I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Exodus 20:2
The Ten Commandments begin with the appeal of a gracious God who is committed to the good of His people, not an appeal on the basis of raw power.
God could have said, “I am your Creator. I own the cosmos.” That’s true. He could have said, “I have more power than a million nuclear bombs, so you better knuckle down and worship me.” That’s true too. But that’s not what He said.
He said, “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Life in Egypt was absolutely miserable—poverty, abuse, and oppression. The Israelites were powerless, and their plight was hidden. They were trapped with no way out. There was no political process for change, no education that could qualify them for better things.
But then God stepped in and brought these desperate people out of Egypt. He rescued them and now He introduces Himself to them: “I am Yahweh. I am the one who brought you out of Egypt. I sent the plagues on your oppressors. I parted the Red Sea. I destroyed the armies of your enemies. When you cried out, nobody else was listening. But I was. Nobody else took notice of you, but I came down to help you. Nobody else saw a future for you, but I did.”
God has no obligations. He doesn’t have to do anything He doesn’t want to do. What pleased Him was to come down and set these hopeless people free. “Now,” He said, “I am your God. You belong to me. You are mine.” You will never be ready to embrace God fully until you are convinced that He is good.
How do you hear God’s appeal?
