Title: Let's Worship God
Exodus 5:1~3, 5:15~6:1
“Let’s worship God”
What is the purpose of the Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt? It must have been liberation from bondage and oppression in Egypt, of course. However, what we must not miss here is that the purpose of the Exodus was to serve and worship God. God said this when he gave Moses the mission to rescue his people from the burning bush of Mount Horeb.
Exodus 3:12 “...After you brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain, and this is the proof that I sent you.” :1 “…let my people go, and they shall celebrate a feast before me in the wilderness”, Exod. 5:3 “…because the God of the Hebrews appeared to us, we went about three days’ journey into the wilderness to worship the Lord our God. I'm going to make a sacrifice..."
As such, it can be clearly seen that the event of the Exodus was not simply for liberation from slavery, but for worshiping God, who is the subject of salvation and sovereign of all things. So, it is the fact that the people of Israel came out of Egypt and became a new community that believed and worshiped only God. However, it can be seen that this precious work is not easily accomplished.
First, intensification of labor
When Moses told Pharaoh that he would go out into the wilderness to worship God, Pharaoh thought that the people of Israel were making such a request because they were lazy. Exodus 5:7-9 says, “...they are lazy, and they cry out, saying, Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.” And in order to block such a demand, we stopped the supply of straw needed to make clay bricks and kept the production the same and made them work harder than before. There are several reasons for Baro's strong repression.
① It is the separation between Moses and the people of Israel. By making things worse, he was trying to break the expectations he had of Moses and to separate them.
② It reveals the fact that only Pharaoh is the supreme power. He made it known that it was not up to God whether Israel could work comfortably or not, but it was up to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so that they could obey only Pharaoh.
③ It was to make it clear that it was because of Moses that the situation had reached this point by putting all responsibility on Moses. So Moses was trying to show that what he was saying was a lie. Exodus 5:9 “…let them not hear lies”
Now, Moses must listen to the complaints of his people and take all responsibility. Moses was faced with a dilemma. Here we can see that the work that God has done is not always easy and smooth. Therefore, those who do God's work must listen to the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave them. “Blessed are you when they curse and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and rejoice, for the reward of heaven is great, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. thus persecuted the prophets” (Matthew 5:10-12).
Second, the interpreters and the troopers
At that time, the Egyptian workers' monitoring system adopted a dual leadership style of Egyptian “translators” (supervisors) and Israeli “chapters” (recorders-shoderik) (Exodus 5:6). In other words, the Egyptians had the supreme oversight, and the Israelis left the monitoring of the field. In other words, some of the oppressed were selected and given minimal privileges, and their people, the oppressed, were monitored. In this case, the chosen ones (leaders) forget that they are oppressed and use their privileges to actively cooperate with the oppressive system of Egypt (eg, the tax collector system in the time of Jesus).
① Roles of troopers - They were responsible for recording the working hours and amount of labor of the workers and taking responsibility for the results.
② So the coaches put pressure on the gangs, and the gangs put pressure on his people. If the amount of work allotted for a day was not met, the scribes beat the officers (Ex. 5:14).
③ When the captains are in trouble, they go to Pharaoh and protest that it is unfair to make bricks as before without even giving them straw. At this time, Pharaoh said, “Because you are lazy, let us go and worship” (Exodus 5:17).
Here, we can see that the leaders and the people of Israel did not go to God when faced with difficulties, but went to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and returned to the old order.
Third, the grumbling against Moses and Moses' lamentation against God
Moses hears accusations from his fellow countrymen that his work has become difficult by making unrealistic demands. “You have made us an abomination in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, and you put a sword in their hand to kill us” (Exodus 5:21).
① Moses pleads with God. Exodus 5:22 “Lord, why have you made this people oppressed, and why have you sent me?” Moses falls into deep despair. “How does it become more and more difficult to do God’s work?” is to do ② At this time, God's answer is given to Moses. In Exodus 6:1, “God said to Moses, “Now I will see what I will do to Pharaoh; with a strong hand Pharaoh will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of the land.”
God directed Moses to see the power of God working with His strong hand on the people of Israel who are suffering unjustly now. Here you can find out what faith is. Faith is seeing the hand of God at work in a desperate situation, beyond the surrounding circumstances. That is why human incompetence and limitations make us see the strength of God. 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore, for the sake of Christ I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, privations, persecutions, and hardships, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Conclusion: We are set free from death and sin in order to worship God. Therefore, we who are saved must live a life of worship every day. And when God works, I hope that you will see God's mighty hand instead of looking at the circumstances around you, even if you are sometimes faced with difficulties. Then, when I am weak, I will see the power of God who becomes strong.