The Jews - He heard their cry

And God said, When I look down upon the earth I see how really hard the Jews work; how industrious they are, and how oppressed they are. They are basically good people and so I want to save them from their taskmasters.

(Book of Hezekiah 3:4)



Sound strange? Well, it is strange. It's not in the Bible. I just made it up. There is no Book of Hezekiah, and these words could never be attributed to our God.

Why did God come down to save the Hebrews? He tells us exactly in Exodus 2:23-25.

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.

God saved them because: He heard their cry for help and He remembered His covenant.

It's our story, too. We cry to Him for help, He hears us, and remembers His promise that He will save those who come to Him. He promised He would not cast us out.

God did not look down at the Jews and save them because they were worthy. He didn't see any goodness in them. No redeeming qualities at all. Out of His grace and mercy, He reached down and saved them. Knowing that they would not always even appreciate His goodness, that they would reject Him many times, that even though He would always be faithful, they would not remain true to Him or obey Him.

And looking down through history, He knew the cost for redeeming His people would be greater than any one could ever imagine. He counted the cost and was willing to pay the price.

God promised Abraham:

I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing...

Being God's Chosen People carries a rich history and a great responsibility. Remember Topal in Fiddler on the Roof? (God, why couldn't you choose someone else sometime?)

Here are some interesting figures. Looking at the list of recipients of the Nobel Prizes:

In the field of Physics: 25% have been Jews
In the field of chemistry: 19% have been Jews
In the field of medicine: 28% have been Jews
In the field of economics: 41% have been Jews
In the field of literature: 13% have been Jews
For the peace prize: 9% have been Jews

So how many people in the world are Jews? Just under 1/4 of 1 percent......