Exodus 12:37-42 / Matthew 12:14-21
To live in a foreign land for an extended period of time will require some adaptability.
It would mean that we will have to learn another language, adapt to a different culture and practices, and other life changes.
Over time, we may forget and become alienated from our origins and may even forget our own mother-tongue.
The people of Israel had spent 430 years in Egypt.
They were already like Egyptians in almost every way.
But the one critical difference is that they kept to their religious belief of the God of their ancestors, who is the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Nonetheless, they would also have been influenced by the religious practices of the Egyptians.
But the night before they left Egypt, the Lord God kept vigil with them, and they would have to keep vigil with the Lord God for all their generations.
The gospel passage quoted from the prophet Isaiah:
Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, the favourite of my soul.
He will proclaim the true faith to the nations, he will not break the crushed reed, nor put out the smouldering wick till he has led the truth to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.
That prophecy was referring to Jesus.
What God did for the people of Israel, Jesus will do for us.
When our faith is crushed, and the light of our faith is reduced to a smouldering wick, Jesus will keep vigil with us to keep the faith and to lead us with truth to victory.
Let us put our hope in Jesus, let us keep vigil with Him and He will lead us to victory.