Peer Pressure - Exodus 7-10

There are three things I wanna highlight that both God and the devil are asking of you. Whichever one you give into is the one that will have you.

Three times Pharaoh tried to negotiate with God, and three times Moses flat out refused.

Your circle of influence
Your children
Your career

Your Circle of Influence

“Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.’”

Exodus 8:25

The greatest minds will tell you that if you wanna know where you will be in 5 years, take a look at the 5 people you spend the most time with.

God wanted the Israelites to separate themselves from the Egyptians. He thought it better that they be in a desert by themselves, than to be with the people of the world.

But doesn’t the Bible say that “we are to be in the world, but not of the world”?

I thought so too until a minute ago. Apparently that’s not even a Bible verse. Jesus did say, however,

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

John 15:19

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

John 17:14-16

Jesus didn’t command us to be in the world. He simply said it as a fact. We are in the world. But that does not mean that we need to be best friends with the people in the world.

The devil knows that peer pressure and culture are some of the most powerful tools of this world. God knew this as well, which is why Moses said they had to take a three day journey into the desert.

“But Moses said, ‘It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?’”

Exodus 8:26

Ask yourself, is there anyone in your close circle that would stone you, if you started worshiping God in front of them?

Your Children

You can read it all in chapter 10, but Pharaoh wanted Moses to only take the men into the desert and leave the rest with him.

When Moses refused to let Pharaoh have the children, it is the first and only time we see Pharaoh throw Moses out of the court. Pharaoh was furious that God was gonna have another generation of worshipers.

We need to protect our children. The way that Moses did that was by keeping them with their fathers.

This brings us back to the power of association and peer pressure. If your children are spending time with you, and you are spending time with God and other godly men, your children will become like you.

If I may be so bold to ask; who is spending the most time with your children?

Your Career

“Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, ‘Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.’”

Exodus 10:24

Flocks and herds represented the Israelites’ source of income as well as their work, so your career is probably the best modern equivalent.

Now why does the devil want your career? Pharaoh knew that if all of the people’s wealth was in Egypt, then they would return.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

God knew this as well. But He also wanted Israel to fully trust Him with all that was theirs.

“You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Our livestock, also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”

Exodus 10:25-26

I could write a whole blog series on these two verses, but the gist of it is that it was not about how much Moses could get away with. He was not negotiating with Pharaoh. Moses heard God, and was not trying to step out in faith with the bare minimum. He was stepping toward God with everything.

Moses was saying, in effect, “I don’t know how much of this God wants, so I’m just gonna bring all of it. If He wants it all, I’ll be ready to give it all.”

But, how did Moses get to that point? What if I don’t feel like giving God everything?

Moses saw God. God revealed Himself to Moses as the I AM. I AM your God, I AM your King, I AM your Healer, I AM your Protector, I AM your Savior, I AM your Provider.

We once again come back to who we are spending our time with. Moses spent a lot of time with God. We saw in previous chapters, rather than going to the people, or his brother, or his wife when he had a problem, he went to God.

If you spend enough time with Jesus, you will like Him and you will be like Him.