Lesson from a Lab

Exodus 5:22-23 "And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

Lesson from a Lab

Breck, my chocolate Labrador dog, knows exactly what dogs know-not much. Some of my most frustrating moments are spent trying to save Breck from Breck! Recently I bought her a kids' swimming pool for the back yard so that she could stay cool and refreshed in the Tennessee heat. Wouldn't you know it, but Breck had her pool for Sunday dinner! The pool was not for my benefit-I have air conditioning in my house. I am not the one who is going to spend every summer day outside in the basking heat. The pool was for Breck, and she is the one who destroyed it!

People can be the exact same way. Breck fights against the help I am trying to give her because she is an ignorant dog. People, on the other hand, can be frustrating to work with because of a little arrogance mixed with ignorance. This was the case for Moses in Exodus 5. He met Pharaoh, gave God's message, and what happened to the children of Israel? They were given more work-harder work-and their officers were taken and beaten. Now Pharaoh was upset and the children of Israel were discouraged and mad at Moses.

Had God "evil entreated" Moses and the people? No, of course not. But it would have seemed so if you were Moses or the Israelites. But living by faith is living in obedience in light of God's character, not man's response. Was Moses speaking to Pharaoh the right thing? Yes. Did things get better? No. Things got worse before they got better. Oftentimes the same is true when working with people-things can get worse before they get better. But faith lives in light of God's character, not in light of how much better or worse things become.

Sometimes it is easier for us to see man's response than God's character. But God does not change. God is God, no matter if the people with whom we work acknowledge Him or not. Pharaoh and God's people were a discouragement to Moses. Sometimes, discouragement can come in the form of parents or adults who should be on the side of what is right, but are not. Remember to live in light of God's character.

God's response to Moses is recorded in Exodus 6:2-8. God reminds him of Who He is ("I am the LORD."), what He has done ("And I appeared. . . ."), and what He will do because of the promises He made ("And I have also established my covenant with them. . . ."). God declares in verse 6, "I am the LORD, and I will. . . ." That was good news for Moses to remember, and that is good news for us, too. Moses responded according to God's character-"I am the LORD, and I will."

Our obedience is not based on our greatness or abilities or people's response; it is based on God's character. Things may seem like they get worse, but things will get better if you will live in obedience in light of God's character today.


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