Wednesday, April 11, 2012

"Bricks without Straw" 4-12-12

Exodus 5:13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

Have you ever noticed how it seems the darkest right before the sunrise? It must have seemed that way to the Hebrews. Moses obeyed God, and stood before Pharaoh, asking that he let the people go and worship their God. What was Pharaoh's answer? Not only did he say no, he made life harder for God's people. The Egyptians had been gathering the straw and giving it to the Hebrews to make bricks for Pharaoh, but now they were commanded to gather the straw for themselves, and expected to make just as many bricks as before! I'm sure that they were thinking "it was better before Moses started all of this stuff about setting us free". This would not be the last time that Moses would hear the people complain, to say the least. We can, however, see a spiritual truth in this passage. When you determine to surrender to God, and to come out of bondage or disobedience, you can count on things getting tougher in the beginning. Your old taskmaster isn't going to release you without a fight, and he will do everything within his ability to discourage you into thinking that it isn't worth it, and that it's hopeless. I see this all the time when people begin to obey God with their finances, prayer life, study in the Word, or other levels of growth. Think of it this way: if the devil is mad, then it must be a good sign, so just persevere and watch God show him up in a big way. 

2 comments:

  1. I can testify to this in my life. On many different occasions I have experienced the stress or pressure when trying to beleive on Jesus for what the enemy doesn't want to let us have. Freedom from darkness is sure, but God's way of bringing us out is sometimes challenging. I beleive that the purpose for this is ultimately for God's glory. Coming out after such difficult circumstances puts a strong testimony within our hearts that we will need for future trials, even for the next generation as well. We are filled with more gratitude in which opens the eyes of our hearts, filling it up with the strength,courage, and hope needed to give glory to God!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very encouraging. I always believe that "the shadow proves the sunshine." This post reaffirms it. Great post!

    ReplyDelete