Exodus 20.2, 3

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

Deuteronomy 5.6, 7

“‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.’”

God Who gave us His Law is eternal and unchanging. He is also personal and loving, and gives us precious and very great promises by which to draw us into a loving relationship with Himself. God’s Law plays an important role in enabling us to “partake” of God (2 Pet. 1.4) and to share in His eternal life and love.

God Who gave the Law is also the One Who brought Israel out of captivity in Egypt. In Egypt Israel was enslaved to the whims of Pharaohs and overseers. The promises eluded them; oppressors exploited them; and all the memory of their special calling from the Lord was being systematically erased.

But in faithfulness to His covenant promises (Ex. 2.24) – He is unchanging, after all – God came to His people in Egypt, and by a mighty arm and an outstretched hand, delivered them from captivity under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. This deliverance was all of grace, and bears strong testimony to the steadfast love and faithfulness of God.

He Who had thus delivered His people would not fail, from that time forward, to relate to them on that same basis. Israel, after her deliverance, belonged to God; they were His people, and He would be their God, dwelling among them, receiving their worship, and blessing them according to all their needs and all His precious and very great promises.

Sign up to receive Crosfigell, our thrice-weekly email devotional, featuring T. M. Moore’s insights to Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition.