SATURDAY, JANUARY 19
Exodus 5:20-23
Psalm 27:1-14

“I had fainted, unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the LORD …”

TROUBLES – HOW DO I RESPOND?

The beaten Hebrew officers were furious. They confronted Moses and Aaron as the latter returned from having met with Pharaoh. The officers blamed Moses and Aaron for their increased misery and torture. They even used the LORD’s name to curse them for having brought misery upon all of them. To them, Moses and Aaron’s idea of seeking Pharaoh to release them made Pharaoh and his slave masters loathe them. They even said that Moses and Aaron had signed the Hebrew slaves’ death warrant by their actions!

But what was Moses going through at this time himself? Remember that although the people had believed his words (Exod 4:31), Moses himself had just been rejected by Pharaoh (Exod 5:1-4). Not only was the rejection and insult of Pharaoh a great blow to the mission, Moses must have been wondering how he was going to face the children of Israel. On top of that, he was confronted by the badly beaten Hebrew slave officers, and their great anger and deep resentment at Moses and Aaron. They thoroughly blamed Moses for everything. How did Moses react? How do you react when facing great troubles?

Moses too had many questions and he returned to the LORD (Exod 5:22). He sought the LORD for answers instead of going into a raging frenzy. No doubt, the unreasonable expectations on these slaves and the intensified cruelty on what was already an extremely distressful slavery was no small matter. The beatings were not trivial. But instead of asking Moses to cry to God for help, they called upon the LORD to judge Moses. How do we react in dire trouble at home, in school, and at work? Do we become angry? Blame, and curse others? There is a big difference between such reactions and returning to God to seek to understand from His Word.

THOUGHT: What is my response when I face difficulties in service?
PRAYER: O God, let me look to Thee when troubles come my way.