There were most likely more than a hundred years that passed between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses. The Bible says that the new Pharaoh did not know Joseph, therefore he did not have a relationship with the Israelites and thus feared them. That’s why he decided to make them slaves and to oppress them so they don’t overpower the Egyptians.
When God called Moses out of Midian to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses had the nerve to complain about his lack of speech eloquence. “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…” I think this means that the Lord was disappointed, because He already reminded Moses that He is the Creator and He can make Moses a great orator, but Moses kept complaining. And God in His mercy worked with Moses; He decided to have Aaron be the mouthpiece for Moses.
How embarrassing is it to show doubt in front of God, especially when talking to Him face to face. I imagine the Queen of England coming to see me and giving me a task and I complain in front of her face. Sadly that is the culture we live in today. Sin has ruined our ability to be respectful. We feel more and more entitled because we value self and our opinions above trust and faith. Praise God in His infinite love that He still works with us and helps us grow through our deficiencies.
I also wonder why God had to harden Pharaoh’s heart. God said that Pharaoh would not believe, and would not let the Israelites go. The Israelites probably have not seen miracles happen for many years, so for Moses to suddenly come and claim that God had sent him to free them, they were sure to doubt it. That’s why God gave Moses the signs to perform for them to believe. I think sending the plagues to Pharaoh was also a way for the Israelites to be converted and believe again in God. If the people did not believe the signs that Moses showed them, they had all those plagues to reflect and believe that God is real; same thing goes for the Egyptians. God doesn’t just display His power to show off; He always does it for our benefit and to save us because He loves us.
Nowadays, it will be even harder to discern which miracles are real and which are counterfeit. Satan has the ability to pretend to be like Jesus, and if we don’t see past all the fake signs, we will surely fall into the wrong path. Back in the days of Moses, other people were also copying the plagues and miracles and doing it their way. Maybe some of the Israelites were confused on whom to believe. What’s most important in our generation today is that we grasp on to the Word of God, know it inside out, have a relationship with Jesus, and take time everyday to be still and listen to His voice so we don’t confuse the real with the counterfeit. It’s going to be hard in the last days, so we should start now to discern the differences between good and evil. When the end of time comes, we will be ready. Nothing will be a surprise.
I think... 