Daily Devotions
Exodus
"Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteousness shall be condemned." Psalm 34:21
Text: Exodus 10 : 9-11
MAKING THINGS VERY CLEAR
Had not Moses made himself clear on earlier occasions? He was only a spokesman for God. He was not in a position to “negotiate” on God’s behalf! The Lord was NOT open to any kind of dialogue or negotiation with a person who had proven himself to be cunning, untrustworthy and arrogant! But he would give a straightforward answer to Pharaoh.
“And Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and our old;
with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds
we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.'”
EXODUS 10:9
Moses couldn’t have made himself clearer! Every one of the children of Israel would go from the land of Egypt. They would take everything they owned with them!
TRUE COLOURS APPEARING AGAIN
No matter how hard Pharaoh tried to disguise his feelings, he couldn’t! When he heard Moses insisting that ALL Israel must leave, he became angry once again! Pharaoh was back to his old bullying ways before too long!
“Then he said to them, ‘The LORD had better be with you
when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is
ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you who are men,
and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.’
And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”
EXODUS 10:10-22
1. Feigned Concern for “the little ones”
Pharaoh hinted that “the little ones” would be exposed to unnecessary danger! Why should they make the trip to the wilderness?
2. Offer for the men alone to go out and worship the Lord
Pharaoh was hinting that he was already making a great concession! (Deep down, he knew that the men would not go very far and they would return to Egypt if their families were left behind!)
3. Insisting that this was what Moses desired in the first place
How crooked Pharaoh was may be seen in the last statement he made. He twisted the words of Moses and accused him of asking for more than “the original demand”.
DRIVEN FROM PHARAOH’S PRESENCE
Did Pharaoh really want a discussion with Moses? If so, he had a strange way of showing his interest! Before Moses had a chance to reply, he was driven from the royal court of Pharaoh! The ruler of Egypt would listen to nobody at all! He was Pharaoh!