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Exodus 5:22–23
“Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.’ ”
Our doctrine of the image of God (Gen. 1:26–27) tells us that we are like God in many ways. In fact, we are more like God than anything else in creation is like Him. However, we must be careful in acknowledging this truth that our likeness to the Lord means that we can fully understand Him or that we are like Him in every way, including the manner in which we accomplish our purposes. Very often, the Lord does things in ways that we would not choose to do them. As Isaiah 55:8 tells us, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.
In today’s passage, we see Moses express his frustration to the Lord after things have not gone as he had anticipated. Immediately after the Israelites complained to him because they believed he was ineffective and was to blame for their having to make bricks without straw (Ex. 5:10–21), Moses complains. He knew that Pharaoh would not readily respond to the Lord’s demand to free the Israelites (Ex. 3:19), but apparently he did not expect God to make things so hard. Even his fellow Israelites were against him, after all.
Moses takes his frustrations to the Lord in prayer, which is instructive for us. Scripture is filled with psalms of lament wherein people complain to God regarding their trials (e.g., Ps. 22; Lam. 1–5). This shows that our Creator wants us to bring our frustrations, our disappointments, and even our doubts to Him in prayer. He is big enough to handle it. Yet note that in the biblical laments, the speakers are careful to speak to the Lord respectfully. As we pour out our lamentations, we must remember that He is Creator and we are creatures.
Yet why does the Lord do things so differently than we do, even sending obstacles our way at times when we are carrying out His commission? Matthew Henry’s comments are helpful here: “Even when God is coming towards his people in ways of mercy, he sometimes takes such methods as that they may think themselves but ill treated. The instruments of deliverance, when they aim to help, are found to hinder, and that becomes a trap which, it was hoped, would have been for their welfare, God suffering it to be so that we may learn to cease from man, and may come off from a dependence upon second causes.” We are tempted toward self-sufficiency, and easy successes only make us more likely to trust in ourselves. By allowing difficulties to come our way, the Lord shows us that we must depend ultimately on Him alone.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We should not be afraid to take all our concerns, doubts, fears, and disappointments to the Lord. We must do so respectfully, knowing who He is and who we are as His creatures, but we should never think that God does not want to hear from us. As we go to the Lord in our difficulties, our faith will be strengthened, and our wills will more and more be brought into conformity with His.
For Further Study
- Deuteronomy 8
- Proverbs 3:5–6
- 2 Corinthians 1:8–11
- 2 Corinthians 12:1–10