It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
When it feels like God and Satan are working together
How do you respond in those moments
Israel experiences one of those moment – but it comes about because they did what God said
When everything falls apart we must place our hope in the character and promises of the LORD.
The Story
The Story
Yahweh’s Demand
Yahweh’s Demand
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh,
M & A: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 But Pharaoh said,
P: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then they said,
M & A : “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Pharaoh’s question serves as a foil to God’s exodus plan – everyone is going to know who he is
Pharaoh’s Plan
Pharaoh’s Plan
4 But the king of Egypt said to them,
P: “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
5 And Pharaoh said,
P: “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”
6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen,
P: 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
Pharaoh uses work as a distraction from worship.
“Pay no regard to lying words.”
Pharaoh echoes the serpent in accusing God of lying
Pharaoh has a form of wisdom here – distracting God’s people from God.
How often do you do the same thing to yourself that Pharaoh does to Israel?
The Implementation of Pharaoh’s Plan
The Implementation of Pharaoh’s Plan
10 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people,
T: “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’ ”
12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying,
T: “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”
14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked,
T: “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh,
F: “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
17 But he said,
P: “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”
19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said,
F: “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.”
The Response to Pharaoh’s Plan
The Response to Pharaoh’s Plan
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and they said to them,
F: “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said,
M: “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
God’s Promise
God’s Promise
1 But the Lord said to Moses,
Y: “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him,
Y: “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”
Moses Rejected by the People
Moses Rejected by the People
9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
God’s Command Renewed
God’s Command Renewed
10 So the Lord said to Moses,
Y: 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.”
12 But Moses said to the Lord,
M: “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”
13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt:
Y: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
What should we do when everything falls apart
Faulty Responses when Everything Falls Apart
Faulty Responses when Everything Falls Apart
Rejecting God – Israel
Rejecting God – Israel
Story
God’s plan includes Pharaoh’s hard heart, but Israel resents Pharaoh’s (God-hardened) hard heart.
They appeal to Pharaoh for relief instead of to God
Moses reminds them of God’s covenant promises they don’t listen
9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
They believe their (legitimate) suffering more than they believe God
Suffering blinding from beauty on an intense mountain hike
Today
Sometimes, God’s perfect plan goes through suffering and sorrow.
When you suffer does it push you towards the God who hears and sees or does it push you away?
Doubting God – Moses
Doubting God – Moses
Story
Perhaps we have some sympathy for Moses here.
He was afraid
He was afraid of talking to Pharaoh
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
He was afraid the people wouldn’t believe him
1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”
He obeyed
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ”
He failed
Pharaoh makes the people’s life worse
The people who once believed him stop listening
9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
Today
Moses’s response has some bad and some good
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
Bad 1: He interprets hardship as God failing to keep his promise
God had promised that Pharaoh would be hardened against him; this doubt displays a lack of faith
Bad 2: He questions his role as the God-chosen leader.
“Why did you send me?”
Good 1: Moses takes his complaint to God
Good 2: Moses is more concerned about the people than himself
This mix of bad and good should be an encouragement to us – we aren’t perfect but God uses imperfect people
God responds to Moses’s concerns with gentleness rather than anger
Let’s look at that response
The Alternative: Believing God
The Alternative: Believing God
God responds by reminding Moses of things he has already told him.
4 calls to the discouraged
Believe God’s Promise
Believe God’s Promise
God Offers an Intensified Promise – “He will send/drive them out”
1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
Not only will God rescue Israel from the land, they will be driven out
They aren’t sneaking away but being driven away
This is all happening according to plan
Believe God’s Greatness
Believe God’s Greatness
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.
Pharaoh claimed divine status within Egyptian religion.
He has near limitless power.
God’s response to Moses was to remind him of his name
Moses was looking down, and God reminds him to look up.
Believe God’s Character
Believe God’s Character
He is a promise keeping God
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”
Two stage promise
Promises made (3-5)
Promises fulfilled (6-8)
The promise develops
God revealed and known (unknown name to known name)
“but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.”
“You shall know that I am the LORD”
Covenant established and covenant relationship realized (given to realized)
“I also established my covenant with them”;
“I have remembered my covenant”
“I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God”
The promised land (sojourners to possession)
“To give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.”
“I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession.”
Israel’s slavery is heard and ended (heard to delivered)
“I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves.”
“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them.”
In the moment of doubt and discouragement, Moses hope must rest not in Pharaoh or the people’s response but in God’s promise.
Obey God’s Command
Obey God’s Command
10 So the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
With these three truths about him having been given to Moses, what does God do next?
He gives another charge to do the same thing.
Moses’s responsibility when everything falls apart is to keep pressing forward in obedience.
Christ Connection
Christ Connection
A great example - the moment when everything is falling apart (when God and Satan seem like they’re working together)
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus is the great example of trusting God in suffering.
More than an example
He is more than an example though – his suffering takes what is broken and repairs it
He sets at liberty the oppressed
He redeems the sinful
He crushes the serpents head
He conquers death
He is the promise of God
He shows how to trust
He makes trust effective.
One day we will join a choir with Moses and sing about our Redeemer
2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
