We're in Exodus 5:10-23, and my title for this part of the story of Moses and Egypt is "From Bad to Worse!"
So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw. Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.'" So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw." And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?" (vs.10-14)...
...The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, "You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day." They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, "The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." (vs. 19-21)
Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, "O LORD, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all." (vs. 22-23)
God had promised to deliver his people from Egypt into their own land. But hear this, He had not revealed to them what the process would look like or the time it would take. Neither the people of Israel nor Moses had anticipated what they would have to go through before their final release. It seemed like God had gone back on his promise. It seemed like he was unhearing and uncaring. Why would he let his children suffer so?
Now this is what's important about this part of the story. We are confronted here with the intersection between the revealed and the secret will of God. God reveals who he is, what he will do. He tells us of his need for him and of his amazing grace and his will for how we should live. But you and I don't just live in light of his revealed will. Our lives are dramatically shaped by his secret will. These are all God's plans and purposes for us, which in his will are holy and good, but for us may seem hard and difficult. We don't just live with either/or. We always live in light of his revealed will, and our lives are always shaped by his secret will. And here's where it gets hard. It's when his secret will seems to be a contradiction of what he has revealed to us of his plan and his promises. As Israel is now given an impossible job to do; they can't possibly run out there and hunt for straw and keep their normal daily brick quota. And because they can't, the foremen over them are beaten because they're not doing their job. What an impossible situation to live with. It seems like what God has said can't be true. That's the issue for Moses and for the Israelites.
Will the hardships that have come their way because of God's secret will cause them to abandon their trust and hope in his revealed will? And I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but that's your struggle too-that's my struggle too. Sometimes on a given day, it doesn't seem like I'm getting what God has promised. So, I live with the same question, "Will hardships that come my way because of God's secret will cause me to abandon trust and hope in his revealed will?"
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. How has God's secret will seemed to conflict with his revealed will in your life? What is your typical response when there's confusion behind what God might be doing in your life but you don't understand it?
2. In the past, how has God's secret will seemed unfair to you? Be honest. What specific hardships in your life have caused you to abandon your trust and hope in God's revealed will?
3. As you probably know what the outcome of this story is because you have the ability to read the whole narrative, what frustrates you about the response of the Israelites when things go from bad to worse? What helps you to empathize with them? If you had the benefit of reading your own story from beginning to end and seeing how God worked throughout the entire narrative, how might your trust in the Lord and his timing be different than it currently is?
4. What do you need to proactively give to the Lord that you're currently holding on to yourself? Why is admitting your need to God spiritually healthy for you and worshipful toward God?
For Younger Children:
1. What is hard about trusting God when we can't see and don't understand what he's doing in our lives? Why do we know that we can trust him?
2. What is the ultimate proof that we can trust God, even when everything around us is crazy and seems out of control? How can I help you trust God more? How do you think you can help me trust God more?
For Older Children:
1. Do you ever feel like God is treating you unfairly when life isn't going the way you want it to? Why do you think it's so easy to jump to the conclusion that God is being unfair?
2. What do you think patience has to do with trusting God?
3. Is there something in your life that is tempting you to abandon your trust in God? How can I help you as you struggle through this difficult time?
You have permission to print, repost, share, distribute, and translate this resource as long as you credit Paul Tripp as the teacher, do not charge for this resource, and do not alter the content in any way. If you require an exception or special permission, please email Info@PaulTripp.com.
