Exodus 4:28-31 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. (NKJV)
Many of you know the story of Moses as the deliverer of the Hebrews from Egypt. The Lord had told Moses to go back to Egypt, and show signs to the people so that they would believe, and to Pharaoh so he would release the Hebrew slaves from his cruelty.
Do you know that Moses knew he was the deliverer even before he left Egypt the first time?
In Hebrews 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
Acts 7:17-25 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
Now 40 years later he returned to be this deliverer, and all the people knew he was raised by the Egyptians that afflicted them.
The saying goes, "They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!" It would not be the miracles, signs or wonders that made them believe in their hearts. That got their attention, and that would have made them believe something might be true.
What made the people believe, truly believe in their hearts that God had heard their cries and come to rescue them?
In Exodus, verse 31 it says: So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
In that time they needed a savior!
When Moses came to them as a deliverer the first time they rejected him, but when Moses returned, humbled in his heart after 40 years in a dry and barren land, with a message that God wanted to deliver them, because of their affliction, pain, suffering, loss, hopelessness, then they heard, believed and worshiped!
The deliverer had to go through preparation. Now this time he came with an attitude of love in line with the covenant. Moses many times throughout that 40 years in the wilderness with the Hebrews showed love over judgment. He would fall on his face and pray God would hold back His wrath on the people even when their attacks were against him.
Are we today prepared to deliver those from the afflictions of this world? The affliction will look different in what is to come. Self-deserving? Possibly. Nature crying out to God and these perverse times? Possibly. There are so many things that could happen that we are on the brink of, that it is hard to prepare.
Economy
Drought
Famine
War
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Floods
God has taken us to prepare us as modern day deliverers for this time and put us in a dry barren land at some time in our lives, so we can be humbled, and prepared to meet the needs spiritually, and mentally of what is to come. Whatever that may be. We probably will never deliver a million people out of a land as Moses did, but it could be your neighbor, your co-workers, your family and on and on. In time of disaster people need to know God hears them when they cry out to Him. They need to know God knows their pain and suffering. Whether self inflicted or innocent God cares about them, and loves them in spite of being unlovable at times.
Are you prepared in your heart and mind today to be a deliverer for Christ. Delivering those people God places in front of you to be shown the way out of suffering and affliction to a promised land that God has given all of us that will believe, not only in our mind, but also in our heart that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
Sherry Gorslin
Many of you know the story of Moses as the deliverer of the Hebrews from Egypt. The Lord had told Moses to go back to Egypt, and show signs to the people so that they would believe, and to Pharaoh so he would release the Hebrew slaves from his cruelty.
Do you know that Moses knew he was the deliverer even before he left Egypt the first time?
In Hebrews 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
Acts 7:17-25 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
Now 40 years later he returned to be this deliverer, and all the people knew he was raised by the Egyptians that afflicted them.
The saying goes, "They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!" It would not be the miracles, signs or wonders that made them believe in their hearts. That got their attention, and that would have made them believe something might be true.
What made the people believe, truly believe in their hearts that God had heard their cries and come to rescue them?
In Exodus, verse 31 it says: So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
In that time they needed a savior!
When Moses came to them as a deliverer the first time they rejected him, but when Moses returned, humbled in his heart after 40 years in a dry and barren land, with a message that God wanted to deliver them, because of their affliction, pain, suffering, loss, hopelessness, then they heard, believed and worshiped!
The deliverer had to go through preparation. Now this time he came with an attitude of love in line with the covenant. Moses many times throughout that 40 years in the wilderness with the Hebrews showed love over judgment. He would fall on his face and pray God would hold back His wrath on the people even when their attacks were against him.
Are we today prepared to deliver those from the afflictions of this world? The affliction will look different in what is to come. Self-deserving? Possibly. Nature crying out to God and these perverse times? Possibly. There are so many things that could happen that we are on the brink of, that it is hard to prepare.
Economy
Drought
Famine
War
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Floods
God has taken us to prepare us as modern day deliverers for this time and put us in a dry barren land at some time in our lives, so we can be humbled, and prepared to meet the needs spiritually, and mentally of what is to come. Whatever that may be. We probably will never deliver a million people out of a land as Moses did, but it could be your neighbor, your co-workers, your family and on and on. In time of disaster people need to know God hears them when they cry out to Him. They need to know God knows their pain and suffering. Whether self inflicted or innocent God cares about them, and loves them in spite of being unlovable at times.
Are you prepared in your heart and mind today to be a deliverer for Christ. Delivering those people God places in front of you to be shown the way out of suffering and affliction to a promised land that God has given all of us that will believe, not only in our mind, but also in our heart that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
Sherry Gorslin