Moses & Pharaoh: When Good is not enough for God.
Ladies and gentlemen, 2025 has been a busy year indeed. Every single month has brought more than its fair share of hurdles to jump over, and I sincerely thank God for keeping us all to this point. And to you, keeping your head above water and taking each day as it comes, seeking grace and strength to do life and serve God, I say well done! Let’s get right into it. We’ll be doing some serious Bible study today, so please sit back, relax and pray that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened as we journey into the Word.
As Christians, we’re most likely familiar with the story of the Exodus, and how God worked great and terrible signs to get Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about for whatever reason, maybe you didn’t grow up in church, or you aren’t even a believer, and you just stumbled upon this post, welcome! I’m about to put you on to the most action-packed non-fiction thriller you’re ever likely to read. And the best part? Every single word is true! Not a single story was fabricated, nor a single promise imagined. It’s compiled in a wonderful Book called the Bible, and every page is a serious banger. God gave it to us to help us deal with everything that pertains to life and Godliness, and His Spirit on our insides helps us with the confusing bits, but sometimes we gather together to explain the things we find inside to each other, just like now. So let’s all begin at the beginning.
Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Joseph, let’s call him Joe, who had some serious lastborn syndrome. Joe’s daddy and mummy were rich people, and he had 11 brothers and 1 sister, but he was his daddy’s pet and he knew it (Gen. 37:3). He snitched on his brothers (vs. 2) and he kept dreaming dreams that he would not shut up about (vs 5-9), so he was probably really annoying to have around. It was so bad that one day, they got tired and bundled him like a ram, and threw him inside a well. Imagine how annoying someone had to be to piss everyone off that much. Anyway, they changed their minds and sold him to those people that provide domestic staff for others (vs. 28), and those ones in turn sold him to an Egyptian rich man. That was the beginning of Joe’s trials and tribulations, but somewhere along the line, God helped him upgrade from houseboy to Prime Minister of Egypt. I told you it was action-packed, didn’t I? And this is just a summary. You should read the whole thing, I promise you’ll shout at least 5 times. Anyways, small Joe became Odogwu Joe, and just like a scene out of a Nollywood movie, he reunited with his family, forgave everybody (like play, like play), even imported them into his home and family in Egypt, and they all lived happily ever after (Gen. 39-50). Now here’s where things get interesting. Remember how Joe had 12 siblings? Yeah, you can tell that they took the instruction to be fruitful and multiply seriously in that lineage. Well, a few generations down the line, and that family of 13 children had propagated and become a full nation in Egypt (Exo. 1:5-7). In fact, they were so many that the Egyptians became afraid of them, and enslaved them so that they would not rise and overthrow their kingdom. The Egyptians made these people, who called themselves Israelites after Joe’s daddy, to build their cities and serve them. But no matter how much they tried, they could not stop them from multiplying (Exo. 1:6-13). The original Hebrew women, indeed.
Sooo… that’s how the Egyptians kept maltreating the Israelites, upgrading from punishing them with work to killing their male babies, until God said enough is enough, and raised up one short-tempered stammerer named Moses to go and release them from Pharaoh’s hand. And that is where we dwell today, with the interactions between Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and Moses, servant of the Living God. Wow, talk about a backstory.
Moses, born of a Levite but raised in the palace of the Pharaoh as the son of the previous Pharaoh’s daughter, was a man who had seen his fair share of trials (there’s another sweet story here but you’ll have to read it up yourself, check Exodus 2 &3), before he met God and was given his assignment: to go and tell the current Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. I just want us to take a minute to fully comprehend what God asked Moses to do. God told this man, who was a wanted murderer by the way, to go and meet the very person that could kill him. And not only that, but to tell this person, who happened to be the King of Egypt, that God was demanding the immediate release of His people. First of all, Sir, who do you think you are? And which God? The one Pharaoh knew abi the one he had never heard of? What could possibly have made you think Pharaoh was going to answer you? God Himself told Moses that Pharaoh would not agree. Like any sane human being in such a situation, Moses was very reluctant to embark on this quest. He tried everything, every excuse he could think of to get out of it, until he made God angry with his excuses and received his personal spokesperson and instant common sense at the same time (Exo. 3:2-22; 4:1-17).
And that was how Moses went with his brother Aaron, to Pharaoh the first time and thus began the plagues that befell Egypt on account of Pharaoh’s stubbornness. God sent Moses on an errand, and the first time he went to deliver His message, Pharaoh decided to reply in extra wickedness to the children of Israel, and introduced them to Sufferhead Pro Max, like the one they had been dealing with was just the starter pack (Exo. 5: 1-19). Moses went back to cry to the One who sent him, and God still sent him back to Pharaoh, as per, my dear, you will just have to do this one. There’s no way around it. This time, He sent him and Aaron with the sign of the snakes, but Pharaoh rolled his eyes since all his magicians could do the same (Exo. 7:1-13). The next day, Moses went back, this time with the sign of the Nile, but again, the Egyptian magicians could do the same, so no way (Exo. 7: 14-24). Pharaoh did odeshi, and went home. Then came the sign of frogs, and when the magicians brought forth frogs too, Pharaoh thought it was business as usual. But then, the time came for them to tell the frogs to go, and they found that they couldn’t get them away. Pharaoh had to ask Moses to help him beg God, promising for the first time to let the people go, but after God kept His own end of the bargain, Pharaoh decided to shout “Psych!” And he did not keep his word (Exo. 8:1-15).
After this, God sent Moses with the signs of the gnats and the flies, and I don’t know about you, but i don’t think there is anything quite as annoying as the presence of flies. Everything about them is annoying, from their buzzing to the way they look, their mere presence is enough to spoil someone’s mood, and then these people had flies everywhere (Exo. 8:16-21). But God did 2 distinctive things in this case; first, He made the magicians powerless to replicate these signs, as if to tell them, “there are levels to this thing. You can never be able to compare (Vs. 18-19).” And then, He separated His own people in Goshen (vs. 23). Just imagine swarms of huge, disgusting buzzing things disturbing and frustrating everybody everywhere, and then across the street, there are people singing and washing clothes and going about their daily business, because nothing concerns them with the afflictions of the unrighteous. That’s exactly what was happening (Vs. 24). It was so bad that Pharaoh, with his heart of stone, decided to negotiate. He called Moses, and told him, “oya, oya, you people can worship your God, but you have to do it here o, within the land.” (Vs. 25)
Now, let’s look at this. For a people who had been in captivity for over 400 years, who had never been allowed to freely worship, because Pharaoh himself is the god of the Egyptians, and all worship must be to him, this would have been seen as a pretty huge deal. It was a miracle in itself that Pharaoh would not only acknowledge the presence of a God who was not himself, but also permit His worship. So that was really great, but there’s a but. If the Israelites were to worship God within the land as he demanded, in that environment, then their worship would have been done in fear, fear of the Egyptians and what they could do to them, fear of the work that had been left and would most likely be doubled by the time they came back to it. It was a tactic, a move to let their worship be controlled and restricted by their environment. Worship, but only because I allow it. Worship when I want you to, where I want you to, how I want you to. Worship, but not with joy and gladness, because you are slaves, you are bound, you are mine. Stay. Here. Sound familiar?
Well, Moses said no, and then he relented a little, adjusted his terms and said, “Okay, you can go, but you cannot go far (Vs. 28).” He even had the audacity to ask them to pray for him. Omoooooo. Here again, on the surface, that seems like a really good deal. After all, why couldn’t they just do their worship close by and be coming back? Is it not to sing and dance? They can sing their throats out, dance all the makoosa they want, and resume work on Monday. Nothing spoil. So basically, go, but stay in proximity. Go, but stay where I can see you, and you can remember that I have held you captive for so long that it’s the only life you know. Go, but keep the shame of slavery in view and let its binds bring you back to me when you’re done. Stay close, so you don’t lift your head and even realise there’s any other option available to you. Stay near, so the familiarity of your cage calls out to you, and the fear of the unknown makes you come back and shut the cages yourself in relief. Stay. Near.
I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to see the horns hiding behind Pharaoh’s head, but let’s allow the disguise, okay?
Of course, Moses prayed, the insects went, and Pharaoh remained the poster boy for Coconut-Head United (Vs. 29-32). Then came the sign of the animals (Exo. 9:1-6). All their horses, goats, cows, chickens, camels and donkeys, dead. Everything belonging to an entire nation, the strongest empire on the earth at the time, mind you, all that wealth, gone. Just like that. And again, the Israelites in their own community at Goshen had their animals untouched. Chickens were crowing, goats mehhhing, cows mooing. Just there, disturbing the peace of the Egyptians with their lungs and their lives. I can only imagine the serious bitterness/anger/envy the Egyptians carried in their hearts during this period. Because what do you mean???????? Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of this war. Pharaoh still told Moses, “You go nowhere”, God sent the boils and the hail (Exo. 9;7-35, 10:1-6). Pharaoh, AKA Isiewu, still wanted to negotiate, so he asked Moses who and who were supposed to go and worship. As in, it cannot be everybody. Moses said every single person, including their animals, must go. Pharaoh now vexed and said they should get out, that they cannot be serious. He said that they could go, but only the men could go (Exo. 10: 7-11). Shebi I told you it was serious gist? Basically, go, and take your strength if you want to, but leave your possibilities behind. Go with your head, but leave your heart here, so you’ll definitely come back. Go, but in leaving your parents, wives and children behind, you leave your past and future here so your return is guaranteed. You can have your strength, but I will own your desires, your purpose and your will. Stay. In spirit. When I said this guy was disguising, you thought I was joking. Can you see the real thing now?
That was it o, and when Moses disagreed, God sent the locusts to continue from where the hail stopped, and they wiped out all the crops that the Egyptians had planted. That one touched Pharaoh like mad, and he called Moses and Aaron quickly to beg them to help him plead with God, but as you know, even after that, he still did not allow these people see road (Vs. 16-20). So… God decided they shouldn’t see road either, and turned off the light in Egypt, but there was light in Goshen. It’s like when your transformer has blown, but it’s only your block that is affected, and everyone else has light. That pain is very different and deeply personal on another level, and it was so deep that Pharaoh called Moses again and said, “Okay, this one is different. Come and be going. Everybody can even go, but leave your animals behind” (Vs. 21-24). Remove the darkness, give us light and go. But since your God has kukuma killed our own, leave your own to work for us. Leave your wealth behind in our service, and go in penury. Let your labour and the fruit of that labour serve our desires, and let your prosperity take the place of the one we have lost. Wear the badge of your slavery, and let your poverty announce your status wherever you go. Go, but in seeing you, let others see what I have done to you. Let my impact be felt in every space you enter, simply because you enter there. Be a sign of my power and teach others to fear me because you fear me, and they can see what I can do because it has been done to you. Stay. In identity.
This time though, Moses was tired, and when Pharaoh did his usual madness, he changed it for him, and that this would be the last time that nonsense would happen (Vs. 28). I told you before, Moses dey quick vex. So he left, and when God gave the instructions for the Passover, he and Aaron called the Israelites to instruct them carefully (Exo. 11, 12:1-28). So Israel prepared for the Passover, while Pharaoh was busy basking in what he thought was his victory. Then everything changed in one night. The Lord went over the entire land of Egypt, and the firstborns of men and beasts were smitten. Every single household woke up to disaster, to pain and grief. Every mother had lost a child, every father, his heir. Pharaoh was not left out of it (Vs. 29). The next Pharaoh, the future of his kingdom, was gone. And then he realised that it was not worth it. All the posturing, the bar-for-bar miracles, the negotiations, all of it was for nought. It was useless, and in losing, he had lost so much more than he could have afforded to. In one move, God had shown Pharaoh that not only was he human, but he was powerless in every way that mattered.
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in anguish, told them to pack their people, with all their bags and baggage and get out of his land, and pray for him too, as they are going (Exo. 12: 31-32).
And so in the Israelites went forth out of the land of Egypt;
Their men and women – they went with their strength and possibilities,
Their old and their young – their past and present,
Their cattle and their flocks of animals – their wealth,
And,
The gold and silver of the Egyptians – the wealth of their oppressors.
In delivering His children, Yahweh took it all. He took them away, He took them far, He took them to their own, in the prosperity of the ones who had held them bound. He restored their identity, renewed their mentality and gave them an inheritance that they could never had dreamed end of. And even when the enemy came after them, He brought them through the impossible. 600,000 men, without the women and children, and not a single one was lost in the midst of it. Why? Because He promised. And that was just one promise. But see the way He kept it. Despite the lies and seemingly “good” negotiations the enemy proffered, God did it in His own way with an unmistakable dominion.
Contained in the Word are countless promises that God has made to us. In every story, in the lines of every Psalm, are explanations of how God sees us, what He wants to do in and through us. Promises made after He honored His promise to Abraham, honored His promise to Isaac, David, Isaiah, to Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-31), to us. He sent His Son to us, delivered us from sin and death through His death, and gave us His own Spirit. He honored His Word. Those were the hard things, the very tough things, and He did them. He did them all. He freed His people, really and truly, with no strings attached. Because He promised.
So today, think about that. Think about your life so far, think about how He has kept his promises to you personally. Think about what you want, where you’re going, and His promises to you concerning that. And while you’re doing that, I’ll leave you with a question the Lord has been asking me recently. It’s found in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 32 and verse 27. I believe He’s asking you too, so let’s all take a minute to ponder His question.
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Standing firmly on the promises of my Father,
Gabrielle…
