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The Story of Redemption
Then they contrasted their condition with that of the Egyptians.
They did not believe at all in a living God who had power to save
or to destroy. Some of them worshiped idols, images of wood and
stone, while others chose to worship the sun, moon, and stars; yet
they were prospered and wealthy. And some of the Hebrews thought
that if God was above all gods He would not thus leave them as
slaves to an idolatrous nation.
The faithful servants of God understood that it was because of
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their unfaithfulness to God as a people, and their disposition to
intermarry with other nations, and thus being led into idolatry, that
the Lord suffered them to go into Egypt. And they firmly declared
to their brethren that God would soon bring them up from Egypt and
break their oppressive yoke.
The time had come when God would answer the prayers of
His oppressed people, and would bring them from Egypt with such
mighty displays of His power that the Egyptians would be com-
pelled to acknowledge that the God of the Hebrews, whom they
had despised, was above all gods. He would now punish them for
their idolatry and for their proud boasting of the mercies bestowed
upon them by their senseless gods. God would glorify His own
name, that other nations might hear of His power and tremble at
His mighty acts, and that His people, by witnessing His miraculous
works, should fully turn from their idolatry to render to Him pure
worship.
In the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, God plainly showed His
distinguished mercy to His people before all the Egyptians. God saw
fit to execute His judgments upon Pharaoh, that he might know by
sad experience, since he would not otherwise be convinced, that His
power was superior to all others. That His name might be declared
throughout all the earth, He would give exemplary and demonstrative
proof to all nations of His divine power and justice. It was the design
of God that these exhibitions of power should strengthen the faith of
His people, and that their posterity should steadfastly worship Him
alone who had wrought such merciful wonders in their behalf.
Moses declared to Pharaoh, after he required the people to make
brick without straw, that God, whom he pretended not to know,
would compel him to yield to His claims and acknowledge His
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authority as supreme Ruler.