The Weekly Word: Benefits and submission

By Robert Williams, Lead Pastor at The Bridge Church 

I was reading in my Bible the other day and found myself in the book of Exodus. Have you ever read or heard about the Exodus before?

If you’re a bit older, maybe you remember the Charleton Heston movie called The Ten Commandments. This is a story where God calls a man named Moses to lead his people out of slavery. God has a plan to rescue and redeem his people and only one thing stands in the way.

When Moses approaches the Egyptian Pharaoh — the one holding God’s people captive — to request the release of the Israelites, Pharaoh says no. His entire kingdom, empire and economy were built on the slavery of Israel, the oppression of Israel, and so, he refuses. He disobeys God’s commands.

In response, God begins to perform miraculous things through Moses and his friend Aaron, only the miracles aren’t the good kind of miracles.

Through Moses and Aaron, God sends plagues. He sends frogs and locusts. He kills livestock and even rains down hail and fire on Egypt. But the Pharaoh refuses to release his people. Not until God kills the firstborn of every Egyptian does he finally obey.

Throughout all of this, you can actually see God begin to break Pharaoh’s will and begin to influence his decisions a little. But in chapter 9 I think we see the Pharaoh’s real issue. We really see why he continues to be so obstinate.

In verse 27 you see the Pharaoh finally own up to his sin and plead with God to relieve him of the plague of hail and fire, only Moses’ reply reveals so much about where the Pharaoh truly was:

Moses replies, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Exodus 9:28-30).

You see, Pharaoh was in it for all of the benefits, but none of the submission. And due to this heartset and mindset, he would pay dearly.

So, where are you? How much of your life is built on the wrong things just like the Pharaoh? How much of your life are you grasping onto and refusing to release to God? And how much will you allow your lack of submission to the God of Heaven and Earth cost you?

I’m not saying that God will send plagues on your life, but sin definitely creates chaos, and with chaos comes destruction.