Exodus 5:1-21 Believers must persevere in battle even though circumstances may worsen

Exodus 5:1-21 Believers must persevere in battle even though circumstances may worsen

And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!” 5 Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!”

6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, 7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.” So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not going to give you any straw. You go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.’” So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.” Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?”

Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” But he said, “You are lazy, very lazy; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks.” The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, “You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.” When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them. They said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Background

Moses’s request was turned down with added oppression upon the people. The Pharaoh’s backlash had threatened to set them back to the place of hopelessness and despair. God did not intervene at this point and allowed the circumstances to worsen. The reason being that God had intended for Moses and the people to own the battle, to fight against Pharaoh, the agent of darkness. In the same way, believers must continue to stand toe to toe with the devil even when circumstances continue to worsen. Today’s devotion teaches us: Believers must persevere in battle even though circumstances may worsen.

Observation

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened despite a direct order from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel…” He gave two reasons for his refusal: Firstly, he did not know the Lord. Secondly, he was not afraid of the Lord and could not care less. Moses pleaded with Pharaoh in terms of their own experience with God and the dire consequences should they fail to sacrifice to the Lord. The Pharaoh countered by accusing Moses of distracting the people from their work. For he was not at all concern that the Egyptians themselves could also be a target of God’s wrath should they hinder the Hebrews.

So the same day Pharaoh commanded … saying, “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves.

Now, the Pharaoh worked to swiftly eradicate the idea of leaving Egypt to sacrifice to the Lord. For the slaves to have free time is to predispose them to have dreams of freedom. On that same day, Pharaoh gave orders that straw (an essential component to make bricks) not be provided. Instead, the Hebrews had to gather the straws themselves thus increasing their workload. By maintaining the same quota but without ready straws, the Pharaoh was determined to impress upon the people a graver consequence than the consequence of not sacrificing to the Lord.

The new arrangement was so demanding and time-consuming the daily quota of bricks could not be fulfilled. Consequently, the foremen who were Hebrews themselves were severely beaten by Pharaoh’s slave drivers.

Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?

Apparently, the Israelite foremen were not aware of the new arrangement. They sought out the Pharaoh to complain about the impossible goal of maintaining the daily quota without ready straws. However, the Pharaoh blamed Moses and Aaron for requesting to be released to worship the Lord. Having spoken to the Pharaoh, the foremen returned to Moses accusing him of making things worse than it already was. For since his return, he has brought them nothing but more misery and hardship. Just when the people begin to find new hope in the Lord, the Pharaoh’s backlash threatened to set them back to the place of hopelessness and despair.

Truth

Believers must persevere in battle even though circumstances may worsen

Just when the people begin to find new hope through the words of Moses, the Pharaoh’s backlash threatened to set them back. If God is faithful, why do believers more than often experience the opposite of what is promised? Is God inconsistent concerning His promises? Or has God given up on some of us?

In the case of Moses, God did not stop the Pharaoh from adding more load to the people. Neither did God protect the Israelite foremen from the wrath of the Pharaoh. Here, it is important to note that God had intended for Moses and His children to own the battle against the enemy. In an actual battle, people get shot, and they get hurt. Thus, God’s people must continue to stand toe to toe with the enemy under worsening circumstances. Only then can believers increase in faith, wisdom and divine authority as soldiers. Indeed, God had intended for all believers to be soldiers, not helpless civilians. And the soldier’s mission is to do battle to destroy the enemy.

Many churchgoers resist the call to become soldiers of God. They supposed by Jesus’s resurrection they will forever be shielded from the devil’s attacks. Because of this mindset, they have never learned to do battle, always expecting God to shield them from danger. And when life’s circumstances do not go as planned, they turn back from the faith hoping to get some reprieve. It is expected that believers experience the enemy’s attacks in the form of sickness, bondage, financial difficulties, or a series of unfortunate and unjust events etc. And things do get worse before they get better. But God has promised that we will be more than conquerors through the authority of Christ invested in us (see Romans 8:37).

In a nutshell, the believer’s goal is not to be shielded from attacks but to become a soldier to destroy the devil, the source of all attacks. That said, it is pertinent that believers fight as a community, and not as individuals. By fighting as a church, and by utilising the authority of Jesus over the heavenly host, we wage a victorious war against the devil.

Finally, God is always at hand to shield us from attacks that we cannot bear. For He will not allow the enemy to overrun us. Therefore, we must be ready to dig in and fight. We must not let up and rest until breakthrough has come.

Application

How do you respond to the attacks of the enemy? Do you despair and murmur that God did not shield you from the enemy’s attacks? Or are you actively seeking divine wisdom and power to defeat the enemy? Entrust your future, your endgame to the Lord. Focus on understanding God’s general direction and the next step. And let God lead the rest of the way.

Dear Lord, I trust that you are in complete control of my circumstances and the devil will not be able to bring me down. I entrust my future into your hands. I give you full control over my life direction. Open my heart and mind to understand your will clearly so that I may obey. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.