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Topic: Battle For Freedom
[DCLM Daily Manna 8 January 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Exodus 5:1-14
1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
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11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
Key Verse: “And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness” (Exodus 5:1)
MESSAGE:
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence that chronicled the beginning of America’s struggle for freedom from the British colonists. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the fifty-six, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their home ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war.
In today’s passage, Moses and Aaron went to confront Pharaoh according to God’s demand to free the Hebrew people from their Egyptian bondage to serve the Lord in the wilderness. Expectedly, Pharaoh resisted the call, accusing the Hebrew man of idleness. He took steps to undercut the influence and leadership of Moses by inciting the Hebrews against him through worsening their conditions of service and thereby adding to their agony and suffering.
Though God sent Moses with supernatural powers to free Israel from her Egyptian bondage, the people still had to learn to endure some pain and make personal sacrifice for their freedom. The fear of rising up to demand their freedom contributed to their remaining in captivity for about four hundred and fifty years. Freedom is not given on a platter of gold. It is a result of struggle and warfare. The Hebrews cooperated with Moses and held fast until their deliverance was secured.
Every man wants to live in freedom and liberty. Very often, we are required to pass through some pains and endure certain oppositions before our freedom is won. The price for our redemption did not come easy. Jesus had to suffer the vicarious death on the cross at Calvary which purchased remission from sin for us.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: freedom does not come cheap.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 24-25
