The promised outcome made the list seem daunting. Enormous knots of nerves formed in the stomach of every adult as they ticked each box, doubling back to ensure its completion. Tenuously balanced on their adherence and obedience were life and death, deliverance and captivity. So they meticulously set about following instructions. On the tenth day of the month, choose a perfect, blemishless, male lamb, one year old. Keep it until twilight on the fourteenth day. Slaughter the animal. Gather your family into your home, making certain no one leaves until morning. Using a branch of hyssop, wipe the still warm blood of the lamb above and beside the door frame of your house. Roast the flesh. Gather at the table prepared to walk out the door. Fully dressed–belt, sandals, staff. Eat the roasted lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Eat quickly. You need to be ready. Deliverance is coming. Their desperate hearts hoped it was true. (Exodus 11-12)
Ugly uncertainty lurked in the recesses of their minds. Their hopes had been dashed before. For years they had cried out to God, begging for deliverance from their afflictions and sufferings. They’d been crying out for a rescue for decades. When Pharaoh’s daughter pulled Moses from the water and chose to raise him as their own, they thought surely this was the long-awaited answer to their anguished pleas. It wasn’t. Fleeing to Midian after murdering an Egyptian, their hope of escape fizzled and died. Their cries to Heaven intensified. And God heard their groans. Looking down from Heaven God saw His people. Abused. Afflicted. Tormented. Tired. Surviving but not thriving. And God was stirred to action. (Exodus 1-2)
Appearing undercover as a burning bush, God spoke to Moses in the wilderness. The message wasn’t met with rave reviews. Moses had excuses. He wasn’t on Pharaoh’s guestlist. He wasn’t eloquent. Frankly, he simply wasn’t inclined. But God is persuasive. He didn’t need someone with a fluid tongue of beautiful speech. He would provide the words when the moment warranted them. He wanted someone who would faithfully, willingly obey. He wanted Moses. (Exodus 3)
Surely the people’s hearts soared with hope upon hearing that deliverance was coming. Deep discouragement turned to reverent worship. Dark mourning to radiant joy. God had heard their cries! He had seen their blood and sweat and tears! He understood the physical and emotional toll the current situation was taking on them! He felt their helplessness and despair! He was moved by their groaning! He cared about their circumstances and had a plan to rescue and restore His people. God was fixing to move!
They thought it would happen immediately. Humming quietly to themselves, mothers excitedly began sifting through household items, clothing, and food stuff, determining what could be used before leaving, what should be taken, what must be left behind. Men began using spare time to repair carts and assess flocks, preparing for travel. In their excitement at receiving the promise of deliverance, they assumed God would send Moses in with force and they would be miraculously released from their captivity at the first attempt. It was not to be. (Exodus 4)
As Moses and Aaron came away from that first ill-fated meeting with Pharaoh, their expectations took a beating. In spite of God’s promises, no one was going anywhere. Not today. Not any day if Pharaoh could help it. His wrath poured out on them in intensified work requirements. They struggled to collect enough raw materials to meet the demanded number of bricks. The foremen endured the sting of the whip as demands exceeded their abilities. The people suffered as Pharaoh’s rage refused them mercy and necessary help to meet the added criteria. With every rebuke, every beating, every added requirement, hope wavered. Grew dim. Yet still it lived. God had promised and God is faithful. (Exodus 5-6)
Every time Moses and Aaron made the trek to speak with Pharaoh, they watched in anticipation, desperately hoping this would be the time Pharaoh would relent. It never was. The water turned to blood before his eyes. Pharaoh refused. Frogs and gnats and flies infested the land. Still he resisted. Egyptian livestock died of the plague. Pharaoh would not relent. Painful boils afflicted their skin. Hail decimated the remaining livestock and the already budding flax and ears of barley. Pharaoh wavered. For a moment it seemed he would change his mind. He didn’t. They were still stuck. Locusts came and devastated any remaining crops, ate the foliage off the trees, made general pests of themselves all across the land of Egypt. Darkness, thick and black and suffocating, covered the face of the land. Still Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let God’s people go. (Exodus 7-10)
As their hope began to shrivel, their faith started to shrink, their hearts became overwhelmed with the idea of having to stay put and endure more treacherous treatment, Moses came with this new message. A checklist, really. He said this was it. The final moment. They needed to prepare. The final, devastating plague was coming. A horrifying event that would release them from their torment. Their moment of deliverance was dawning. God had heard their cries. He saw their suffering. He knew their dire need. And, even if it hadn’t happened the way they thought it should, even if it had taken longer than they wanted, even if the whole series of escapades seemed ridiculous to them, God was working out his purpose. He was delivering them, not on their timetable, but on His. Why? So the entire earth would know He was the omnipotent, sovereign God of the universe and nothing was too difficult for Him. (Exodus 11-12:28)
Surely some wondered if it would be real this time. Would Pharaoh really let them go? Would he let them walk out of Egypt with their livestock and wives and little ones? Beside the sprig of hope, a seed of doubt must surely have tried to take root. They had watched Pharaoh stare down affliction, infestation, and devastation with hardly a raised brow. His heart was clearly made of stone. He didn’t care for his own people, let alone a group of slaves. This game of cat and mouse was clearly all about power for him. After every horror, he simply took a deep breath, flexed his muscles, and foiled their plan of escape again. How would this time be any different?
Having followed all the instructions of Moses, the Israelites gathered in their homes and waited. Newborn babies held in their arms. Young children asleep on their knees. Parents huddled in silence, waiting for the next instruction, the next guidance, the direction to move. As midnight struck, so did the hand of God. Within minutes, the wailing cries of bereaved Egyptians rang out across the land. There was no mistaking the sounds of mourning as mothers clutched lifeless children to their breasts. Fathers bent in agony over the beds of unbreathing sons. From the palace to the dungeon, death swept the nation. Except in Goshen. Except in the houses of Israel. Except in the places the blood had been applied. And in the aftermath of the midnight atrocity, Pharaoh finally relented. He let God’s people go.
Everyone in Egypt did. In a “Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?” moment, the Egyptians gladly ushered the Israelites out of Egypt. Immediately. No one tried to keep back one ox, one lamb, one goat, one person. Indeed, their hearts were filled with generosity. They happily gave the soon-to-be travelers gold and silver jewelry and clothing for their journey. Because when God promises deliverance, a rescue, a rout, His strong hand and outstretched arm comes through exponentially. Too bad the Israelites didn’t really learn to trust Him. (Exodus 12:29-42)
It wouldn’t be long before the people who had been gloriously rescued would once again become the people who doubted God’s ability to care for them. They would whine and moan over water and food. They would grow weary in the desert waiting for Moses to reappear and build themselves an idol. They would frustrate and anger both God and Moses regularly. I’d like to say I wonder why. Why did they act like spoiled brats when they knew from past experience that, even if they didn’t understand His plan or see His hand, God was always working on their behalf? As the question falls from my lips, a voice inside my head responds, “Why do you?” (Exodus 14:10-12, 15:22-26, 16-17, 32)
Good question. Knowing all we do about the miraculous power, the sovereign knowledge, the impeccable timing of God, why do we act like the wilderness wandering Israelites? Why do we throw tantrums every time God doesn’t immediately zap down the answer we want? Why do we assume we know the best timing and methods for every issue in our lives? Why do we immediately think God isn’t doing His job simply because we can’t see Him moving, preparing the way, setting the stage for our own rescue? Why do we think every missed date on our human calendar is a failed promise of God?
It isn’t. God never misses an appointment. He never breaks a promise. If He said He is bringing deliverance, you can absolutely rest in His word. I don’t know what you are struggling through today. I don’t know what answer to prayer you’ve been waiting on for the last few months or years. I don’t pretend to fully understand the dark valley your soul has been traversing the last few weeks. But I do know this. God sees you. He sees your situation, your fears, your tears, your burdens. Your cries have come up to His ears. Your groans of pain and frustration. Your sighs of anxiety and concern. Your prayers for help, a rescue, a respite have not gone unheard. So hold on. Keep the faith. Trust His word. God is fixing to deliver you. Just as He promised. (Job 5:19-27; Psalm 34:19; Psalm 56:8; I Peter 3:12; Mark 11:22; Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25-26)
Beautiful, thank you for the reminder Naomi (and God!)