Choosing The Best Team
The teacher would choose a captain for each team and they would stand before the class, looking up and down the line for their ultimate champions.
Reference: v.7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: We all experienced that heart-racing moment in primary school when the whole class stood in a line ready to be chosen for a sporting team. For some athletic students this was just a small hurdle to get through in anticipation of the game ahead. However, for students like myself, who were not confident in their sporting prowess, this selection time was close to torture. The teacher would choose a captain for each team and they would stand before the class, looking up and down the line for their ultimate champions. Once all the champions were selected it came down to the rest of us students who just wished that we would not be the last one standing. I’m still not sure how any teacher could see this as a fair distribution of team mates, as it only gave the sporty kids a bigger arrogance and the not-so-sporty kids a more deflated self-esteem. I always wondered what it would be like to be chosen first.
Application: When the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, life was not easy for them. In fact, as we read through the beginning of Exodus, it seems that their difficult life only got worse. I can imagine being slaves didn’t just relate to the type of work they were given, but I’m sure they would have been seen as second-rate citizens in every part of society. And yet, the Israelites were not second-rate when it came to God. If all the nations were standing before God and he was the captain of the team, then the Israelites would have been chosen first. They didn’t realise it at the time, as their situation seemed so dire, and yet God had them at the top of his list. Often, we too feel like a second-rate citizen. Due to our situation and circumstances it feels like we are the last ones chosen for the team. And yet, when it comes to God, he picks us first. Just like the Israelites thousands of years ago, God sees us as His chosen people. If we desire to be on His team then he will not leave us standing alone.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for your faithfulness. Although we stuff up and desire to be on other teams at times, you are always there with open arms and our names on your lips as you call us forward to be on Your team. There is no place we’d rather be. Amen.
Is there an area in your life where you feel you’re being left behind?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.