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Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Cole - Serve the Lord faithfully even in the face of opposition and setbacks. Moses and Aaron were coming off a spiritual high. The people had accepted their testimony and believed that the Lord was concerned about their affliction (Exod. 4:31). Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite elders all had worshiped the Lord. Probably the spiritual high made them forget that the Lord had said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and that he wouldn’t let Israel go except under compulsion (Exod. 3:19; 4:21). So Moses and Aaron marched boldly into Pharaoh’s presence, but hit a brick wall. Pharaoh wasn’t sympathetic in the slightest. In fact, he made things more difficult than they already were for the Hebrew slaves. Has that ever happened to you when you tried to serve the Lord or obey His calling for your life? When Marla and I moved to Dallas so that I could finish my seminary degree, we had a very hard time finding an apartment. We finally found one we could afford and moved in just before classes started. Three days later, we were mugged at gunpoint as we walked from the carport to our door. I tore my hand open on the gunsight of the mugger’s gun and had to get four stitches. Then, a couple of weeks later, I slipped on a muddy sidewalk and cut my finger badly on a Thermos I was carrying. So I started classes living in an apartment that was maybe in an unsafe neighborhood, and with both hands bandaged! At such times, it’s easy to wonder, “Did I miss God’s will for my life? Maybe I was supposed to take an off-ramp a couple of miles back!” But don’t assume that encountering difficulties means that you’re not in God’s will. Often, God uses the difficulties to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we trust totally in Him (2 Cor. 1:8-9). Chuck Swindoll (Moses [Thomas Nelson], p. 162) observes, “The best framework for the Lord God to do His most ideal work is when things are absolutely impossible and we feel totally unqualified to handle it.” (The Plan Isn’t Working Exodus 5:1-6:30) ILLUSTRATION FROM PASTOR DAVID THOMPSON - A while back, there was an interesting thing that happened on our web site. I went to check to see if any one had written any emails to us and discovered there were two. I opened the first one and it was a wonderful encouraging letter that expressed gratitude for the web site of TCBC. The person writing the letter said that they loved our approach to the word of God and that they were listening to Bible book studies and doctrines and growing. As I read this letter, my spirit soared. When I completed reading the first email, I opened the second one. This email was from a disgruntled person who did not like our approach to Scripture. In fact, this person actually contacted our web site carrier and said they should not even let us be on their network. This individual was mad because we dared take doctrinal stands that did not square with his position. So within the span of a few minutes because of our approach to God’s word we go from a high to a low, from praise to protest, from a positive to a negative. That is the way it always works in the true work of God. When it comes to obeying God’s word and doing God’s will we may be sure that one minute there may be great exhilaration and the next minute great humiliation. In the work of God, you can go from being very high to being very low. Some one can praise you one minute and someone else can demean you the next minute. That is the lesson Moses is about to learn right here: OBEYING GOD’S WORD AND DOING GOD’S WILL ALWAYS LEADS TO GOD’S BLESSINGS BUT BEFORE THOSE BLESSINGS COME THERE WILL BE A SOVEREIGNLY DESIGNED PROCESS THAT WILL FEATURE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES; EMOTIONAL ELATION AND EMOTIONAL DEPRESSION This is the lesson we need to learn too. When we purpose to understand and obey God’s word and do God’s will, we are guaranteed that God will bless us. But the path to His blessings will be sovereignly designed by Him and that path will include some negative things. All of that is part of His sovereign plan. Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go." Who - Ex 3:19 2Ki 18:35 2Ch 32:15,19 Job 21:15 Ps 10:4 12:4 14:1 I do not know the LORD - 1Sa 2:12 Joh 16:3 Ro 1:28 2Th 1:8 I will not let Israel go- Ex 3:19 Jer 44:16,17 Exodus 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PHARAOH ASKS WHO IS THE LORD? God had forewarned Moses that the Pharaoh would resist his call to let the sons of Israel go, declaring “But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion." (Ex 3:19+) But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? - Pharaoh is NOT asking for information. He is expressing bold-faced arrogance. He is saying in essence "Who is the Lord to tell me what to do?" I bet he knows "who is the LORD" today as he in imprisoned in Sheol awaiting his sentence at the Great White Throne judgment! (Rev 20:11-15, note esp v12 = "I saw the dead, the great [THOSE LIKE PHARAOH] and the small, standing before the throne."
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Cole - When you serve the Lord you will face opposition both from without and from within. Moses’ first opposition came from the scoffing Pharaoh. We don’t know how Moses and Aaron managed to get an interview with him, but the meeting didn’t go well! You can understand why he didn’t want to let two million slaves go free when they were the cheap labor force for the Egyptian economy. But as I just explained, God graciously gave Pharaoh an easier request at first: Rather than demanding that he immediately free all of the slaves, Moses simply asked for a three-day break so that they could worship God. But Pharaoh brazenly replied (Exod. 5:2), “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” Pharaoh was not impressed with this God whom Moses identified as “the Lord God of Israel” and “the God of the Hebrews” (Exod. 5:1, 3). He probably scoffed to his aides, “Some god that is who lets his people be our slaves for hundreds of years! Why should we obey a god like that?” Even so, today some may scoff, “Why should I bow before a crucified Savior? What kind of God would allow His Son to be killed in such a horrible way?” In fact, one leader in the emergent church called Jesus’ death on the cross “cosmic child abuse”! But Pharaoh’s question is the crucial question for every person to answer: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” Jesus asked His disciples (Matt. 16:13), “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied (Matt. 16:14), “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked them the crucial question (Matt. 16:15), “But who do you say that I am?” Peter responded with his well-known confession, (Matt. 16:16), “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Everything in this life and for eternity depends on answering that crucial question correctly! When you encounter opposition from those outside the faith, try to keep the conversation focused on the crucial question: “Who do you say that Jesus Christ is? Are you open to examine the evidence?” Invariably, a skeptic will bring up many objections, just as Pharaoh could have objected to obeying a God who let His people remain in slavery for hundreds of years. (I have two sermons on the church website that explain how to answer the most common objections.) But almost always, the underlying reason a person is hostile toward Christ is not intellectual; it’s moral. Pharaoh didn’t want to damage the economy and he didn’t want to obey any god! The skeptic does not want to submit to Jesus as Lord because he loves his sin. But just as Moses eventually had to warn Pharaoh of the consequences if he did not obey the Lord, we gently need to warn hostile skeptics of the judgment to come that they will face if they don’t submit their lives to Jesus as Lord. But, Moses not only faced opposition from without. He also incurred the wrath of those within. When Pharaoh increased the workload on the Hebrew slaves, their foremen complained, only to find Pharaoh unsympathetic. He accused them and their people of laziness. When they left that encounter, they met Moses and Aaron and angrily said (Exod. 5:21), “May the Lord look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” At this point, the Hebrew leaders were more concerned about relieving their harsh conditions while remaining enslaved than they were about being freed from slavery. They still identified themselves as Pharaoh’s servants (Exod. 5:15, 16), not as servants of the living God. But they were God’s people whom Moses had come to redeem. But Moses was not their favorite guy at this point, to say the least! When you serve the Lord, you expect opposition from those outside the faith. After all, they’re in Satan’s domain of darkness and they do not know the Lord. They buy into this world’s values, so when you confront them with sin, righteousness, and judgment, they don’t like it. But you don’t usually expect opposition from the Lord’s people. We’re all on the same team, aren’t we? We’re supposed to love one another, aren’t we? But in my experience, the most painful attacks you’ll get when you serve the Lord don’t come from outside the camp, but from within. You shouldn’t immediately conclude that your critics are tools of the devil and dismiss all of their criticisms. Maybe they have some valid points, even if they’re expressing them in a hostile manner. After listening, you may need to try to help them learn how to state their concerns in a better way. But, be prepared! When you serve the Lord, you will encounter opposition both from without and even from within! (The Plan Isn’t Working Exodus 5:1-6:30) Exodus 5:22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? returned to the LORD- Ex 17:4 1Sa 30:6 Ps 73:25 Jer 12:1 Why did You ever send me - Nu 11:14,15 1Ki 19:4,10 Jer 20:7 Hab 2:3 Exodus 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries MOSES' BLAMES GOD! Then - Then is an important expression of time and marks progression in the sequence of events, in this case Moses responding to the worsening conditions of the Hebrews and the railing accusations from the foremen of the Hebrews. Moses returned to the LORD (Jehovah - Yahweh) - Note only Moses is going to the LORD, not Aaron, Moses' "mouthpiece." God had warned Moses that Pharaoh would harden his heart and would not let the people go, but God had not told him any specific details. He certainly had not told him that the work conditions would become even more oppressive and onerous. And so Moses faith begins to falter. When our faith begins to fail, we often begin to question God rather than rest in God. And said, "O Lord ('adonay), why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? - Note in these 2 passages of complaint Moses uses "You" three times, so he is directing his "attack" on the LORD! Now this is a man who has heard the LORD from a burning bush and he is still shaky! Moses seems to be having a crisis of faith. He blames God for Pharaoh's harsh treatment with the phrase why have You brought harm. Moses also asks why God had even sent him, a question to which he knew the answer. It was for deliverance of God's people Israel. Moses was taking his eye off the prize, so to speak. Harm is the Hebrew raa which is evil in the sense of pain, calamity, trouble, or affliction, and not always in the sense of sin. Certainly not here. That God had allowed Pharaoh to oppose them had brought greater pain to the Israelites. David Thompson - Moses never wanted this job in the first place. He is an 80 year old man who did every thing in his power to get out of this assignment and now this appears to be one big mess and disaster. Moses says, I came here in good faith and you have not delivered them at all. Moses has apparently forgotten what God told him. Now look at this. Moses is blamed for the bad treatment of the Israelites. God is blamed for the bad treatment of the Israelites and the one guy who is actually responsible for the bad treatment- Pharaoh- he is not blamed at all. This is exactly how Satan works- he calls good bad and bad good. The wrong people are being blamed here, and the one person who should be blamed isn’t. Now carefully look at the question Moses asks God- “Why?” Why have you brought this evil to these people? Why did you ever send me here? It is a question we tend to ask God all the time-”Why, Why, Why?” You just want to say “quit whining and shut up and watch.” (Sermon) NET - In view of the apparent failure of the mission, Moses seeks Yahweh for assurance. The answer from Yahweh not only assures him that all is well, but that there will be a great deliverance. The passage can be divided into three parts: (1) The complaint of Moses (Ex 5:22–23), (2) The promise of Yahweh (Ex 6:1–9), (3) The instructions for Moses (Ex 6:10–13). Moses complains because God has not delivered his people as he had said he would, and God answers that he will because he is the sovereign covenant God who keeps his word. Therefore, Moses must keep his commission to speak God’s word. See further, E. A. Martens, “Tackling Old Testament Theology,” JETS 20 (1977): 123–32. The message is very similar to that found in the NT, “Where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Pet 3:4). The complaint of Moses (5:22–23) can be worded with Peter’s “Where is the promise of his coming?” theme; the assurance from Yahweh (6:1–9) can be worded with Peter’s “The Lord is not slack in keeping his promises” (2 Pet 3:9); and the third part, the instructions for Moses (6:10–13) can be worded with Peter’s “Prepare for the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Pet 3:12). The people who speak for God must do so in the sure confidence of the coming deliverance—Moses with the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, and Christians with the deliverance from this sinful world. Steven Cole - When you serve the Lord you will face setbacks that make it seem like you’re on the wrong path. After the Hebrew foremen angrily confronted Moses, he complained to the Lord (Exod. 5:22-23), “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.” Later, when the Lord told him to return to Pharaoh and demand that he let Israel go, Moses pessimistically replied (Exod. 6:12), “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” He was overwhelmed with his inability to speak well or to get through either to the Israelites or to Pharaoh. He had forgotten that it was God, not he, who would deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s hand (Exod. 3:8). And, Moses was not remembering that the Lord has reasons for His delays, even if we don’t know what those reasons are. The more Pharaoh resisted the Lord’s appeals through Moses to let Israel go, the more it revealed God’s patience and His righteous justice when He finally judged him. Also, Israel needed further humbling under Pharaoh’s harsh treatment so that they would appreciate the Lord’s deliverance when it came (A. W. Pink, Gleanings in Exodus [Moody Press], pp. 46-47). And, Moses needed to learn more about patiently waiting on the Lord. He needed to recognize that when deliverance finally came, it wasn’t primarily due to him or his gifts, but to the Lord’s sovereign grace toward His people. Setbacks in serving the Lord do not necessarily mean that you’re on the wrong path, but rather that the Lord has further lessons to teach you and to teach those you’re trying to serve. But be careful how you approach the Lord! Some say that we should imitate Moses’ example here in being honest before the Lord, even if it means wrongly accusing Him. Rather than admitting that he doesn’t understand and humbly asking for wisdom, Moses accuses the Lord of not delivering His people as He had promised to do. While I agree that we should be honest with the Lord (He already knows how you feel!), there is a right and wrong way to talk to the Almighty Lord! When my kids were young and they felt that I had disappointed them in some way, I wanted them to feel free to come to me with their complaints. But their attitude was crucial! If they came defiantly, accusing me of being unfair or uncaring, the accusation may have been legitimate (I wasn’t a perfect father!), but their defiance was wrong. So I would say, “You’re free to complain, but you need to talk to me in a respectful way; then I’ll listen and try to help.” So, if you face setbacks in serving the Lord, go to Him and pour out your complaint, but do it submissively, fearing Him. Acknowledge that you don’t understand why He isn’t working as you thought He should, but don’t imply that you know better than He what needs to be done! He is the Lord and you’re not! You may not understand the setbacks or delays, but He has His reasons and He’s not under obligation to share those reasons. But we still need to keep serving Him. (The Plan Isn’t Working Exodus 5:1-6:30) F B