The story of Israel’s bondage in Egypt is particularly instructive here. There is no suggestion in the story that the Hebrews’ enslavement was their own fault. What they needed in Egypt was not forgiveness, but liberation. I have sometimes remarked that if Moses had gone into Egypt and said to the Hebrew slaves, “My children, your sins are forgiven,” they would have said, “Well, that’s nice, but you see, our problem is bondage.”
