Read with Me
Exodus 6:9-13 (HCSB)
Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land.”
But Moses said in the LORD’s presence: “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker?” Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them commands concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
Listen with Me
This was a frustrating and discouraging time for Moses. He had received a reassuring message from God, but the Israelites were not interested in hearing it. Their short-lived excitement over God’s initial promise of freedom had been squashed by their increased hardship, exactly as Pharaoh had planned.
So, when God told Moses it was now time to go back to Pharaoh with the same demand, to release the Israelites, because it was time for the plagues to begin, Moses refused. He reasoned that if even the Israelites wouldn’t listen to him, why would Pharaoh. The whole situation seemed hopeless.
But God’s plan was afoot. God was not going to be persuaded to change or modulate His plan just because there was resistance to His commands. He had chosen His time perfectly. He had chosen His messengers. And he had chosen His methodology per, which God knew would ultimately be effective So the time to move forward was now.
Moses did not yet know God or what He was truly capable of. He had participated in a couple of small miracles, but those did not give him confidence in God’s ability to truly touch and change the hearts of people. He believed that the success of the whole mission was on his own shoulders, on his own ability to be persuasive. And he felt himself to be wholly inadequate to that task.
But the success of the mission, as far as the part Moses’ had been called on to play, was based simply on his willingness, his obedience. God would be the one doing all the work that would make the plans succeed. So, once more, he gave Moses and Aaron the commandment to move forward, step by obedient step, action by obedient action, so that God could bring about the deliverance He had promised.
Pray with Me
Father, not much changed in 3,500 years! We still have Your glorious promises of deliverance, real freedom, not just for us, but for everyone. We have Your commandment to go and make disciples of everyone, those like us, and those unlike us, both nearby, in our “Jerusalem” and abroad, “to the ends of the earth”. We even have Your promise to be with us as we obey, to the very end of the world. But we, like Moses and Aaron, balk, because we think it is all up to us, and we don’t see how we can accomplish what You have said to do. Forgive us, Lord, and help us to trust You better, to simply obey, so that You can release Your power into Your plan. Amen.