Scripture: But I know that the king of Egypt will not let
you go unless a mighty hand compels him. (Exodus 3:19 NIV)
Then the Lord said, “If they
do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the
second. (Exodus 4:8 NIV)
Moses returned to the Lord and
said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you
sent me? (Exodus 5:22 NIV)
But when Pharaoh saw that
there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and
Aaron, just as the Lord had said. (Exodus 8:15 NIV)
Observation: Today we
read the story of Moses. Being saved as a baby, becoming a prince of Egypt,
then murderer, then fugitive, then shepherd..and finally unwilling messenger of
God. God calls Moses to lead His people to freedom and we see that God is aware
that this will not be an easy task. Therefore he equips Moses with "more
than one sign"(this is important today!). Moses goes and when things get
tough, he complains to God- as we all have done at some point! On the other
hand we see Pharaoh, heeding the signs from God as brought by Moses, but then
hardening his heart again as soon as there is relief.
Application: Have you
ever had that feeling of: "Why me Lord?"Or that feeling of: "Why
do bad things keep happening to me?" I know I have. Today we see that when
God calls us to do something, it wont always be easy. I believe it is the same
when God wants to teach us something. A mentor I have had since my teens once
told me that: "The master will keep repeating the lesson, until the
student learns". I believe that God works in the same way. Today we see
that God knows there will have to be more than one sign for Pharaoh in order
for him to heed God(and for Moses too!). It's the same with those lessons-
sometimes we need more than one lesson to learn what God is teaching. But when
things get tough, we complain- just like Moses. And when God gives relief- we
harden our hearts again and the lesson is forgotten. So what does God do? He
repeats the lesson..So if things get tough and you find yourself wondering why
you keep ending up in the same situation, don't harden your heart like Pharaoh
or complain like Moses. Stop, take a moment and ask God to show you what it is
that you have to learn.
Prayer: Dear Lord,
thank you that you know each of us and our nature as human beings so well. Help
us to be receptive to the lessons You wish to teach us in difficult times and
to not harden our hearts to you. Amen.
Next reading
Exodus 9-14
Blog link: http://readthebiblein180days.blogspot.com/
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