Mensa Otabil - The People Turn Against Moses
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We’re back to Exodus chapter 5, and we’re jumping to verses 20 and 21. Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who stood there to meet them. They said to them, «Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.»
This is exactly what Pharaoh had planned. He turned against the people, laid burdens on them, and the people turned against Moses because he wanted them to fight against their own liberation. Here, as Moses has come with a message from God to set the people free, the people have turned against him. So, the supervisors of Israel’s workforce went to see Pharaoh. Pharaoh gave them the marching orders: it’s going to be tougher than ever before. They are so discouraged, and when they get out, they meet Moses and Aaron, and they attack them.
I want you to pay attention to what they said to Moses and Aaron: they said, «Let the Lord look on you and judge you.» The officers of Israel, the leaders of the workforce, were very certain that God was on their side, and now they are certain that God is not on the side of Moses. So they say, «May God judge you.» You know, in Ghana, we would say, «May God punish you.» Here they are throwing God’s curse supposedly against the man God has sent.
The second thing they said is that «you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh.» In other words, they said to Moses, «You’ve made Pharaoh hate us.» They claimed they were okay with Pharaoh, but the question is: were they truly okay with him? Probably, they were comfortably okay as slaves. There were burdens, but they had settled with their situation. They said, «We’re okay with Pharaoh until you came in,» and when you came in, now Pharaoh hates us. Now you have put a sword in Pharaoh’s hand to kill us.
Amazing! Just amazing! It’s very interesting how Satan sometimes gets people to fight against their own freedom, their own blessing, and their own liberation. It’s very interesting how he uses God’s people to fight against God’s purposes. This is a classic picture of how God’s people can abort His purposes for their lives because the enemy deceives them. The truth is, sometimes the enemy looks friendly to us; as long as you are with him, he’s nice to you.
Have you noticed how it sometimes seems like people who are unbelievers and don’t care about God seem to be doing well? But the moment you decide, «I’m going to live for God, and I’m going to do the will of God,» literally all hell breaks against you. That’s what’s happening here. The people said, «We were okay with Pharaoh; we were doing well with him; he wasn’t really mistreating us in any extraordinary way.» They have conveniently forgotten that he has been killing their children and maltreating them. But the additional burden now means, «We like it as we are.»
People unfortunately like bondage better than liberation because liberation will require effort. They have gotten used to being subdued, so much so that they have built a lifestyle, a culture, and a bondage. May God deliver you from the culture of bondage! May God deliver you from the culture of servitude, where you have gotten used to being controlled and bullied, so much so that when your liberation starts, you fight against it and resist it.
May God open our eyes this day so we can see the tricks of the enemy and pursue His purposes for our lives. Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me not to turn away from Your path of deliverance and blessing for me. In Jesus' name, amen.» And amen! God will deliver you, and don’t resist His blessing for your life. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.