I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. (Psalm 81:10)
As was mentioned in the previous devotion, the first words God spoke to those assembled at Sinai were “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2). In Judaism, this is actually considered to be the first of the ten commands. If this truth is engrained within the people, they will not revere any false gods and will be inclined to keep all His commandments. Because this is such an important issue, the psalmist reminds us that it was the God of Israel who delivered His people from the bonds of slavery and gave them opportunity for an abundant life.
More specifically, the Hebrew wording used by the psalmist to say “who brought you out” literally means “who lifted or raised you out.” In other words, God did not deliver them from slavery just to improve their lot, though He certainly did. His greater intent was to lift them from their plight and elevate them to a much higher purpose — to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). They would no longer serve man but served the Great I Am. Through them, God would reach out to the rest of the world and draw unto Himself all who recognized His sovereignty and desired His companionship.
All who have been redeemed from sin were saved for a specific reason; not just to be delivered from our difficulties but to be raised up for a grand purpose. As His people we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate God’s goodness to others. When we live according to His Word we provide the light for others to see that God’s goodness is available for them as well. It is as Moses said: “Be careful to observe God’s instructions; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:6-7).
Let us always remember that, without Him, we would still be laboring in the world’s mud pit struggling to be free. Now that we are free, never fail to “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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