God's Love for One is God's Love for All-Exodus 2:11-3:22; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:1-6

During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. – Exodus 2:23-25

 

It stunk to be a Hebrew. Slavery. Oppression. Who could deliver them? Why would anyone go to the trouble?

 

God heard their groaning. But what moved Him to act? “He remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.”

 

God’s compassion is for us. But sometimes it’s not because of us. Sometimes it’s because of someone else He has a relationship with, and for their sake, God loves us. That’s how it was with the Israelites. God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He loved them enough to make a covenant to bless their children. The children benefitted even though their fathers had died.

 

Believers realize how true this is more than anyone else:

 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. – Ephesians 1:3-10

 

God has had mercy on us because of someone else: Jesus Christ. We were sinners. We deserved no compassion. But God has loved Jesus forever, and as He saw us in Jesus Christ before the creation of the world, He chose us and planned to adopt us as His sons… All this because of His Son Jesus Christ, whom He loves.

 

God has had compassion on us because of someone else He loves. What a gracious God, to include us in that love!

 

Father, thank You for showing over and over that Your love for some is the basis for Your love for others. Thank You that Your covenant love is not exclusive. You have opened Your arms wide not only to Your Son Jesus Christ but to his family—the men of this world… even to me. Thank You for sending Jesus to call us family (Heb. 2:10-18).