ISRAEL INFLUENCED BY IDOLATRY

When the Egyptians learned the Israelites expected to leave Egypt, Egyptians made fun of Israel's hope of deliverance. Egyptians spoke scornfully of the power of the Israelites' God. TheSRme 1.441

Egyptians explained to the Israelites that the Israelites were a nation of slaves. Egyptians said, If your God is so fair and merciful, and has such more power than our gods, why are you still slaves? Why does your God not show His greatness and power by honoring you?SRme 1.442

The Egyptians then pointed to their own people who worshiped gods of their own choosing that the Israelites called false gods. The Egyptians said their gods had blessed them, giving them food, clothing, and great riches. Egyptians said their gods also had given them the Israelites to do their work for them. Egyptians said they had power to crush the Israelites, to kill them, and to destroy them as a people. Egyptians laughed at the idea that the Israelites would ever be delivered from slavery.SRme 1.443

Pharaoh boasted that the Israelites' God could not deliver them from his control. His words destroyed the hope of many Israelites. They believed what the king and his officers said. They knew they were treated as slaves and had to do exactly what their workbosses and rulers commanded them. Their male children had been hunted and killed. Their own lives were miserable. How could they be so miserable when they were believing in and worshiping the God of heaven?SRme 1.444

The Israelites compared their condition with that of the Egyptians who did not believe in a living God who had power to save or destroy. Some of the Egyptians worshiped images of wood and stone. Other Egyptians chose to worship the sun, moon, and stars. They seemed to be blessed and wealthy. Some of the Israelites thought that if God was better than all gods He would not allow them to be slaves in a nation that worshiped idols.SRme 1.445

People who were faithful among the Israelites understood God allowed this trouble because as a people they were not faithful to Him. Many Israelites had married people of other nations and had become worshipers of idols. So God allowed the Israelites to become slaves in Egypt. The faithful Israelites told their brothers God soon would take them out of Egypt and break the power of their slavemasters.SRme 1.446

The time had come when God would answer the prayers of His oppressed people. God would use His great power to bring Israel out of Egypt. When the Egyptians would see God's mighty power working against them, they would have to admit the Israelites' God, whom they scorned, was greater than all gods.SRme 1.447

God was almost ready to punish the Egyptians for worshiping idols and for their proud boasting that their foolish gods had blessed them. God would glorify His own name, so other nations might hear of His power and tremble at His mighty acts. Seeing God's great works, the Israelites, too, would give up their idols and worship the true God with all their hearts.SRme 1.448

In delivering the Israelites from Egypt, God plainly showed His mercy to His people before the Egyptians. God brought terrible judgments on Pharaoh to teach him through experience that God was greater than all gods. There was no other way to convince Pharaoh.SRme 1.449

For God's name to be made throughout the earth, God would give proof to all nations of His divine power and perfect justice. God planned that this example of His power also would strengthen the faith of the Israelites. Surely their children would worship Him faithfully when they heard about the great wonders He had done to save them.SRme 1.450

Pharaoh pretended he did not know God. He commanded the slavemasters to stop providing the Israelites with straw for making bricks. "Let the Israelites gather their own straw," he said. Moses told Pharaoh that God would force the king to do what the Lord says and admit that God was the Ruler greater than all rulers.SRme 1.451