Exodus 8:25 - COMPROMISE
Exodus 8:25 (NLT) Pharaoh called for Moses
and Aaron. All right! Go ahead and offer
sacrifices to your God, he said. But do it here
in this land.
INTRODUCTION
Pharaoh wanted a compromise. He would allow
the Hebrews to sacrifice, but only if they would
do it nearby. God's requirement, however, was
firm: The Hebrews had to leave Egypt. Sometimes
people urge believers to compromise and give only
partial obedience to God's commands. But commitment
and obedience to God cannot be negotiated. When
it comes to obeying God, half measures won't
do. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Pharaoh had finally buckled. He wanted
the plagues to stop. So, he called in Moses and
Aaron and said, All right! Go ahead and offer
sacrifices to your God But do it here in this
land (Exodus 8:25 NLT).
As we watch Pharaoh try to manipulate
Moses, we see a picture of how the devil tries to
manipulate us. This is the anatomy of a compromise.
What did God tell Moses and Aaron to do?
He told them to put three days distance
between Egypt and themselves and then offer
sacrifices to Him (see Exodus 3:18).
However, Pharaoh told them they could go
and offer their sacrifices to God, but they
needed to do it in Egypt.
Pharaoh was trying to force them into
making some concessions. He was saying, in effect,
If you dont want to worship the gods of
Egypt and have to worship your God, then go do it.
Just dont go very far. Stick around.
Maybe youve seen this trick before,
perhaps even in your own life. After you give your
life to Christ, the devil essentially says, I
didnt want you to do that, but I will concede that
you have gone over to the other side. Lets
strike a deal. Dont get too fanatical here. Can
we still have a little fun together? You
dont have to give up all your old friends and
lifestyle. You can still believe in God. But be
practical.
That is what the devil does with us:
Go ahead, but dont go too far. You dont
have to believe all this stuff.
Moses, however, said no. He knew they had
to go.
Some people have believed in Jesus, but
they havent gone very far from their old
lives. Theyve stayed close enough for the enemy
to still have a foothold. They are still
influenced by ungodly friends and things that have
dragged them down. They are still engaged in a
lifestyle they should have repented of long ago.
For example, how many generations have
been destroyed by drugs, sex, and rock n
roll? Its amazing how each successive
generation acts as though theyve discovered it
themselves. The fashions may change (or sometimes
dont), but they get into the same things that
previous generations did.
We need to obey God. We need to commit
the nonbelievers in our lives to the Lord. If
theyre going to come to Christ, they wont come
to Him through our compromise. In fact, it will
drive them away.
Sometimes we think we can reach people
for Christ if we just do what they do and relate
to them on their level. Then they will believe
and think were really cool. But no one has
ever come to Christ that way. Nonbelievers come
to Christ because Christians living genuine
lives before God arent afraid to let their
lights shine.
Sometimes were trying so hard to be
cool and relatable that we forget about being
righteous. We forget about standing up for what is
right. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
Exodus 12:31 (NKJV) Then he called for Moses
and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise, go out from
among my people, both you and the children of
Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said.
[Devotional Pending]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/