July 4, 2024

Worshipping God and serving Him are two irrefutable facts of faith.
You cannot say you worship God and not serve Him.
Pharaoh advises the Israelites that they can worship God but with condition.

Anyone who has any knowledge of the Bible at all, pretty much knows of the ten plagues against the nation of Egypt when Pharaoh refused to allow Israel to leave. Those that have studied it in a little more depth have come to see many excellent points and lessons other than just the ten plagues, ending with the death of the first born. Of course, the lamb that was slain and the blood of that lamb marking the location of those who were to be “passed over” that night lend toward our better understanding of the eventual sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. However, in this brief article we wish to consider the subject of compromise. Pharaoh provided us with some good material on the subject. For the sake of space, we will just point out some compromises that Pharaoh tried to make and then we will get to the point of our study.

Moses had been sent by God to deliver the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. God told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. He did that by requiring something of Pharaoh that He knew Pharaoh would not be willing to do. When Moses went to Pharaoh, he demanded that Pharaoh allow the children of Israel to go three days journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to their God (Exo. 5:3). In other verses we learn that it was required that all the children of Israel, including the women and little children as well as all their flocks and herds were to go. Here is where the compromising comes into play. After the plagues began, Pharaoh offered to allow Israel to offer sacrifices, but to remain right there in Egypt to do so (Exo. 8:25-27). He next offered to allow them to go, but not very far (Exo. 8:28) which still fell short of the three day’s journey. The next compromise that Pharaoh offered was for the men to go and leave the women and children behind (Exo. 10:10-11). Finally, Pharaoh offers to allow them all to go, but to leave their flocks and herds behind (Exo. 10:24).

It is noteworthy that the compromises that Pharaoh offered to make, also required a compromise on the part of the children of Israel, or in essence, a compromise on the part of God. We often hear people talking politics today saying something about reaching across the isle. In general, they are talking about compromising. Sometimes a little compromise in areas of politics may not be a bad thing. However, there are issues in politics in which one side simply cannot be willing to compromise. When it comes to the spiritual realm, one can never compromise what God has commanded. When Pharaoh offered to compromise and let them sacrifice in the land or not far out of the land, God’s word still said three days journey into the wilderness, thus that compromise could not be accepted. When Pharaoh offered to let the men go, so long as all the women, children and flocks remained, God’s word still said for them all to go, including women, children and flocks, thus that compromise had to be rejected also. God does not compromise with man. God does not offer to meet us half way. Yes, figuratively speaking, God reaches out to us, but it is we that must go to Him. Paul wrote, “…God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II Cor. 5:20).

The next thing we might note concerning those compromises is that they were just the kind of compromises that Satan himself would use against us today. First a compromise for that which would be quick and easy. Why travel all that distance when they could simply offer their sacrifices right there where they were at. This is just the means used by Jeroboam when he made the two golden calves and placed them in Dan and Bethel (I Kings 12:26-29) so that Israel would not travel to Jerusalem to worship. In like manner, multitudes today attempt to serve God in a religious body unauthorized by God and contrary to the way God has said, just because it is easy for them. Secondly, notice that Pharaoh offered a compromise concerning their family. Satan has often used family to keep people from faithfully serving God. Jesus warned against it when He stated, “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:36-37). Pharaoh knew he could allow them to leave so long as he held on to those families they so loved. Of course it did not work because Moses refused to compromise what God had commanded. Pharaoh’s offer to allow them to go and take their families with them still fell short of God’s will, for he wanted them to leave their riches behind. He knew that, “…where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21), he just didn’t understand that the bigger treasure was faithfully serving God (Mark 8:36-37).

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