Week 6: I Have Heard Their Cry

The story moves from Genesis into Exodus: generations after Joseph, Israel has multiplied, as God promised Abraham and as echoes the command in Genesis 1 to "be fruitful." But a new Pharaoh sees them as a threat and enslaves them, and that sets God's rule against the rule of earthly kings. The week's question is whether God has forgotten His promise. The answer is no. When Israel cries out, God "remembered" His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which means He is about to act on it, not that He had forgotten. The thread to watch this week is God's presence. At the burning bush God tells Moses, "I will be with you," and reveals His name, "I AM WHO I AM." In Exodus 6 He repeats "I will," and Jesus's later "I am" statements will echo it. Exodus is about a faithful God keeping His promise more than about Moses as a hero. Next week, the rescue begins.