Can true leadership thrive in the midst of adversity? Today, we uncover powerful lessons from history and scripture that reveal how enduring hardships can lead to transformative growth. We begin by examining the often harsh reality that situations sometimes need to worsen for true improvement to occur. By drawing parallels between personal health crises and the decline of the Roman Empire, we highlight the difficult decisions that leaders must make. From economic instability to political expediency, we explore why short-term discomfort is often necessary for long-term gain.
The narrative then shifts to the biblical story of Moses and Aaron's confrontation with Pharaoh. With Pharaoh's stubborn defiance and Moses' unwavering faith as our backdrop, we delve into the escalating tension that ultimately led to the Exodus. Drawing on the teachings of Charles Spurgeon, we emphasize the importance of steadfast faith and humility in overcoming life's challenges. We paint a vivid picture of Pharaoh's pride and tyranny and contrast it with Moses' courage, offering a timeless reminder of the destructive nature of resisting God's will.
Wrapping up, we address the inevitable trials that come with leadership, using Moses as a poignant example of enduring isolation and doubt. Through the wisdom of the Apostle Paul, we contemplate how suffering can fortify faith and resilience. We also reflect on the solitude that often accompanies leadership, underscoring the need for wisdom and mutual trust between leaders and followers. Concluding with a heartfelt prayer, we encourage you to trust in God's plan, remain steadfast in your faith, and view trials as opportunities for growth and transformation. Join us for an episode that blends historical insights, biblical wisdom, and practical leadership lessons.
Can true leadership thrive in the midst of adversity? Today, we uncover powerful lessons from history and scripture that reveal how enduring hardships can lead to transformative growth. We begin by examining the often harsh reality that situations sometimes need to worsen for true improvement to occur. By drawing parallels between personal health crises and the decline of the Roman Empire, we highlight the difficult decisions that leaders must make. From economic instability to political expediency, we explore why short-term discomfort is often necessary for long-term gain.
The narrative then shifts to the biblical story of Moses and Aaron's confrontation with Pharaoh. With Pharaoh's stubborn defiance and Moses' unwavering faith as our backdrop, we delve into the escalating tension that ultimately led to the Exodus. Drawing on the teachings of Charles Spurgeon, we emphasize the importance of steadfast faith and humility in overcoming life's challenges. We paint a vivid picture of Pharaoh's pride and tyranny and contrast it with Moses' courage, offering a timeless reminder of the destructive nature of resisting God's will.
Wrapping up, we address the inevitable trials that come with leadership, using Moses as a poignant example of enduring isolation and doubt. Through the wisdom of the Apostle Paul, we contemplate how suffering can fortify faith and resilience. We also reflect on the solitude that often accompanies leadership, underscoring the need for wisdom and mutual trust between leaders and followers. Concluding with a heartfelt prayer, we encourage you to trust in God's plan, remain steadfast in your faith, and view trials as opportunities for growth and transformation. Join us for an episode that blends historical insights, biblical wisdom, and practical leadership lessons.
If you'll join me in your Bibles Exodus, chapter 5, exodus, chapter 5, tonight we will be looking at the entire chapter. Now, all of us have probably had experiences in life when we knew that the answer to whatever problem we faced was that things would have to get worse before they get better. If you've ever needed surgery, you know this all too well. There may be something small, maybe uncomfortable, going on inside your body, and while you know it has the potential to become a big deal. Right now it's manageable, but maybe your doctor insists it's better to operate now and to take it out before it worsens. And so you have to weigh all of your options. Do I spend time and money to suffer through the recovery to take care of this, or do I wait it out, see how it goes, potentially causing a bigger problem in the end? Should I maintain the status quo for now, or should I resign to the fact that I'm going to have to do the difficult thing, that is, to temporarily make things worse so that I can get better? This is often the calculus that leaders of organizations and governments have to do.
Speaker 1:Many historians have attempted to detail the fall of the Roman Empire and to determine the root causes. Now, many things can be said and it's far too reductionistic to just point to one thing, but perhaps the three most significant issues were economic instability, internal leadership conflicts and a lack of efficiency because of an oversized governing structure. The writing was on the wall many years before the empire's collapse was on the wall many years before the empire's collapse. As early as 33 AD, the emperor Tiberius rescued the empire from a complete economic meltdown and while it took a while for things to get bad and to get worse once again, it only proved to be a band-aid on a bullet wound. The nation's finances were being used to support pet projects of the political elites, the debt was rapidly increasing nationally, the value of currency was rapidly being devalued through introducing more and more currency into the market, and everyday citizens saw the expenses for everything in life going up to try and keep pace with all of the constant fluctuations. Maybe some of that sounds a little familiar, but the reality is for anything to get better in a situation like that, first it has to get worse. The belt must tighten, and the reality is in society, and especially as it comes to economics and handouts from our government and organizations. No one wants to tighten the belt Now.
Speaker 1:Throughout the Roman Empire's history, there were numerous points at which the powers that be could pump the brakes and say numerous points at which the powers that be could pump the brakes and say this is going to have to get to that point where it has to get worse before it gets better. But if we don't cut out the cancer, it will spread and we will be destroyed. But of course, we are talking about politicians, and they wanted to maintain their seats of power. So instead of making the difficult decision to do for the good of the nation while simultaneously committing political suicide, it was easier to kick the can down the road and pass the failure on to the next generation. Political expediency Doing what is easiest in the moment instead of doing what is right has always been a hallmark of political systems, because maintaining power and influence is always on the minds of those who lead. To make a difficult decision, and often no more difficult than this. Is it right to make things worse in order for them to get better? Leadership is risky, especially in elected office, because the people can insist on what they want instead of what they need. But we learn all throughout scripture that often man needs what he doesn't want and what he wants will often be the very thing that destroys him in the end.
Speaker 1:And as we come to Exodus, chapter five, we come to a crucial moment in the narrative. Moses and Aaron finally have the chance to stand before Pharaoh and plead the Lord's case. Let my people go On one side. Pharaoh. The idea of allowing the slave labor force to leave is preposterous. He had a growing empire. Not even God would stop him from achieving his ends. Political expediency was the only thing on Pharaoh's mind. The threat of pestilence and sword was of no concern to him. He had goals to achieve and he wanted to achieve them immediately. No, they can't go. That would make things worse. And while they may be better if they return because of a show of generosity toward them, I'm not going to take that risk. Whatever this God of yours wants to do, he can do it. My immediate gratification is far more important than long-term survival. I will gladly kick the can down the road. I'm powerful, I'm important and I cannot appear to be weak before my people. On the other side was Moses, the chief representative of God himself Now, while he didn't know it at the time. Representative of God himself Now, while he didn't know it at the time, the Lord was steering Moses into a situation where things would get drastically worse before they could ever get better. Moses and the Israelites would have immediate doubts and concerns. But the stage is set for one of the most significant events in all of human history the exodus is coming.
Speaker 1:Let's read, beginning in verse 1. Afterward, moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. But Pharaoh said who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and, moreover, I will not let Israel go. Then they said the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord, our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. But the king of Egypt said to them, moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens. And Pharaoh said behold, the people of the land are now many and you make them rest from their burdens.
Speaker 1:The same day, pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen. You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past. Let them go and gather straw for themselves, but the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them. You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry. Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God. Let heavier work be laid on the men. That they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.
Speaker 1:So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people Thus says Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. And the foreman of the people of Israel, the taskmasters, were urgent, saying Complete your work, your daily task, each day, as when there was straw. And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past? And then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants. Yet they say to us make bricks. And behold, your servants are beaten. But the fault is in your own people. But he said you are idle. You are idle. This is why you said let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks. The foreman of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said you shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day. They met Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them as they came out from Pharaoh, and they said to them the Lord, look on you and judge, because you have made a stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. Then Moses turned to the Lord and said oh Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people and you have not delivered your people at all.
Speaker 1:Well, every great story leads its readers to ask what will happen next. The plot thickens, the intensity of the action continues to grow, the tension gets tighter and this chapter certainly does not disappoint. Does not disappoint. Think of where we've been thus far, from Moses' birth to his journey down the river in a basket as a baby, growing up in Pharaoh's home, turning 40, going out, killing an Egyptian, fleeing to Midian, marrying one of the daughters of Jethro, taking on Jethro's business for another 40 years, having two sons, encountering the angel of the Lord in a burning bush arguing with the Lord about not wanting to do what he was telling him to do, finally relenting, securing his family, asking for Jethro's permission to leave, going back to Egypt, linking up with Aaron and the Israelites and the elders of the Israelites to explain to them how all of this went down, how it's going to go down.
Speaker 1:And now, at 80 years old, this tongue tied man that God chose to stand and be his spokesman to deliver God's message to Pharaoh. We're here, we are in Egypt, we are before the king. And and Moses says thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. That they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord, our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword, but Pharaoh would hear none of it. And his initial reply teaches us something about the nature of the unbelieving human heart, and that is that man's greatest burden is not knowing the Lord. Verse 2 is the central verse of this chapter, and it is the plain spoken truth of why everything that's going to happen goes down the way that it does. It's when Pharaoh says who is the Lord and why should I obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and, moreover, I will not let Israel go, lord, and, moreover, I will not let Israel go Now.
Speaker 1:In fact, pharaoh was so put off by Moses's request on behalf of the Israelites that his response was then to increase the burden of work on the Israelites. And, unlike many of our political leaders, pharaoh's intent wouldn't have been making sure the Egyptians necessarily liked him. That didn't matter to him. He wasn't worried about being re-elected or continuing to hold office. He was the guy, so there were no great concerns about maintaining his power. But his intentions were far more self-centered. He had an empire to build, and the slave labor of the Israelites was crucial to make it happen. He wasn't ultimately concerned about what could happen or what threats were before him. He knew what he wanted on that day at that time. So the chance that he might have a confrontation with the God of the Hebrews in the days to come, it didn't matter. There was something he wanted done right here and right now. But while Pharaoh was content to punish the Israelites further because Moses dared to speak on behalf of the Lord, little did he realize, and sadly he would never realize he had a burden far more significant than anything he could inflict on others.
Speaker 1:Most of us know what comes in the chapters that follow. So we can see the writing on the wall. We can see the writing on the wall. The wisdom of Proverbs 16, 18 is playing out in dramatic effect. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is Pharaoh's pride, and ultimately it is anyone's pride, that will keep them from saying I want to know the Lord. It's the epitome of pride to think that one's legacy and one's empire are more important than the lives of other people. It is the epitome of pride to think I know what's best, I know what I will do, I know how to do it. I don't need the Lord to command my steps. I don't need the Lord to direct my actions. I don't need to know the Lord, what he does or what he expects. I don't care that he created me. I don't care that he gives me life and breath in my lungs. I have an agenda. I will fulfill my agenda and I will roll right over the top of anyone who gets in my way. But you see, for Pharaoh, the consequences of his actions aren't just going to burden the Israelites, burden the Israelites. The consequences will burden his entire nation significantly.
Speaker 1:No-transcript. This is the way of the tyrant. They don't operate from wisdom or principle, they operate from pride. Entire empires fall because of the pride of leaders and what they want for themselves and how they want to be seen and how they want to be remembered and how they want to be remembered. And Pharaoh is no exception. But they also operate from fear. Tyrants like to look strong and powerful, but what people often don't realize is that they are very fearful.
Speaker 1:Notice in verse 4, pharaoh's response Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens. You see, ultimately Pharaoh wants to appear as a strong man, but in the end, the reality is that he is a coward. Now, if you've taken time to consider Moses and all that he said and all that he has done thus far in the narrative, it may seem odd to say that Pharaoh is the exact opposite of him at this point, but we've seen a significant change in Moses. All of a sudden, he has moved from fear and uncertainty to courage. That's certainly not what we'd expect by now, but when the time came, think about this.
Speaker 1:When the time came, he walked up to the most powerful man in the world at that time, who had the power and the ability to end his life right then and right there, and he demanded the release of the slaves. The word to Pharaoh from Moses and Aaron came like the word of a prophet. Thus says the Lord we now have a very different Moses. What changed? What was it that changed from this timid, fearful man to become now a mighty mouthpiece for God and his people? He had a real encounter with the living God. It's the very thing he tells Pharaoh in verse three the God of the Hebrews has met with us. In verse three the God of the Hebrews has met with us.
Speaker 1:Moses beheld a glimpse of God's glory in the burning bush. He heard the voice of the Lord say I am and receive the promise that the great I am would save his people. He received the call of God. He saw several miraculous signs and he started to trust. He started to believe, he started to have faith and he began to realize that God's word is faithful and true. He grew in his faith when Jethro lovingly and willingly let Moses go back to Egypt. He grew in his faith when God relented of his anger toward Moses for not obeying God, with the sign of circumcision on his son. He grew in faith when Aaron came out to meet him, as the Lord said he would. He grew in faith when he told the elders the plan and showed them the signs, and they believed him and they backed his plan. It took all the faith that he gained as he journeyed from Midian to Egypt to now stand before the king and say the Lord said to do this, so you need to do it. Need to do it. Moses's encounter with the one true and living God gave him all the confidence he needed to do the will of the Lord.
Speaker 1:This is the way of life for anyone who has a true encounter with God. If you are a Christian, this is exactly what happened to you. At first you ask who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, but then the door is kicked down and Jesus Christ walks in. You believe the gospel and the Holy Spirit of God changes you from the inside out and suddenly you aren't saying who is the Lord and why should I obey him? You're saying I want to know more of the Lord and I want to obey him with all of my life. I want to obey him more.
Speaker 1:Everything changes and in time we see the relationships change that we used to use for our own personal gain. Now we have a desire and a willingness to live for the advantage of others instead of ourselves. We catch ourselves when we're tempted to lie, to save face or to get something out of a situation that we want, because we love the truth more than we love whatever short-term gain we think we will achieve. Our taste for the things of this world diminish because we see the riches of heaven far more valuable than anything we can have on this earth, and so we value the Lord and his word and his people and his ways more and more and more, and the stuff that surrounds us less and less and less. We grow in our faith. We become more confident in him, we become more certain of the truth of his word, we become more convinced that his promises are as good as accomplished already. Now we aren't asking who is the Lord, but instead we're asking others Do you know the Lord? Let me tell you about the Lord. We're standing alongside Moses and saying thus says the Lord, and there's only one explanation for all of it we have met with the God of Moses and with his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:When Charles Spurgeon preached about the life of Moses, he said I am persuaded that Moses, after he had gotten over his first little difficulties, was strong in faith. Oh servants of God, be calm and confident. Go on preaching the gospel. Go on teaching in the Sunday school. Go on giving away the tracts. Go on with steady perseverance. Be sure of this. You shall not labor in vain or spend your strength for naught. Do you still stutter? Are you still slow in speech? Nevertheless, go on. Have you been rebuked and rebuffed? Have you had little else than defeat? This is the way of success. Toil on and believe on. Be steadfast in your confidence, for with a high hand and an outstretched arm, the Lord will fetch out his own elect and he will fetch some of them out by you. The Lord changes us brothers and sisters. He moves us in a way that we never thought possible.
Speaker 1:Now, friends, there are some of you here and you're just like Pharaoh and in your heart you ask who is the Lord? That I should obey him? Now, maybe not with those words, but certainly with your life. You continue to do whatever you please and you're frustrated that it doesn't produce the results that you hope for. Maybe for a little while, insisting on your own way looks good, and maybe for a little while you even see some small successes, but they don't last. In fact, maybe right now you're on a top of a mountain as far as, whatever it is you desire your career, success, your relationships, whatever it is. You think life keeps getting better and better and better and nothing will stop me now. But you're only kicking a can down the road and will eventually realize that road doesn't go on forever. It ends up ahead. You're only delaying the inevitable. You're only hoping that your rejection of God won't eventually catch up with you, but my friend it already has.
Speaker 1:You may be like Pharaoh and say I want what I want and no God will ever stop me, but this is the absolute truth. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, and my prayer is that you will do it willingly. My prayer is that when you hear thus says the Lord, when you hear, believe on the Lord, jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. When you hear that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through him. When you hear repent and believe the gospel, my prayer is that when you hear these commands of God, you will come to the end of yourself and you will no longer ask who is the Lord, but instead you will say I must know, I must trust, I must obey this Lord's will with all that I am, with all of my life. I need this Lord in my life forever.
Speaker 1:Pharaoh never bent his knee willingly, but he did unwillingly. Will you wait? Will you delay? Will the locusts of the world devour your crops and will the rivers of your life turn to blood? And yet you still refuse the Lord. Turn to Christ, my friend. Relent of your pride and of your self-serving motivations and know that the Lord will relieve the heavy burden on your back, will relieve the heavy burden on your back. Tomorrow may never come. Do not let the burden of unbelief weigh you down to the grave. Today is the day of salvation.
Speaker 1:Well, pharaoh eventually scoffs at this request. They tried once again to plead with him. Verse three the God of the Hebrews has met with us. And right there they're answering Pharaoh's question who is the Lord? He's the God of the Hebrews. And so they continue. Please just let us go a three days journey into the wilderness. We want to go sacrifice to the Lord, our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence and sword. It's a prophetic word.
Speaker 1:Now, this issue of the three days journey came up back in chapter three. Why did they ask for three days, knowing that this wasn't going to be three days but forever? Well, the first and most important thing to remember is this is, word for word, exactly what the Lord told them to say. You can see it back in chapter 3 and verse 18. They're simply saying what God said, but there's some helpful historical insight here as well that may be helpful. Philip Ryken provides this. He writes Such a request was not without precedent.
Speaker 1:An ancient manuscript at the Louvre dating back to the times of Ramses II indicates that Egyptian slaves were sometimes given time off to worship their gods. There is also a limestone tablet from the same period listing the names of slaves together with reasons for their absence from work, including the phrase has sacrificed to the God. What this proves is that the Pharaohs sometimes honored the kind of requests that Moses and Aaron were making. Asking for three days of religious freedom was a reasonable demand that God used to expose the unbelief in Pharaoh's heart. You see, the fact of the matter is the Lord obviously knew that Pharaoh was not going to grant this request, and so it didn't matter if they asked for three days or three years or forever. The answer was going to be the same he was being exposed. And Pharaoh responds.
Speaker 1:In verse four, moses and Aaron are once again back to what Pharaoh really cared about his slave labor, continuing their work, doing what he wanted them to do to build his empire, his wealth and his reputation. But now we see what I've been saying all along, and it happens to the Israelites, because often things will get worse before they get better. Moses and Aaron were actually the first ones to bring this up in verse three. Listen, pharaoh, if you, if you don't do this, bad things are going to happen Now? Obviously we know this wasn't an empty threat. God is not to be trifled with. So in return, pharaoh's response is one of cruel hatred and vengeance. How dare you challenge me? I will show you and all of your people will suffer. Tyrants have always taken advantage of their reign to inflict severe punishment on people. I'm reminded of a story from Alexander Solzhenitsyn's book the Gulag Archipelago.
Speaker 1:He writes about a time when there was a conference it was a tribute to Joseph Stalin and the communist dictator came in and every time his name was mentioned, everyone leapt up to their feet and started clapping. And at the end of the conference they all stood up to clap. And he writes for three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, the stormy applause rising to an ovation continued, but palms were getting sore and raised arms were already aching and the older people were panting from exhaustion. It was becoming insufferably silly, even to those who really adored Stalin. However, who would dare to be the first to stop? He explains that party officials were watching to make sure everyone was paying adequate respect. However, he writes, the applause went on six, seven, eight minutes. They were done for. Their goose was cooked. They couldn't stop now till they collapsed with heart attacks.
Speaker 1:Then he explains the director of the local paper factory, an independent and strong minded man. Aware of all the falsity and all the impossibility of the situation, he still kept on applauding Nine minutes, ten. Then, after eleven minutes, he assumed a business-like expression and sat down in his seat. And oh, a miracle took place. Where had the universal, uninhibited, indescribable enthusiasm gone To a man? Everyone else stopped dead and sat down. They had been saved. That same night the factory director was arrested. They easily pasted 10 years on him on the pretext of something quite different. But after he had signed form 206, the final document of the interrogation, his interrogator reminded him don't ever be the first to stop applauding. That's a tyrant.
Speaker 1:And whether it's Stalin or Kim Jong-un, or Fidel Castro or the Pharaoh of Egypt, tyrannical dictators and monarchs all have stories of harsh cruelty and punishment when they think that their power and prestige is being threatened. They're thugs that rule through fear and intimidation. You can hear the hatred seething from Pharaoh when he gathers together the taskmasters and all the foremen, saying you shall no longer give the Israelites straw to make bricks, as in the past. Let them go find straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they make cannot be reduced. It must be exactly the same. They're idle, they're an idle people, and so they cry. Let us go and sacrifice to our God. No, says Pharaoh. Let heavier work be laid on these men. That they may labor and pay no regard to their lying words. That they may labor and pay no regard to their lying words.
Speaker 1:Notice Pharaoh's reasoning. You see, a common tactic of tyrants is to make sure that the blame is always put on the people. The issue wasn't that they wanted to worship their God, and the issue certainly isn't that they want to be set free from slavery. The issue is that they are lazy, they aren't doing enough. So take away the straw and give them the same requirements for the number of bricks to be made, and they can all go get their own straw. I will show them what happens when you threaten me and my power and my prestige. How dare they make such a request? And then, of course, we see the foreman come and they plead with Pharaoh Please, you can't do this. The people are straining, they're going to die as a result of all of this. And he turns them away and says get back to work. And you almost hear the threat. If you keep asking me I'll require even more bricks. Perhaps I will take more of what you need away that you might have to go get it yourself.
Speaker 1:Now perhaps you read this and you ask why did the Lord allow it? And you ask why did the Lord allow it? Why did all of this carry on for so long? I'm sure we can come up with reasons why he did the things that he did in the way that he did, because we have to admit that he could have stopped it immediately. Right, the Lord could have changed Pharaoh's heart. He could have taken Pharaoh out and installed a sympathetic king.
Speaker 1:There are many things that God could have done, but he didn't, and we're not ultimately told why. We can say that he was showing everyone at least two things. One, he's showing us just how evil and how unjust Pharaoh was and how right it is that he would eventually be destroyed. But secondly, god will not share his glory with anyone else. There are numerous stories throughout the Bible where God reminded everyone exactly who is in charge. Pharaoh wouldn't be the last.
Speaker 1:But it teaches us something else about our own lives as well. Our natural human tendency is to look at our circumstances in the moment and think the absolute worst. It was bad and now it's getting worse. Maybe God forgot me. Maybe God's abandoning me altogether? Maybe God doesn't love me? Maybe God won't take care of me and we sink deeper and deeper into doubt and despair because we can't see any further than the tip of our nose. We forget that with the Lord, we have a future, we have a hope, we have promises and ultimately, we have everlasting life. Sometimes we need to go through the most difficult times to learn perseverance. We need to learn that we are never truly in control. We need to learn that God's ways are not our own and while it may be bad and oftentimes it does get worse for a time he knows what he's doing and he often brings us through to the other side in ways that we never expected. Surely we all have a little bit of Job's attitude. Why did the Lord ever make me in the first place?
Speaker 1:The foreman of the people of Israel had an immediate response. After they went and met with Pharaoh, they came out. Moses and Aaron are standing there waiting. You assume they're talking to each other. I wonder what happened. I wonder what they're going to say. And they come out and they say in verse 19,.
Speaker 1:The foreman of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when the taskmaster said you shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day. They met Moses and Aaron as they came out from Pharaoh and they said to them the Lord, look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hands to kill us. It didn't even cross their minds to ever say Thank you, moses, for trying to make things better, for trying to get us out of this mess. They didn't think to say maybe the Lord has a plan that we don't know. Maybe we should trust him despite this present challenge. It was simply to blame, to be angry and to lash out.
Speaker 1:You see, brothers and sisters, in God's providence we will face times when the cure Seems far worse than the disease, which can be painful Economically, spiritually, physically. We go through it as individuals. Sometimes we may go through it as a church. Other times we go through it as a nation. There are times when it happens because of our own sin. There are times when it happens because of the sin or carelessness of others. There are times, however, that it happens because we simply live in a fallen world and in a broken world.
Speaker 1:Bad things happen and we can't necessarily point to any other reason. We can't identify any other cause other than to say that even the creation waits for eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God, that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of glory of the children of God. So in those times, in the darkest times, when things seem to only get worse, may we have the same heart as the Apostle Paul and say to ourselves and to others for I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is yet to be revealed to us the world is not our home. Brothers and sisters, the best is yet to come. So we may face suffering, we may face backbreaking, slave labor or famine, pestilence or sword, but what we cannot say is that God is not watching over his people or that he does not love us. We know that's not true. He repeatedly assures us that that's not true. He repeatedly assures us that that's not true. And the difficult, dark times of life make us far more resilient, they increase our faith, they help us to persevere in the faith. And through all of this, all of these challenges, everything he didn't expect to happen now happening.
Speaker 1:Moses is learning a very valuable lesson as well, and that is that obeying the Lord and being a leader can be very lonely. Moses did exactly what God commanded, resulting in a severe penalty from Pharaoh and a harsh response from the Israelites. This wasn't what he thought would happen at all, and so we see in verses 22 and 23,. Then Moses turned to the Lord and said oh Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people and you have not delivered your people at all.
Speaker 1:Brothers and sisters, leadership is lonely. It doesn't look like it, of course, because every leader is surrounded by others and they're called on by others and even known in some respect by others. But it can be a lonely road, whether it's as an individual or as a small group of individuals who are called to lead together. For Christian leaders, it's inevitable. John 3.30 is the very thing we must be reminded of daily. He must increase, I must decrease.
Speaker 1:Christian leaders have a difficult task of one obeying God at all costs. And two, doing so in a measured way and making sure that whatever is done is wise, is careful, is God glorifying and is done in such a way that the health and unity of the church are maintained, even though sin has to be dealt with and people's reputations are on the line. It's a difficult reality of knowing that there are times when decisions must be made, but not every detail can be shared with everyone, so some decisions may seem lopsided or unfair or unjust when everyone doesn't know, and sometimes can't know, all the facts. And in any church there are many things going on all at the same time, and most people won't know most of it at all or can't know most of it, and so pastors especially have to carry the burdens that they can't share. This is why plurality is so important, because it can be so lonely that a man on his own would fall into great despair, into great despair. The people had to take Moses's word that he was not only doing his own thing, he was doing exactly what the Lord commanded and saying what he told him to say. In like manner, church leaders have to give the people of God every reason to trust them, because sometimes there are good reasons to be measured in what's being communicated. That's not to say that pastors are above correction or critiques or criticisms. That's absolutely not the case. But the best leaders spend their time before the Lord in secret, bearing their hearts, pleading for wisdom, and that can be a lonely endeavor.
Speaker 1:There are times when faithful men will be hated and maligned because they're simply trying to obey the Lord. How will they respond? Defensively or with faith that the Lord will make things right in the end. It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next week, it may be 10 years down the road, but the Lord will make things right in the end. He will vindicate his servants. And so there are times when it must be said let God be true and every man a liar, I will trust the Lord. God be true, and every man a liar, I will trust the Lord. Moses is learning and will continue to find out, and anyone who's ever been in leadership realizes at some point.
Speaker 1:There are times when things must be done that, no matter what is decided, not everyone's going to be happy, not everyone will applaud their decision or think it was right. And so what do we rely on? We rely on exactly what moses relied on. We obey the lord because, in the end, it's far better to obey god than to seek to please man. We can all be tempted, just like the israelites, to point fingers, to shift blame or to question others about everything, because we are convinced that we know better. Look at the mess you made. Things are far worse now than they were before.
Speaker 1:But, brothers and sisters, may the Lord be pleased to help us say instead Lord, it doesn't look good, things seem to be getting worse, but I trust you. I trust you with my days, I trust you with my circumstances, I trust you with my life. So, lord, do whatever you will for your glory, above all else, as people who truly know the Lord, may it be that, when we see things in our lives getting worse, that we have faith that, in one way or another, the Lord will make them better. So what he calls us to be and what he calls us to do is to be faithful, to be obedient, even if, when we turn around, no one else is there, because the Lord is and he knows and he cares. Amen.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together, lord.
Speaker 1:May it be that in our hearts we would never question your wisdom.
Speaker 1:Lord, it's so easy when things are difficult, when trials come, when we have to walk through the difficulties that arise as a result of being in a sin, sick world.
Speaker 1:Lord, may it be that we never think for one second that you are not with us or that you do not love us, or that you do not have a plan and a purpose that is far greater than anything we could ever imagine. Lord, thank you for using the trials and difficulties and tribulations of our lives to make us to be more like Christ, to remind us of our desperate need for you in every aspect of our lives. And so, lord, whatever it is that we do in this life, whether we are leaders or followers, whether we are children or adults, whether we are men or women, may it be said of us, o God, that even in the darkest days that we face, that we have an unfailing trust in you, our God, the God of the Hebrews, the God of Moses, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we love you and we thank you for your word, and we pray these things in Jesus name Amen. Our benediction this evening from