Pharaoh Intensified His Oppression on the
Israelites
Moses received God calling in Midian, to
deliver Israelites from slavery. He then went back to Egypt and gathered all
the Israelites as well as the elders of the people.
Moses did some miracles before their very eyes
which caused them to believe that God was concerned about them and had seen
their misery, and He wanted to lead them out of Egypt (4: 29-31).
After that, 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.”
This meant that the
people of Israelites had replaced Pharaoh with God, and they regarded God to be
the One they served. But Pharaoh did not know the LORD, and he paid no
attention to Moses’ message.
Pharaoh reacted angrily.
Not only did he refuse Moses’ request, but he made the workload of the
Israelites heavier, and he intensified his oppression over them. He gave an order not
to supply the Israelites with straws for making bricks, and the Israelites had
to go and gather their straws, and he required them to make the same number of
bricks as before (5: 6-8).
When the people could not make the same number
of bricks as requested, they were beaten by their overseers. Moreover, Pharaoh
accused them of being lazy.
The people were under great oppression and
they had no way to channel their frustration. Hence, they turned against Moses
and grumbled against him. They concluded that it was Moses who brought them
this unnecessary disaster (5: 20-21).
Moses was extremely puzzled by this unexpected
failure. He did not understand why the situation turned worse. Moses hoped that his effort would produce an
immediate result. He never thought that it would become worse!
Therefore, he complained to God just as how
the people complained to him. Moses complained to the LORD, why didn’t He rescue
His people (5: 22-23).
Pharaoh had his whole set of reasons for accusing
the people, and he considered them lazy because they wanted to offer their
sacrifices to God. The people accused
Moses as a busy body who invited great troubles on them. Moses accused God for
not rescuing the Israelites; and for calling him to accomplish something which
he failed before and never wanted to do again.
Men will still Experience Setbacks even When
God is At Work
The experience of Moses was likened to someone
who intended to do good initially but ended up doing something that was not
helpful at all. He received no compliment, but was blamed by the people he
served.
We may also encounter similar situations. We
are attacked or persecuted because we have submitted to God. Our situation
becomes worse than before.
We may be feeling discouraged and think that we
should not have involved in these unrewarding things; or we may think that we
are destined to be a failure; or we may conclude that the task is mission
impossible, so just abandon the task.
The experience of Moses and Aaron reveals that
God’s people will still go through moments of pain, failure, and hardship even
when God is at work. It is not that God does not care for His people. It is
part and parcel of journeying with God.
As we follow God’s way and do good works; as
we serve God and fight for justice in this evil world, we will suffer
opposition and persecution. Some might even be martyrs for the sake of the
gospel.
We are prone to complain to God, “Why don’t you
deliver me out of this suffering?”
Yes, God will deliver his people out of
suffering or persecution. Praise the Lord! But God also allows some to suffer
casualties for a higher purpose. God has His timing in His plan and work. He
would wait and only rescue them when they reached a certain level of
difficulty.
In the process of waiting and suffering, in
the case of the Israelites’ sufferings, they would eventually witness God’s
power and might in destroying Pharaoh and all the Egyptian patron gods
completely (the Ten Plagues).
The LORD Himself would replace Pharaoh and be
the Lord of Israel. The Israelites were to be delivered from their slavery and
they would serve the LORD instead of Pharaoh. In this respect, they had to
experience a paradigm shift and an overturn of their value system. This was a
revolution!
Revolution is not about holding a banquet, but
it is materialized through the traumatic and painstaking sacrifices of the
people. When Israelites suffered in the hand of Pharaoh, God also suffered with
them. (eg: pains in intelligence warfare)
God delivering the Israelites out of slavery
in Egypt is a type that foretold the plan of God to deliver all mankind later.
In the New Testament times, God saves everyone from sins through Jesus Christ
who died on the cross and who was resurrected three day after His crucifixion.
God also adopts the believers to be His
people, and He has become our God. He shall guide the believers into a new life
which is governed by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Christians who are saved by the grace of God
must be thankful for the gift of life we have received, and we should love
Jesus Christ and follow in His footsteps to serve God and others on earth as
the Spirit leads us.
With the help of the Spirit, we are to fight
against all sorts of evil forces (Pharaoh) that enslave people, and these include
overcoming the weakness of our flesh and the bondage of our old self, as well
as to eliminate the injustice found in social systems.
In this respect, Christians also shall
encounter difficulties, objections and need to make sacrifices in this process.
Let us be prepared to be an army of God. Do not let sufferings, difficulties
and failures become our stumbling blocks that hinder us from moving on.
Submit under God’s Sovereignty
How did God respond to Moses? God did not give
a clear explanation to Moses, but He re-emphasized two things:
Firstly, Moses had to know that God was in
control.
God repeated five times and He stated again
and again that, “……I am the LORD” (6:2-8).
God wanted us to shift our focus from our
“current difficulties and past failures” and to fix our eyes on Him, to know
Him and to trust Him.
Secondly, we must believe that God is faithful,
and His promises will surely be fulfilled.
God said seven times and He emphasized that, “I
will……” (6:6-8)
Cast your burdens on God when you feel lonely
and discouraged, for He shall take care of you. In times when you encounter
failure after failure, and things are getting worse, you can still trust in God
and know His power. By doing so, you will be able to enjoy peace and joy and
have the strength to overcome your current difficulties.
The Israelites eventually left Egypt
successfully. In the same way, we shall be protected by God and exit our
“Egypt” successfully.
What defeat and hardship have you encountered
today? Do not be frustrated and do not give up, but instead, strive
continuously in proclaiming the Word of God and doing His work, and serve God
with an undivided attention, paying whatever price we have to pay.
An excellent worker will not be mindful of his
temporal failures. The economic depression and the pandemic shall continue to
beat us down for some time. Yet let us be unwavering in worshiping and serving
God. Let us continue to live out our faith in this world.
Do not expect that there will always be the
comfort of a “banquet” when we walk daily with the Lord. Yet we shall surely
have victory if we rely on the Lord for, he is in control in all circumstances.
God still Uses Us even though We are
Vulnerable
As we know, despite the setbacks, God was
still working. So, he again sent Moses and Aaron to meet Pharaoh to ask him to
let the people go so that they could leave Egypt.
Though the people were weak in their faith,
God’s providence was still there with them.
Moses had questioned and complained against God over his frustration,
but God still used him.
We are all weak and of little faith. Our faith
is shaken whenever we see our circumstances getting worse. Nevertheless, God is
unchanging. He is faithful and He is compassionate with our weaknesses. He
still would like to use us despite our weaknesses. It is through our weaknesses
that God’s power is revealed.
Were Moses and Aaron scared to meet Pharaoh
again? Wouldn’t they worry that the consequence could be worsened?
Of course, they were worried and fearful, but
they went anyway, because they submitted to God’s instructions. They were
willing to pledge their life and possession and to trust God to keep them
intact!
We should be like Moses and Aaron, who were
persistent and unyielding. Do not be surprised, discouraged or fearful when
people reject you and refuse to believe in your faith and struggle.
Let us take our stand. Let us step out boldly
and not shrink away, so that we may become witnesses of God amid our difficult
times, and that we may be faithful to Him and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Do not give up easily. For example, do not be
discouraged when someone criticizes you or wrongs you, or when you are hit by
the Covid-19 or you fail in your undertakings.
Moving in God’s plan is not “feasting at a
banquet”, but it is resisting “evil, hardships, persecution” in life until the
very end. Christians who follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ must take up
their own crosses.
Are you willing to be used by God again? God
is saying to you this day, “Know that I am the LORD, and I will exert my
powerful arms to rescue you from the evil slavery ….”
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