What Old Testament examples show God delivering His people in times of distress? Distress at Jabesh-Gilead 1 Samuel 11:4: “When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud.” • Israel hears the Ammonite threat and breaks into tears. • Within seven days (vv. 5-11) God empowers Saul, unifies the tribes, and scatters the Ammonites. • This snapshot sets the pattern: God sees, God acts, His people are rescued. Echoes of Deliverance across the Old Testament • Exodus 14 — Red Sea parted: “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (v. 14) • Judges 6–7 — Gideon’s 300 rout Midian; God intentionally shrinks the army so credit goes to Him. • 1 Samuel 17 — David and Goliath: “The battle belongs to the LORD.” (v. 47) • 2 Kings 19; Isaiah 37 — 185,000 Assyrians fall in a night; Jerusalem wakes up delivered. • 2 Chronicles 20 — Jehoshaphat sends singers ahead of the army; God turns enemy swords on each other. • Daniel 3 — Fiery furnace: “The fire had no power over their bodies.” (v. 27) • Daniel 6 — Lion’s den: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths.” (v. 22) • Esther 4–9 — Purim: a royal edict reversed, the gallows for Mordecai become Haman’s doom. • Psalm 107 — Four vignettes of crisis end with “He saved them from their distress.” (v. 13, 19, 28) • Jonah 2 — From the fish’s belly Jonah cries; God commands the creature and restores the prophet. Common Threads You Can Trace • A crisis bigger than human strength. • A cry to the LORD. • God’s unexpected strategy. • Rescue that leaves no doubt who delivered. Assurance for Today • Psalm 34:17 — “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.” • Isaiah 41:10 — “Do not fear, for I am with you… I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” • Hebrews 13:8 echoes the continuity: the same delivering God of 1 Samuel 11 stands ready now. |
    |