Egypt Was Glad When They Departed
Today’s Text: Psalm 105:26-38
Passover

The one hundred fifth psalm is a beautiful retelling of God’s care for His Chosen People. The period of history from Abraham to Moses is captured within a mere 616 words as translated in the New King James version of the English Bible.

PSALM 105

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!

Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it. 

When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,

He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”

Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.
He sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.
Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.

The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.
Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

He increased His people greatly,
And made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.

He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
They performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.

He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.

He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.

Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.

He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.

He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.

He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.

He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,

And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.
He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.

He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.

The people asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.

For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.

He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.

Praise the Lord!

Though originally welcomed by a pharaoh who made Joseph regent of Egypt, the children of Israel were later enslaved simply because they were perceived to be a threat to society.

The message is clear. The ten plaques that befell Egypt were the consequence of the actions of a subsequent pharaoh who was an infanticidal anti-Semite (Ex. 1:15-22). God superseded the schemes of an evil man; and at the set time, delivered His Chosen People from the status of slaves to a nation free to serve Him.

God did not ignore the abuse Israel suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. Israel left with the wealth of Egypt as compensation (Ex. 12:36). Nations take note.

IMAGES:
1) The Water Is Changed into Blood, 1803. (Image used for illustrative purposes) (Photo credit: By James Jacques Tissot /[Public domain]/Wikimedia/Enhancement, MKM Portfolios)

Copyright © 2016 Charles E. McCracken, devotional comments only. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Charles E. McCracken is an international Bible teacher, long-time friend of Israel and advocate for the Jewish people. In his work as the Executive Director of Olive Tree Alliance, Inc., Rev. McCracken authentically communicates biblical truth making his presentations relevant for those seeking to understand the significance of Israel and the church in Bible prophecy. He staunchly supports the nation of Israel and the Jewish people’s right to exist and live in peace.

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