A New Pharaoh
The book of Exodus shows us many similarities between the people of God then and the believers of today. Of course, we are not oppressed by a human pharaoh today, but we can learn much about how God intends to deliver us from oppressive sins or circumstances. Not only do we learn how God handled the oppressive Egyptians; we also learn how God dealt with the fear and unbelief of the Israelites as they crossed the desert to find freedom.
Please, bear with me as I will skip around some chapters in the book of Exodus. In specific, chapters 1, 6, and 14. First, I’d like to give a little background to give us a better understanding of what’s happening.
In chapter 1 of Exodus we pick up the story as the Israelites have been experiencing a time of great prosperity and peace. Joseph, who grew to be second in command in Egypt, lived righteously before God and brought God’s blessing to the Israelites under the Pharaoh who existed. However, in chapter 1 verse 6 of Exodus we are told that Joseph and all his brothers have died and in verse 8 
we find out that a NEW PHARAOH, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. This new Pharaoh became very distressed because he saw the great number of Israelites and how they were multiplying. He saw their prosperity as a threat to Egypt and his throne and decided to act quickly to bring them under control. This new Pharaoh put task masters over the Israelites and forced them into slave labor. If you’ve seen The Prince of Egypt then you know the story. God speaks to Moses from the Burning Bush, tells him to go to Pharaoh and request for his people to be let go. Moses reluctantly goes, Pharaoh refuses, and God is forced to send plagues upon the Egyptians.
In chapter 6 God makes a promise to the Israelites that He will deliver them from the Egyptian oppression. This is how it reads:
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’ “
Did you notice how many times God says,”I will.” In those 3 verses God says, I will” 7 times. He says “I Am The Lord” twice, meaning He is the covenant keeping God, meaning I won’t forget you, meaning you can trust me; don’t be afraid! Why does God repeat himself so many times? I think it’s because God understands our human nature. He understands our fears.
In chapter 14 of Exodus we see that the Israelites are finally freed from the bondage of slavery and head out into the desert in search of their promised land. The journey through the desert is very trying on the Israelites. They experience hardships and begin to doubt God’s promises. But, God is patient with them like He is with us and He is still telling them “I will” and “I Am.” Like a loving father, he never leaves them and he is constantly reassuring them of His intention to deliver them from their enemy.
Chapter 14 holds one of the most amazing miracles recorded in the Bible; the crossing of the Red Sea. Even after all of God’s demonstrations of power and ability to deliver them, the Israelites are still overcome with fear and doubt. Look at what they tell Moses in verses 11-12 of chapter 14.
11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
WHAT!?? You mean, they’d rather serve the Egyptians than trust God’s promises? You mean, they feared the NEW Pharaoh more than they feared God? Yup. But wait! Before we point the finger in judgement, aren’t we the exact same way when we choose to give into our favorite sins, or when we choose to live in fear of what might happen rather than on God’s promises? If we are honest, I think we’d have to say that we aren’t that different. The issue for the Israelites wasn’t whether God was telling the truth or if God was able to deliver on His promise. The issue was their fear of what the NEW Pharaoh would do to them. Instead of focusing on what God had promised to do to Pharaoh and his army, they chose to focus on what little they could do against Pharaoh. Listen to what Moses tells them in verse 13-14.
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Whatever Pharaoh you are facing today, God wants you to know 3 things…
1. A NEW Pharaoh always arises.
Our enemy, the devil, will not relent. He is always on the prowl to keep you enslaved. He wants to keep you in “Egypt” to serve his purposes.
2. We cannot live on past victories!
If you experienced victory over temptation or sin yesterday, a week ago, or earlier today, it will not carry over. You don’t get rollover victories. We have to depend on God’s provision moment by moment. This is an invaluable lesson I am learning.
3. God is still I AM and He will!
God hasn’t forgotten us! He is ready and willing to deliver us from the oppression of the NEW Pharaohs that arise in our lives, but we must be willing to trust Him. Our eyes must be on Him and not our struggles. We are not meant to go back to Egypt. God has promised us a land flowing with milk and honey. This is why God put our eyes in the front of our head. Jesus dealt with all of the “Pharaohs” when He died on the cross and rose from the dead! (I didn’t mean to rhyme there..lol.) Whom will you serve today?
