Too Discouraged to Listen

"Therefore, say to the people of Israel: 'I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the LORD!'" So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery. Exodus 6:6-9

These Israelites didn’t know God the way that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or even Joseph knew Him. Now Joseph and his generation had all died (Exodus 1:6) so this generation didn’t have any relationship with God. God was telling Moses to tell them that He would take care of them—that He would be their God. He was repeating the promise that gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the Egyptians had become so oppressive as slave masters that the Israelites were so disheartened that they just didn’t even want to listen to Moses. They just felt like no one cared about them and they were just going to die there in Egypt making bricks for Pharaoh.

Old olive oil pot - castoff and discarded.

Do you feel like that?

Have you ever felt too discouraged to listen to some good news? Did you feel like no one cared about you and you were just overworked? Raising kids can make a parent…or at least a mother…feel that way since the work is endless, thank-less, challenging and sometimes absolutely grueling. There are moments of reward in parenting…but those Israelites didn’t feel any reward with Moses and his messages from God. Do you feel some reward, some inspiration or encouragement from God’s word that you can apply to your job, family or home situation? Are you reading God’s word daily—looking for application of His word to your life?

Prayer ~ Dear Lord God—You loved the world enough to send Your one and only Son to live here on earth and then to be a sacrifice for our sin. That is a lot of love. Help us not to be so discouraged with our lives that we don’t hear what You are trying to tell us. Your promises to us are as real and as important as the promises You gave through Moses to the Hebrew people even before they left Egypt. Help us to live lives listening to Your words and obeying You as we make choices moment by moment throughout our days.

Daily Bible Reading: February 6 – Exodus 22-24

© 2017 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. www.blueletterbible.org/dailyreading