Pink Kitchens And Brown BricksSample

The real fun begins

Moses sees a bush burning and moves in closer to investigate. A voice from heaven speaks and gives him direction. Some intense Q&A ensues, and he receives his assignment. Then the real fun begins.

If you decide to walk with God and follow His voice, someone at some time is going to throw cold water on your plans. The closer that person is to you and the more influential in your life, the more it is going to hurt.

In Moses’ case, he received direction from God and determined to obey Him. Pharaoh was the king of Egypt, was worshiped like a god and believed he was one. He was not accustomed to receiving demands. So, what do you suppose Pharaoh said when Moses and Aaron finished their bold speech? His words indicate that he was neither intimidated nor impressed: “Who is the LORD,” he said, “that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go”.

Then Moses followed up his first request, in case Pharaoh didn’t fully get the picture: “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword”.

An 80-year-old man whose people were in slavery demanded their release from a powerful ruler who believed he was a god. Pharaoh was not buying it! Moses’ bit about the three-day journey was a way of saying that the “trip” would be of lasting consequences, and that worship of the God of Israel was their goal. But Pharaoh was saying, “Why should I allow this? I don’t know your Hebrew God, and so I have no compulsion to follow His commands.”

Discovering God’s will results from discovering the God of God’s will. But Pharaoh didn’t know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, therefore, he did not walk in God’s will. Moses had heard from the true God. But Pharaoh hadn’t. Not yet. But he was setting himself up in opposition to God; this was a dangerous position because, as C. S. Lewis has said, “When you argue against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.” ¹

Note
1. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Harper Collins, 2000).

 You can get Gregg Matte’s book by clicking on Finding God's Will.