God has no problem asking his servants to do difficult things. Immediately after a very tense exchange with complaining Hebrew foremen, God gave this command to Moses.
“Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land” (Exodus 6.11).
Moses pointed out to God the obvious. “The Israelites have not listened to me; why should Pharaoh listen to me, poor speaker that I am?” (Exodus 6.12).
Most people are not commanded by God to confront the king of a superpower nation. There are some lessons in Moses’ account that will serve us well in difficult situations.
(1) We can trust God. There is no one greater than God.
When we involve him in the process, we have the resources of his wisdom and power to resolve the issue.
(2) Moses had every reason to doubt his abilities, just as we do.
When God is with us, we have everything we need.
(3) Don’t give up before the miracle comes.
As we follow God’s direction, things may become more difficult instead of easier. That was Moses’ experience. The full story reminds us to not give up but to wait for God’s action.
God’s Plan of Action
God informed Moses of his plan of action to ultimately lead to the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
“You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land” (Exodus 7.1-2).
Let’s think about how we can apply this encounter to our lives.
(1) Do we know our appointment?
Henry Blackaby wisely teaches that we need to know our God-given appointment. We stay committed to God’s appointment at all times until God releases us for another task.
For example, if God has appointed you to attend a certain church, you stay there until he moves you elsewhere.
(2) Are we aware that we are representative of God?
As his messengers to the world, we need to convey God’s truth with integrity, clarity, and conviction. Not only do we need to speak God’s truth, but we need to be an example of his character to others.
God Will Reveal Himself
When Moses first came to Pharaoh, the king said: “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5.2).
Many people don’t become followers of Jesus, because they are unwilling to give up self-rule.
As king of Egypt, Pharaoh was one of Egypt’s many gods. He didn’t recognize Jehovah, because he didn’t want to give another “god” control over his desires.
God revealed to Isaiah that there is one God and his name is Jehovah.
“I am the Lord (Jehovah); that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42.8).
God showed Moses his plans to reveal his true nature and character to Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the surrounding nations.
“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring my people the Israelites, company by company, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
“The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them” (Exodus 7.3-5).
Not only did God want to free his people from years of slavery, but he also wanted the Egyptians to know that “I am the Lord (Jehovah).”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the crowd: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5.44-45).
God loves his enemies, even the Egyptians who persecuted his people for 430 years. It was love that motivated God to reveal himself to Egyptians with a convincing show of power.
Exodus records Pharaoh “hardening” his heart 10 times before God “hardened” it for the first time.
People in recovery know this process quite well. It is only when they reach “rock bottom” that they turn to God and find him as their friend, Lord, and Savior.
Verse 6 says that “Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.”
That is exactly what we should do with God’s commission, appointments, and commands for us.
YouTube Video
Whispering Danny, Rudy Ross, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 