Man, to be the leader of a people that had been enslaved for a great deal of time, had to be a difficult and thankless chore. Moses and Aaron acted as liaison from God to the Israelites and to Pharaoh. To be frank, after their first attempt to liberate the people, they were not popular with either side. Moses was not only tasked with Israel’s liberation, but also with their leadership. God continued to prepare the people, the Egyptians, and Moses.
We have all read intricate mystery novels. In them, there are often many twists and turns until the climax, when good guy sweeps in and is victorious. God often operates in men’s lives the very same way. As people, we are often predisposed to figure out a way to solve God’s issues. Israel did; they called on God to simply free them from Pharaoh’s oppression, no big deal. BUT THEN WHAT???
God needed the Israelites to be ready to be a free people. Not only free from their slavery, but also, free to trust and follow Him. To see that come to pass, God would have to prove His authority, give them a powerful leader, and put fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. That is a great number of twists and turns. God however, like any great author, knew the plot line before the first word was uttered.
The Bible shows us that as every Bible hero is developed by God, it is done with careful refining, training, and grace. Our Lord takes folks where they are and then develops them into the people they have been called to become.
We too are being refined, prepared, and guided to the ultimate end of God’s story for our lives. We make missteps, walk through trials and temptation, feel pain and victory. All the while, God continues to turn the pages to the story of our lives. Then, as we come to the end, we find the Lord gently smiling when we meet the Him in Heaven or in the air. Either is fine with me!
God Bless You
Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
10 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’”
Walking With God 