No Bargains

So Moses and Aaron

were brought back to Pharaoh,

and he said to them,

'Go, serve the LORD your God!

Who are the ones that are going?'

Exodus 10:8

Moses and Aaron come before Pharaoh after the seventh plague and they once again request that the Hebrews be allowed to go and worship their God. The eighth plague that shall come with Pharaoh's refusal is a swarm of locusts upon the land of Egypt, a swarm that will fill the land and houses in such a way that has never been seen before or ever will be seen again.

This eighth plague is an attack upon the Egyptian god known as Anubis. He was the god of the fields, including cemeteries. It also was another attack upon the god Isis who was supposed to protect Egypt from the locusts and also the god Seth, who was known as the protector of the crops.

As we read this tenth chapter of the book of Exodus we can see that these plagues are beginning to have an impact upon even the servants of Pharaoh. Pharaoh's servants come to him and ask him to let the Hebrews go.

So Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron back in and tells them to go and worship their God, yet he puts his own stipulations upon them. Pharaoh wants to tell them who will be allowed to go. He plans to maintain the reigns on these people by keeping their women and children and flocks and herds under his control. Oh my friend, God doesn't play games with us and He is not in the business of bargaining.

How many come to Christ, and they look up at His cross, at His outstretched arms and they say, "Jesus, I want to have Your heaven and in exchange I'll give you A, B, and C but I'm keeping D through Z."

In Luke 18:18-27 we read of a conversation between Jesus and a ruler who asked Him about eternal life. This ruler wanted to know what he must do to enter the kingdom of God. The ruler had kept the Law from his youth yet Jesus said to him "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Luke 18:22) Unfortunately when the ruler heard this, he walked away sad. He had given God A, B, and C but he was not willing to give God D through Z.

God does not bargain with us. We have no right to come to Him with stipulations for our obedience. We have nothing to bargain with, as 1 Timothy 6:7 says "For we have brought nothing into the world." We own nothing and we have control of nothing. God declares in Psalm 50:12, "For the world is Mine, and all it contains."

Pharaoh did not own these Hebrew slaves as he so thought. Pharaoh was not the god he claimed himself to be. Pharaoh still has yet to realize that he sits on his throne only by the power and authority of this God he is fighting so hard against.

But how can a man be in the right before God?

If one wished to dispute with Him,

He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

Wise in heart and mighty in strength,

Who has defied Him without harm?

Job 9:2-4

Oh precious one, we have not a leg to stand on if we think we can stand before God. There is no one more righteous. There is no god more great. We have no one to appeal to on our behalf. We have no argument that can hold up in court. We have no grip tight enough to hold on to what we are so desperate to control.

Pharaoh's stubborn hardening heart is leading him and the nation of Egypt straight into destruction. The locusts shall come and leave devastation in their wake. Pharaoh will cry out for mercy once again, yet as before, when mercy is received, humility it will not bring.

Pharaoh is a man who is hardened by the mercy of God, convinced in his own mind that he is somehow able to manipulate this God of the Hebrews as he has been able to manipulate everyone else in his life. However, this God, is not a man nor a figment of man's imagination, that He might be manipulated and controlled by anyone. This is the Living God, Elohim, Creator of heaven and earth.      

Oh Father,

Forgive me for the times that I have attempted to bargain with You. Forgive me for the times that I have tried to maintain control of a situation instead of just letting go and submitting to Your authority. You are wise in heart and mighty in strength and all the world is Yours and in the midst of all that You are, there is this love that You have for me. You are God, and yet You are mindful of me. This alone should be all the reason I need to humble myself before You. Oh Father I do not desire to fight against You, but to submit to You in all things, in all areas of my life. You alone are in control.     

My Jesus, it is in Your name I pray,

Amen