Articles
Increased Groaning
“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." - Exodus 5:21
The book of Exodus starts with the premise that God had heard the groanings of His people in Egypt (2:24) and purposed to save the Israelites from the slavery and bondage. The Lord commissioned Moses and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh and demand for the Israelites to be set free. They met with the elders of Israel (4:29) and the people believed and worshiped God for His plan of deliverance.
Yet when Moses stands before Pharaoh, he does not allow the people to go free, but instead he increases their burdens and the groanings gets louder. By 5:21, the people demand that God would judge Moses for increasing their plight rather than loosening it. But this was exactly according to God’s plan. Despite the slavery and the hardships, they still loved Egypt and were not wholly devoted to following God. They needed their groaning to grow louder to losing their love for Egypt so they could leave and follow God.
We too groan about the evil of this present world. We cry out to the Lord to save us from our plight. But what if we still love this present world too much? What if we are not fully devoted leaving the worldly ways behind and wholly following God? What if we need to have our hardships increased to loosen our love for this world? Will you allow God to break the bonds of love that tie your heart to this world so that you can be bonded in love to Him?
