“Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”-Exodus 11:2
God commands Moses that before the Israelites leave Egypt, they are to strip the Egyptian people of their wealth.
I gather when the Hebrews came knocking on the doors of the Egyptians asking for their silver and gold, there were two types of groups among the Egyptians.
One group, and I would say this bunch represented the majority of the Egyptian people, handed over their valuables out of pure fear.
From their perspective, this was no different than if a criminal was holding a gun to their head and demanding their gold.
In their minds, Moses was nothing less than an awesome sorcerer who was much more powerful than Pharaoh’s magicians.
They gave their money but not out of any love or respect for the God of Israel or His chief representative Moses.
As far as they were concerned, they had been robbed, plain and simple.
This bitterness lingers among the Egyptian people even today.
If there be any doubt concerning the authenticity of this account in Exodus, all one has to do is talk to a modern Egyptian about it.
The truth is the Egyptian people right up to modern times (approximately 3400 years later), are downright bitter over Israel taking all of their gold and silver.
My retort?
Would this not be just reparations for the over 400 years of hard labor the Israelites provided to Egypt?
Now the other group of Egyptians who handed over their wealth to Israel were of a different mindset.
They also handed over their valuables to the Israelites but there was no bitterness about it.
They had been convicted in their hearts that what they were dealing with was indeed the true awesome Creator of the universe and His Chief Representative at the time who was Moses.
In fact, they had already decided that when the Israelites departed Egypt, they were going to leave with them.
And thus we have the “mixed multitude” that left with Israel.
They became ONE with Israel.
There are a couple of interesting takeaways I feel the Lord placing on my heart here.
First, don’t feel bitter if you feel like you’re being taken advantage of or overworked at your job for instance.
If you are one of God’s, He is watching over you and will in the final analysis make sure that you receive your just due for all the labor you gave and any unfair treatment you had to go through.
Second, just as it was during the time of Exodus in Egypt, till the very end of days there will be two very different groups of Gentiles.
One group will reject God’s people and His Chief representative.
Another group will warmly invite God’s people and His Chief representative into their homes and gladly give whatever they can to support them.
We saw this same dynamic among the common people of Germany when the Nazis were in power.
Some Germans (unfortunately the vast majority), closed their doors to God’s people in their hour of dire need.
However, some Germans risked their lives and opened up their homes and offered whatever they could to help God’s people when they needed it.
Bless these people and rest assured God was watching.
Finally, today’s teaching reminds of the principle that God loves a cheerful giver.
If you cannot gladly give to a certain ministry or whatever in good faith and conscience, then don’t.
God doesn’t want your sacrifices if they are tainted with reluctant obligation and suspicion.
If you give in bitterness, you will just end up bitter and full of regret, like the many Egyptians today who are filled with so much rancor and spite over what happened in Egypt so many years ago.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
The point is this:
whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart,
not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
-2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice,
and open the door,
I will come in to him,
and will sup with him,
and he with me.
-Revelation 3:20
“The King will reply,
‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did
for one of the least
of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.’
-Matthew 25:40
*In proper context, “these brothers and sisters” refers to the Jewish people.
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