Mensa Otabil - Facing Pharaoh (10/05/2025)
Well, today we start a study of Exodus chapter 5 in our study of the book of Exodus. We begin with verse number one: Afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, «Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'»
What a day that would have been! Finally, Moses met Pharaoh, or rather, Moses returned to Egypt. He went to the court of Pharaoh with his brother Aaron, and they met Pharaoh. What a day that would have been, as it had been about 40 years since Moses was last in Pharaoh’s court. The last time he left, he was chased out and had to run for his life. He had been in hiding for all those years, and in hiding, he encountered God. God sent him back to the place he was fleeing from and gave him a new direction for his life.
You know, there are many times that things happen to us, and we just run. We run from a person, a situation, a place, or a home. Sometimes people flee from their country and never return, or they run from their town or their friends because something has happened, and they can’t stand it any longer. But God tells us through Moses' life that we can’t run forever. There must come a time when you stop running, stop hiding, face your fears, and confront your failures. So Moses came out. He reconnected with the people of Israel, and now he goes to Pharaoh’s court to deliver God’s message.
When Moses goes, he says, «Thus says the Lord.» This is the prophetic declaration style in the Old Testament, and this is the first time that statement is used by a servant of God when addressing someone else. This is the first time we hear «Thus says the Lord» directed against God’s opponent or a situation. That is what God had commanded Moses to say when he met Pharaoh. He instructed Moses not to say, «I, Moses,» or «The Israelites are saying,» but rather «Thus says the Lord,» because the authority with which you speak is determined by the source from which it comes. If this is what the Israelites say, what weight does that hold? If this is what Moses, a refugee, says, it lacks weight. But if this is what God says-"Thus says the Lord"-there is power in it.
So Moses goes forth, empowered by the Lord, as a servant of God, ready to confront all the powers of Pharaoh. Today, I don’t know where you are in your life. Maybe you, like Moses, are running from something or someone. Perhaps something scared you so much that you told yourself, «I’ll never go there again; I’ll never do that again.» You’re just scared, and you’re running. God is saying, «Stop running! I am with you, and I want to take you back to the same place you fear.» This time, you’re going in My name, in My authority, and not saying «I say,» but «Thus says the Lord.» The Lord is able to take you to those scary places and grant you victory there.
If you find yourself at a point in your life where you’re avoiding a frightening place, God wants you to confront it and give you victory over it. So this week, as we witness this encounter between Moses and Pharaoh, may it also be your story that God takes you back in His name and power, granting you victory in Jesus' name.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, today I boldly step out of every fear of failure that holds me back. In Jesus' name, Amen.» Amen! You’re going to step out in the name of the Lord and achieve victory! I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom-peace and life to you!