Exodus (Program #20) -Pharaoh’s Subtle Bargaining

We may not think of ourselves as particularly crafty or skillful negotiators in a worldly sense.  But oh how we bargain with the Lord!  There are a lot examples of subtle bargaining with God in the Bible.  But the story of Pharaoh in Egypt found in the book of Exodus is a particularly striking one.  For Pharaoh can at one time represents Satan but also represents ourselves or even our family members.  There is a lot for us to relate to in today’s program.

Today we are coming back to this conflict that took place between God and Pharaoh.  Initially it seems that the Lord’s demand of Pharaoh was clear enough, very straightforward: “let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.”  He tells him in Exodus 5:3, but it take 10 long chapters and 12 different encounters before this ultimately takes place…

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Exodus (Program #19) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (5)

Bible scholars have long agreed that Egypt, the land that held God’s people, Israel in slavery for more than 400 years typifies the world, the system of commerce, culture, education and even entertainment is today’s Egypt, complete with its accompanying slavery and bondage.  God’s way with Israel was to change their view of the land they had grown to love.   He wants to do the same with us today.  When we see the world as God sees it, our heart like Israel’s heart will be changed.

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Exodus (Program #18) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (4)

God’s desire is that His people will build Him a dwelling place on the earth. This was His intention for the children of Israel even as they were held in bondage under Pharaoh in the book of Exodus and it’s His intention for us today. In Exodus, a struggle ensued between God and Pharaoh whereby He manifested not only judgment upon the Egyptian world but also the real nature and issue of the life of the world – the life that usurps God’s people. If we receive mercy, we’ll take this warning given to all God’s people about the usurping worldly system.

It has been a tremendous journey thus far, as we just get into the book of Exodus.  We come to that portion in the last few days, we have been reviewing the conflict between God and Pharaoh.  It is a fairly well-known story to most Christians and believers.  But Witness Lee has been pointing out that we are going to see very directly today that these 10 plagues and these 10 encounters, actually a dozen encounters that took place over all between God and Pharaoh were not just God’s judgement on Pharaoh and on Egypt but are really intended as an exposure and a kind of education for God’s people as well, to realize the real situation that Egypt represents.  Why do we know that this is a picture to expose but not just a matter of God’s judgement on Egypt and Pharaoh?

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Exodus (Program #17) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (3)

The book of Exodus reveals God’s desire to rescue His people from everything other than Himself.  After the Exodus from Egypt, God’s people saw a heavenly vision by which they came to know God Himself and to know the kind of living that’s in accordance with God.  This way they can be built up as God’s dwelling place on earth. This is the basic concept of the book of Exodus and it is also the basic concept of our Christian life.

We are going to continue to look at God’s demand and Pharaoh’s resistance on our broadcast today.  This conflict going on between God and Pharaoh that lasted 10 chapters in Exodus…

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Exodus (Program #16) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (2)

The book of Exodus is a book of pictures, not a book of philosophy.  The pictures in the first part of Exodus present a portrait of life in the world under Satan’s usurpation.  God said to Pharaoh, “let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.”  God’s people had fallen into a worldly life under Satan.  So God spoke and acted in a severe way to ultimately rescue His people.  How about God’s people today?  Many are still under the occupation of today’s Pharaoh and God is still demanding “let My people go”.  Please stay with us for this extraordinary life study of the Bible.

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Exodus (Program #15) – God’s Further Training of Moses

God’s calling of Moses is the most complete call in the Bible.  Moses took God’s word, and did all that God had charged him to do.  However, things did not turned out as Moses expected.  To his surprise, he was defeated, Pharaoh was victorious and the children of Israel suffered all the more.  For this reason, he complained to the Lord in Exodus chapter 5 saying “why is it that You sent me?  Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has mistreated this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”  Have you ever brought such a charge against the Lord?

We want to continue today to look at how God further trained Moses, His called one.  This is critical to us because we have been seeing the calling of Moses very much represent our own calling by God.  Yesterday, in fact we saw that the first two items that God brought to Moses in this further training were His name and His covenant.

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Exodus (Program #14) – Jehovah’s Name and His Covenant

In Exodus, the Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand that Pharaoh release God’s people from slavery.  But rather than yield to God’s demand, Pharaoh rebuffed, even humiliated Moses, a man of God.  A predictable discouragement followed and Moses complained openly to the Lord.  But the Lord shows this critical moment to reveal Himself to an even greater way to Moses, His called one.  Have you seen Jehovah, the great I AM in the midst of your setbacks?  Stay with us, as we get another view of our Savior God on today’s life study.

This is a very precious word today.  Moses was sent by the Lord to Pharaoh to make God’s demand to release the people known.  But he is rebuffed by Pharaoh and no doubt he was expecting a much different outcome.  At the end of chapter 5 he revealed his discouragement to the Lord and then the Lord responded by revealing His name to Mose. more…

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Exodus (Program #13) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (1)

During the captivities of God’s people, Israel, God had near direct dealing with the tyrannical Pharaoh as he held God’s people in against God’s demand to let them go.  Pharaoh in this ancient story represent God’s enemy, who resisted God’s demand and refused again and again. This story depicts not just the situation in that ancient time, today’s Pharaoh is still resisting God and occupying God’s people with so many distracting and enslaving items.

Today’s broadcast again brings us to the Old Testament book of Exodus.  As we look at this well-know battle between God and His enemy.  A battle that occupy some 10 chapters in Exodus.

In the section today covering God’s dealing with Pharaoh, many people know this passage of the Old Testament or at least some of the items in it.  But we will see something today that will be very fresh, very connected to our own experience of the Lord.

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Exodus (Program #12) – The Three Stations in Fulfilling God’s Purpose

As the children of Israel were called by God in Exodus 3 to make their exit or exodus from Egypt, they were directed to 3 different stations that will ultimately be a part of their journey.  First to the wilderness, then to a mountain and finally to a land flowing with milk and honey.  These stations represent 3 stages in the journey of all God’s people.  What stage are you at?

Our message today gives us an overview of the book of Exodus and a picture or series of pictures, depicting the various stages in our Christian life.  To see these stories form the Old Testament in such a way is to bring real spiritual light to us and illuminate the way more clearly for us to go on with the Lord is really the point of this whole life study.  It seems that Witness Lee has no heart just to study the Bible in the way of history or doctrine.

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Exodus (Program #11) – The Purpose of God’s Calling

The story of Moses is really the story of God’s calling.  Moses was surely called by God.  The account of this calling is both riveting and captivating.  How we admire a man like Moses so useful to God for His purpose.  But what about us?  Is God also calling us?  And if so, what is the purpose?  Stay with us today, and you might be surprised to find out that God is calling us and calling us for the very same purpose He called Moses.

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