Do the Egyptians know who God is? Pharaoh said he didn’t. If there was any question, God is going to wipe that away with his mighty acts. Moses is hearing again from God about how the Israelites are going to be rescued. Moses and Aaron are to be his mouthpieces. How would you feel if you had this responsibility for the lives of the whole Israelite nation? Well, they are in God’s hands.
This first act of God was meant to cause curiosity. Do you think in Moses’ mind it was going to be a one and done kind of meeting? God had said he would harden Pharoah’s heart. Why? So God could “multiply” his miraculous signs and wonders. That tells me even today God could be hardening hearts as he sees fit to further his kingdom and show his power. What do you think about that?
Think of a time you tried to accomplish something you felt God was leading you to do? Was it a success? Maybe it didn’t turn out as YOU thought, or perhaps you hit a roadblock. Think of Aaron and Moses’ first attempt with Pharoah. God wasn’t through with this situation. It would have been easy for those two to give up and leave Egypt. They could have gone about their business. But that’s not what God called them to do. They didn’t leave, did they?
Being obedient to God is honoring our commitments to him. We may face conflict. In fact, we might as well expect it. I’ve always believed that when we are doing God’s work, there is all the more reason why the evil one will try to stick his neck out and stop or thwart our efforts. But when God is in it, it will succeed in the end. God’s ways are often even better than we imagined or planned. We need to be ready, be listening, be obedient.
We can get so good at coming up with excuses, too, can’t we? I’m too busy, or I’m not good enough. We’ve heard it all from Moses. God had a solution. God doesn’t pick us because we’re strong. He’ll pick us because we’re weak so he can show his power through us. Remember that when an excuse starts to creep up that will hold you back from serving God and furthering the kingdom.
We’ll keep our eyes on Moses and Aaron. They have an uphill battle ahead of them as it sounds. The funny thing is that God seems to be orchestrating this. How would you feel if you were in their shoes?
Let’s pray. Lord, like Moses and Aaron, you have given me a mission to accomplish. Help me to focus on you and your provision to get me through. I love serving you, but I want to make sure I am listening for your voice and not imposing my own will and limitations on the situation. Equip me for service. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
