DO YOU KNOW GOD?

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

"Afterward 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 desert.' " Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go." Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword." But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!" Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working." That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: "You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies." Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.' " So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw." The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh's slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why didn't you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?" Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people." Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that's what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, "May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all." Exodus 5

Chapter 5 of Exodus starts with Moses and Aaron going before Pharaoh after meeting with the Israelite elders as God had commanded. They tell Pharoah, "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 desert.'" And Pharoah responds with "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go." But we read that Moses and Aaron persist and they repeat their words to Pharoah saying, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword." Notice that the second time Moses an Aaron add specific consequences that could come if they disobeyed God. Pharoah wasn’t impressed. He sarcastically replies, ""Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!…Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working." In other words, Pharoah was saying, "What part of ‘no’ did you not understand? Stop wasting my time and holding up your people from their work." But he was about to do something even worse than just speaking some crass words.

For we read that Pharoah began to oppress the Israelite people even more. He ordered his "slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people" to "no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies." The Israelites had been tasked with making bricks to build the structures for Pharoah’s empire and had always been given the material to do the work. Now, Pharoah ordered straw withheld from the Israelites forcing them to find their own to make sure the bricks could be made. Further, they still had to maintain the same quota of bricks. All this was intended so the Israelites would "keep working and pay no attention to lies." Pharoah thought they were lazy and were using the proposal to go and offer sacrifices to God so they would not have to work. So the orders were carried out and conditions worsened for the people of Israel. Something had to happen to relieve the situation.

So the Israelite foremen decided to go to Pharoah and issue an appeal on behalf of the Israelites. They asked Pharoah, "Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people." Once again, Pharoah showed no sympathy and told the foreman, ""Lazy, that's what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." Rebuffed by Pharoah, the foremen go to Moses and Aaron, expressing their anger and frustration over the increased oppression of Pharoah. The foremen tell them "May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." In other words, what was currently happening was all the fault of Moses and Aaron. Had they not went to Pharoah in the first place, none of this would have happened. Their words definitely had an adverse impact on Moses.

For Moses then went before the Lord and said, ""O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all." In other words, Moses wants to know why God sent him there to do this. There has been no positive outcome and instead of rescue, there has only been increased hardship.
In this chapter, we see three main players and all three have the same problem: they don’t truly know and trust God.

Pharoah is intentionally bringing hardship on the Israelite people because he fears their numbers and wants to keep them under control so they can’t threaten his rule. By his own admission as he speaks to Moses and Aaron, he doesn’t know the Lord. And it’s obvious. Because if he did, he would have listened to Moses and Aaron. He is soon to find out that there is a God and a God who will bring as much hardship to Pharoah as he is bringing to God’s chosen people. Pharoah doesn’t know God now but he is going to know him soon in a big way.

The Israelite foremen also didn’t really know and trust God. They showed a problem that many people of faith have had throughout the ages. For it’s easy to have faith when things are going right but the challenge in life is maintaining faith when times get hard. Those who truly know and trust God never waver in their faith, no matter how hard it gets. The foremen not only falter after being rejected by Pharoah but then rain curses down upon Moses and Aaron hoping the Lord would judge them. Perhaps they should have been just as concerned with the Lord judging them for their unfaithful attitude.

And then we have Moses. You’ll remember that Moses wavered when God told him that he was to go and lead His people of Israel out of Egypt. There were already clear signs that Moses didn’t truly trust God in his heart, even though he had been closer to God than anyone else in this current matter. And yet we see Moses, rattled and bothered by the visit from the Israelite foremen, going before God and questioned God. In essence, he asked God where He was in the midst of all this. After all, hadn’t Moses and Aaron done what He told them to do. And yet, things had gotten worse, not better…and Moses wondered why God had not appeared to rescue His people yet. Moses showed an impatience that is not uncommon. We want God to do everything right away and when we want Him to act. And in doing so, we miss the things He is trying to do in and through us in the midst of suffering and hardship.

Question: Do you know God? I mean, do you really KNOW God? Do you trust in Him fully…knowing and trusting in all His assurances and promises as found in His word? Do you even know His word so you can know His promises? My prayer, this holiday season and into the year to come, is that we all come to KNOW God better. That we learn through His word that He is always with us and is doing a good work even when we’re going through tough times. I pray for stronger faith, enduring patience and a steadfast faith that doesn’t waver but instead stays firm, no matter what our circumstances.
Do you know God? Only you hold the answer to that question for yourself.

In Christ,

Mark

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