Hope does not mean we ignore the conditions around us. Hope means we rise above them. It means to trust in One who controls all the conditions. It was King David who once said, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee.” That’s why I often say there is no hope except in God’s Word and through faith in God.
Moses, preparing to go before Pharaoh, received his final instructions from the Lord in this way, “Do what I tell you.” The Lord had spoken to Moses several times and said to him, “I am the Lord. Speak thou unto Pharoah, king of Egypt, all that I say unto thee.” The final instructions for Moses were to do what God told him.
Let me draw some lessons from that for you. When God has spoken, we have no other recourse than to do what He said, especially if we want the blessing of the LORD. Moses, it seems, needed to learn that truth over and over. Somehow, he was not only slow of speech and slow of tongue, but a bit slow of learning. So are we. It seems we are so slow in learning the great Bible truths, but God is patient. He keeps working with us as He did with Moses.
Exodus 7:1-13 is a very interesting Scripture. It demonstrates to us that YOU CAN’T STOP GOD.
1. And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he sends the children of Israel out of his land.
3. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6. And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
7. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh.
8. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9. When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them as the LORD had said.
In this text, we find several different VIEWPOINTS which must bring us to the absolute conclusion that you can’t stop God.
The first viewpoint we have is,
The Promise.
Observe how carefully God arranged everything. I am impressed that God does not leave anything to chance. He knew exactly how He was...
