Why are things so Hard sometimes?

Why is the journey so hard?

Think back to that truly hard task that you encountered. Perhaps it was a physical struggle like lifting something heavy or moving a lot of things, perhaps it was a mental struggle of figuring out taxes or writing a paper, or was it an emotional struggle like some encounter or addressing a problem that was just messy and left you feeling like a wash cloth that was squeezed dry.

Sometimes these events are even unnecessarily hard. I know I personally have reached the completion of something and looked back and thought to myself it did not need to be this hard. At times like this we often even think to ourselves what made it this difficult? What could have been done differently to make it easier? Sometimes we even prepare for the next time the task comes up to make it easier.

As I prepared for this teaching I was experiencing this very struggle of seemingly unnecessarily difficulty in preparing this lesson. I started to do all of my usual preparation of first praying then reading and studying then I usually move on to the writing and reviewing, but this time I could not get past praying. I was just not receiving inspiration for a teaching not even a word. Since we a\had a bit of time this went on the entire 3 weeks. Thankfully the heavenly father answered me and gave me this very message. So for me the very encounter of something being harder than it should be gave me the teaching I am delivering today.

We are going to look at 3 places in the scriptures that are of times when things where harder than they should have been. I want us to think about what is happening, what is extra difficult about, who is experiencing the difficulty and why it is so difficult.

So for me the very encounter of something being harder than it should be gave me the teaching I am delivering today.

First let us read

Genesis 3:13–24 The Scriptures

And יהוה Elohim said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” And יהוה Elohim said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you are to go, and eat dust all the days of your life. “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel.” To the woman He said, “I greatly increase your sorrow and your conception—bring forth children in pain. And your desire is for your husband, and he does rule over you.” And to the man He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘Do not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you are to eat of it all the days of your life, and the ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. “By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return.” And the man called his wife’s name Ḥawwah, because she became the mother of all living. And יהוה Elohim made coats of skin for the man and his wife and dressed them. And יהוה Elohim said, “See, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever …” so יהוה Elohim sent him out of the garden of Ěḏen to till the ground from which he was taken, and He drove the man out. And He placed keruḇim at the east of the garden of Ěḏen, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

We are all very familiar with this part of our history. The fall of man. A lot is packed in to these verses. Volumes have been written about these passages. Let us look at this and see if we can answer our questions from above.

Adonai is wanting to spend time with his creation and they are hiding and cannot draw near. Adonai is in the garden so he could draw near. He showed up as he frequently did, yet Adam and Hawwah could not draw near to him because they are aware of their sin and are ashamed of themselves.

How many times in life is this us? How many times do we encounter difficulties in life and if we are honest it is our own fault they are so difficult. If we had just been obedient to Adonai we would have had half the difficulty we have, but because we had to have it our way do what we want or we had to be right and get ours we just end up ruining things.

So gracious is our Heavenly Father that he forgives us and corrects us and brings back in to a right standing. In this case the difficulty is increased due to sin. The serpent is spurned and hated forever. Hawwah must endure pain in her child birth and she will desire her husband but will be ruled by him. Since Adam listened to his wife instead Adonai the ground of the Earth is cursed and Adam will have to work hard to survive. It is all their own fault this is not an injustice or unfair their difficulty multiplied due to their own choices.

Let us look at an example where things where extra difficult and we only sort of know why.

Exodus 17:8–16 The Scriptures

And Amalěq came and fought with Yisra’ěl in Rephiḏim. And Mosheh said to Yehoshua, “Choose for us men and go out, fight with Amalěq. Tomorrow I am stationing myself on the top of the hill with the rod of Elohim in my hand.” And Yehoshua did as Mosheh said to him, to fight with Amalěq. And Mosheh, Aharon, and Ḥur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to be, when Mosheh held up his hand, that Yisra’ěl prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amalěq prevailed. But Mosheh’s hands were heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aharon and Ḥur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Yehoshua defeated Amalěq and his people with the edge of the sword. And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Write this for a remembrance in the book and recite it in the hearing of Yehoshua, that I shall completely blot out the remembrance of Amalěq from under the heavens.” And Mosheh built an altar and called its name, יהוה Nissi, for he said, “Because a hand is on the throne of Yah, יהוה is to fight against Amalěq, from generation to generation.”

Why does Moshe have to hold out his hands? Why was this extra requirement put in place? Why could the Israelites not just battle and win? There are actually a lot of good lessons that com out of this. Some commentaries posit that Moshe was praying during this time. When he put his hands down he was not praying. Some commentaries mention that he hands positioned in the manner similar to the priestly blessing. Others teach that it is a reminder to the people fighting that Adonai is with them. It is mentioned in many that Moshe had the rod of Adonai in his hand and this he was holding up. Some think it was done to increase the remembrance of the miracle that day, to mark it differently than the other battles they fought. What I notice as I researched and read about this is a reason that becomes more clear the more commentaries that I read about this event. It inspired study. People want to know why this was done. It stood out and was different. Sometimes things are extra hard because it benefits those who are watching to see us succeed even in extra adversity.

Lastly let us look a very difficult time that happens. When things are extra difficult and it is not our fault and we still must struggle extra hard. Let us talk about when our difficulty is unfair.

John 19:13–30 The Scriptures

Therefore, when Pilate heard these words, he brought יהושׁע out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called Pavement, but in Heḇrew, Gabbatha. And it was the Preparation Day of the Passover week, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Yehuḏim, “See your Sovereign!” But they shouted, “Away, away, impale Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I impale your Sovereign?” The chief priests answered, “We have no sovereign except Caesar!” At that time, then, he delivered Him to them to be impaled. And they took יהושׁע and led Him away. And bearing His stake, He went out to the so-called Place of a Skull, which is called in Heḇrew, Golgotha, where they impaled Him, and two others with Him, one on this side and one on that side, and יהושׁע in the middle. And Pilate wrote a title too, and put it on the stake, and it was written: יהושׁע OF NATSARETH, THE SOVEREIGN OF THE YEHUḎIM. Many of the Yehuḏim therefore read this title, for the place where יהושׁע was impaled was near the city, and it was written in Heḇrew, in Greek, in Roman. So the chief priests of the Yehuḏim said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The Sovereign of the Yehuḏim,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the Sovereign of the Yehuḏim.” ’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” Then the soldiers, when they had impaled יהושׁע, took His outer garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and the inner garment. But the inner garment was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. So they said to each other, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it—whose it shall be,” in order that the Scripture might be filled which says, “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” The soldiers therefore indeed did this. And by the stake of יהושׁע stood His mother, and His mother’s sister, Miryam the wife of Qlophah, and Miryam from Maḡdala. Then יהושׁע, seeing His mother and the taught one whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, see your son!” Then to the taught one He said, “See, your mother!” And from that hour that taught one took her to his own home. After this, יהושׁע, knowing that all had been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be accomplished, said, “I thirst!” A bowl of sour wine stood there, and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and held it to His mouth. So when יהושׁע took the sour wine He said, “It has been accomplished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

John 19:13–22 The Scriptures

Therefore, when Pilate heard these words, he brought יהושׁע out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called Pavement, but in Heḇrew, Gabbatha. And it was the Preparation Day of the Passover week, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Yehuḏim, “See your Sovereign!” But they shouted, “Away, away, impale Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I impale your Sovereign?” The chief priests answered, “We have no sovereign except Caesar!” At that time, then, he delivered Him to them to be impaled. And they took יהושׁע and led Him away. And bearing His stake, He went out to the so-called Place of a Skull, which is called in Heḇrew, Golgotha, where they impaled Him, and two others with Him, one on this side and one on that side, and יהושׁע in the middle. And Pilate wrote a title too, and put it on the stake, and it was written: יהושׁע OF NATSARETH, THE SOVEREIGN OF THE YEHUḎIM. Many of the Yehuḏim therefore read this title, for the place where יהושׁע was impaled was near the city, and it was written in Heḇrew, in Greek, in Roman. So the chief priests of the Yehuḏim said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The Sovereign of the Yehuḏim,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the Sovereign of the Yehuḏim.” ’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

Who knows better than having to carry a burden that is extra heavy than our master Yeshua? He is the rightful heir and King of Zion. Yet he died for the very ones that would try to take it from him. He was lied about, abused, humiliated, and murdered. So that the very people doing the things to him could be saved from their own sin. He knew no sin yet bore the punishment for all sin. Even those that would reject him he has paid the price. I men it is one thing to pay the price for some one what if they refused to even participate after you paid their way?

We have difficult times in our life. They may even be harder than is necessary. We may be the cause of difficult times for ourselves. Our extra difficulties maybe a blessing to others and they maybe unfair to us. What ever form they take if we are obedient to Adonai and hold fast to Yeshua then we will be victorious even over death.