Let My People Go

Let My People Go
 
4/4/22

 
 
 
 
There are many passages in the Bible that have been mentioned in only one direction or for only a single purpose, there is nothing wrong with this and it is a correct way to learn the Bible.  But we cannot ignore the fact that as we read the Bible and the stories that are associated with such passages, we must remember that sometimes the words or phrases used have other destinations as well.  It is at this point that God wants to teach us a few more things for He wants us our minds and hearts to be filled with His Word, His Definition so that we may understand how to live an abundant and joyful life.  Things are not going to stay "as good as they are now" and when these changed times become a challenge to us all, we need to ensure that we have as much eternal protection as possible against our enemy.  Let us take a few moments to read about how this popular phrase can be used in our preparation for future spiritual conflicts.
 
Most people in western societies have at least heard of the phrase "let my people go" once or twice in their lifetimes.  This previous statement is not an unfamiliarity for we know that the majority of western states are considered to be Christian or have least heard about the Gospel on a continued basis.  However, it is also common knowledge that when such phrases become used regularly and "wear off" they no longer are taken seriously and are worn on the shoulder alone, even if the automatic intention of hope and freedom that this phrase implies is not considered to be an old used sock.  Still, no matter how one thinks about or believes in this phrase it is one of the most powerful and inspiring passages that God's Definition contains.
 
I have stated for a while now that the Bible is the eternal definition of God and this is a complete and accurate claim for if we did not have a pattern to mold our lives to, that we could understand, then God would not, and could not consider Himself to be God nor could He claim to truly love us.  When we think about this passage in the manner of being a part of God's Definition, we can see just what else this phrase represents and when our hearts are open to this wisdom our spiritual lives come alive for we know that God is with us and that He will make everything perfect.  Do we know that this phrase is also a phrase of warning?  Some may have thought about this previously but probably most have not, it was a shock to me when God revealed this definition to me and it has changed how I view things and situations, especially when prophets and people who know God's Word give such testimonies and accounts of what is about to occur in our land.
 
"Love in its purest form is discipline" is a phrase that Jesse Duplantis used in one of his sermons a while back, it is a true statement and another phrase that many of us do not wish to hear but it must be said.  Is God stating that this ancient phrase is going to be heard again as a cry of warning today?  Yes, this phrase has already been present in some hearts and it rings very clear and loud to those who are listening.  It corresponds with the phrase used for the title of this article and what God wants to get across to us today.  Now, we know that Moses (God's voice) used the phrase "let my people go" many times during his battle with Pharaoh, this is a known fact, so we will use its first time usage in the Bible as the passage of Scripture for this article and it is as follows:
 
 

Exodus 5:1-2

 

"And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.  And Pharoah said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?  I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go."

 
One of the more fascinating things about this phrase that Moses said to Pharaoh was that it was the exact Word from God, for previously God said that it would be Him that told Pharaoh to let His people go even though Moses was the one who actually spoke the words.  Sometimes I have a difficult time saying the things that God has said for me to write, for they can be harsh at times but that is what God tells me to say and I since I am just a boy who wishes to do his best to obey, I write them as He says.  I can imagine what Moses must have thought about the first time he heard the voice of God through his lips, it took a bunch of courage and strength to get through this first moment.  However, Moses understood that this was not just a physical moment but a battle of the spirit realm and the preliminary rounds at that, a shot across the bow if you wish to put it in those terms.  Humans like to play around with the words of God and do their best to water down the warning that is attached to them, a fatal mistake that so many pastors, leaders, and congregants of the Church have bought into.
 
There are a few aspects here that support the words that Moses speaks and should have given Pharaoh the idea that no games were being played here, for God spoke a statement, not a suggestion or even a question.  It is this statement form that sets into motion the spiritual battleground in which one participant understood while the other one did not.  First off, Moses and Aaron enter the room where Pharaoh was located and just begin telling him what God had said to them to say.  Moses opens up and proclaims that the God of Israel had said for him to let His people go.  Pharaoh never addresses the Children of Israel as God's people, only as Israel which means he did not recognize God or His existence at all; furthermore, adding to the words at the beginning of Exodus that a new king had come to power that did not know Joseph.  Moses and Aaron got right to the point, they did not hesitate.
 
Moses said that the Lord God of Israel had told him to tell Pharaoh to let His people go so that they may hold a feast to God in the wilderness.  If Pharaoh would have heeded this request, things might have been different between him, Moses, and God but he did no such thing and totally rejected what God had said to him.  Pharaoh even added the fact that he did not know this God of Israel and that since he knew nothing of Him that he had no reason to obey the words from Moses.  This exchange between God and Pharaoh was the first that if we read further in the book of Exodus of many more to come, each time bringing another supernatural fight that Pharaoh did not heed.  Notice something else here, God made His statement of what Pharaoh needed to do but God did not say what He was going to do as serving the consequences of disobedience.  This result was not known until the ordered plague hit and was actively being maneuvered among the intended people and targets.  Do you really think that things would have been different in the hearts of Pharaoh and his people if God had been cast as a predictable god?
 
I can just feel the oozing of pride and arrogance coming from the mouth of Pharaoh, the greatest and most powerful leader during that period of time.  All of the past kings of Egypt were considered gods, sent to the people of Egypt to serve them in a divine way which created a cloud of sovereignty and deity that no one even dared to challenge.  So when Moses and Aaron come marching in demanding that he let his captives and free laborers go, it had to be a funny setting at least in the eyes of Pharaoh.  Pharaoh physically heard those words from Moses but he failed to understand what they meant, the warning that God was giving him before something ugly occurred to him, his land, and his people.  Arrogant and selfish leaders have no true need for a god that will change their attitudes toward how they believe, nor will they accept authority over personal ambitions of themselves when it comes to heeding advice about bad things coming to a great land, especially coming from a "deity" that deep down they know is not even real.  How many of us fit into this type of category too?
 
These words that Moses said were ones of things to come if Pharaoh did not heed and obey what God said.  It did not matter if Pharaoh believed the words or not nor did it matter if he believed in God or not, what Moses said was a direct warning to Pharaoh that God meant business but at the same time was merciful to the leaders and people of Egypt.  God wanted His people to live in freedom once again, to be the light that saved Egypt from starvation many years before, the ones who worshipped God, the everlasting One who saves if obeyed.  Egypt had enslaved the Children of Israel, and the liberators had become the slaves of the same land a common scene unfolding today as well.  Let my people go became a personal and governmental message for anyone who would listen and do their best to understand.  When Pharaoh refused to listen to the words of God, we find that certain settings that were not pleasant began to occur in Egypt, deeper and more difficult plagues began to present themselves and by the time the last "let my people go" had been spoken, then the plagues became personal and death filled the land in just one short night.

The warnings from God continued and did not vary at all, His statement never waivered and the results of such disobedience also continued.  Until the last warning was issued but at the same time a new command came down from God to Moses to say and to give to the people of Israel.  Interestingly enough, Pharaoh intensified the harsh conditions of Israel to the point where it did not matter if people would die completing the tasks of Pharaoh.  But this effect did not have the same attitude reflected in Israel, they continued to suffer but worked even harder, an identical path to what the warnings and consequences handed out.  The last plague was a bitter pill to swallow for it cost many lives that night to those who did not listen and obey God's command.  Just as in every other scenario since that time, and even before, the ones who listened were safe from God's warnings and wrath, but to those who wanted to ignore His warnings, devastation like never known before came.

Why does it take humans so long to figure out what God is trying to say to them?  In this case, the Word of God was a warning and it should not have taken ten plagues to convince Pharaoh about what God was saying.  In truth, it should not have taken the first plague to occur at all.  But, humans have a large tendency to do what they believe is correct and stay with that stance until it is too late or something really extraordinary occurs, this type of behavior is not cool either.  It is known that when God must place judgment on people, He gives warnings first, today is no exception either.  God has given multiple warnings to everyone who will listen, but still, there is a far greater multitude who have ignored these warnings, we have no one to blame for ourselves.

It is obvious that the world is not going to let God's people be free from the bondage of their livelihood.  The problem is, that many of God's people have bought into this slave mentality from the world and now fight for it even in the pulpits of the Church.  God says fine, He will take care of rebellion appropriately causing many to fall from their positions in the Church; see, the Church is not exempt from the warnings that God has given, in fact, we should be the ones constantly checking to make sure we are properly prepared to complete the work that God has given us to do.  We should never assume that the warnings from God are just directed to the Egyptians, for even the Israelites had to be properly prepared and follow the specific instructions to be exempt.  No, it was not an easy night for even though Israel were safely in their houses they did hear the cries and moans of others in the land.

The people of Israel had examples of God's judgment to learn from and they followed the warnings as made mentioned, but as we follow them along their way in the wilderness how many of them began to doubt God and then curse Him for the terrible long journey that they took.  Furthermore, their doubts kept the older ones from seeing the Promised Land a direct result of their lack of commitment to God.  Look at our land today and the journey Jesus set us to do, we have failed miserably and have created an eternal mess that we are falling behind in.  Church, you are still good in God's eyes but we need to change our hearts by turning back to God and starting our ministry up again, Jesus' true ministry, not ours.  We have voluntarily begun to ignore the warnings of what God said to Pharaoh so many generations before us, we should not be promoting slavery or hardening our hearts to God's warnings.

Let's change back into godly people that love God and want to see His Work being completed in other lives.  Let us preach and teach the rejection of the world's slavery and once again be solid witnesses for Jesus.  God warned the people of Egypt for a reason, He specifically warned Pharaoh as well yet pride and arrogance prevailed and it eventually cost them not only their lives but their dynasty as well.  Church, we are on the verge of this same disaster and it shall be a terrible shame to see what Jesus commanded us to be to go down in destruction with the nation He created to be the land of salvation for all those who wished.  As we read in the Bible, God allowed His people to be set free, and He shall do the exact same process today.

            Hint: This is a warning

DLB