Interrogation (Ex. 10:3-11)

4/10/2008 9:31 PM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time           Focus:  Interrogation

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Exodus 10:3-11

            Message of the verses:  “3  Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.  4  ‘For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.  5  ‘They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field.  6  ‘Then your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day.’" And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.  7  Pharaoh’s servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?"  8  So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the LORD your God! Who are the ones that are going?"  9  Moses said, "We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold

a feast to the LORD."  10  Then he said to them, "Thus may the LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is in your mind.  11  "Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desire." So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”

            I want to write about something that has kind of weaved its way through this story, but thus far I have not addressed it, and that is the length of time that the children of Israel were to be gone for Egypt in order to worship God.  The first request was for a three day journey into the wilderness and to be there for some time in order to worship the Lord.  As I see it this was not what was really wanted and I think that this is why God was hardening Pharaoh’s heart to get him to just kick Israel out of Egypt for good, which is what eventually happened.  God had made this promise to Abraham in Genesis fifteen and He was about to keep his promise with Abraham and also Moses and really all of Israel.

            There were three question that were asked in this section of Scripture with the first one being directed to Pharaoh from Moses, and that question was when would Pharaoh let Israel go?  Moses gave Pharaoh a little incentive to do as he asked by telling him that there was a whole lot of locust heading their way that would destroy what the hail left, and these locusts were very hungry.

            The next question was directed to Pharaoh by the magicians who wanted to know why was he holding onto Israel because Egypt was almost totally destroyed.

            Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and asks them who was going to go and of course he did not like their answer, for Pharaoh did not trust Moses, and for that matter he did not trust their God, so Pharaoh tells them to leave and not come back, but it won’t be long before old Pharaoh will be eating those words and calling for Moses and Aaron.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that one of the things that I can take away from this verse is not to be proud, for that is what Pharaoh was when he told Moses to leave and not return, but Pharaoh did not know what was about to happen to Egypt, just like I don’t know what tomorrow will bring so I should not make statements like that, but as James writes, “if the Lord wills I will do such and such a thing.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to handle the problems that Sandy and I face.