Moses and Aaron had gone to Pharaoh and asked if the people could go and hold a festival in the honor of the Lord in the Wilderness. Pharaoh’s response to Moses was, “I don’t know the Lord so why would I obey Him?”
Moses was obedient and went to Pharaoh just as God told him to do, but the results were not what Moses and Aaron anticipated.
4 Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! 5 Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” 6 That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: 7 “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! 8 But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9 Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!” [1] Exodus 5:4-9
Moses was obedient to God, but his obedience created more hardship for the Hebrew people. Moses was just beginning to learn about the spiritual battle that he was in. Just because he was obedient to God did not mean the Pharaoh was going to be obedient to God. The Pharaoh had free will and chose to disobey God and to make it harder on the Hebrews.
As we follow the Lord in life that does not mean it will be easy. Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”[2]
Taking up the cross means giving up your will for the will of our heavenly Father. Sometimes taking up the cross results in people being persecuted or killed because of their faith in Jesus. More believers in Jesus were martyred for their faith in the last century than all the previous centuries combined.
As we yield our life to the Lord something begins to happen as the Lord molds us to be the person, He wants us to be. How about you? Is the Lord calling you to take a step of faith? Praise the Lord as He helps us on our spiritual journey to take the steps He is calling us to take.
To hear more of the story of Moses, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/the-footsteps-of-moses/following-god-brings-challenges
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.