Daily Devotions
Exodus
"But I am the Lord your God, ever since the land of Egypt..." Hosea 12:9
Text: Exodus 4 : 22-23
THE LORD AS TEACHER
How gracious God was to Moses! He knew and understood how Moses was concerned about his lack of eloquence. One of the ways God helped Moses to combat this problem was to teach him what to say to Pharaoh! Moses couldn’t have found a better Teacher than the Lord Himself.
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh,
‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn.’
So I say to you, ‘let My son go that he may serve Me.
But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son,
your firstborn.'”
EXODUS 4:22-23
A FAMOUS FORMULA
Moses would probably be the first servant of God who would preface their messages with this formula, “Thus says the Lord…” All prophets learned the significance of making this utterance before they spoke.
1. The Invoking of God’s holy Name
The prophet of God must know that he invokes the most powerful name ever, when he mentions “The Lord”.
2. The authority and power of God
The prophet is reminded that his source of authority and power stems from God himself. His very words come from the Lord!
THE DEMAND OF THE LORD
Moses was to represent none other than the Lord Himself. Thus, he must conduct himself with regal poise as he stood before the Pharaoh. He was not to cringe in fear. He was to make God’s demand to the Pharaoh with great boldness. God had every right to make such demands! He needs only one reason to make such a demand. He is the Lord God of all creation!
‘Israel is My son, My firstborn’
The Pharaoh would understand the significance of these terms. All the Pharaohs felt that they were sons of their gods. Each Pharaoh took on a name that featured him as the son of one of the numerous gods Egypt had. The Pharaoh was to know that Israel was special to God. Israel was His firstborn son!
“If you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn”
The bottom line was clearly stated! Pharaoh would be well advised concerning the Person who was making this demand! If he were to fail to acknowledge and honour this great God, he would live to regret it! He himself would suffer great loss! He would risk the very life of his own son if he were to resist and disobey the Lord!