Now You'll See What God Will Do

Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

Exodus 5:22-6:1

In Exodus chapter five God walks right up to the biggest bully on Israel's block and picks a fight with him. At least that's how I read the story. God's people had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years serving one cruel Pharaoh after another. When God calls 80 year old Moses (a washed up, old, nobody in Egypt's eyes) to go to Pharaoh and say, "let My people go." Not only is Pharaoh not impressed by Moses or his miracles, he is not at all afraid of this God of the slaves either. In Exodus 5:2 he says, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."

"I've never heard of God, so how famous can He be?" he reasons. "If this God's people are all slaves serving me then doesn't that prove that my Egyptian gods are more powerful than He is?" To Pharaoh it did. He was insulted that Moses and this unknown god would dare approach him in this manner, so he added to the Israelites burden. He stopped providing them the straw they needed to make bricks, but he still required them to make the same quota of bricks each day. Of course, the Israelites failed to meet the quota, the Israelite foremen were beaten, and Pharaoh refused to relent. He renewed his demanded that they find a way to meet his impossible expectation.

When God stepped in to save them it actually made their situation worse. But here's the thing, when things got worse, God was just getting started. In the first verse of chapter six God tells Moses, "Now you will see what I will do..." What a powerful verse! Can you imagine hearing that come out of God's mouth?! 

So often when things get worse in our lives we see it as the end. We run to God to complain that things are worse now than before. But so very often when things get worse in our lives it's because God is just getting started on a new and amazing work. How does the old saying go? You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Sometimes the beginning of a great work looks messy and destructive. Trust God anyway because it's in those moments that you are best positioned to see what He will do.