Exodus 5:1–5 ‘Afterwards Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, ”This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ’Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’”’ (v1)
When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, we need to note the authority of God’s Word. God’s Word was the sole source for Moses’ work of faith. It’s easy to make valid excuses when our lives fail to reflect the qualities revealed throughout the Bible. In life’s busyness, we become distracted and absorbed simply in getting by each day. Hours drift past and without one available for recovery at some later point of our own choosing.
With ageing, we experience time passing at greater speed and so become more aware of it. If Moses had postponed his mission, who knows what the outcome might have been for the Israelites? Against great opposition, and in the face of the greatest power of the day, Moses had to retain his confidence in the authority of God’s Word alone (Exod. 3:10) in fulfilling his purpose. In our confusing world, we do well to consider the extent to which we can trust the authority of God’s Word.
Authority is itself the legal and moral right to exercise control. The Israelites were disempowered slaves in Egypt, and Pharaoh, while holding absolute power, with its ability to control, lacked authority. Even the Israelites wavered in their confidence in Moses’ freedom initiative (Exod. 16:2–3) because things so often get worse before they get better when power and authority collide. This presents our hourly challenge; to accept God’s authority, even when it appears we lack any power to work a change in directing our life story into a more desirable direction.
Scripture to consider: 2 Chron. 20:2–13; Isa. 14:24–27; Rom. 9:6–25; 1 Pet. 2:11–17.
An action to take: Each of us is to measure our work against God’s Word. Do you do this?
A prayer to make: ‘Lord, I want to listen to You and learn to live out Your Word. Amen.’
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
