Written by: chip K – thebandwithnoname
Exodus 5 v 1-5
After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt and
said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so
they may hold a feast for me in the desert.’”
But the king of Egypt said, “Who is the LORD? Why should I obey him and let Israel
go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us
travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If
we don’t do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war.”
But the king said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away
from their work? Go back to your work! There are very many Hebrews, and now you
want them to stop working!”
Notes
One thing that jumps out at me in this passage is the fact that Moses and Aaron
didn’t just ask Egypt’s king to let God’s people go. They mentioned that
the purpose for letting them go was to “hold a feast for me in the desert”.
To this day, the Jewish people still celebrate this “feast”, when they were set free from the slavery of Egypt into the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve even celebrated it with them in Israel, and trust me, it is definitely NOT some boring religious holy day. They spend ages building these little party huts, and then they move into them for over a week of festivities! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.
Slavery to sin is something that everyone has experienced, and freedom from that slavery is something everyone should experience. But when we’re set free, it’s not just like, “Okay, hand over your chains, you’re free to go now.” There’s actually a divine exchange that happens. When we’re truly set free, we can start experiencing life the way it was intended to be lived - life to the max, with the Holy Spirit in the driver’s seat. Let’s get this party started! This is our “feast in the desert”.
Prayer
Jesus, help me to live life to the max today, rejoicing in the fact that you’ve
not only set me free, but invited me to join the greatest party anywhere
on the planet. Amen
Exodus 5 v 6-9
That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen. He
said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let
them gather their own straw. But they must still make the same number of
bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and
that is why they are asking me, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’
Make these people work harder and keep them busy; then they will not have
time to listen to the lies of Moses.”
Notes
This passage reminds me of the harsh realities of work. From the beginning,
God designed us to be workers (check out Adam and Eve tending their garden),
but it’s only since the big “uh-oh” when mankind fell away from God’s perfect
plan that work started to get so hard. Now we only survive by the sweat of
our perfectly groomed eyebrows!
Like the king of Egypt, Satan tries to dupe us into believing that the key to success is to stay busy and work harder. He tricks us into thinking that worship is just a waste of time. “Oh, don’t go into the desert to offer sacrifices of praise to God. Moses is lying to you, don’t listen to him.” What a load of rubbish!
See, the devil knows that if we’re so consumed with keeping ourselves busy, we won’t have time to seek out the ultimate power source for our lives – the presence of God. In his presence there’s fullness of joy, and his joy is our true strength. God designed us as human beings, not human doings.
Prayer
Lord, I want to connect to your ultimate power source today. As I offer sacrifices
of praise to you, please cause your joy to be the underlying motivation for
my work. Amen
Exodus 5 v 10-14
So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, “This is
what the king says: ‘I will no longer give you straw. Go and get your own
straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made
before.’” So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to
use for straw. The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder.
They said, “You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given
straw.” The king’s slave masters had made the Israelite foremen responsible
for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and
asked them, “Why aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past?”
Notes
Can you imagine what it would have been like for those poor Israelite foremen?
“How the heck are we going to make just as many bricks as before – with no
straw?!” The situation they found themselves in was completely unjust, and
yet they were held totally responsible for it. Pardon the pun, but they must’ve
been absolutely brickin’ it!
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11 v 28-30: “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The teaching that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.”
If you’re feeling a bit like those oppressed Israelite foremen, just remember to trade your old heavy hitchhiker’s backpack for the lighter, new-and-improved briefcase Jesus provides. The plan he has for you suits you perfectly, and you can’t mess with perfection. Trust him, and he will make your path obvious.
Think about this – God is the ultimate brickmaker. All he needs is available straw (us), soaked in water (grace), and a lot of time to bask in his sunshine (Son-shine!)
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, that I can chuck all my heavy burdens onto you. Teach me
to wear the perfectly suited yoke that you provide, so I can find rest. I
love you. Amen
Exodus 5 v 15-19
Then the Israelite foremen went to the king and complained, “Why are you treating
us, your servants, this way? You give us no straw, but we are commanded to
make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people’s fault.”
The king answered, “You are lazy! You don’t want to work! That is why you ask
to leave here and make sacrifices to the LORD. Now, go back to work! We will
not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”
The Israelite foremen knew they were in trouble, because the king had told
them, “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.”
Notes
Anyone who’s read the entire story of the exodus of God’s people from Egypt
to the Promised Land will know that they certainly did have a tendency to
whinge. I mean, from the moment they entered the desert they were all like,
“Moses, our feet hurt!”, or, “Moses, are we there yet?!” But in today’s reading
we find that their incessant complaining began long before Moses was at the
helm. It’s a wonder the king of Egypt didn’t chuck them out any sooner!
However, upon taking a closer look at this particular instance, I think it’s safe to say that the Israelites’ complaint here was totally valid. The demands the king was hurling upon them were absurdly impossible, and the foremen realised that now they were in some seriously deep doo-doo. They needed a miracle.
Something God’s revealed to me recently is this: if you’re not truly sorry for the wrong things you’ve done (sin), then you cannot be truly thankful for the amazing thing Jesus has done (the cross). Godly sorrow leads to true repentance. We all need to come to the full realisation of the serious trouble we’re in, so that God’s miracle of salvation can mean that much more to us. I believe this is what it means to work out your salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2 v 12).
Prayer
Father God, thank you for providing the miracle of saving me from my own sin.
I want to hear your gentle voice today, and to do everything without complaining.
Amen
Exodus 5 v 20-23
As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron, who
were waiting for them. So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the LORD punish
you. You caused the king and his officers to hate us. You have given them
an excuse to kill us.”
Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have you brought this
trouble on your people? Is this why you sent me here? I went to the king and
said what you told me to say, but ever since that time he has made the people
suffer. And you have done nothing to save them.”
Notes
At first glance, this looks like a treacherous moment for Moses. Apparently,
God hadn’t kept up his end of the bargain, and Moses was left looking like
a fool to the people he was called to lead. So, in abandoned honesty, he
confronted God himself: “What is the deal? I did what you told me to do,
and you’ve done absolutely jack!”
One of my favourite songwriters is a guy called Steven Curtis Chapman. He wrote a song a while back called, “Sometimes He Comes in the Clouds”, and it’s all about faith. It talks about how we often pray and read God’s word without getting inspired or getting anything in return. It’s a bit like stepping outside for some sunshine and only finding clouds and rain. But actually, God is right there with us during those times, teaching us to rely more completely on him. That’s what faith is all about.
I believe that God was teaching Moses faith here. We see later in the story that he’ll need all the faith he can muster, as their journey carries them from one dangerous adventure to another. Allow today’s reading to inspire you to have faith in a God who sometimes comes in the clouds.
Prayer
Lord, you alone are faithful to keep your promises to me. Help me to develop
faith today, as you lead me on whatever adventures you’ve already prepared
for me. Amen
Exodus 6 v 1-8
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to the king of
Egypt. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go.
Because of my power, he will force them out of his country.”
Then God said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
by the name God Almighty, but they did not know me by my name, the LORD. I
also made my agreement with them to give them the land of Canaan. They lived
in that land, but it was not their own. Now I have heard the cries of the Israelites,
whom the Egyptians are treating as slaves, and I remember my agreement. So
tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the LORD. I will save you
from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free, so
you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power,
and I will punish the Egyptians terribly. I will make you my own people, and
I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God, the One who
saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will lead you
to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I will give you
that land to own. I am the LORD.’”
Notes
Isn’t it interesting how important names are to God? He’s all like, “Up until
now you’ve only known me as God Almighty, but from now on you’re going to
know me as the LORD!” And we’re all like, “Uh, right. Wow. Great. What’s
the difference?”
The Hebrew word for LORD is Jehovah (or Yahweh), which is actually a grouping together of all the Hebrew letters in the phrases “I was”, “I am” and “I will be”. So the true English translation would be something like “Iwasamwillbe”. (Personally, I’m glad the translators just stuck with “LORD”.)
Basically, God is in control of the past, the present and the future. So what I believe he was saying here is this: “Remember me? I’m the one who hooked you up before, and I’m the same one who’s about to hook you up right now– big time. I’ll always hook you up!”
And you know what? He still wants to hook you up – with deliverance and freedom from whatever it is you need deliverance and freedom from. Addictions, habits, worries, fears, pain, suffering, whatever. He wants you and him to belong together like two people madly in love. He just wants to be your “Iwasamwillbe”.
Prayer
Lord, right now I give you full control. Deliver me and set me free from ________,
just like you freed the Israelites from the oppression of Egypt. Make me
your own. Amen
Exodus 6 v 9-13
So Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him. They
were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go and tell the king of Egypt that he must let
the Israelites leave his land.”
But Moses answered, “The Israelites will not listen to me, so surely the king
will not listen to me either. I am not a good speaker.”
But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders about the Israelites
and the king of Egypt. He commanded them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Notes
This is the part where God turns into a bit of an army sergeant. You can hardly
blame him. He’s had it up to here with Moses telling him how weak and insignificant
he is, so God finally turns on his command voice. It’s not the voice of a
ruthless dictator; that would be extremely un-Godlike. It’s just that typical
command voice that every good, loving dad has. When I was still living with
my parents, my dad definitely had one. “Chip? Chip!” And trust me, the response
time to that second “Chip” was a lot faster.
What kind of attitude do you have when it comes to doing the things you know God has asked you to do? Do you drag your feet a bit or whine about how you’re not good enough? Don’t you think that God knows you better than you know yourself? Of course you’re not good enough to accomplish the task! God wants to make his strength perfect in your weakness, so that he gets all the credit – not you.
Why not take a few minutes to really stop and think about what God wants you to do for him today. Once you know, don’t make excuses or try to procrastinate. Remember who it is that’s given you the task, and (in the words of Nike) just do it.
Prayer
Dad, thanks for gently commanding me to obey. I want to serve you in everything
I do today. Forgive me for making excuses, and help me to trust that you
know what’s best for me. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes