LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Saturday 19th February 2022
THE PEOPLE TURN AGAINST MOSES
Scripture Reading: Exodus 5
Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Exodus 5:20–21
This is exactly what Pharaoh wanted. He succeeded in getting the people to turn against Moses. The supervisors of Israel’s workforce went to see Pharaoh about why their tasks had worsened. Pharaoh pointed them to Moses as the cause. He pointed to Moses’ quest for their freedom as the reason why he had made their lives miserable.
After leaving Pharaoh’s presence, the supervisors met Moses and Aaron in the outer court of Pharaoh’s palace. Right there in the courtyard, these disillusioned leaders of Israel turned their frustration on Moses and Aaron.
This is what they said:
• Let the Lord look on you and judge: The officers of Israel were certain that God was on their side, and anything that made the immediate condition of Israel worse was not of the Lord. Therefore, they asked for God’s judgment on Moses and Aaron.
• You have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh: They believed this was the wrong Moses did. When Israel was an obedient slave to Pharaoh, they thought he was their friend. Now that the idea of freedom had entered, Pharaoh showed how he felt about them all along. He was never their friend; he only liked them as unprotesting slaves.
Sometimes the enemy seems friendly to us when we accept his lordship; but when we start to be free in Jesus, he often will try to make life difficult for us. Have you ever wondered why it seems like the people of the world do not experience the kinds of attacks that believers in Christ encounter? Now you know why.
Don’t be surprised that anytime you take your spiritual walk with the Lord seriously, you face stiff opposition and discouragement. Don’t be surprised that anytime you take a stand for the Lord, all hell, literally, comes up against you.
Yet, in all these, we are more than conquerors through Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me not to turn away from your path of deliverance and blessing for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.