Focus Chapters:
- Exodus 4:18-31
- Exodus 5-6
- Exodus 7:1-15
Standout Verse(s):
THE ACTION
Exodus 4:22, 6:6-7 NLT
Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
“Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.
THE REACTION
Exodus 5:15, 6:9 NLT
So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. “Please don’t treat your servants like this,” they begged.
So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.
Observation (s):
- The harshness of our circumstances can cause us to forget the label God has placed on us and accept the labels that our enemies have forced on us.
Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. “Please don’t treat your servants like this,” they begged.
- Under oppression, the Israelites lost faith and hope in the promises of God.
So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.
Application:
The severe nature of our circumstances can cause us to believe and/or accept the labels that the enemy has forced upon us and the lies that he has told us. God called Israel his first-born, a position of honor. However, Pharoah and the Egyptians, in their fear, called the Israelites servants and forced them into slavery. The Israelites believed and accepted the label forced upon them.
Their minds became so conditioned under the brutality that even when God sent words of encouragement and promises of a change, they were too discouraged to accept the word. Be careful that you do not fall into a similar trap.
Keep your eye on God and His promise and not the situation. Constantly remind yourself of who God has proclaimed you and called you to be. You are who God says you are.
