God humiliates a haughty nation through His awesome displays of wonders.

Have you been waiting for God’s intervention before an arrogant people who have craftily dealt with you? Perhaps, it has been long since you saw a clear sign of deliverance that you are about to give up thinking that God is not present in your problems. The Israelites went through a similar situation when they were oppressed in Egypt for many years. But let’s see how God delivered them from this powerful nation using a special strategy to silence them!

The 4-part Battlefield Series continues! In the previous posts, we saw two different scenarios and the techniques that led to the victory of God’s people. We saw how David defeated Goliath (David vs. Goliath) and how King Jehoshaphat miraculously won against a multitude by judiciously seeking God’s intervention (Jehoshaphat vs. A Multitude).

In this post, we will see how God used Moses to humble the Pharaoh and the entire nation of Egypt.

The Israelites were aliens living in the land of Egypt for years. After Joseph died, his good deeds were forgotten and another ruler came to power who mistreated the Israelites making them his slaves. Thus, Egypt had forgotten the God of the Hebrews who had delivered their nation from a massive famine that would have otherwise blotted the nation out of the world.

The Egyptians were so conceited that they believed their prosperity was only from the gods and the beliefs they followed.

God performed a great feat amongst them to show them that He alone was God above all gods – He had decided that if the Egyptians had many gods among them that they thought were the greatest, He would humble each and every one of these gods one by one.

It was the ultimate showdown in history and God used a special man for His assignment.

Since the Israelites were worn down by the toils of slavery they would have given up too easily. God chose Moses to lead His children out of Egypt into the promised land of Canaan. Let’s see the qualities Moses possessed that set him apart from the rest of his people for this unique assignment:

Humility

He was once a man akin to Pharaoh of Egypt in his royal upbringing but due to his impulsive choice became a fugitive and settled as a foreigner in the land of Midian. Forty years in a foreign land living a life contrary to that in Egypt taught Moses to be humble and this was one of his strong characters that even God Himself was impressed (Numbers 12:3).

God loves humility in his children but He hates haughtiness (Psalm 138:6). By being humble we are submitting ourselves to Him and accepting that we are entirely dependent on God to meet our needs.

Patience

It is said that Moses had learned much of patience in the desert sands of Midian whilst shepherding his sheep; for he had learned much of God during that time. It would take a leader with incredible amount patience to stand by God as He proclaimed judgment against Egypt for these events happened over a span of time.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:24). If we don’t possess it we may not be able to wait for the intervention of God and His time is always the right time. His ways are unique as was in the case of Egypt.

Obedience

God commanded Moses to throw his staff before the Pharaoh and Moses obeyed. It is clear from every instance of the plagues, Moses’ obedience counted for God’s work to be displayed by using him before the Pharaoh (Exodus 40:16).

Even when Moses was not sure what the outcome of the situation would be, he was willing to obey every command of God.

Even when the situation is unfavorable God expects us to be obedient to Him and by not being rebellious before Him. We could question our circumstance and turn away from God in bitterness or we could be obedient towards Him and wait on Him, the latter being a better choice. 

Communion with God

Moses had an active communion with God that any time he was faced with trouble, he made it a point to first set his face towards God and ask Him for His intervention. And because of this interaction with God, he was able to know the plan beforehand and get the answers for each situation clearly.

Communion with God (see also David vs. Goliath) is always required to know the plan of God in our lives. It helps us to fine tune our lives according to the directions given by God.

The first encounter with Pharaoh ends up a major setback to the Israelites who expected instant victory. In contrast, the Pharaoh increased their burden of labor. However, Moses first sought God to know what went wrong. It was then God confirmed the second time that He will deliver Israel out of the hands of Egypt.

Faith in God

Living in Midian for forty years, Moses never lost faith. In all those years, he only learned more about God rather than backsliding and losing trust in Him. He waited for God’s appointed time in his life. Even if it meant he had to wait for forty years.

The result was dramatic. Moses’ faith was like no other. Even when the Egyptians were closing in at the Red Sea, Moses kept reminding the people that God was able to save them even in such distress. He trusted God. This was why when he raised his staff against the sea, the waters parted to either side which indicated his unshakeable faith.

Faith in God, as we have seen in the previous posts of this series, is a prerequisite in times of tribulation. It defines the depth of our relationship with God. If we trust Him and love Him (Mark 12:30) our faith in Him will also be strong. Faith is the rudder of our spiritual growth too. 

It was due to these key traits in Moses that  God was able to use him to deliver His children from the slavery of Egypt.

It is interesting to note that the plagues that had hit Egypt left a devastating effect not only on the nation’s economy but had also shaken the Egyptians’ faith in their gods. Let’s see what happened with the advent of each plague:

God foretold Moses that the He would harden the heart of Pharaoh. But as they were hit by each plague, Pharaoh started to realize that he was as helpless as he can be before a powerful God he’d never experienced until now.

But God gave time for the Pharaoh to finally give in. Why? He made sure that no one- not even the generations of the Israelites can deny that God’s resplendent displays of power had humbled this nation. He wants you to know that He is able to close down anyone who stands haughtily before Him and His children. His powers are matchless!

Some historians say that the ruin of the ancient Egyptian empire had commenced after the Exodus of Israelites from the nation and it became no more than just a province which was often plundered by other nations during wars. Such is the result of God’s work. When He silences our enemies He makes sure they become history!

 Remember the character of Moses:

God is able to do the same in your life if only you yield unto Him by not giving up. He is a faithful God!

For the LORD hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Psalm 69:33

Hope you found this post useful. Please do not forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below. In a fortnight, we will learn in the final post of this series, how Joshua and the Israelites conquered the land of Canaan by employing amazing tactics.

God bless!

(Picture courtesy: featured image from the movie ’10 commandments’, other images from JW and Action Bible)