A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Who Is This God Person?

Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.' "
But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, 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, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!"
Again Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!" - Exodus 5:1-5 NASB

Speaking hard truth to power sometimes turns out poorly. Egyptian royalty had power and usually cared only about retaining it. They saw no reason to pay attention to the truth. After all, if people don't have power, how can they have anything useful to say?

Moses' request to set his people free made sense. But Pharaoh had a different perspective. What slave wouldn't like to get time off from his or her labors? What slave wouldn't want to be free? Moses told the pharaoh nothing the pharaoh didn't already know about slaves. So why should he pay any attention? So what if Moses had talked to the slaves' God and that God wanted the slaves to go free? If that God were so great, then why were his people slaves? Pharaoh believed himself a god. Given his circumstances, Pharaoh thought he was stronger than the slaves were and thus stronger than the slaves' God. He had no reason to pay any attention to Moses or the God he claimed to represent.

People are not quick to change their minds about anything—be it God or their favorite cola—until and unless it stops working for them. Those at ease, those who are in positions of power and wealth, are not likely to change their minds about much. A comfortable life would have to become uncomfortable before the truth Moses was speaking could be heard by the powerful Pharaoh. Our hearts can't be changed until we fully realize they need to be changed.