law and apostasy. Under oppression and hard servitude they could not keep God's Sabbath, and by long mingling with a nation of idolaters their faith became confused and corrupted. God allowed the oppression to turn the people to Him in distress so they would choose His righteous and merciful rule and obey His requirements.
When the Israelites humbled themselves, acknowledged God's dealings, and cried earnestly for deliverance from the oppressive yoke, promising to serve God and be obedient to His law if He would break off the yoke of bondage, their cries and promises reached Heaven. The verse shows the time for Israel's deliverance had come. Though their prayers might have seemed unanswered for a long time, God heard them in Heaven and in His own time acted to deliver His people and protect the righteous. Their deliverance did not come without trials that tested their faith and patience.
Deliverance and Covenant Mercy
God answered their prayers in a most wonderful and merciful manner, delivering them with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. He heard their cries and wrought through Moses for their deliverance, sending Moses and Aaron to deliver them. Angels of God were with Moses and Aaron, enabling them to carry out His will, preserving them, and bringing plagues upon the Egyptians. His purpose was to be accomplished in a manner to pour contempt on human pride, sending the deliverer forth not in greatness but as a humble shepherd with only a rod in his hand, and making that rod the symbol of His own power.
He brought Israel forth from Egypt to take them to Himself in covenant as His peculiar treasure and to make them His people. He looked upon them with caring regard that moved Him to deliver them out of Egypt and bring them to a good, large land flowing with milk and honey. That promised leading to a good land was where they would live under His rule, having chosen His righteous and merciful rule and obeyed His requirements.
Justice for the Oppressed
God looks upon enslaved people held in bondage and placed on a level with brute creatures and has respect unto them. He hears their cries and groans and agony rising to heaven under slavery. When Israel was in bondage in Egypt their cry of suffering came up to God and He delivered them with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. His deliverance of Israel is the pattern for His deliverance of the colored people from slavery. After that deliverance He placed upon the people of this nation the responsibility of uplifting them and placing them in a position where they could help themselves.
God punishes the nation for the long-existing curse of the sin of slavery. He brings His scourge upon the North for so long submitting to suffer fellow men to be held in hopeless slavery, tyrannized over, tortured and murdered as no more than brutes. The fugitive slave law calculated to crush every noble, generous feeling of sympathy for the oppressed and suffering slave is in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ. By such iniquity the inhabitants of earth have nearly filled their cup.
God looked upon Israel in Egypt not with indifference but with remembrance of His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, regarding His oppressed people with favor, compassion and active care. They were under long, cruel slavery and hard servitude that made them groan and lament, yet when they humbled themselves and cried earnestly for deliverance, promising obedience if He would break their yoke, their cries reached Heaven. Their prayers had seemed long unanswered, but the time for deliverance had come, and God heard in Heaven and in His own time acted to deliver and protect them, though not without trials of their faith and patience. He answered with a strong hand and outstretched arm through Moses and Aaron, with angels with them to bring plagues on Egypt, to bring Israel out to Himself as His peculiar treasure and His people into a good large land flowing with milk and honey. So He looks upon all held in bondage as no more than brutes, hearing their groans rising to Heaven to free them, making Israel's deliverance the pattern for freeing the enslaved, and punishing the nation for the long curse of slavery and its tyranny and murder.
God Sees Afflicted Israel
God was not indifferent to Israel in Egypt and had not forgotten or forsaken His oppressed people, but remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob and looked upon them with favor, caring regard, compassion, and active care. Their bondage was long slavery under groaning, hard servitude, oppression, cruel abuse, and deprivation that made them lament, wail, and offer anguished prayers. The Egyptians treated them as if they had right to control soul, body, and spirit. Israel's later saying that it was well with them in Egypt was a falsehood.
Their bondage came upon them and was permitted because they did not walk in God's ways but dishonored Him by continual transgressions of His law and apostasy. Under oppression and hard servitude they could not keep God's Sabbath, and by long mingling with a nation of idolaters their faith became confused and corrupted. God allowed the oppression to turn the people to Him in distress so they would choose His righteous and merciful rule and obey His requirements.
When the Israelites humbled themselves, acknowledged God's dealings, and cried earnestly for deliverance from the oppressive yoke, promising to serve God and be obedient to His law if He would break off the yoke of bondage, their cries and promises reached Heaven. The verse shows the time for Israel's deliverance had come. Though their prayers might have seemed unanswered for a long time, God heard them in Heaven and in His own time acted to deliver His people and protect the righteous. Their deliverance did not come without trials that tested their faith and patience.
Deliverance and Covenant Mercy
God answered their prayers in a most wonderful and merciful manner, delivering them with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. He heard their cries and wrought through Moses for their deliverance, sending Moses and Aaron to deliver them. Angels of God were with Moses and Aaron, enabling them to carry out His will, preserving them, and bringing plagues upon the Egyptians. His purpose was to be accomplished in a manner to pour contempt on human pride, sending the deliverer forth not in greatness but as a humble shepherd with only a rod in his hand, and making that rod the symbol of His own power.
He brought Israel forth from Egypt to take them to Himself in covenant as His peculiar treasure and to make them His people. He looked upon them with caring regard that moved Him to deliver them out of Egypt and bring them to a good, large land flowing with milk and honey. That promised leading to a good land was where they would live under His rule, having chosen His righteous and merciful rule and obeyed His requirements.
Justice for the Oppressed
God looks upon enslaved people held in bondage and placed on a level with brute creatures and has respect unto them. He hears their cries and groans and agony rising to heaven under slavery. When Israel was in bondage in Egypt their cry of suffering came up to God and He delivered them with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. His deliverance of Israel is the pattern for His deliverance of the colored people from slavery. After that deliverance He placed upon the people of this nation the responsibility of uplifting them and placing them in a position where they could help themselves.
God punishes the nation for the long-existing curse of the sin of slavery. He brings His scourge upon the North for so long submitting to suffer fellow men to be held in hopeless slavery, tyrannized over, tortured and murdered as no more than brutes. The fugitive slave law calculated to crush every noble, generous feeling of sympathy for the oppressed and suffering slave is in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ. By such iniquity the inhabitants of earth have nearly filled their cup.