Overcoming obstacles. Exodus 5:1-14 There are signs of judgment and blessing in the book of Exodus. When God intervenes in supernatural ways in people's affairs, those signs are linked to special events. The deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery illustrates the message of salvation. The Gospel of John includes many fulfillments of the types in Exodus. Seven miracles in John are presented to confirm who Jesus is. The very first sign of turning water into wine led to “His disciples believing in Him.” The Gospel of John ends with the statement that “Christ our Passover” is sacrificed for us.
The exodus from Egypt symbolizes a larger exodus that will occur through our Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection is the greatest sign of His power to save His people. “Because He lives, ye shall live also.” Death will be conquered when the dead are raised. Our Lord Jesus defeated the final enemy, death, when He rose from the dead, and He will raise His followers by His authority over death.
There is something fundamental that everyone who serves the Lord must remember: the work of God is truly His work and His alone. He has the plans, knows the progress, and understands the desired end. He grants us the privilege of working for Him in His work. It is His work, not ours. Not everyone we reach out to will respond as we expect. Unbelief may appear as arrogance, ignorance, bravado, skepticism, smooth words, or words of challenge. We will be surprised by how many ways people find to excuse themselves from their responsibility to God.
We know the promises of God and the hope we have for the future are sure and steadfast despite obstacles and opposition. This is why we are encouraged in these present evil days, when opposition and rejection of God and His Gospel tend to discourage His people. As the darkness of this age rapidly increases and the promised rescue seems slow to come, we might feel frustrated and stop preaching the Gospel. There is a risk and temptation to just wait quietly in fear rather than feeling more motivated to reach as many lost souls as possible with the Gospel. God has His own sovereign plans that He is working out, most of which we will never understand because it is His business, not ours.
Moses and Aaron had heard the Lord speak to them and had spoken to the elders of Israel about what that work entailed. They were encouraged by the response of the Israelite elders. The work of God is a work of deliverance. The objective was clear to all the elders. The expectations of Moses and Aaron were not that Pharaoh would let them go because God had told them he would not. Their first words to Pharaoh were not exactly what God had told them to say, but rather a blunt ultimatum instead of a polite request. They also failed to mention that it was for three days to hold a sacrifice to the Lord.
It wasn’t until after Pharaoh’s challenge that they responded with God’s original instructions, and even then, they portrayed God as an angry, vindictive Being. It probably shook those men of faith quite a bit when they heard Pharaoh say, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice..." They had heard the Lord's voice and had acted in the fear of the Lord as men of faith do. The words, “Who is the Lord?” would later be made very plain to Pharaoh when the plagues came upon the Egyptians and not on the Israelites.
Pharaoh believed he was a god and felt no need to submit to the god of his slave labor force. Underlying this careless attitude toward God was the main reason for Pharaoh's refusal to grant Israel's request for freedom. He had free labor working for him and his worldly ambitions to build cities and monuments. That work depended on the large pool of free labor provided by God's people.
When we are called to speak for God to those who do not know Him, we must commit our words and attitude to a godly, Christ-like explanation of what God says in His word, rather than adding our interpretation or opinions. A child of God needs to represent Him both in attitude and in the way we use words, in the context and manner God uses them. Confusion arises when the focus shifts to the wrong things, leading to God being misrepresented.
Professing salvation without repentance for sin is not genuine salvation. The words we speak do not save us. Sinners must be rescued from their sins; only the Lord Jesus Christ can accomplish that. To “give your heart to Jesus” is misleading and a misrepresentation of the message of salvation. The Bible says sinners must confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that the One who died for their sins in their place rose again and is ready to receive them when they respond to Him in faith. It is then that God saves them. Faith in Christ is what is required of sinners, not merely what they say or do.
It's common for people to reject the Gospel because they know there are consequences when they trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. There's no question — life changes when someone obeys God. A servant of God must trust Him to do what He wishes with the message given. He needs to honor God and show his respect for Him in every possible way. He should remember that God is in control of the events in his life. Then, he must wait for God to act—on His own time and in His own way.
The work of God is dangerous. Many dangers await anyone who steps forward in faith to fulfill divine purposes. Paul the apostle mentioned many times where dangers befell him. They came on land and at sea. They came from nature and from evil spirits. They also came from believers and false brethren. Satan will never relinquish ground without a fight. Egypt, as a symbol of the world, reminds us that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers; against spiritual wickedness in high places." For our encouragement, we must remember that God often uses current events for future purposes.
Knowing God is a central theme in the book of Exodus. Eternal life involves knowing God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Pharaoh was unaware of God when Moses and Aaron confronted him. Both he and the Israelites quickly learned a lot about God as He began to slowly and intentionally free the slaves. Ultimately, the Israelites came to know and obey Him, but Pharaoh did not. Knowing about the Lord places a person in a position of responsibility, but it does not make them accepted by God. Each individual must personally believe in Him and develop a personal relationship with Him.
When someone learns about who God is and then must decide whether to listen to His words and obey Him, they make a personal choice. Will I believe in Him and follow what He says? Not surrendering to divine authority and accepting by faith that God exists and has the right to our obedience means choosing to be separated from God forever.
Pharaoh refused God’s demand that the Israelites should be able to worship Him as He desired. He went further in his opposition to God by issuing his own demands for a more labor-intensive workforce. By doing that, he made it clear that he considered himself equal to or greater than the Lord God of Israel.
The harshness of the reply and the increased labor due to Moses's request seemed to lead to very negative outcomes. The slaves' forced labor increased. It is easy to justify cruel treatment of others if it benefits oneself. People who rely on the government for support are sometimes looked down upon as selfish and lazy by those who are self-sufficient and comfortable. Being poor and oppressed may result from circumstances beyond one’s control. God has a special concern for the weak, downtrodden, and poor. Those who belong to the Lord need to think about how best to share in His concern when it comes to meeting the legitimate needs of others.