July 7, 2026
Tuesday, July 7
Last week, we saw in Moses a washed-up old man who had lost his zeal for the Lord and his people. But now, Moses is ready to claim his destiny as Israel’s heroic deliverer. He and his brother Aaron march into the throne room of Pharaoh and say, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:1-2)
“Who is the Lord?” You might say that the entire book of Exodus is the answer to that question. Soon Pharaoh will know far more about the God of Israel than he ever wanted. And the Israelites—and everyone else in Egypt who comes to believe in Him—will know that He is the God who saves. But that doesn’t mean He follows the script we would write for Him if we could. The most immediate impact of Moses and Aaron obeying the Lord is that life gets much, much harder. Not only are their people not set free, they’re not even allowed to fulfill their relatively minor request of a little time off to worship their God. And Pharaoh takes things further. He takes away the straw his government previously provided for brick-making. From now on, the Hebrew slaves will have to procure their own straw, while maintaining the same quota of bricks.
This unexpected turn of events has a devastating effect on Moses’ credibility in the eyes of his people. The Israelite foremen had serious questions:
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” 22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
Do you hear what Moses is saying? “Lord, this isn’t the way it’s supposed to go. While I was living in the desert, not even acknowledging you, I was just fine. Now I do this courageous thing, show this incredible faith, and my own people hate me for it. I haven’t made my people’s lives better; I’ve made them worse.”
Do you have the faith to keep on obeying God even when obedience makes your life (and the lives of people you love) harder in the short term? I have news for you: At some point, you’ll need that kind of faith.
“Lord, increase my faith. I am a selfish child by nature. I want things my way, and I want them now. Mature my soul, so that I will praise you even when things don’t go my way. In your name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
