Exodus 19-22: A Compassionate God

“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
“Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.
"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. -Ex. 22:21-27 NIV

Where would Israel have been, where would any of us be if it were not for that compassionate God?  God had to remind the Israelites that they had been aliens in Egypt.  They might be aliens again one day.  History is a revolving door.  Those who have been the poor, the oppressed, the aliens, run the risk of  becoming the oppressors when their fortunes increase.  God had to remind the Israelites that they were to be his instruments in taking care of the disadvantaged just as he took care of them. Fortunately, for all of us, we have a God who hears us when we cry in despair, for he is a compassionate God.