The encounter with God turned Moses’ life upside down. After Moses has become irrelevant, God takes him to set Israel free through him. But it is not an easy path, but with many surprises.

Exodus 2:23 “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.”

The suffering of the children of Israel in Egypt has become proverbial. Oppression, hard work, want, contempt, all worked together to make life miserable for them. They sighed and cried out in their distress, and their cry came before God. The suffering of the earth is known in heaven. God perceives everything. But he does not provide an instant solution. God is waiting for the right moment.

But God keeps his word. He remembers the promises he made to the forefathers. God keeps his word, but he’s not in a hurry. With a drowning person you have to wait until he no longer wants to save himself and has no more strength of his own or until he entrusts himself to the rescuer. So God must wait until man sees his need for salvation. Not many people recognize that they need a Saviour. Otherwise, they would be storming heaven, eagerly awaiting someone to unfold the good news of God’s atonement and restoration through Jesus.

The death of the Egyptian tormentor brought no salvation. Now only God can help. Only when we have reached the end of our human potential are we human beings ready to turn to God. How much suffering could be prevented if we turned to God sooner? God heard the cries for help and sent his messenger. Will they get involved with him?