Deliverance is Never Easy

Exodus 5

 

 

The Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, and God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt to serve God.

Exodus 4:29-31 (NKJV) 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

 

The Children of Israel bowed their heads and worshiped. They were grateful to God for the promised deliverance. They gladly accepted God'spromises and anticipated the freedom to come. But then reality struck.

 

Perhaps you can identify with the Israelites. What brought you to this blog Today? What brought you to Jesus? Was it fear of Hell or judgment? Was there something in your life you wanted fixed or repaired: a relationship, a disease, an addiction, or a guilty conscience?

 

God promises to deal with all these things and more. He promises to give us abundant life, to lead us to the Promised Land, as it were. When we believe, we gladly accept these promises and then anticipate the freedom to come. But then reality strikes. Before we called upon God for deliverance, we were slaves to the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Our deliverance from these is instantaneous in that we are dead to them, buried with Christ in His death and risen with Him in His resurrection. But the world, the flesh, and the Devil fight to keep us enslaved.

 

Let’s look at chapter 5 and see where deliverance and the lives of the Israelites intersected, and from there see where deliverance and our lives intersect.

 

First, we see that deliverance starts from where we are.

 

We see this in Exodus 5:1-5.

 

1. Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh. They had to start with the king of Egypt because the Children of Israel were his slaves.

 

When we come to God, we have to face our sin because we are slaves to sin.

 

2. Pharaoh did not respond well.

 

He refused to acknowledge God, said he did not know God, nor would he listen to what God had to say. Pharaoh could not be reasoned with.

 

When we confront our sin, we get the same kind of response. Our sin refuses to acknowledge God, nor will it listen to what God has to say. Sin cannot be reasoned with.

 

Second, we see in deliverance that initially things get worse, much worse.

 

We see this in Exodus 5:6-14.

 

Pharaoh responded by increasing their oppression. He multiplied their workload beyond what the Israelites could do. This makes sense when we remember that the world teaches us that the best defense is a good offense. Pharaoh says:

Exodus 5:5 (NKJV) “Look, the people of the land [are] many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”

 

In Exodus chapter 1, the Egyptians feared the growing size of the Israelite population. Now, at least a couple hundred years later, that population had multiplied. The population had not just grown; it had exploded. The Bible says it multiplied greatly. Pharaoh felt threatened.

 

Before God, we were under the Prince and the Power of the air, Satan, the ruler of this world. When we turn to God, Satan knows that he is finished. He no longer has power over us, but he tries to make us believe he does. He does not want to let go, so he causes as much damage as he can. Temptations increase, and doubts attack our hearts and minds.

 

Third, we seek to deliver ourselves or at least stop the attack.

 

We see this in Exodus 5:15-19.

 

The Israelites appealed to Pharaoh. Moses had spoken with Pharaoh and caused the problem, but they did not go to Moses. They went directly to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh rebuked them and treated them with scorn. When they found that Pharaoh would not be reasoned with, they accused Moses of giving the Egyptians the means to kill them.

 

We usually do not understand how deliverance works, so we set about to deliver ourselves. Our approach may be religious, or it may be by human strength. A religious approach seeks to defeat the flesh by keeping rules. Do not eat meat on Fridays. Do not work on Sundays. Do not play cards. Do not smoke. The list of rules is endless. A human-strength approach seeks to solve the problem through determination or education. Determination says, “I will just decide not to do it” (whatever it may be). Education says, “I think Freud had a solution for this.” Either way, we eventually end up where the Israelites did. The world is not our friend. It lies in the power of the evil one, and he uses it against us.

 

Fourth, we surrender.

 

We see this in Exodus 5:20-23.

 

Leaving Pharaoh, the Israelites found Moses and Aaron waiting for them,and they said:

Exodus 5:21 (NKJV) “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

 

Moses had no answer for them, so he went to the Lord. Exodus 5:22-23 records that interaction.

Exodus 5:22-23 (NKJV) 22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why [is] it You have sent me? 23 “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

 

Moses pours out his weakness and frustration before the Lord, and finally says, “You have not delivered Your people at all.” This is actually a good thing. Moses has returned to the promise God made. In effect, he is saying, “God, You promised!”

 

Conclusion

 

We will need to look at the first verse of chapter 6 to see God’s response. God says, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh.”

Exodus 6:1 (NKJV) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

 

The Israelites and Moses had no idea what deliverance would look like. Not only did God need to get Israel out of Egypt, but He also needed to get Egypt out of Israel. Getting Egypt out of Israel involved giving them the certainty that there is only one God and the gods of the Egyptians could not stand against God. The ten plagues were a demonstration that there is but one God and the 10 greatest gods of the Egyptians were as nothing before Him.

 

We also have many false gods in our lives. In our deliverance, God addresses each one. It is a process. But when we surrender to God, He says, “Now you will see what a great deliverance I will work.”

 

God addresses the things that enslave us one by one. We experience victories and defeats, but through it all we know God is working. James 1:2 says:

James 1:2-5 (NKJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

 

Rejoice in what God is doing in your life. Trials are not easy; deliverance never is. It requires perseverance and faith. We must trust God and ask Him for wisdom. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will do it.

 

A promise of God from Isaiah 57:18:

“I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him.”