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Exodus 10:3-20. God wants our full surrender, not conditional surrender. 11-8-14.

God wants our full surrender, not conditional surrender. Kevin E. Jesmer. 11-8-14

surrender to God

In Exodus 10, Pharaoh only partially surrendered. Moses warned Pharaoh about the impending invasion of locusts, and his officials put pressure on him to release the slaves. But Pharaoh calculated the material loss that losing slaves would bring, and he did not want to give up the easy life that slave labor afforded, so he refused. Pharaoh did not want to let go of control and laid out many conditions for his repentance. Look at verses 3, 8, 10, 11 in Exodus 10.

 

Verse 3, “So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”

 

Verse 8, “Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”

 

Verses 10 & 11, “Pharaoh said,The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. 11 No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for. Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.”

 

God was leading Pharaoh to complete surrender with no conditions. God was leading him to the point where he was to release the Hebrew people from slavery according to the Lord’s direction and not his.  And so the locusts brought destruction beyond any stretch of the imagination. Verses 15 reads, “They (locusts) covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.”

 

According to verses 16-18, Pharaoh was getting closer to where God wanted him to be. “Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.” 18 Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.”  And verse 24, “24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”  It seemed like Pharaoh had surrendered to the Lord. But not quite. When Pharaoh was facing horrible judgment he repented but only temporarily.

 

Jesus set the beautiful example of submission. Here are some verses about his submission. They are pretty self explanatory.

 

Hebrews 5:7 reads, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”

 

Philippians 2:5-11 reads, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself  by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

I remember when I first believed in Jesus. There was such as struggle going on in my heart. I was holding onto to so many of my own ideas of life and God etc. But there came a time when I seriously assessed my thoughts. I came to realize that there is every reason to believe and no reason not to believe. I saw that my unbelief was unreasonable. God wanted me to simply surrender my heart, to give up my unreasonable unbelief and allow God to lead my life. When I did, the Holy Spirit flooded into my heart. I was born again. Jesus became my Lord and my Savior. I felt such great release and peace when I surrendered, unconditionally to Jesus.

 

When we submit, unconditionally to God, then God can use us for his purpose. But if we are constantly dictating the conditions on what God can and cannot do with us, then we are limiting what God wants to accomplish. We will be resisting. May God make us like clay in the potter’s hands.




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