Exodus: God Makes a Promise
- DR. STEVEN H. SANCHEZ
- Jan 3
- 2 min read
Daily Devotional: Read Exodus 6:1–8
If you’ve ever told a child, “I know I promised, but…” you probably remember their look of suspicious disappointment. The next time you said, “I promise,” you knew they might not believe you. As we turn to the book of Exodus, we come to an important event that shows us why we can always trust God’s promises. Seeing this clearly displayed in the Old Testament increases our ability to trust God today.
Approximately 400 years after God made a covenant with Abram, He fulfilled that promise by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. Exodus describes this as God remembering His covenant (v. 5). Now let’s be clear, God doesn’t “remember” because He forgot. While He may take His time, He always “remembers.” But from Israel’s perspective, it must have felt like God had forgotten them! Imagine waiting for 400 years to see if God would do what He promised. This feeling would have become more pronounced as the Egyptians began to enslave the Israelites. Forced to do hard labor, they suffered greatly. Then, as their population increased, they faced genocidal threats (Ex. 1:22). But in His time, God decided to take action. He had witnessed the oppression of His people at the hand of the Egyptians (6:6). He would free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt with powerful demonstrations of His might (v. 6). He did this because he made a covenant with Abraham and reaffirmed it to his descendants (v. 8).
The exodus proved that God’s promises can always be trusted. This is important because God has made promises to everyone who trusts in Him. He promises that He will deliver us from bondage to sin (Acts 26:18). It may take a lifetime, but He will do it as He promised!
Go Deeper
Have you grown weary of waiting for God to deliver you? Have you struggled to remain confident that He has not forgotten you? How does this passage in Exodus increase your confidence in God’s promises?
Extended Reading
Pray with Us
Father, what a joy it is to know that Your promises are faithful and true! You delivered the Israelis from slavery in Egypt, and You deliver us from slavery to sin. We praise you today. Hallelujah!
I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
Exodus 6:5
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