What Not to Do When God Tries to Get Your Attention
Moses' and Pharoah’s infamous showdown is found in Exodus chapters 5–14, and in it we can find a great lesson in how not to respond to God. More is going on in these chapters than God dealing with Pharaoh’s sinful rebellion against him. Rightly so, our focus usually is on how God delivered His people out of Egypt. In this case, I think we can learn a great deal about how not to respond when God speaks to us, specifically, when He calls us to repent. Pharaoh makes at least four statements in response to God that demonstrate his journey away from the Lord.
“You’re not the boss of me!”
First, Pharaoh begins with indignation that God would dare call him to obey. The first time Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh in Exodus 5 with the command from the Lord to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh responds by saying: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” This is the “you’re not the boss of me” response. We might express this attitude with many different words but the bottom line is many times when God calls us to repentance and obedience we resent it and we reject what God has to say. This never goes well for us.
“Please help me out here!"
The second statement occurs as God continues mercifully speaking to Pharaoh. We are not guaranteed multiple chances to repent and respond to God, but often, God in His grace does give us more than one opportunity to listen to Him and repent. In chapter 8, God afflicts the land with an invasion of frogs. Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and asks them to remove the plague from the nation. Pharaoh is realizing that God is serious about His judgment but his focus is on removing the consequences. When we suffer as the result of our sin, often that’s all we want from the Lord. We want God to take away the consequences of our sin instead of letting Him cleanse us of our sin.
“Alright, alright, I’ve sinned.”
God continues to be merciful to Pharaoh and calls him to repent but Pharaoh continues to harden his heart. By the time we come to Exodus 10, Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt are experiencing the 8th plague. The land and all the crops are covered in a massive cloud of locusts. This time when Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron he does something he has not done heretofore, he confesses his sin. He says, “ I have sinned against the Lord and against you. Please forgive my sin only this once, and make supplication to the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me” (Exodus 10:16-17). Again, we can see Pharaoh only concerned with mitigating the consequences of his sin. This shows us that it is possible to confess sin without truly being serious about repentance.
“What about this instead?”
God graciously gives Pharaoh two additional opportunities to listen and repent. God told Pharaoh he needed to let all the people go along with their livestock. Pharaoh told Moses he would let the people leave but he negotiated the rest of the terms. He stipulated that the livestock had to remain. Pharaoh thought he could barter with God, so he refused and God continued to release His judgment upon Pharaoh and Egypt. Pharaoh believed partial obedience to the Lord was enough. In the end it brought about his ruin. The sad reality is too many Christians try to negotiate obedience in our walk with God just like Pharaoh.
How do I know if I am rightly responding to God? I stop putting conditions on my obedience. I stop trying to simply get out of negative consequences and I genuinely desire what God desires for my life. Every time God speaks we have a choice. Let’s choose today to humble ourselves and listen.