Articles
Turning Points in Bible History - 6
The next significant turning point is under the heading of the “exodus,” but that term encompasses several subordinate turning points.
*A new pharaoh arose “who did not know Joseph” (Ex 1:8) and thus not only removed special status from Israel but enslaved them out of fear (1:9-14).
*Moses had to be persuaded by Jehovah to accept the yoke as Israel’s deliverer (Ex 3-4).
*Pharaoh had to be persuaded to release the Israelites from bondage, no easy task considering they were his workforce. God tightened the screws on Egypt via the plagues (Ex 5-12), and a literal “watershed moment” occurred in the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.
*Perhaps the last in this sequence of turning points is the establishment of the covenant between God and Israel. This gave them special stature above all the nations, a status that they will squander in days to come.
So what can we take away from this transition from slavery to salvation? First, current political and social conditions are always in flux, and a favored status in one era is not guaranteed in another. I believe we are witnessing such a change in our day. Second, God knows our limits and will provide the deliverance we need when we need it and through whomever He chooses. Let us learn to trust in God and His provision for us.
