Friday after Ash Wednesday

Exodus 2:1-25

God Begins to Execute His Plan to Save His People

God has a plan.  This, we must believe, otherwise, we are going to become very disappointed in this life.

The amount of time the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt is hard to tell, for we do not know how much time elapsed between the death of Joseph, the multiplication of the people of Israel, and the rise of a Pharaoh “who did not know Joseph.”  The people were already being oppressed when Moses was born, and as Moses was nearing eighty when he was later called by God to deliver the Israelites, they must have been slaves for well over a century, and probably much longer (Genesis 15:13-14).  They were in Egypt for a total of 430 years (Exodus 12:40).  God’s promise to their father Abraham that they would inherit the land of Canaan must have seemed like a distant dream (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:12-21).  So there they were: strangers in the land of Egypt, slaves of Pharaoh, and worst of all, subject to a genocidal policy as their newborn baby boys were decreed to die (Exodus 1:22).

But God still had a plan.  We must remember that God is very patient, far more patient than us.  His promise to Abraham that he would father a son took twenty-five years, that his offspring would inherit the land took another six hundred years, and that all the nations would be blessed through him (the promise of the coming Messiah) took two long-suffering millennia!  Indeed, many promises we never see fulfilled simply because we didn’t live at the appointed time.  But whatever the case, God is working His plan to His desired ends and we must trust Him in the meantime.

So often we say things like, “God has a plan for my life.”  He certainly does.  But we seem to place the emphasis on “my life” or “your life,” which is all fine and well when talking to children, I suppose.  But when we grow up, we learn that the emphasis is not on “my life” but on God who is working the plan.  And God will work His plan with or without me.  We read that the children of Israel groaned under their slavery and cried for help.  God heard their cry and was already at work in the life of their Deliverer, Moses.  But many generations of Israelites came and went before God ever sent Moses to Pharaoh.  Similarly, we will endure many struggles in this life before we finally throw off our oppressors (our flesh, the world, and the devil) and know the ultimate peace and safety of heaven.  Until then, we must remain true.  And through God’s grace and mercy, we can.

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor View all posts by The Reformed Baptist