21 “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
The call to remember the past is a repeated theme in the Old Testament. The Israelites are told again and again to remember their time in Egypt and the Lord’s deliverance from it. They needed to remember their past in order to appreciate their present. Here their past is remembered in order to guide their actions in present and future. The Lord does not place value on a person because of their citizenship, or lack of citizenship. In fact, He chose Israel because they were nobodies. He did that so that He would get the glory and honor. The disciples were all nobodies. Our tendency is to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We get puffed up egos. But we need to remember that we are just clay pots with His treasure in them. The value is not in the vessel, but in the contents of the vessel. As Israel is learning to live as a free people, they must never forget from where they came. They were slaves. It was only through the grace-filled intervention of the Lord that they were delivered. Without the Lord’s power and might, they would still be slaves. If He had not been involved, they would still be making mud bricks. They must never forget their past. When the Lord delivers, it is not because we deserve it. Exactly the opposite is true. We never deserve God’s grace poured into our lives. That is why it is important to remember from where we were taken. And that knowledge should direct our actions toward others. If it were not for the grace of God I would probably still be a drug addict. I would probably be ‘functional’ but a drug addict none the less. I remember so that I don’t go back. I also remember so that I don’t treat myself or others in a manner that ignores God’s gracious work in my life.
The Arnold Journey 