Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament book of Exodus which was written and recorded by Moses the servant of the Lord. More specifically, today’s passage is found in chapters nine through twelve of this Old Testament book. THE CONFRONTATION BEGINS! THE CONFRONTATION CONTINUES! WHEN THINGS GROW FROM BAD TO WORSE! WHEN YOU DON’T SEE THE ANSWER RIGHT AWAY! A HARDENED HEART AND A REFUSAL TO LET GODS PEOPLE GO! WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN IT DOESN’T WORK THE FIRST TIME YOU TRY? WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN IT DOESN’T WORK THE FIRST TIME YOU TRY! WHEN GOD ASKS YOU TO RETURN AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN! MAKING REPEATED DECLARATIONS TO THE ENEMY! THE ENEMY MIGHT NOT LISTEN WHEN YOU CONFRONT HIM! REPEATED JUDGMENTS! THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BLOOD! PREPARING TO DEPART! WHEN THE DEVIL TRIES TO STRIKE A DEAL WITH YOU! WHEN THE DEVIL TRIES TL BARGAIN WITH YOU! THE DEVIL WILL ALWAYS TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO COMPROMISE! When you come to this particular portion of Scripture you will find the continuation of the narrative of Moses and Aaron entering into the company and presence of Pharaoh. What’s so incredibly unique about what you find within these chapters is that Moses was eighty years old, while Aaron was eighty-three years old, and together they both entered into the presence of the most powerful ruler of the known world at that time with one singular message. If and as you read the words which are found within these chapters you will find that the singular, unaltered and unchanging word which they brought unto Pharaoh was simply an emphatic declaration and command to let the people of God go. If you take the time to read chapters five through twelve you will find Moses and Aaron continually and repeatedly entering into the presence of Pharaoh at the command and instruction of the LORD God of the Hebrews to command him to let the people of God go. What I find to be so incredibly captivating about these chapters is that the word and message which these two brothers brought into the presence of Pharaoh was neither an option, nor was was it something Pharaoh had any choice in the matter. Ultimately and eventually the people of God would be delivered, ransomed and redeemed out of their slavery, bondage and oppression within the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh would have to give in to the demands of the living God of the Hebrews. We must recognize and come face to face with the absolutely incredible truth that when the Lord sent Moses and Aaron into the presence of Pharaoh He did so with the instruction unto them that they speak exactly what He had commanded and instructed them. Upon studying the narrative that is found within these chapters you will find that neither Moses, nor Aaron could alter the words which the living God of the Hebrews had commanded them to speak, for they needed to speak exactly as He had spoken and commanded. As intimidating and as intense as it must have been to enter into the presence of Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron also had the command and instruction given unto them to speak the words exactly as the LORD God of the Hebrews had commanded and instructed.

DO NOT ALTER MY WORDS! DO NOT AD LIB! DO NOT ADD TO WHAT I HAVE SPOKEN! DO NOT SUBTRACT FROM WHAT I HAVE SPOKEN! If we are going to read the narrative that is found within these chapters it is absolutely necessary and imperative that we come to terms with the fact that while it is true Moses and Aaron were instructed to enter into the presence of Pharaoh and command him to let the people of God go, they were to speak the words exactly as the LORD God of the Hebrews. The question I can’t help but ask is whether or not they were tempted to perhaps make an attempt to interpret that which the living God had spoken unto them and that which He had instructed them. There is absolutely no indication within these chapters that Moses and Aaron attempted to interpret the words which the living God had spoken, nor attempt to alter that which the God of the Hebrews had spoken. This is actually worth noting and considering, for there is a tendency among most Christians and within many Christian circles to interpret that which the Lord has spoken—and not only interpret it, but interpret it according to their own standards and their own ideas. Oh there is a great and inherent danger when we attempt to add to that which the living God has spoken, and/or even make an attempt to subtract what He has spoken. In all reality this temptation goes all the way back to the garden when as the serpent was beguiling Eve she responded to him by adding to that which the Lord had spoken. The Lord had commanded Adam that he not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and yet when Eve responded to the serpent she added the element of touching the fruit. It is absolutely necessary that we recognize and pay close attention to this, for with these words we encounter and come face to face with the temptation we have to add to that which the Lord has spoken, and by adding to what He has spoken we actually distort it and create a partial and incomplete truth. It must be noted that Eve did in fact mention eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and yet her addition of touching the fruit thereof created a false and incomplete rendering of that which the living God had spoken. Oh that we would recognize and understand that whether we add to that which the living God has spoken or we subtract from what He has spoken we are creating a partial and incomplete picture and rendering of that which He has actually spoken. Perhaps one of the single greatest needs we have within our hearts and lives is not only to take God at His word, but also to take His word exactly as it has been written and exactly as it has been spoken. When Moses and Aaron stood in the presence of Pharaoh they did so having been instructed to speak in his hearing and presence everything the Lord had commanded them.

With this being said we must also recognize when reading these chapters that not only were Moses and Aaron instructed to speak the exact words the LORD God of the Hebrews had spoken, but they were also to perform everything the Lord had commanded them to. If and as you read the words and account of Moses and Aaron in the narrative of the Exodus—not only will you find them speaking exactly as the living God had spoken, but you will find them performing and doing exactly that which He had commanded them. As you read the words which are found within these chapters you will find that the confrontation of Pharaoh not only required them to speak exactly as the living God had commanded and instructed them, but it also required them to do exactly what the living God had commanded and instructed them. Neither the words which the living God had spoken, nor that which He asked them to perform were subject to interpretation, nor were they subject to their own understanding of that which the Lord had commanded. Moses and Aaron were to speak the very words the living God had spoken unto them, and they were to perform and do all that He had commanded. As I sit here this evening I can’t help but think about and consider the fact that sometimes within our lives the single greatest struggle we face is to not only speak exactly that which the Lord has commanded us, but also to do and perform that which He has commanded without arguing or trying to alter according to our own imagination, interpretation or understanding. Oh, how many times have we attempted to help the living God concerning what He has spoken and what He has instructed us to do, and we have done so because we feel that we know much better what needs and what ought to be done? What I so absolutely love about that which we find within these chapters is that Moses and Aaron weren’t merely instructed to enter into the presence of Pharaoh and command him to let the people of God go, but they also needed to declare and speak unto him concerning the judgments of the Lord which were to come. We must recognize that in addition to the command given unto Pharaoh to let the people of God go, there was also the tremendous warning of the judgments of the living God of the Hebrews which would begin to come upon and consume the land of Egypt. That which we find in the fifth chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus is merely the beginning of the confrontation of Pharaoh in the land of Egypt and the showdown between the gods of Egypt and the God of the Hebrews. If you continue reading within this portion of Scripture and read concerning the Passover you will find that directly linked and connected to the Passover is the declaration of the God of the Hebrews that He would enter into judgment with and would execute judgment upon the gods of Egypt in order that he might bring His people forth from the midst of the That which we find within these chapters is not only a confrontation of the most powerful ruler of the known world at that time, but it was also a direct confrontation of and assault on the gods of the land of Egypt, which the Lord was directly challenging with His great judgments and great wonders He was bringing up and executing upon the land of Egypt.

As I sit here this morning I can’t help but think about and be confronted with the tremendous reality of Moses and Aaron appearing before pharaoh—that one who was the most powerful ruler of the world at that time. When you come to the passage which is before us today you will not only find the continuation of the narrative between pharaoh and Moses and his brother Aaron, but you will also find part of the conclusion and climax of that encounter. I mention the fact that it is only part of the conclusion and climax because if you continue reading in this Old Testament book of exodus you will find and discover the fact that after the children of Israel had departed from the land of Egypt they found themselves coming unto the Red Sea. It would be there at the Red Sea they would have the sea behind them and the desert before them. The account continues to reveal how the heart of pharaoh was hardened once more and how he assembled all his horses and chariots in order that he might pursue the children of Israel into the wilderness and overtake them there at the Red Sea. Eventually the children of Israel would see a vast army of horses and chariots coming toward and pursuing them there in the wilderness in order that it might overtake them. That army which was pursuing the children of Israel into the wilderness was the army of pharaoh and the army of Egypt which was dead set on overtaking them there at the Red Sea and bring them back unto the land of Egypt. I wrote and mentioned how the passage before us today is merely the beginning of the end of the climax which was the showdown between pharaoh and the children of Israel, for even after pharaoh had let the children of Israel go he would still set out to pursue them in the midst of the wilderness in order to overtake them. Essentially, that which happened was that even though they were free and even though they had been delivered from their slavery and bondage there was still a greater work which needed to be done. One almost gets the sense that it wasn’t enough to decimate and devastate the land of Egypt and to completely overthrow the gods of Egypt, for there was still a greater work which needed to take place. It is absolutely necessary and imperative that we recognize and understand this, for when we think about and consider our own lives we must understand that even though we have been delivered and even though we have been set free—that is only part of the work which needs to be done. If you read the narrative of the account of the children of Israel in the land of Egypt, as well as in the wilderness at the Red Sea you will find it written and discover that in the land of Egypt they experienced the deliverance of the living God, yet in the wilderness they experienced the salvation of the Lord. What’s more, is the salvation of the Lord would be evidenced and manifested in the complete and utter destruction of their enemies in the midst of the waters of the Red Sea. It’s important and necessary for us to recognize and come to terms with this, for deliverance is only part of the work the living God desires to do within our lives. There is not a doubt in my mind that deliverance out of slavery and deliverance out of bondage is the beginning and opening work, and is followed by the work of salvation in which the living God delivers and sets us free from those enemies and adversaries which not only enslaved us, but also sought to pursue us after we have been set free.

It’s worth noting when reading the words which are found within this passage of scripture that the encounter which took place between Moses and Aaron and the king of Egypt didn’t begin when they stood before the king there in the midst of the land. We must recognize and understand that the narrative of Moses and Aaron standing before the king of Egypt began in the wilderness at the mountain of God when the angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in the midst of a bush that burned and yet was not consumed. It was there at the bush where you will find the living God of the Hebrews speaking unto Moses concerning the slavery, the bondage and the oppression of the children of Israel within the land of Egypt and how He had both seen and heard their cries and groans because of their afflictions. With that being said you will find the God of the Hebrews speaking unto Moses there at the burning bush and declare unto him that He was sending him back to the land of Egypt and back to the land where the children and people of Israel were living as slaves in bondage and oppression. What so completely and utterly fascinates me about the encounter and exchange which took place between Moses and the Lord there in the wilderness is that the Lord instructed him to rise from that place and to return unto the land of Egypt that he might bring the people of Israel out of their slavery, bondage and oppression, yet despite the fact the Lord instructed Moses to return unto the land of Egypt He didn’t reveal to him His entire plan and purpose within the land of Egypt. As you read the words which are found in the initial encounter and exchange between Moses and the Lord you will find the Lord declaring unto Moses they He was sure the king of Egypt would not let the children of Israel go without a strong arm and without a strong show of power and might. Even with those words the living God of the Hebrews didn’t reveal unto Moses exactly what would transpired there in the land of Egypt, nor what he could expect. It’s worth noting that even though the Lord told Moses what He was going to do, and even though the Lord promises Moses that He would be with him—and evening revealed Himself and His name unto him—He didn’t reveal the full scope and magnitude of his plan and that which He was planning and preparing to to within the land of Egypt. It is absolutely vital that we understand this reality, for it plays a crucial and critical role in the narrative we read concerning Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt when they would stand before the kind and emphatically and without hesitation and reservation command that he let the children of Israel go from the midst of the land. Moses and aaron knew the Lord had promised to deliver the children of Israel out of their slavery and oppression in the land of Egypt, and they knew they would stand before pharaoh there in the land of Egypt, however, they did not know, nor did they understand the full scope of that which the living God was going to do in the midst of the land of Egypt to bring His people out of their bondage and oppression.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT GREAT LENGTHS THE LIVING GOD IS WILLING TO GO TO IN ORDER THAT YOU MIGHT BE SET FREE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT GREAT MEASURES THE LORD IS WILLING TO TAKE JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE FREE FROM THAT WHICH HAS ENSLAVED YOU? ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT GREAT LENGTHS THE LIVING GOD IS WILLING TO GO TO TO BRING YOU OUT OF YOUR BONDAGE AND OPPRESSION? These questions are such which are absolutely astonishing and captivating within my heart and spirit, and I have to admit that as I sit here this morning I can’t help but consider these questions and find myself completely in awe—not only of the questions themselves, but also of the answers to those questions. If and as you read the words which are found within these chapters—not only will you find the revelation of the Lord desiring to deliver and set His people free from their slavery, bondage and oppression, but you will also find the great lengths and great measures He is willing to take to deliver and bring His people out of their slavery and oppression. If there is one thing these chapters points to and reveals it’s just how much the Lord desires your freedom, and just how much the Lord hears your cries and sees your groans under the weight and burden of your slavery, bondage and oppression. If and as you read the words which are written and found within the third chapter you will find that when the living God was speaking unto Moses He emphatically declared unto him that He had surely seen the affliction of His people which were in the land of Egypt and had heard their cry by reason of their task masters. What’s more, is you will go on to read how He knew their sorrows and was come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large. Please don’t miss and please don’t lose sight of this absolutely incredible reality, for to do so would be to miss something that is deeply profound within your own heart and life. As you read the words which are found here within this passage of Scripture you will find the Lord seeing the affliction of the people which were in Egypt and hearing their cry by reason of their sorrow and anguish in the midst of the land. With that being said you will not only find the Lord inviting Moses to come therefore and He would send him unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt that he might bring forth the people of Israel out of their slavery, bondage and oppression. If you continue reading even further within this passage you will find the living God of the Hebrews declaring that He was sure the king of Egypt would not let them go, no, not by a mighty hand, and as such He would stretch out of His hand and smite Egypt with all his wonders which He would do in the midst. Please pay close attention to those words concerning the Lord stretching out His hand to smite Egypt with all His wonders, for those words allude to the great measures the Lord was willing to take in order that he might deliver and set His people free from their slavery and bondage.

If you read the narrative of the children of Israel in slavery in the land of Egypt, the account of Moses and Aaron standing and appearing before Pharaoh, and that which the LORD God of the Hebrews desired to do you will find that it isn’t until the seventh chapter we begin to encounter the lengths and measures He was willing to take to deliver his people and His children out of their slavery, bondage and oppression. While at the mountain of God in the wilderness, and while standing before the bush that was burning yet not consumed the Lord told Moses He would stretch forth His hand to smite the land of Egypt with all the wonders He would do, and yet He did not reveal unto Moses that which He was going to do in the midst of the land. The only thing Moses knew was that the Lord had sent him unto Pharaoh, that the Lord promised to deliver His people out of their slavery and oppression, and that the Lord was going to stretch forth his hand against and upon the land of Egypt that He might deliver and bring forth His people out of theirs slavery, bondage and oppression. I asked the questions earlier if you were aware of what great lengths and what great measures the Lord was willing to take in order that you might be brought forth out of your slavery, bondage and oppression, and I can’t help but want to ask that question of you once more. As you sit here this morning, or perhaps this afternoon, or even this evening and read these words, are you truly aware of what great lengths and what great measures the living God is willing to take in order that you might be delivered and set free from that which has kept and held you in bondage? If there is one thing the narrative of the children of Israel reveals in the Old Testament book of Exodus it’s what great lengths and what great measures the living God was willing to take in order that He might deliver and bring forth his people out of their slavery, their bondage and their oppression. I would like to pause and take a moment to declare unto you who are reading these words concerning the great lengths and measures the Lord is willing to take to ensure that you are delivered and set free from your bondage and your oppression. In fact, the single greatest act and measure the living God was willing to take in order that you might be delivered and set free from your bondage and oppression was done nearly two thousand years ago when God allowed His only begotten Son whom He loved to hang naked, bloody, bruised and beaten on a cross and to die at the hands of Sinners in order that you and I might be set free and delivered from the curse and bondage of sin. The single greatest act the living God has ever and would ever be willing to do has already been done—and was not merely done on the day Jesus the Christ hung there upon the cross suspended between earth and sky, but even before the foundations of the world. Oh that we would encounter and come face to face with the incredible reality that the living God of Israel is willing to do absolutely anything and everything to ensure that you are delivered and set free from your bondage and oppression. Think about it—if He has already delivered up His eternal and only begotten Son to hang naked and bleeding upon a cross in order that we might be delivered from the curse and bondage of sin, there is very little He can and won’t do in order that we might be delivered and set free.

The words which we find written and recorded in these chapters within the Old Testament book of Exodus bring us face to face with the absolutely incredible reality that the living God cares about our freedom so much that He is willing to manifest His great power and His great might in the earth in order that we might be delivered and set free from that which has enslaved and kept us in bondage. Oh dear brother, oh dear sisters—are you truly aware of the great lengths and measures the living God is willing to take in order that He might bring you forth from your slavery, from your bondage and from your oppression? Do you know just what the Lord your God is willing to do in order that you might be brought forth from your slavery and bondage and walk in freedom? Are you truly aware of just how much the Lord your God is concerned with your freedom and how much the Lord is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that you find your way out of that which has enslaved and that which has ensnared you? The living God of heaven and earth cares so much about you that He is willing to do whatever is necessary in order that you might be delivered and set free from that which has enslaved and kept you in bondage. While the judgments which the Lord executed and wrought upon the land of Israel were in fact judgments that were leveled against the gods of Egypt, we must also recognize and understand that those judgments which He executed within and upon the land of Egypt were judgments which would be used to deliver and set the children of Israel free from the midst of their slavery, their bondage and oppression. There is not a doubt in my mind that when we read of what has commonly been known as the narrative of “the ten plagues,” we must not only read the account of these plagues simply as the means to decimate and devastate the land of Egypt, but also as the great lengths and measures the Lord our God is willing to take in order that He might deliver and bring forth his people out of their slavery, bondage and oppression. When Moses and Aaron returned unto the land of Egypt, and when they prepared to confront Pharaoh the king of Egypt—they knew the Lord was going to manifest His wonders in the midst of the land of Egypt, and they knew He was going to stretch forth His arm against the land, however, they did not know the extent of what that truly meant. It would be until just before the living God instructed them to enter into the presence of Pharaoh that they began to learn and understand exactly what the living God was willing to do in the midst of the land of Egypt against the land, against the gods of Egypt, and against Pharaoh himself. It wouldn’t be until once Moses and Aaron were in the land of Egypt they would actually begin to discover that which the LORD God of the Hebrews had in mind for the land of Egypt as He was willing to completely and utterly decimate and devastate the land that his people might be delivered and set free from their bondage and oppression.

PLAGUES! JUDGMENTS! We read the words which are found within these chapters and we consider the words which are presented unto and before us simply as plagues and judgments of the living God, and yet I am completely and utterly convinced that there is so much more here than simply plagues the Lord was willing to bring against the land and people of Egypt to completely humble, decimate and devastate it. When I read the narrative and account of the plagues which are presented before and unto us within these chapters I can’t help but come face to face with the means and measures the Lord our God was willing to take to ensure that His people might be delivered and set free from their slavery, bondage and oppression. The plagues and judgments we find and read within these pages are more than just means to decimate and devastate the land which the children of Israel were living as slaves within, but also as means to deliver and bring forth the people of God out of their slavery and that which kept them in bondage and oppression. Think about and consider for a moment the fact that the living God was willing to devastate and decimate the land of Egypt in order that he might deliver and bring forth His people out of the midst of their slavery, their bondage and oppression. Part of me can’t help but wonder if the treasure cities of Pithon and Ramases were decimated and devastated by the judgments and plagues the LORD God of the Hebrews brought against the land of Egypt. You will recall from earlier chapters that after the king of Egypt enslaved the children of Israel within the land of Egypt, he conscripted them to build for him the treasure cities of the land of Egypt. It’s worth noting and considering this reality, for when we think about and consider the judgments which the Lord raised and leveled against the land of Egypt, we must consider the fact that it’s quite possible the judgments and plagues the Lord brought against the land quite possibly also touched those treasure cities which the children of Israel had built for Pharaoh while living as slaves in the midst of the land. We must consider the fact that when the Lord brought His judgments against the land of Egypt He did so in order that He might devastate and decimate that which the king of Egypt had built and established there in the land of Egypt. As I read and consider the account of the ten plagues and judgments the living God raised against the land of Egypt, I am brought face to face with the unbelievable measures and lengths the Lord was willing to take to ensure that His people were brought forth from their slavery, their bondage and their oppression.

With all of this being said, I find it absolutely astounding and remarkable that within the narrative of Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh we don’t find them standing before him and in his presence once, and then he agrees to let the people of God go. Between chapter five and chapter twelve we find Moses and Aaron standing before and standing in the presence of Pharaoh multiple times in order that they might not only declare the word of the Lord, but also that they might demand and command that he let the children of Israel go from the midst of the land and from the midst of their slavery, bondage and oppression. When we read these words we must understand that when the Lord appeared unto and spoke to Moses concerning his being sent into the land of Egypt and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, he didn’t reveal unto him how many times he would need to return unto Pharaoh and enter into his presence before he would finally consent and agree to let the children of Israel go from the midst of their slavery, bondage and oppression. If you begin reading with and from the first verse of the fifth chapter you will find that after Moses and Aaron appeared before the elders of the children of Israel they went in unto Pharaoh and declared unto him, “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” These words which were spoken by Moses and Aaron in the company and presence of Pharaoh were immediately followed by Pharaoh’s response to them by asking who the Lord was that he should obey his voice to let Israel go. Furthermore, Pharaoh would go on to speak unto Moses and Aaron and declare unto them that he knew not the Lord, and neither would he let the people of Israel go. To these words Moses and Aaron responded by declaring that the God of the Hebrews had met with them, and then proceeded to demand and command him to let them go three days’ journey into the wilderness that they might sacrifice unto the Lord their God. The ultimate and end result is that Pharaoh was unwilling to hear the words which Moses and Aaron spoke unto them, and refused to let the children of Israel go from out of the land in order that they might sacrifice unto the Lord their God. It’s necessary and important that we recognize and understand this, for this would be the first of many confrontations between Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh king of Egypt. It would be one thing for Moses and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh and demand that he let the people of Israel go, and Pharaoh immediately responded unto them by agreeing to their demands and letting the people go. The truth of the matter, however, is that this simply isn’t what took place. Moses and Aaron stood before and stood in the presence of Pharaoh this first time and demanded and commanded that he let the children of Israel go, and yet not only did Pharaoh declare that he knew not the Lord, but he also declared that he would not let the children of Israel go.

This reality and concept of Moses and Aaron continuing to enter into the presence of Pharaoh and stand in his presence is quite remarkable and captivating when you take the time to think about it, for it brings us face to face with something we have an incredibly difficult time with. As you read the words which are found within these chapters you will find that there were a number of times the Lord spoke unto Moses and instructed both he and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh and command him to let the children of Israel and the people of God go. The first eight verses of the sixth chapter bring us face to face with the awesome and incredible reality that the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron after Pharaoh not only refused to let the children of Israel go, but also made their lives all the more bitter and sorrowful by increasing the affliction and oppression upon them there in the midst of the land. It’s one thing for pharaoh to refuse to let the children of Israel and the people of God go, however, it’s something else entirely to increase the degree and measure of the affliction and oppression they were already under while living as slaves there in the midst of the land. This is quite unique and worth considering for there are times within our lives when we are in the process of getting free, and there are times within our lives when we are doing absolutely everything we can in order that we might be free from our slavery, bondage and oppression, and yet it seems that the minute we try and get free the enemy and adversary increases the pressure, increases the affliction, and increases the oppression within our lives. How many times within your own life have you attempted to be free from that which has enslaved and kept you in bondage, and the minute you start speaking about freedom, the minute you start speaking about deliverance within your life the enemy and adversary seeks to increase the pressure and burdens of affliction and oppression within your life? How many times have you experienced increased oppression and increased affliction within your life the minute you started speaking about experiencing and finding freedom within your life? OH I know for a fact there are countless men and women among us within the house of the living God who have at one point or another within their lives began speaking about freedom and deliverance within their lives, and the minute they start speaking about such realities within their lives they are immediately confronted with increased affliction and increased opposition within their lives. What’s more, is that I would even declare that there are those outside the body of Christ who have begun speaking about deliverance and freedom within their lives, and the minute they start speaking about such realities within their life the enemy and adversary rises up against them with great force and ferocity in order that he might increase the affliction and oppression within their lives. In all reality, things appear to grow much worse when you start speaking about freedom and deliverance rather than improving and getting better, for the enemy has always been and is still unwilling to let you go and rid yourself of your bondage, slavery and oppression.

Within the narrative of Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh—not only are we confronted with the reality that there are times within our lives when we begin speaking about freedom, and as such we are met with increased opposition and affliction; but we are also confronted with the reality that there are times when experiencing deliverance and freedom isn’t an immediate process, but rather takes place over time within our lives. We must recognize and understand when reading the words which are found within these passages of Scripture that when we begin speaking about freedom and deliverance within our lives the enemy and adversary begins to throw everything—including the kitchen sink—against us in order that we might become overwhelmed with the burdens and pressures of our affliction and bondage. What’s more, is that within this narrative we encounter and come face to face with the reality that when we speak about freedom and deliverance within our hearts and lives—we aren’t guaranteed immediate freedom and deliverance. If there is one thing the narrative and account of the children of Israel in the land of Egypt proves and demonstrates it’s that even though deliverance and freedom begins to be spoken about in our lives we find ourselves facing even greater affliction and oppression. What’s more, is that even though we begin speaking about freedom within our lives, and even though we begin speaking about deliverance we find ourselves encountering and coming face to face with the fact that we need to return to the enemy and adversary and demand and declare that he let us go, and that he release us from the grip and clutches of slavery, bondage and affliction. Moses and Aaron didn’t merely enter into the presence of Pharaoh and demand that he let them go, and Pharaoh immediately responded by agreeing to let the people of Israel go. The narrative and account of the children of Israel living as slaves within the land of Egypt is one that contains repeated confrontations between Pharaoh and these two Levite brothers as Moses and Aaron would enter into his presence on a number of different occasions declaring and demanding the same thing. What’s so incredibly powerful about what we find within these chapters if that despite the fact that Moses and Aaron entered into the presence of Pharaoh on more than one occasion, the underlying message and declaration was the same—namely, that he let the people of Israel go, and that he allow them to go into the wilderness that they might worship the Lord their God and make sacrifices before and unto Him. With each subsequent encounter in the presence of Pharaoh we find Moses and Aaron demanding and commanding Pharaoh to let the children of Israel and the people of God go. With that being said, we must understand and recognize that even though we begin to speak about freedom within our lives—that doesn’t mean that freedom is instantaneous and will happen right away. Just because we begin speaking about and pursuing freedom within our lives, that doesn’t mean that we can and will experience freedom right away.

One of the single greatest realities that is found within these chapters is not only the repeated and continued judgments the Lord was willing to exercise and execute against Pharaoh and the land of Egypt, but also how many times the LORD God of the Hebrews instructed and commanded Moses and Aaron to go in and stand in the presence of Pharaoh and speak unto him all the words He had commanded them. Beginning with the tenth verse of the sixth chapter we find the Lord beginning to instruct Moses and Aaron to stand before and stand in the presence of Pharaoh in order that they might speak before and unto him all that He had commanded them. In the tenth verse we find the Lord speaking unto Moses saying the following words, “Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.” If you continue reading within this chapter and come to the thirteenth verse you will find Moses recording and recounting how the Lord gave both he and his brother Aaron a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. It isn’t until you come to the fourteenth verse of the seventh chapter where you will again find the LORD God of the Hebrews speaking unto Moses again concerning his need to return and to stand in the presence of Pharaoh while once more demanding that he let the people go. In verses fourteen through sixteen you will find the following words which the Lord spoke unto Moses concerning his need to return unto Pharaoh: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth, unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear” (Exodus 7:14-16). In the opening verse of the eighth chapter you will find the following words which were spoken by the Lord unto Moses, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Exodus 8:1). In the twentieth verse of this same chapter you find the following words: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Exodus 8:20). In the opening verse of the ninth chapter you will find the following words which were recorded by Moses concerning the narrative of the confrontation in the land of Egypt: “Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Exodus 9:1). In the thirteenth verse you find the following words: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Exodus 9:13). In verses one through three of the tenth chapter you will find the following words which describe yet another encounter between Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh king of Egypt:

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that they may know how that I am the Lord. And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Exodus 10:1-3).

The words which we find in the opening verses of the tenth chapter are the final ones that describe the Lord speaking unto Moses and commanding him to enter into the presence of Pharaoh, and to stand before him and command that he let the people of God go. If you read these chapters you will find that there were no less than seven times when the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to go in unto Pharaoh and to stand before him in his presence and to command and demand that he let the people of God go. This reality brings us face to face with something that is truly astonishing when you take the time to think about and consider it, for not only are you confronted with the fact that when it comes to freedom and deliverance within your life and my life, there are times when it doesn’t work the first time we try, and we need to return over and over again before we actually find and experience freedom within our lives. Moses and Aaron stood in the presence of Pharaoh at least seven times over a period of however many days, and made repeated demands and commands that he let the people of God, and there were many times when Pharaoh promised he would let them go, only to turn his back on his words when he found respite and reprieve from the judgments and plagues which had come upon the land of Egypt. It’s worth noting and understanding this reality, for we must understand that there are times within our lives when just because we begin speaking about freedom within our lives—that doesn’t mean that we can and will experience freedom right away. There are times when we will need to make repeated declarations before and unto the enemy and adversary before we can and will finally experience freedom and deliverance in our lives. Moses and Aaron had to stand in the presence of Pharaoh at least six or more times without any type of release of the people of God, and had to return again and again and again making the same demand and issuing the same command before the final plague and the final judgment would not only decimate and devastate the land of Egypt, but would actually strike the firstborn of every living thing in the land of Egypt—from Pharaoh’s own house, to the houses of his servants, to the houses of the people of Egypt, and even unto the cattle and livestock which were present within the land of Egypt. This is an incredible truth which we must recognize and understand, for not only do we understand what great lengths and what great measures the living God is willing to take to deliver us from our bondage and oppression, but there are times when freedom and deliverance isn’t found or experienced the first time we begin speaking about and pursuing it, and requires a continued and repeated persistence on our part as we stand before the enemy and adversary—not only demanding that he let us go, but also watching as the living God goes to work to bring about our deliverance. What’s so absolutely amazing about the narrative of Moses and Aaron standing in the presence of Pharaoh is that not only did they make repeated declarations in the company and presence of Pharaoh to let the people of God go, but they also stood back and watched as the Lord wrought and executed judgments against the land of Egypt before finally Pharaoh would drive the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt once and for all—at least until his heart was hardened once more and he pursued them in the wilderness at the shore of the Red Sea. Oh that we would read the words which are found within this passage and would come face to face with the incredible reality of just what lengths and measures the living God is willing to take to bring about our deliverance and freedom, and how even though the affliction and oppression might increase within our lives when we begin speaking about and pursuing freedom—if we are persistent, if we continue standing upon the promise(s) and word(s) of the living God, we will ultimately and eventually find ourselves stepping into that freedom we have so desperately yearned and longed for.