READ: Exodus 23:1-13
“And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.“ – Deuteronomy 15:15
God told the Israelites to be kind to strangers just because they were once foreigners in Egypt. “You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9).
I remember how I suffered under the repression of some lecturers in medical school. Many lecturers only had threats and warnings for their students. I thought to myself, “If I was ever a lecturer I would be kind to the students and help them to pass their exams.”
One day, I was chatting with one of my classmates and he said, “When I become a lecturer I will ensure that students suffer as much as I did.” I was amazed at this declaration. Could he not see what he was going through? Would he not remember the anguish that we experienced in this place? Unfortunately , many wicked people simply cannot remember what it was like to be on the other side. Some men who were raised in orphanages remember how they were shown the love of God. Some of them built orphanages and cared for other children because they remember everything. Others walk away and rewrite their history deleting every memory of the orphanage. God warns us in His Word to remember how we felt and help others who are in a similar situation. Perhaps you come from a very poor background. God expects you to reach out and help such poor people because you know what it feels like to be poor!