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10-4-14. Exodus 5:1-21. God Wants To Set His People Free-my devotional

10-4-14. Exodus 5:1-21. God Wants To Set His People Free-my devotional

set my people free

Exodus 5:1-21                                                                             Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 5:1                                                                             10-4-14

“Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” (NIV)

 Lord, Jesus show me the truth and the hope that is in your word. Guide my mind, heart and soul by your word and your Spirit. Help me to understand this portion of Exodus 5. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

 Part 1:  With Faith and Trust In God, Stand Up And Declare “Let My People Go!” (1-5)

Verses 1-5, “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”

 

Sometimes it is hard to speak Christ and the Gospel with boldness. We are timid and shy. But I can see great boldness in Moses and Aaron. They were not afraid to speak. Look at Exodus 5:1, ““Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” Pharaoh was the leader of the world’s superpower nation. He could have ordered them killed at any time. Moses and Aaron were straight out of the desert…dusty, old and poor. They could stand before this world leader with such boldness and confidence because God was with them. They trusted in God. They had confidence that God would give them the words to speak and that he would go on before them to work in Pharaoh’s heart. They also rested in the knowledge that they were backed by the prayer support of the Hebrew elders.

 

When we are in Christ and focused on serving the mission of God, God gives us great boldness. Acts 1:8 reads, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NIV) Paul also experienced the boldness that his faith in Jesus brought to his ministry. Look at Acts 28:30-31,  For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (NIV) Paul was in a Roman house under arrest. He had guards there day and night. He was so close to being killed by the Roman authorities, but he was bold and taught about the kingdom of God.

 

God wants to be grant us power and boldness to stand up as witnesses of Jesus. We can pray that we can open our mouths to speak about the Gospel to others. Boldness is a gift from God that we can pray for. In Acts 4:29-30 Peter stands up among the believers and prays. He prays, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (NIV) He prays…“Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” We can pray that too.

 

It is not easy to speak with great boldness to family members, to other people at work, or to strangers. If we really try hard, we may be able to squeeze out words like, “I have faith… do you?” or “prayer helps”. We speak very generically. We try not to be too forward with our Christianity. It is really hard to refer to Jesus as if he really does exist. We find it hard to get into deep conversations about the Gospel and how Jesus is our Savior. How hard is it to actually hold someone’s hand and pray in Jesus’ name, or to talk about sin in our lives and how Jesus and his Gospel can be the lasting remedy? Most of us are not that bold to do that?

 

But we can pray like Peter. “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Or we can speak like Moses and Aaron, ““This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:…” (1a) We can trust that God is with us and that he is blazing a path before us. He is preparing peoples’ hearts to hear the Gospel from our lips. We must also be reassured that we are supported by the prayers of many. We are forgiven by the grace of God. God’s dwells in our hearts. He is with us and he is granting us boldness. Step out in faith and give it a try. You will be totally surprised at what will come out of your mouth, when you open it and speak about Christ.

 

God really wants to set his people free. He works through movements led by servants of God who have faith and courage to stand up against forces of evil. In Exodus 5, God’s word to Pharaoh was, “Let my people go” from Exodus 5:1, which reads, “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” (NIV) Wow! Moses and Aaron actually demanded that Pharaoh let Hebrews go. There were over 3 million Hebrews. They were supporting a large portion of the Egyptian economy. Though they were slaves, they were part of the tapestry of Egyptian culture. It was like standing before the American government in 1830 and demanding that the African slaves be let go and allowed to be free. It is like walking into North Korea and walking into the North Korean government building and demanding that the leader, Kim Jung Un release the tens of thousands of Christians that are enslaved in labor camps and allowing them to go free and travel into South Korea in order to worship Jesus Christ. That takes faith and courage. Moses and Aaron had that faith and courage and it was a gift from God who called them to serve such a mission.

 

Pharaoh rejected God’s sovereign authority and stands as symbol of Satan’s power. In Exodus 5:2 he said, ““Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”  He rejected God’s will and falsely interpreted their request in verses 4-5, “4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”  (NIV) Pharaoh did not want to let the Hebrews go. It would be a blow to his pride and his economy and international reputation. It would hinder his massive building projects. He was determined to hold onto these three million people at any cost, even if they were suffering endlessly.

 

We are not living in slave labor camps. Though slavery has been abolished, there is still slavery that goes on that is too horrible to mention. God saved me from being a VISA slave. He saved me from being enslaved by depression and despair. But to be certain there are people enslaved to the power of sin and the devil. They are enslaved by dark forces, such as greed, hatred, depression, lust etc. They can not get out of it. They may try to change their careers, their towns, their families, but they cannot set themselves free from the chains that bind their hearts and minds. They are held in slavery by the devil who wants to keep them captive to do his will and keep them separated from God until they die in their unbelief. Then he has them forever. He keeps them enslaved by their fear of death. (Heb 2:15) Such forces are so powerful and diabolical. But by the grace of God we are able to stand.

 

But God wants to set his people free. He wants them brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:21) He wants to break those chains through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for if the Son sets you free then you are free indeed. (Jn 8:36) He wants to deliver his people through movements led by his people like Moses and Aaron.

 

As servants of God we can pray that we may have the faith and the courage to stand up and say “Let my people go!” Martin Luther King Jr. stood up and declared to the American cultural forces of the 1960’s, “Let my people go” and it cost him his life. As Christians we have been granted power and authority to stand up and declare to Satan and forces of darkness, “Let my people go!” We can pray and stand firm in the power of Christ. If our kids are locked into spiritual slavery, or our communities are being lost to evil forces, and so on, we can be the one’s who stand up and say, “Let my people go!.” Why not? Jesus is our Lord and he has promised to be with us to the very end of the age. (Matt 28:18-20)

 

People cannot pretend to be ignorant when they stand before God’s judgment seat, expecting their denial to save them. In Exodus 5, I don’t think that Pharaoh knew the he was being used by Satan and that he would become known as a symbol of the devil’s work until the end of time. He was just following the sinful desires of his heart. He was reacting to a personal threat while groping in his spiritual blindness. He reacted with a cold heart. He reacted out of fear and self protection. He was blind to God working through these two old, dusty men, Moses and Aaron, from the desert. He was ignorant on how he should respond to this request from these servants of God. In his unbelief he was willing to make his fellow human being suffer more.  He really was unaware of what he was doing. In his ignorance, Pharaoh not only represents the devil but also all proud people of all time, who deliberately reject God’s sovereignty and do not acknowledge the authority of God’s word.

 

The fact that Pharaoh was blind to God and ignorant to recognize God’s ways of working, does not mean that he was innocent. Even though the Bible says that God would harden Pharaohs heart (Exodus 4:21b), he was still culpable. The hardening his heart simply means that God will still working through Pharaoh’s evil intentions. God’s plan cannot be thwarted. Pharaoh was a human being, and like all people, he had a conscience. He was created in the image of God. God was reaching out to him in so many creative ways. And like all people he will have stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10 reads, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Pharaoh is still culpable for his actions. The only way that he could be saved to enter eternal life with Christ is by the grace of God.

 

Likewise we cannot claim, “I didn’t know” or “God…you allowed me to be like that.” or “You made me that way.” We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The good news is that it is not such a scary thing. There is a Savior and his name is Jesus. John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV) “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Acts 2:21) When the Day of Judgment comes, all we need to do is stand there, not trying to defend ourselves nor relying on our own righteousness. We must say, “Yes, I am a great sinner. But I have been forgiven through faith in the blood of Jesus. Jesus is my righteousness. I stand here only by the grace of God.” Jesus will embrace you in his arms and say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Matt 25:34. That is the only way. Embrace Gospel faith. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

 

Part 2: There Is Trouble Before A Great Deliverance (6-21)

 

Verses 6-21, 6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.” 10 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?” 15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” 17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.” 19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

 

When Pharaoh heard Moses’ persistent request, he became very angry. He increased the work load of the slaves to their breaking point. He said that their problem was laziness. His misinteretation will cause untold suffering and loss of life. There is a principle here…when people hear the word of God and reject it, they become more evil, and God’s people suffer more at their hands. Moses had come to help, but it seemed that he only made matters worse.

 

Freedom is never free. In fact, it is normal to experience some “trouble” before tasting the fruits of freedom, especially spiritual freedom. In Exodus 5, the cost of the Hebrew slaves’ freedom was beginning to be felt. Look at Exodus 5:19, “The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.”  Yes, the Hebrews wanted freedom. They were happy when God sent Moses and Aaron to declare God’s plan to set them free. But now they were realizing that before they would be set free, they were going to experience trouble.

 

How true this is. Freedom does not come without a price. Anything we achieve of any value has a cost attached. Freedom is not given to us on a silver platter. Our freedom in Christ came at a great cost, Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. Our growth as disciples cause us some trouble in life, but it is trouble that bore much fruit. We should not be surprised that when God is going to bring about an act of deliverance, there will be some trouble. We need to accept that. It is nothing strange. It happened again and again in the Bible.  Abraham went back to Egypt when he was first called by God. Joseph spent time in an Egyptian prison before he was used to save Egypt and his family. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and battling with the devil, at the beginning of his ministry. (Matt 4:1-11) The Christian church experienced 300 years of persecution from Rome before it became accepted as the state religion. There is trouble when God brings freedom our way. Anything of value has a cost.

 

How do you respond when trouble comes your way as God begins his deliverance? The Israelite foremen turned on Moses and Aaron. Look at Exodus 5:20-21, “When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (NIV) They feared Pharaoh. They were not prepared to experience this kind of trouble. Instead of accepting it as “par for the course”, and a “normal” experience for those who live by faith, they thought it was not of God. They complained about what God was doing. They cursed servants of God who were heading up this movement of God. How wrong these Hebrews were. Their response was misguided. They should have responded with praise and thanksgiving for all that God was doing in their midst.

 

When we face troubles and hardships in our spiritual lives, we must never blame God or blame servants of God. We need to look to Jesus. Hebrews 12 reveals what our attitude should be. Hebrews 12:1-3 reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (NIV) The Hebrew leaders should see that God was treating them as his precious children and held fast with faith and trust in their hearts. It is always darkest before the dawn. The mother and child experience the most pain just before birth. The chains that bind seem to be the most tight just before redemption. Don’t give up. Don’t complain. God is at work. Follow the leading of the God’s spirit and trust in him always. He is bringing about a great deliverance in your life. Thank and praise him for what he is about to do.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your desire to see your people set free from the power of the devil and sin. Raise up many modern day Moses’ who can stand and declare the Gospel that alone can set people free.

 

One Word: Stand in faith and declare freedom in Jesus.

 




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