Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you brought harm to this people? Why did you ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”
Exodus 5:22-23
Have you ever cried out to God asking, “Why?” “Why are you allowing this?” “Why has this person suffered for so long?” “Why aren’t You answering my prayers?” Reading this week in Exodus about Moses and the people of Israel has been a good reminder to me of the truth about God. We can’t often see His purpose for what is happening in our lives, or in the world. But He is working out His sovereign plan, and I want to fully trust Him.
I’m captivated by the display of the Lord’s sovereign plan for Moses’ life and the lives of His people who have been suffering cruel treatment as slaves in Egypt. The Pharaoh saw that the Hebrews had grown in numbers and feared that in a time of war, they would join the enemies and fight against Egypt. To prevent that, he demanded that all Hebrew male infants be killed at birth.
When Moses was born to Hebrew parents, his mother placed him in a basket and hid him in the reeds of the Nile River. In God’s sovereign plan, Pharaoh’s daughter discovered him and eventually raised him in the palace as her own son. God’s plan could not be thwarted by the edict of the cruel Pharaoh.
Fast-forward many years, and we learn that Moses had to flee Egypt because he had killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew slave. We pick up the story where God calls Moses from a burning bush in the wilderness. God tells Moses that He has a plan for him to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the land of Canaan which God had promised hundreds of years earlier to his ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses argues with God, explaining his own inability to lead the people. “I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord answered, “Who has made man’s mouth…Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” But Moses responded, “Please, Lord, now send someone else.” God’s patience was put to the test with Moses, but He chose his brother Aaron to be the spokesman for Moses.
In chapter 5, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh (as God had instructed them to do!) and requested that Pharaoh let the people of Israel go to the wilderness to celebrate a feast to the Lord. Pharaoh refused, and instead harshly demanded an increased workload. They were given the impossible task of gathering their own straw to make bricks without decreasing their required quota for each day. They were beaten when they couldn’t meet Pharaoh’s demands. Eventually, the people of Israel turned against Moses and Aaron and blamed them for their miserable situation which was now much worse.
Notice Moses’ reaction in Exodus 5:22-23. He returned to the Lord with the impossible situation. “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”
The Lord doesn’t make any excuses. He simply responds to Moses and reveals His plan to release the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt and to keep His covenant to bring them to the land which He had promised. Moses goes back to the people with God’s promise, but because of their cruel bondage, they wouldn’t listen to him. Moses tells the Lord, “If Your own people won’t listen to me, how will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” As we continue reading Exodus, we see God’s miraculous provision to release His people from captivity as He had promised.
What lessons can we learn for our own lives from God’s plan for Moses? The most important lesson for me is God’s sovereignty over EVERYTHING. Our own weakness does not derail His ultimate purpose for our life. He promises to provide everything we need to accomplish the tasks He calls us to do. He promises to “complete the good work He has begun in our lives” (Philippians 1:6). I want to remember to stop focusing on my own weakness, and the circumstances which seem impossible to me. Instead of asking “Why, Lord,” I want to simply trust His plan for my life. I want to remember that God has a purpose for whatever He allows His people to go through. He hasn’t forgotten us!
PERSONAL REFLECTION
What excuses have you made for not being the person for the job He has called you to do?
Have you ever blamed God as Moses did for not doing something you thought He had promised?
How has God spoken to your heart in this message from Moses’ life?
This is sooo good!