Deuteronomy 26:1-11
1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5 you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
“… 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. …”
One of the routes I take when biking here in the Tiffin area is the road along the Sandusky River. It is scenic and offers a wonderful hour’s ride. For the last few years, as I’ve traveled that route, I noticed a house that was flying an American flag upside down – a sign of distress. Although I’ve never stopped to inquire of the owner what exactly he or she is distressed about, I have my assumptions.
If the people of Israel had a flag during their sojourn in Egypt, they likely would have flown it upside down. After all, they were being treated harshly and oppressed by hard labor. Rather than a flag, they cried out to the Lord who heard their pleas and saw their affliction. Through Moses, God delivered them from their distress.
Many today are distressed about a variety of things – things over which they have little control. Like the ancient Israelites, we cry out to the Lord to deliver us. We raise our voices just as they did, pleading with the Lord to deliver us from our affliction, toil, and oppression. We do so, not with despair, but with hope, trusting that the Lord not only hears our cries but will respond to us as the Lord did with the people of ancient Israel.
Prayer: O Lord, as You heard the cries of Your people Israel, hear our cries today and deliver us from those who afflict, oppress, and abuse those whom You have created in Your image. Amen.