Exodus 3:16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
The Jews were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. That is a long time. The US is just a little over 200 years old. That seems long. George Washington and the Revolutionary War was long ago. The cultural styles and habits have completely changed. 400 years is much longer. This was a bitter time. They were slaves. While good things are passed down through the generations, so are bad things. Just as prisoners learn horrible things due to their environment, so do slaves. These get passed down to the children. Bad behavior that scars and leaves victims. Who in turn victimize others. God sees their pain. He cares about them. He says, “I am concerned about you and what has been done to you.” This is very empowering. It’s like the victim is on the witness stand and they get to tell their story. It’s uninterrupted. Some things come out that weren’t rehearsed. More than the facts. Emotions and internal damage. Maybe a child lost a parent due to the harsh slavery. The time in life where fathers enter and help parent now must be navigated alone. It may be sports or friendships or handling bullies. Because of the absence, the child is deficient and might not know why until later. If a child lost a mother, then the main attachment figure is gone. All sorts of insecurities flow from that. Poor friendship habits are present, which bring all sorts of problems. The symptoms may produce an angry demeanor or possibly and anxious one. Whatever the case, there is pain. God knows and cares. We don’t know the reason why He allowed it to go on, but it wasn’t his fault and He cares. We also have things that He knows about and cares. We can sit before Him and speak it. Just as a concerned therapist listens and encourages the full story, so does God. He is the “Wonderful Counselor”. Lord, help us to bring our issues before You.