Exodus 4:21-6:1
Why Now?

I. Why is this happening to me now?
A. I’ve tried to do the right thing: did my job; gone to church, given, pulled my weight, prayed, etc.
1. Now I’m unemployed; divorced; children are prodigals; business is bankrupt; I’m lonely and tired.
B. The Watered-Down, Less Magical Prosperity Gospel: principles for success, practical insights, perks
1. What do they do when things don’t work out? They double-down. Others suspect them.
2. That’s what happens when you think God works automatically like a vending machine.
II. The control (4:21-23): God says, “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart” (4:21)
A. The Lord is in control: Some argue that we’re in control; God goes along with whatever we decide.
1. The inclination: sinners are always inclined to evil, slaves of sin, unable, dead in sin, hostile to God.
a. God doesn’t have to intervene in sinners to make them sin. Sinners will sin by nature.
b. When the God’s Word comes to a sinner’s heart with no grace, it will harden his heart.
2. The causation: Who’s will is ultimate? God’s or ours? Who makes the initial choice? a. It is telling that first God says He will harden Pharaoh’s heart. God is the ultimate cause.
3. The Biblical indication: Scripture interprets scripture. “So then He has mercy on whomever He wills and He hardens whomever He wills.” (Romans 9:18)
B. The Implication of Trouble: If Pharaoh is going to resist that means they will have tribulation.
1. We celebrate God’s control but miss that we still have enemies, that death still has a sting.
2. God assures Moses of His absolute control but then says He is going to make things more difficult.
III. the carelessness (4:24-26): Moses hasn’t lead his own family to obey the covenant yet. People today are often careless, thinking that they can be in relationship with God without blood.
IV. the confession (4:27-31): now they confessed that the Lord had visited them; they bowed and worshipped
V. the confrontation (5:1-5): ‘Let my people go.’
A. Moses and Aaron Were Provocative: they didn’t follow the instruction of 3:18 at first
1. They were supposed to be courteous and under-state their request to help Pharaoh save face.
2. Pharaoh scoffs back “Who is the Lord” (5:2)? ‘Then he determines, “I will not let Israel go.”
B. a battle of wills: Is this how the Lord ordained that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened?
VI. the condemnation (5:6-21): same quota of bricks but now they must gather the straw themselves
A. why do our enemies afflict us?: the world, the flesh and the devil afflict us
1. Our enemies afflict us (with temptations and mockery) to get us to pay no attention to God’s Word.
2. We’re tempted to believe that we can live on bread alone; that we just need money not God.
B. More Work in the Same Time:
1. They scramble to do it. When they fall behind, the Israelite foremen are beaten and taunted.
2. They cry out to Pharaoh (like they did to God) and point fingers and complain to Moses.
3. Why did Israel collapse so soon? As in the parable of the seeds, when trouble and persecution came because of the Word, they quickly fell away.
VII. The conclusion (5:22-6:1): Moses turns to the Lord: “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people?”
1. Moses is dismayed (5:22-23). Why are we experiencing evil if it’s under God’s power?
2. We pray for God to fix the situation, not realizing He put us in the situation to fix us.
3. “Now”, Moses, after you’ve tasted the bitter, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh.”
VIII. Invitation: why are you suffering? If the Lord’s hand is stronger, why do you still have these problems? God’s strong hand is controlling the tribulations. If we think believing is all about the benefits, we missed that the great benefit — salvation, eternal life, sanctification, becoming more like Christ — is worth more than all the perks. If we’ve missed that, we’ve missed a lot. We’ve missed why in this world we have tribulation. And so, when we turn to God, cry out to Him in our pain, we might miss, tragically miss, the relief. Jesus says, “Take heart, I’ve overcome the world.”