GOD HEARD THEIR CRY

Ex. 2:23-25

From the time that Jacob and his family of 75 people went down to Egypt from Palestine due to a famine many things had happened. Joseph had been sent ahead by the Lord in order to preserve the life of the family. All the children of Israel had fared well because of Joseph.

After the death of Joseph and the other family members there arose a king that knew not who Joseph was, he caused the heartache of slavery and other trials to bring much heart ache to Jacob's grandchildren.

It was about 100 plus years from the time that they first come to Egypt that a stirring took place. The ancestors of Jacob (Israel) had suffered many things at the hands of the Egyptians and the Bible says, It came to pass in the process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

There are those today that for no reason of their own have suffered at the hands of others and they have asked, is there anything that I have done wrong? There are many today that are suffering from disease that some one else has caused and they ask why has this thing been brought on me? There are no doubt that innocent people suffer but listen what our Lord has to say, "It is impossible that offenses will not come, but woe unto him through whom they come. It were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."

Jesus gives some very good advice in verse 3-4. "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying I repent; thou shall forgive him."

Remember what Exodus 2:24 tells us; God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. Don't ever forget that there is a God in heaven and He is still concerned about His children.

In the old and new testaments we have seen that it is a serious matter for anyone to offend God's children and if we offend one another we have the duty to make amends.

When God makes a covenant with someone He keeps it. God had made a covenant with Abraham and now hundreds of years later He is honoring it with Abraham's children. Verse 25 tells us, "And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them."

When God looks upon our children, will he have respect for them or will He look on them and say as He did in Genesis 6:6, "It repented the Lord that he had made man upon the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

One person can make a difference for good or for bad. Enoch walked with God and he took him while others did what was evil.