The Struggle for Freedom
Book of Exodus Chapter 5 and 6
It is a worldwide truth that when you hear the word freedom you will find that this world is trying to deny it's people personal freedom.
We will always have to struggle to keep our freedoms.
There will always be the Bidens the Pelosis, the Clintons, the Obamas, the Irans, the Chinas, the Russias, and the many so-called rulers of this world who want to take away our freedoms.
The Democratic Party does not mind telling us that they know more about how we should live our lives than we do ourselves.
They know more about how to raise our children and it is the same in every liberal governed nation, every communist nation, and every socialist nation in our world today!
We understand there must be laws. God taught us policing in the Book of Genesis.
All laws need to be based upon the infallible Word of God so we will know we have the right laws.
Freedom means being exempt from the power and control of others.
Freedom means being exempt from slavery, servitude, confinement, oppression, and tyranny.
Take a look at our world and see if there are any nations that observe this meaning of freedom and make plans to go there to live.
You may not find one!
It is only Jehovah God who puts forth such freedom!
Laws of domination must be erased from the laws of this world!
God made His creation to be free with a simple obedience to the Word of God, a Theocracy!
Psa 124:7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
So then where does bondage come from?
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
It is the Devil who influences government leaders to take away our freedoms and he has succeeded in most all of them if not all!
God demands His people to be free!
God had been dealing with Moses about carrying His message of freedom to a wicked, Satan influenced Pharaoh, and had finally allowed Moses to go and his brother Aaron to be the spokesperson with Moses being as a god to this Pharaoh.
*****Exo 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
Freedom, liberty, and justice for all, is a theme of our Heavenly Father, yet the world would teach you a lie.
In fact, the United States of America came into existence with the declaration of freedom to live and to worship as we so choose, stating the Lord Jesus Christ by name.
Satan has trained his followers to take away our freedoms!
As we see this battle of the good versus the wicked, we can also see the history of deliverance of the soul by the "Grace" of God.
We must never fear what man can do to us!
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
We must always demand the right to worship the Lord our God!
We must never back down from this demand!
Even the Lord Jesus said we may one day have to defend this right given to us by our Heavenly Father!
Luk 22:35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
Luk 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Luk 22:37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
The Lord Jesus was speaking to His disciples in this passage.
If you love the Lord Jesus enough to accept Him and His ways, you can also be a disciple.
Notice it is disciple and not Apostle.
The message of freedom from sin is much too important than to just cease from it!
There is coming a time of extreme danger for all God's children, and it already is in many places today!
Many a scholar will say to not take this scripture but I take all the Word of God literally and so should we all.
2Ti 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God", and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
And we are to always defend our families.
1Ti_5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, "and is worse than an infidel".
An infidel is an unbeliever.
We will have a need to provide safety for our families!
This day may not be far off and obviously the Lord will be with us still!
This Pharaoh was a wicked and evil man who thought of his own self as a god, in fact the supreme god of Egypt.
Most of our politicians today have this same god syndrome!
The slaves of God stood before the Taskmasters of Egypt!
You will never find a place in the Bible where God gives total control of humans to Satan!
Lost or saved you belong to Jehovah God.
Those that turn to Satan just do not recognize this truth!
Satan has no power to take possession of the soul!
In this life we get the opportunity to give our flesh to the Lord's use, or as Paul puts it, we must mortify the deeds of our flesh.
Rom_8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Col_3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
We are foolish not to seek the liberty that the Lord provides!
This Pharaoh was such a fool.
*****Exo 5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
This Pharaoh begins by rejecting the "Will of God" for His people.
In verse one, it is written "the Lord God of Israel".
This Pharaoh felt as if Moses and Aaron were just wasting his valuable time.
This Pharaoh felt that he had total and complete control over the lives of all the people of Israel.
I look at the news daily and see a government that wants complete and total control over all its people.
He may have been the most powerful leader that existed at this time in history, but he did not know the power of Jehovah!
Slaves could not and should not make such demands to such a great king as he was. This was his thinking!
The worst sin that can be committed today is to be ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ!
This sin cannot be forgiven, and God has given us this time called the Church Age to repent and seek the Lord.
Today, no one has a legitimate excuse to not know at least something about the Lord Jesus Christ.
For this Pharaoh, he was ignorant of the "I AM", Jehovah, but even this Pharaoh had no excuse.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
All this Pharaoh had to do was open his eyes and see the great creations of our Heavenly Father!
It is the same for all those who do not know the Lord Jesus today!
We should realize that God will punish sin!
We should also realize that such a Creator would have some demands of us!
It is sometimes hard to comprehend the will of God for such men.
1Ti_2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
That truth is, we have a loving God rather than a god like this Pharaoh!
Some lessons must be learned the hard way.
*****Exo 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
Do not you just love the fact that the One True God of Heaven and Earth will stop what He is doing and come down and meet with you.
We should also understand that just because the message of God is forsaken, it does not relieve us of our duty to tell the world of the "Good News" of salvation.
We must remain as Ambassadors for Christ no matter what else is going on in this world!
The message of God is just too important to stop giving it to the lost!
The God of the Hebrew children had to be claimed by them and this Pharaoh must be rejected.
Again the truth comes out, the God of the Hebrews was indeed the God of all His creation, and He has total control of His creation.
Remember a pestilence is a plague as we have seen what this Covid-19 did to this entire planet, and it is not over yet and there will be others.
In fact we may not see the end of these plagues from this day forward.
This is the message Moses gave to this Pharaoh.
Moses said, "Pharaoh, you do not know who you are dealing with".
Jehovah could also send a mighty army even one more mighty than the army of Pharaoh, which means God controls the thoughts of men and no one can defeat Jehovah God! (The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit)
Pharaoh said, "you are just interfering with the work of my slaves".
*****Exo 5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
Exo 5:5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
All those governments who try to stop God's people from the worship of Him, need to all read these chapters in the Book of Exodus and know that Jehovah does not ever change.
God requires us to worship Him!
Joh_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God demands His people be free to worship!
Exo 10:9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
God expects all other things in our life to stop so we can worship Him in Spirit and Truth.
No matter what this world demands of us, our worship of our Savior must come first.
God demands that we accept His salvation plan, or the alternative is to spend eternity in Hell.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Moses was not interfering with the work that Pharaoh demanded, Moses was obeying God.
We can just imagine how much work 2 million people could do in one day.
We can also imagine just how much the Church could accomplish if each of us would do something for the Lord just once a month.
Pharaoh was a ruthless man but even he worshiped the many gods of Egypt and he considered himself a god, in fact the supreme god of Egypt.
For him to yield to Moses, he would have to acknowledge that the God of the people of Moses to be more powerful than he.
Pharaoh would not allow this to happen, and it cost him his life and his nation.
When a God called messenger brings God's message, then we had better pay attention as His people and it would be best for the governments of the world to pay attention, it is Jehovah who placed them as leaders of their own nations.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
God can replace any leader at any time He chooses.
We may not understand the why of these things, but we can accept it as the truth!
God was not testing Moses, God was evaluating this Pharaoh so when he died, he could only blame himself.
It is the same for every sinner who rejects the truth of God!
We can see that this Pharaoh was not so much concerned about the amount of work they did as he was of just pure punishment.
We can see the hatred he had for God's people, even though it was Joseph who had once saved Egypt.
*****Exo 5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
Exo 5:7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
Exo 5:8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
Pharaoh commanded every taskmaster to make it harder for God's people to meet daily quota's he had made himself.
Reminds us of government laws made by people who have never worked a day in their entire life.
The taskmasters were Egyptians, but it is probable that these officers were Israelites, and this was intended to cause strife within God's people.
There is such a thing as demanding the impossible!
This is the tyranny of communist governments and other governments who treat their people as slaves such as China, but there are others.
None of us can work beyond our capabilities for awfully long!
Many of this new nation of Israel would have stayed in Egypt content, if not for these taskmasters and this Pharaoh treating them so badly.
Because the people complained, the work each of them had to do increased.
Here we can see a trait of Satan that has held true from the beginning.
Satan will do his worst when he is about to be removed from his control.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, "because he knoweth that he hath but a short time".
When Satan senses a soul about to be saved, he will put forth greater effort to stop this.
Satan did not like the idea of Israel returning to the Lord!
We can also see these things as scenes from the rule of the Antichrist!
I can just hear him now saying:
*****Exo 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
The Word of God is not vain words!
Pharaoh had blamed Moses and Aaron for a work slowdown, but we do not know if this really happened.
We know Moses had spoken to the elders. Pharaoh was merciless but crafty, a true politician. A true demoncrat.
He did not care what his new orders would cost.
We especially see this later on when his nation is about destroyed, but he still refused the request of God through Moses.
Those that hate the Lord can say that the Word of God is vain, but they are just ignoring the truth and the truth will always be the truth.
The truth cannot be changed to some new truth as the world is trying to accomplish.
Zec 1:5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
Zec 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
God keeps track of those who love Him and those who do not!
Mal 3:14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
Mal 3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Pharaoh was digging him a hole too deep for him to climb out of.
*****Exo 6:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
Moses had some harsh words for God, but God was not intimidated by this Pharaoh, if fact if God was doing anything He was laughing at Him!
Psa_2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
We must understand Jehovah God knows what He is doing all the time!
Nothing takes God by surprise! God never second guesses Himself!
Moses was rejected again, but it would not last exceedingly long.
This Pharaoh was about to meet the true God!
We must understand that when we are hurt and broken the first place we should go is to the Lord!
We just do not spend enough time in prayer!
God just said to Moses, just watch now and see what happens to this wicked ruler.
As Christians, we have already been delivered, we have not been picked up yet, but our status will never change!
We are the "Redeemed" of the Lord!
This Pharaoh was going to release God's people, it was just a matter of days, they were the delivered of the Lord.
2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
God told Moses that there is only One LORD. One Yahweh, One Jehovah, One Lord Jesus Christ!
No doubt Moses knew of Abraham and may even have known about the promises made to him.
Remember Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. The Holy Spirit was giving Moses a lot of information.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Moses was a man of God!
God speaks again to Moses.
*****Exo 6:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
Exo 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
We should understand that God cares for His people.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
There is a relationship, a connection between God and man whom He created.
It exists, it is vital, and it is necessary on our part, and the Lord wants it to be this way.
God does not have this same relationship with the animal world!
Humanity is in fact created in the image of God though it does not mean the way we look.
God is in fact a Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Man has a body, a soul, and a spirit.
Add to this the heart, a conscience, a mind, and a will and we will see these things describe Jehovah all through the Bible.
The Bible teaches us that of all the creations of God it is the soul of man that He places the greatest value.
When God said, "I AM", He is stating that He lives in that time period of eternity where time does not exist and it is the soul of man that was also created to exist in this timeless eternity.
Psa 102:12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations
All these things and more for us to realize our relationship with our Heavenly Father and expand upon it!
Psa 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psa 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
Psa 102:19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
Psa 102:20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
Psa 102:21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
Psa 102:22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
As human we have a conflict with sin!
As Jehovah, the Lord is the answer to this sin problem because He has the answers to all human problems for those who love Him!
Jehovah is a covenant keeping God!
*****Exo 6:4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
Exo 6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
The covenant with Abraham promised this nation of Israel, the descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob, a promised land.
We should understand that all the covenants of the Old testament will culminate with the Millennial Rule of King Jesus.
The Abrahamic Covenant is where God began to deal with a special people who had specific purposes!
They had a promised land.
They had a promised Messiah.
They were to preserve the Word of God throughout all the ages.
There would be Spiritual Blessings that would involve Forgiveness.
The Old Testament is the Book where God deals with Israel to bring her to the place of blessing that occurs during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ!
Israel is still the agent for God to bless the nations of this world!
God is Holy and all that enter into fellowship with Him must also be Holy!
This new nation of Israel was about to begin their pilgrimage from Egypt at this time that God heard their groaning.
We should understand that Jehovah hates all slavery and all bondage.
As Christians we get to see how all these things unfold and see how our Faithful God keeps His Word at all times.
We get to understand how He deals with people because He never changes.
God shares His compassion with those who love Him, whether they be Jew or Gentile.
God will care for you just as He cared for Moses.
No matter our pains and sorrows, No matter how crushed or broken, No matter how desperate we become, God is concerned for us and willing to help if we call upon Him with a sincere heart.
God has redeemed all those who have given their lives to Jesus Christ.
God will deliver all His people just as He has promised!
2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Psa 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
God said: "just be my messenger Moses".
*****Exo 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
Exo 6:7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
The "I AM" God is now the "I Will" God.
God gets up close and personal. Why? Because Jehovah does not trust our deliverance to others. He will deliver us Himself!
This is why He poured Himself into a body of flesh.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Sure God could have ordered His angels to take care of all these things and they would have, but the Lord likes to be personal with those who love Him!
It is things like this that are encouraging when we realize just how much He loves us!
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We would not have known any of these things if this new nation of Israel had not preserved the Word of God for us!
God deals in facts!
God deals in the truth!
We do not see much truth in our world today and not even from our own leaders.
God says: I will bring you out from under your burdens.
I will rid you of bondage.
I will redeem you with my great power.
God says I will make you, my people. This is adoption.
God says I will be your God so that you will know that He is the LORD, the Deliverer.
God says: I will bring you to the land I promised to your father Abraham! This is my guarantee to you!
*****Exo 6:8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
The fact of the matter is that the Lord is able to do all the things He has said He would do!
Eph_3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Php_3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Jud_1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
God is going to lead His people to the Promised Land and there is nothing this world can do about it, but to die trying to stop Him!
This promise was made to the Children of Israel.
There is also the promise that is made to the Church and the Lord begins by saying do not worry about it.
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
These are promises that will not and cannot be broken.
We must remember, God did not deliver these Children of Israel because they were believers or because they were worthy nor because they were in bondage. Jehovah delivered Israel because He made a promise to Abraham, and He swore an oath to him.
*****Exo 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
These people had become so burdened down with the life they now had they neglected the message of Moses no matter from whom it came.
They looked upon Pharaoh as just too powerful for anyone to overcome.
Many look at Satan, the same way today!
Many feel like, they are just too deep in sin to be forgiven.
Or they have become addicted to the sins of this world, but they believe they can overcome them themselves.
The idea of being set completely free was just too far-fetched for them.
They did not even know what being made free really encompassed!
They were so tired at the end of the day; they did not want to hear any words at all and they certainly did not want to take a chance on things being made worse.
It was now time for God to shake the timbers of Egypt and prove His power and it did not take much if you come to think about it.
It is the simple things we take for granted that God will use many times.
God did the same thing when the world refused to listen to the truth.
He just sent the Lord Jesus Christ to defeat Satan.
2Co_4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Joh 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Joh 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
The Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan on the cross and Jehovah would take a mere man named Moses and show Pharaoh the truth of the true God!
Amen
