The main point, the central ingredient of Exodus 11 and 12, is obedience. God spoke, some people heard and did what God said. As a result, God used them in His plan at that time in history.

I’m convinced this dreadful display of judgment in Egypt, this battle between a righteous, holy God and the stubborn heart of Pharaoh, has at least two major truths to teach us. First, when God judges, He does a thorough job of it. Second, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Right after God told Moses what He would do, He said to him, “You must believe it. I command you to do this thing.” “Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt” (v. 13 NIV).

So many times you and I miss the opportunity to watch the Lord work in mighty and miraculous ways. Why? Because instead of “standing still” and watching Him pull off our deliverance, we seek out the carnal alternative. We look for the back-door escape, a fleshly shortcut.

Moses felt as low as a slug’s belly. Way down there. He still hadn’t rid himself of the idea that he was supposed to be the deliverer, and that he was somehow failing. How many times had God explained it to him? Yet, like many of us, he had trouble keeping a grip on the Lord’s assurances.

A bad day just got worse! Moses couldn’t believe it. Disappointment turned to disillusionment. Where had he gone wrong? He had taken God at His word, stood before Pharaoh, and repeated—almost word perfectly—what God had told him to say. He said the right words, at the right time, to the right person, spoken in the right way.

God knew Moses felt lonely in that moment. God knew His man needed some human companionship. Perhaps before Moses felt his first pang of loneliness, God was already moving to meet his need. Aaron was Moses’ big brother, his senior by three years. And the Lord sought this brother out and said to him, “Aaron, go to Moses’ side now. He’s on a long, wilderness road, heading for Egypt. Your younger brother has been through some tough things. He needs a soul brother, right now.”

God was saying to his servant, “Moses, you simply go before Pharaoh and deliver the goods. He won’t like it. He won’t want it. Just bear in mind that even his stubborn, hardened heart is not outside My will.” In the following verse, the Lord gave Moses specific instructions of what to say when he rammed into that brick wall.

Isn’t God gracious? We have a Lord who knows our hearts, knows our thoughts, and knows our fears. When Moses had left Egypt forty years before there were those who sought his life. He was probably featured at the top of the Egyptian version of The Ten Most Wanted list.

Moses, you’ll remember, approached his father-in-law Jethro and asked permission to return to Egypt. He certainly didn’t tell Jethro everything at that point, but he let the man know there was something stirring in his heart. After years and years of virtual silence about his life and background back in Egypt, Moses said to Jethro, “It’s time for me to go back. There’s some unfinished business that needs attention.”