Exiting Egypt Chapter 5 P4

Exiting Egypt

“When Everyone Criticizes You”

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 5 P4

Read Exodus 5

First, God Demands Loyalty and Devotion

What we see is the officers or foreman over the work crews coming into see Pharaoh. They had been given an impossible task; to make bricks from inferior material and to make as many as before Pharaoh’s edict. They came to Pharaoh for help. And what this does is sets up a grand tension: Whom will Israel serve? God’s call for us is to serve is not always easy, but what He does demand is loyalty and devotion.

What is interesting is that earlier Israel cries out to God for help. Now, the same language is used in these Jewish officials cry to Pharaoh for help. And least you think I’m reading too much into this, the Jews use the same verbiage as they cry out to God to be saved from Pharaoh at the Red Sea.

You see, the Lord wants for His people to cry out to Him. Originally the Jews cried out to the Lord for deliverance. But when hard times came, they cried out to Pharaoh, not to God. Then after learning their lesson from the multitude of plagues God brought against Egypt, when confronted with a hard or tight situation, they cried out to the Lord, and didn’t try to make peace with Pharaoh.

The difference wasn’t the cry, but the recipient of that cry. When they cried out to the Lord, the Lord heard and delivered. When they cried out to Pharaoh, he turned a deaf ear and made their burden more difficult. What this teaches us is that God wants our devotion, loyalty, and trust, and He will deliver.

Notice something else. In verses 15 and 16 it reveals that the Jewish officials repeatedly called themselves the servants of Pharaoh. Now, there is certain protocol in referring to self in a subservient way when approaching a king. But what this does is adds to the grand tension.

Israel it would seem is a little conflicted about whom they are to serve.

Jesus said that no one could serve two masters. And so what these officials are emphasizing is that their loyalty is to Pharaoh and not God.

Further notice how they referenced that Pharaoh’s edict was unfair. But what was that to Pharaoh. That’s exactly what he wanted. And so Pharaoh doesn’t hear their cry and does not deliver them. Instead he scorns, demeans and accuses them of laziness.

You see, that is the way it is with false gods. They are unforgiving taskmasters. They may have a certain appeal at first, but they will always exact a heavy toll in the future, and that is what the children of Israel are learning.

Now, the language of “serving” is used several times. Earlier, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that He was to let Israel go so that the people could serve God (Ex. 4:22-23). Now Pharaoh is saying to Israel “serve me.” God wants Israel to be free to serve, Pharaoh want Israel to be slaves and serve.

So you might say that there is a lordship battle going on in Exodus. Who will be Israel’s Lord; Pharaoh or God? God is calling on His people to serve Him, and this demands loyalty and devotion.

And when you look at Israel’s history, this is what you will continue to see as Israel repeatedly looks to other nations for help against their enemies instead of looking to the Lord God. And so, here at the beginning of Israel becoming a nation, God was calling the people to serve Him and Him alone.

Is this something that we struggle with? When we find ourselves in trouble, do we run to others to get us out of it, or do we run to the Lord? Is it only when we’re at the end of our rope do we turn to God because everything else we’ve tried hasn’t worked?

God demands our loyalty and devotion, which means that we are to serve Him, and when times are tough, we are to run to God and not others to get us out of our predicament. And from our story what we see is that God is a whole lot better than anyone else could ever be, but not only that, everyone else will mostly fail, or cause us more grief in the end.

So, whose servants are we? To whom to we belong? We say we’re servants of God, but we’re more comfortable, if truth be known, in serving sin. And so, God wants Israel to be free to worship and serve Him and Him only.

Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God (1 Pet. 2:16 NIV)