Exodus 1 to 3 Joseph and his family have passed on to eternity, but their descendants continue to multiply, thus blessing God’s word to Abraham: “Go out…I will make you into a great nation…I will bless those who bless you but curse those who curse you.” [Gen 12: 1-3 paraphrased] Notice the adjectives Moses included; the “Israelites were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied and became extremely strong so that the land was filled with them.” [Ex 1:7] Jeremiah’s words were true then and are true now: even in the midst of affliction, we can be confident of this truth:

“For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.” [Jer 29:11]

And so Moses writes that God heard the groaning of his children as Pharaoh increased their afflictions in hardship and slave labor. God remembered his covenant, God saw, and God understood. 

“El Roi” saw and “I AM” will guide Moses as he faces Pharaoh to request he release God’s children from the bondage of Egypt. And just as Hagar and Moses trusted in “El Roi,” so we must as well, no matter what life circumstances we are in. That is why Prov 3:5-6’s truth is key: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not rely on your own understanding; acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”