Day 12 with Moses: Rejection is often part of the process of following the Lord.

“So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage. “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.” And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭6:9, 11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭7:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It’s a rude awakening in life when you realize that no matter how hard you may try to be friendly to others, and to not abuse others, there will always be those that just don’t like you.

Several years ago I was driving in my car, thinking about what my father had said the day before about praying for your enemies. I said in my prayer, “Lord, I thank you that I don’t have any enemies.” The Lord spoke to me very clearly and told me that I did have enemies and that they were working against me. Now, some people may think that would be an odd thing for the Lord to say, after all, isn’t He all about love? Yes, He is about love; but He also knows what is in people: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Soon after that I found out that there were those—for whatever reason—who were working against me, putting me in a light of suspicion. I was honestly surprised and saddened.

Jesus explained that our relationship with Him would most likely divide us from others who don’t believe as we do.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:34-36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But when we are rejected because we speak and stand for the truth, we should know that we are in very good company. As Stephen pointed out just before becoming the first Christian martyr, being persecuted is more often than not the “thanks” for the prophets of the Lord:

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭7:51-54‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

However, there is a blessing associated with being persecuted because of Jesus!

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today we find Moses in a position in which he would find himself over and over again, as he spoke for the Lord, and was then rejected because of the word. At this point, he has been rejected by his own people, then rejected by Pharaoh, who would reject Moses’ word over and over again.

Moses has been given his commission by the Lord, even entrusted with the ability to perform mighty signs and wonders, yet these very things caused him to be rejected.

If in your walk with the Lord you expect others to welcome His word—and you—with open arms, you are going to be sadly disappointed. But remember, our part is to be obedient and faithful to the word of the Lord. And—when in so doing we experience rejection—it is not an indication that the Lord is not with us, rather, that the word is doing what the word does.

For today let us discover what Moses discovered:

Rejection is often part of the process of following the Lord.

#40dayswithmoses