Hello ICC Family!
31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone.
Go, but bless me as you leave.”
Exodus 12:31-32
What an absolutely baffling and entitled request…
We touched this verse quickly last Sunday as we discussed the Passover, but I think it is a helpful point to ponder. You have to hand it to Pharaoh. After ignoring all of the signs and requests given to him by God via Moses and Aaron - even stating bluntly that he didn’t know God so why should he listen to anything that God said... and after never repenting, apologizing, or even trying to justify his actions or attitudes… and after having no choice but to give Moses and Aaron exactly what they asked from the beginning because of the rising fear of the Egyptians that they all might die… Pharaoh angrily and dismissively throws the Israelites out of the country. And then has the gall to ask for God’s blessing as they go!
It would be comical if it was not so common and so sad every time you saw this kind of behavior. People will be utterly rude, defiant, and destructive until they are absolutely trapped, and then, somehow, they will still expect a blessing. Please ignore my previous behavior! Give me exactly what I want right now, even though I wouldn’t listen to a word that you were saying earlier. They will expect forgiveness without repentance, and they will expect grace and mercy when they have given none. The problem is that there is a spiritual principle at work here: you have to believe to be blessed. Believe that God is God and his will will be done. And we know Pharaoh doesn’t truly believe. In just hours he will be leading the Egyptian army after the Israelites because the fear level will have dropped while the anger and bitterness has risen.
This behavior is shocking to see in Pharaoh, and it is both comical and sad to see in others. But the big problem is that we are usually blind to see it in our own lives. How many times have I asked the Lord to bless my sermon or a meeting, or some kind of church plan even though I have been failing to walk in faithfulness and obedience and love as He has called me? Lord, bless me!… Help this job to work out. Help this relationship to heal. Help us to get good news from the doctor… All while we continue in sin and refuse to believe that God is who He says He is, and will carry out all of his purposes to completion.
The lesson from this is not to do better so God will give you what you want. But it is to respond to God’s signs and calls to obedience in our lives, such that we begin to see evidence of his grace and mercy at work every moment of the day. When that happens, we will fully understand what it means to be thankful in every circumstance. We won’t need to ask for blessing, because we will see how blessed we are - all of the time!…
Laurel and I will miss you all this evening, but you are in good hands, and I am sure you will enjoy a great time of fellowship and prayer together.
I do hope you have the refresh revival night on your calendar for August 3rd. I am not sure how many we will have join us from Harbour Lake, but it will be a great evening of worship regardless. And I hear that some of the ladies are organizing snacks afterwards!
Blessings to you all. And know that I’m praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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