"Remember that you were a slave in Egypt," Moses instructed the Hebrew people as he came to the end of his life. But did these sons of Abraham need to be reminded? Had they not sat around campfires listening to the stories of parents and grandparents? Had they not seen the scars on their wrists and ankles and the marks on their backs–imprints without and far more within–which they would carry to their deaths?
"Remember that you were a slave in Egypt." Some might have thought, "Hey, Moses, you don’t have to remind us of this. That’s all behind us. We need to think positive thoughts, not negative ones. We need to focus on the good things ahead, not reflect on the past difficulties and troubles."
"Remember that you were a slave in Egypt." Moses knew what he was doing. Why look back? Here’s why: In looking back you are reminded of your humble roots and resist the temptation to say, "Look, what I’ve done. I raised myself from poverty to success." Remembering that you were a slave in Egypt eliminates the temptation to arrogance and pride. Slaves had no rights of their own. They were chattel. If a slave displeased his owner, he could be beaten, thrown into prison, or even killed. Slaves came with certificates of ownership, not warranties with rights and privileges guaranteed.
In remembering that they were slaves in Egypt, they acknowledged that it was not their resources or clever negotiations that secured their release. It was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who sent the plagues that finally convinced Pharaoh that it was in his best interest to cooperate with this 80-year-old shepherd-turned-deliverer.
In remembering that they were slaves in Egypt, they would treat others with compassion, fairness, and kindness. God instructed Israel to be kind to the stranger, reminding them that they too had been strangers. He ordered safeguards against abuses that had been inflicted on them.
Recently, a landlord whose financial statement lists millions in assets was convicted by a court of imposing terrible conditions on the poor people who lived in his rat-infested, cockroach-laden buildings, and the strange quirk to the story is that he himself had been a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, and had experienced terrible conditions himself. He forgot that he had been a slave in Egypt. Those who forget become taskmasters of the worst kind, without conscience or heart, their consciences hardened to the very things they once so hated. A judge sentenced him to live in one of his rundown apartments in hopes that his conscience might be awakened.
"Ah," but you may be thinking, "I’ve never been a slave in Egypt." Remember, if you would, that Egypt in the Bible is a type of the world, and millions have been slaves of different kinds–slaves of habit, of temper, of arrogance and pride, of alcohol, drugs, or sex. Don’t forget that you, too, were a slave in Egypt.
It is possible that you still are a slave in Egypt, that more than anything you would like to be delivered from the demon that haunts you. The God who delivered the Hebrews slaves out of Egypt is still seeking and saving those who will take the hand of His Son and follow Him through the wilderness to Canaan’s fair land. - Resource reading: Deuteronomy 16