1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” ~ Exodus 5:1-2
A new Pharaoh had risen to power in Egypt during the years that Moses had spent in Midian. When Moses and Aaron present their case before him, the very first thing Pharaoh says to them is “Who is the LORD?” Let that sink in for a second. Pharaoh wasn’t just saying, “explain to me who your God is because I have never heard of Him.” Pharaoh is saying, “I don’t care who your God believes he is. Who is He to command me to let Israel go? Does He not know who I am?” Keep in mind that Pharaoh wasn’t just a regular king. His magicians turned their staffs to serpents, water to blood, and even called up frogs on the land just as Aaron had done, so Pharaoh knew that he and his gods had some form of power. The problem was that Pharaoh’s pride didn’t allow him to hear out the God of Israel. He didn’t feel the need to take a chance on hearing what the GOD of gods had to say to him.
Today is no different. We have those in power who enslave and oppress the people of God. We have people who don’t even want to acknowledge or give a single second to the LORD God Almighty. And, much like Pharaoh, God then turns them over to their own hearts’ desires. A heart that desires nothing of God, but only hates Him and His people.
But just as Pharaoh was brought low and humbled before the LORD, so will those who refuse to listen to the Words of the LORD and refuse to let the people of God go. Their slavery and oppression don’t always look blatantly like slavery and oppression, especially here in the West. Today, that slavery and oppression are more times than not, found in the spiritual form of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Our average college students, according to a study a few years ago, have the same anxiety levels as someone who was hospitalized and placed in an asylum less than 70 years ago.
The Church we are today is very much oppressed and enslaved. It feels like pastors are being exposed and falling from grace every other day. Well-known Church people are falling victim to suicide’s lies. And what does the world continuously say to anyone who would dare suggest Jesus as freedom? “Who is the LORD that we should obey His voice?” But just as Pharaoh was humbled, so will the world be humbled in our generation, but only when His people who are called by His name will humble themselves, repent of their sins, and cry out to the LORD for help.
Dear LORD, I’m sorry for all the times I have accepted defeat and allowed myself to remain enslaved because it felt to hard or too impossible to see a victory. Please forgive me. Please cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Please hear my cry, oh LORD, and send a deliverer. Send someone who can speak on our behalf so that we might be freed from this present darkness. Please help me to learn to pick up my spiritual armor and fight this spiritual battle that I cannot avoid nor can I ignore. I pray that You would always be with me and guide me throughout the rest of my days. Help me to fulfill what You once told Peter that when I turn back to You, I will help strengthen my fellow Church members. Thank You, LORD, for never giving up on me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.