Taking a Stand

DEVOTION

EXODUS

TAKING A STAND

Ex 6:26-7:5

26 It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions." 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron. 28 Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you." 30 But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

Exodus 7

7:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it."

NIV

It seems this is a repeat performance of what we saw before, but we should remember Moses just had that experience with the Israelites who sort of rejected what he had to say after their increased workload. Moses is hesitate to obey the LORD because he fears the same kind of rejection from Pharaoh. It seems it is due to his faltering lips. At least that is the excuse he is using. God already told him Aaron would do the speaking, but Moses is still unsure. Yet God makes one more, a new declaration to Moses. He tells him he has made Moses like God to Pharaoh. The Hebrew word here is Elohiym which is used in conjunction with El when referred to as Almighty God, but it can also be used in the singular as a god in the ordinary sense. So whether God made Moses look like him, the Almighty God, or like a god, as like the gods the Egyptians worshipped is slightly up to the translators whether, like this one, uses a capital G or not. Nevertheless the point is God has lifted Moses up to the position of a god for the purpose of the Pharaoh. This is to show him his power of being a god is useless against the power of god Moses. But as we also know Pharaohs heart being set against the Israelites and Moses, God strengthens that resolve. He then will use his mighty acts of judgement against them. Could we learn a lesson here about how we are to be in the world today and how they reject us, thus God will bring about his mighty acts of judgement against them? Could it be a picture of how Satan has enslaved the people of the world and God has been using his mighty hand to bring his people out of their bondage to Satan. Can it also be that some of us have been given the power to look like a god before the kings of this earth, to speak the words of God, so people will be delivered from the bondage of sin? Certainly we know from reading the revelation he gave to John, his judgements are coming upon the earth, upon the people who refuse his deliverance. All we can do is praise his Holy Name because he did mighty acts, miracles, in order to bring us out of our misery, our bondage to sin. Once we were aliens to God, serving our own gods, but now we are in the division, the tribe of Judah, co-heirs with Christ in the inheritance awaiting for us in the land flowing with milk and honey. But in the meantime, we are representatives, ambassadors for God in this foreign land we live in. He will cause us to be like him, to bring his truth to the people. To heal them, show them the mighty hand of God at work in their lives.

Rom 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

NIV

We have been called to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, to be like Jesus, to be made a God in the presence of those who worship other gods. We may well be a part of his outstretched hand, reaching those who are lost and without hope. As he empowered Moses, he empowers us. He had given us his fruit, his gifts, his armor to take our stand against the forces of evil. This is the evil whom Pharaoh represents in this text. Moses took his stand against him with the power of God. We must stand our stand with the power of God.