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Pastor's Blog February 16, 2023
"Thus Says the Lord VII"
For the last few weeks, we've been looking at "thus says the Lord" statements in Exodus as a way to prepare ourselves for "thus says the Lord" statements in the Minor Prophets. And once again, we witness God literally repeating himself with Pharaoh: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, "Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me'"'" (Exodus 9:1, NKJV). Why does God keep repeating himself? If God is going to instruct Moses to deliver a "thus says the Lord" to Pharaoh, why is God's instruction to rehearse the same statement to Pharaoh: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me"?
The most likely reason is because the ultimate purpose of these "thus says the Lord" statements is to give Pharaoh a chance to choose a better outcome for himself. As has been mentioned several times, the Hebrew of, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me," is actually, "Release my people, and they will serve me." Obviously, Pharaoh hasn't released or loosened his grip on God's people, which inevitably means he hasn't released himself from the stranglehold of bitterness, rebellion, disobedience against God, and even dehumanizing behavior to others. But this time, God indicates that Pharaoh's hold on Israel is starting to kill him: God warns Pharaoh that another plague is coming to Egypt, one that will consume Pharaoh's kingdom and people but will not touch the Hebrews (Exodus 9:2-7). And God emphasizes that it is Pharaoh, and not God, who is truly responsible for Egypt's plagues: "For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them" (Exodus 9:2, NKJV). When God speaks "coh amar y'adonai" - thus says the Lord - his primary objective is not to merely direct or instruct us, but to free us from what holds us captive.
Friends, I invite you to trust in the God who repeats his words to you so he can open you to the healing, forgiveness, and freedom he has in mind for you, because "thus says the Lord." God bless.
God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
