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Topic: Obey God, Even In Gloomy Times
[DCLM Daily Manna 15 January 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Exodus 6:1-13
1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?
13 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Key Verse: “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” – (Exodus 6:13)
MESSAGE:
Those who face small problems in life often receive small answers from the Lord. It is only when the challenge is great that an opportunity comes for God to do great things; prove Himself by exercising His great power; and fulfilling all He has promised. It is such a time that He shows that He is the Almighty.
As things got from bad to worse for the Israelites, so God stiffened His resolve to bend the iron will of Pharaoh. He assured Moses that Pharaoh’s resistance would collapse after experiencing the strong-arm tactics of God. Then, he would be forced to drive the Israelites out of his land. He urged Moses not to despair; reaffirming His lordship over all men. He also introduced Himself to Moses as Jehovah – the One who is the ‘I am that I am’. He recounted His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His promise to give the Israelites their own land in Canaan, make them His own people and be their God.
God’s faithfulness does not change with the passage of time. What He said to their forefathers many years earlier would be fulfilled in their time; whether they believed it or not. But this was not comforting enough when Moses spoke to them again because of the anguish of their spirit. In spite of their unbelief, God brushed aside Moses’ feeble protestation and sent him back to Pharaoh with the same message.
What God looks out for in us is that we do not give up. Setbacks may have arisen, turning people away from receiving His word, yet like Moses, we must continue to receive God’s message. Rather than focus on our problems or the solution we expect from Him, we should focus on the faithful God Himself. We must trust Him even when our situation seems impossible.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Obedience counts most when success appears slim.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 45-47
