Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 22:21
Many years ago our family was discussing the Golden Rule as cited by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:12 and in Luke 6:31, in the Sermon on the Mount. One of my sisters came up with the shortest version of that Rule I have ever heard. Bev said: ‘Do as you would be did by’. Whether long or short, the Rule is a wonderful philosophy that even the world around us recognizes as the ultimate in our relationships with others. And our text today is a beautiful example of that Rule in action.
The Lord is reminding the children of Israel how they were treated – mistreated is more like it – when they lived in Egypt. They were to recall the harsh labour conditions in the brick kilns, the cold shoulders of the Egyptians in social situations, the insults and sneers every day and everywhere. It wasn’t nice and the Israelites were made to feel despised and insulted. They didn’t like it at all. Now, the Lord is telling them, there will be strangers coming among you in the promised land, and how will they be made to feel? Don’t be like the nasty Egyptians.
As Christians, the Lord does not want us to be like the nasty world around us. We are to be kind to others despite unkindness toward us. We are to be compassionate to others despite unpleasantness shown to ourselves. Displaying the love of Christ is a good testimony, too. Many precious souls will be in Heaven with us because some faithful Christian treated them as the Lord taught us. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/dZ4n2L3qFsk