September 25, 2007

• Discovering God’s Character
  
  
  
  Exodus 5 & 6 – The First Meeting

  While we’ve briefly touched on this chapter in the last post, let’s
  take a closer look at this first encounter between Moses and Pharaoh.

  Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that the Lord has sent
  them to tell them to let His people go celebrate a feast to Him in the
  wilderness.” The Pharaoh says he doesn’t know the Lord they are talking
  about and even at that, he wouldn’t let Israel go do that.”

  Moses and Aaron explain the matter further to him and Pharaoh’s
  reaction is predictable. He tells Moses and Aaron 1) they are drawing
  the people away from their work, 2) to get back to work themselves, and
  3) they are to blame for many people to cease from their work.

  Now he doesn’t stop there. Pharaoh is into “oppressing people”. It
  isn’t enough to put them back to work by literally “whipping them into
  shape”. He takes away the straw to get the work done.  So we clearly
  see here that the work that’s being done is less important than the
  enslavement and cruel treatment of Israel. So by verse 9, we learn of
  the things which are important to Pharaoh.

  People sometimes view God this way. Yet this is the way of man.  God
  points this out to us by contrasting His way against Pharaoh’s way. You
  see, Pharaoh was more than just an object of judgment. He actually uses
  Pharaoh to amplify God’s kindness in bringing Israel out of Egypt.

  Now the rest of Pharaoh’s people become like their Pharaoh and the hard
  oppression becomes the norm against the people of God. They become
  unreasonable and accusatory to the people of Israel because the
  obstacles they themselves put before Israel to slow them down.
  Injustice now reigns with Pharaoh’s people.

  Yet all this was designed by Pharaoh to “politically discredit” Moses
  and Aaron before the nation of Israel who came to them and essentially
  said “the Lord judge you for what you’ve done to us.”  Sometimes the brutality of
  the taskmaster is more welcome than what it takes to become truly free.
  Its strange but true.

  Moses is now discouraged and asks the Lord why are you hurting the
  people so and asks why He ever sent him to do this? Moses and the
  people were expecting a quick victory. However being released from
  bondage is not always a quick and easy thing.

  God answers Moses and tells him:

  
  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to
  Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion
  he will drive them out of his land." God spoke further to Moses and
  said to him, "I am the LORD; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and
  Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself
  known to them. "I also established My covenant with them, to give them
  the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. Furthermore I
  have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians
  are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say,
  therefore, to the sons of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you
  out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you
  from their bondage I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and
  with great judgments.  Then I will take you for My people, and I will
  be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who
  brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring
  you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
  I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.'"  Exodus 6:1-8
  (NASB)

  Now Moses told the sons of Israel what God had said but they were too
  tired, sore, and discouraged to hear it. Now Moses is also discouraged
  and goes before the Lord and says to Him,

  
  But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "Behold, the sons of Israel
  have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am
  unskilled in speech?" Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and
  gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt,
  to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 6:12-13
  (NASB)

  We now have a recap of the genealogical history behind Reuben, Simeon,
  and Levi to finish the chapter.  In Exodus 7, the story will continue.

  Now what can we learn about God’s character?  He is an excellent judge
  of character or any lack of it. He is preparing to make these changes
  at the right time and Pharaoh is so full of himself that he’s ready to
  take on the God of Israel all by himself.

  Often when the Enemy of God finds that we are preparing to be released
  from his control, we will see things get worse instead of better right
  at the start. In this way, we get a very good picture of the character
  of the Enemy of God that helps us understand the awesome goodness of
  our God much better.  Now we often feel discouraged at these times but
  as we have seen with Israel when God’s power is just about to be put to
  work, the Enemy of God will resist as well and try to discourage us and
  make us lose heart.

  Yet we need to understand something. God does things appropriately.
  Did you notice He does not come in there and knock people and doors
  down first and ask questions later? No. He comes politely and tells
  Pharaoh to let His people go.  God actually allowed Pharaoh a chance to
  relent although He knew full well he wouldn’t, just like He told Moses
  beforehand.  Do we understand what He is trying to tell us here? 
  Always seek to do His will peacefully first. Be polite and courteous.
  Don’t approach matters of life rudely.  Don’t let the power God gives
  you overrule the sense to act appropriately. After the time of peaceful
  encounter, God chooses to begin His display of power.
  This is a very good example for us to follow in our own conduct. It is
  after this that Pharaoh and his nation will come under the full
  judgment of God for their oppression of Israel. And even the displays of
  His power was fully in line with the offenses and appropriate in nature
  with spaces in between to offer a time of repentance even when He knows
  Pharaoh won’t repent, even when He is directly hardening Pharaoh’s
  heart.

  I am awed by God’s careful and good protocol when dealing with even the
  most wicked and oppressive of men.  What might we have done if we had
  power like that and someone like Pharaoh was opposing us?  Would we
  have taken the same route? I am not always so sure.  I am also
  extremely impressed at how God doesn’t misuse His foreknowledge of a
  situation to overrule prematurely, righteously dealing in such a manner and even
  extend Pharaoh the grace in that He asks Pharaoh over and over to let
  His people go and did not just completely obliterate the Egyptians
  right there sizzling them out of existence with lightning bolts. He is the epitome of power under control. Yes,
  He had the purpose of glorifying Himself in this matter but even His
  manner of handling the whole thing is awesome. I’m glad that He’s
  working in me to have that kind of presence of mind and self-control to deal with people like He does.  You know how I know that? His Son,
  Jesus Christ was like that. And in Romans 8:29, those of us who are His
  are being conformed to the image of His Son… and that’s a promise of
  good to us. Mr.Vee

  • 12:37 am
  • 1 Comment