Growth Through Resistance Series

Moses 5 GROWTH THROUGH RESISTANCE

Exodus 5:1-7:5\

C. The Salvation

6. Problems That Abound 5:1-7:5

1) The Arrogance of Defiance 5:1-14

2) The Anguish of Doubt

a. Anger Against Moses 5:15-21

b. Anguish From Moses 5:22-23

3) The Announcement of Deliverance 6:1-7:5

a. God’s Person Uplifted 6:1-8

b. God’s People Unbelieving 6:9

c. God’s Prophet Unsure 6:10

d. God’s Plan Unfolding 6:13-27

e. God’s Power Unleashed 6:28-7:5

Moses is still in God’s school. If he felt he had problems forty years before, and problems on the way to Egypt, he hadn’t seen anything yet. Having wrestled with God he would now wrestle with the powers of darkness. He was about to come up against the most powerful human being in the world, a man worshipped by his people, the Pharaoh of Egypt. He stood nose to nose against Moses, Aaron and their God. Nine plagues - blood, frogs, gnats, flies, plagues, boils, hail, locusts and darkness that turned Egypt into a barren wasteland left him unmoved. Even when the tenth plague killed his son and he let Israel go, he sent his soldiers to bring them back and cost them their lives, drowned in the Red Sea. Moses was about to meet a real problem. But just as resistance makes muscles strong, Moses will be made strong in the Lord. See first. . .

I. THE ARROGANCE OF DEFIANCE (5:1-14)

1. The Compassionate Request (5:1)

Moses, being a former prince in Egypt, seems to have had no difficulty getting an audience with Pharaoh. Pharaoh might have been curious about this one time warrior, but whatever the reason, Moses and Aaron were allowed in. They did not ask Pharaoh to release Israel but gave the compassionate request God told them to make - that Israel be allowed to make a three day journey into the desert to worship God (Ex. 3:18). In other words, they wanted a week or two off. The request, they said, came not from them but from God.

2. The Calloused Response (5:2-5)

. Pharaoh was not impressed with them or their God. God, in His mercy, asked Pharaoh only for a small favor - time off for His people. But the world’s people don’t like God to intrude in their lives at all. They don’t want to do ANYTHING for God. So Pharaoh said, “Who in the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go?” (5:2) Moses then issued a warning, saying God might strike Israel with plagues or sword if they didn’t obey (5:3). This too was an act of mercy, for they were letting Pharaoh know it is serious and dangerous to disobey the God of the Hebrews. Unmoved by compassion or by this warning, Pharaoh saw this as taking people from their work and refused to listen.

Application: Learn here that the words, “Who is God that I should obey him?”, is the first step many take on the road to hell. A prodigal man or woman, who wants to live filthy, says this and jumps into sin. The teenager says, “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him” and gives their body to lust or drugs. The adults say it and sell their souls for money. A proud man or woman, who may be nice and moral and respectable, but has no time for worship or prayer, or finding God’s will, does the same. They say this and jump into selfishness and self righteousness, seeing no need for Christ dying for them and no need to love or serve him.

Application: Learn also that these words have future consequences that break the hearts of those who utter them. In the months to come, when the plagues have done their work, when all the firstborn are in their graves, and when thousands of Egyptian soldiers lie at the bottom of the Red Sea, the screams and cries of those left will be heard echoing up and down the halls of the palace - Why didn’t Pharaoh listen to God? And in hell, many of you will say the same, but it will be, “Why didn’t I listen to God?”

Application: We Christians need to learn here that when heaven starts working, hell starts working. When we hear the voice of God, we will hear the voice of Satan soon thereafter. When we wake up the powers of heaven with our prayers, with our commitment to Christlikeness, with our evangelism, we wake up the powers of hell that attack us. Burning bush experiences almost always lead to Pharaoh experiences. Decide you will practice your Christianity at work and your work place will become a war zone like you’ve never seen before.

3. The Cruel Reaction (5:6-14).

It’s not enough for the devil and his people to disobey God, they want to hurt God and his people. Pharaoh turned his fury toward the Hebrew slaves. He, like Adolph Hitler, had the devil’s wisdom. He knew this talk of freedom could lead to a rebellion so he increased their work load and their pain.