"I will bring you out from your cruel hard labour. I will rescue you from slavery. I will buy you back, with great acts that will amaze you. I will adopt you, and you will be mine. I will bring you to that lovely, beautiful and plentiful place where you've always wanted to live. "

Wow, that sounds like a great promise to make to someone who's been beaten till she's lost all her hopes of ever escaping. She's been troubled, stripped and made to work till her back is almost broken. Her grief knows no end. Throughout her life, she's cried out for help and no one answered. She's so discouraged, that she doesn't know where to turn. Even a word of hope seems to be too much to ask, and indeed, she has no hopes of hearing anything hopeful anymore. How terribly heartbreaking. And when she finally hears the words of hope from some funny man who calls himself the messenger of the Redeemer, she doesn't even listen -- because she was beaten down in her slavery and hard labour.[Exodus 6:9]
Indeed, discouragement and cruel bondage had had their toll on Israel. No wonder, when Israel finally heard its LORD, YAHWEH calling out to His children and saying, "I will redeem you, I will rescue you from slavery." It seemed to be a cruel joke. Did she not cry out to God all those years that she was in bondage? Would God indeed come NOW..when the chapter seems to almost be over. NOW..when there was indeed no way they could escape from Egypt. NOW..that Pharaoh had increased their workload and things seemed to just have worsened ever since they listened to this man who called himself the messenger of "I AM THAT I AM" !! Incredulous... But true nonetheless.
God did come to rescue His beloved Israel. With great and mighty works of judgement, God intervened. Exodus chapter 3 says clearly, that God Himself confesses, that He has SEEN the affliction of Israel, He HEARS their cry for deliverance and He KNOWS their pain. How intimately the Lord is acquainted with all our ways!
Why He must wait till there seems to be no way out, I don't understand. Why did He wait when Lazarus was dying, and come to give hope only after he had rot in the grave four days, I don't know. But I know that He came. And I know that He came to save Israel, and He always comes when He says so. He has never deserted anyone, and never will. "If we believe not, yet he abides faithful: he cannot deny himself." [2 Timothy 2:13]
Praise the Lord for His everlasting faithfulness and most gracious mercies that are made evident every morning. Glory to His name forevermore, because He is worthy of our praises.