Paul says. And now all was to be
new. They had been fancying that they belonged to the Egyptians.
Now they had found out, and had it proved to them by signs and
wonders which they could not mistake, that they belonged to the Lord.
They had been brutal sinners. The Lord began to teach them that they
were to rise above their own appetites and passions. They had been
worshipping only what they could see and handle. The Lord began to
teach them to worship Him--a person whom they could not see, though
He was always near them, and watching over them. They had been
living without independence, fellow-feeling, the sense of duty, or
love of order. The Lord began to teach them to care for each other,
to help each other, to know that they had a duty to perform towards
each other, for which they were accountable to Him. They had owned
no master except the Egyptians, whom they feared and obeyed
unwillingly. The Lord began to teach them to obey Him loyally, from
trust, and gratitude, and love. They had been willing to remain
sinners, and brutes, and slaves, provided they could get enough to
eat and drink. The Lord began to teach them that His favour, His
protection, were better than the flesh-pots of Egypt, and that He was
able to feed them where it seemed impossible to men; to teach them
that "man does not live by bread alone--cheap or dear, my friends--
not by bread alone, but by EVERY word that proceeds out of the mouth
of God, does man live.
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