Learning Through Affliction — David Wilkerson

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, Post Office Box 260, Lindale, Texas, 75771 or by calling 903 -963 -8626.

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Learning Through Affliction

This morning is learning through afflictions. Learning through afflictions. Hallelujah. Let's pray. Holy Spirit, you are here. Hallelujah. Holy Spirit, I said you are here and I thank you. You have come.

Lord, there's no service, there's no meeting, there's no purpose without you. And we thank you for your manifest presence. And now I pray for an anointing of the Holy Ghost to come upon me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

Lord, I know you gave me this message. I know this came from the throne. And I know you're going to help a lot of people this morning. Hearts are going to be changed and encouraged and people are going to see things they've not seen before.

Oh God, open our eyes and our understanding. Sanctify me and sanctify our ears to hear. Oh God, we're not worthy. You are our worthiness. You are our righteousness. We take your authority over every principality and power of darkness.

We command every evil spirit, every spirit of darkness to depart this church and the minds and the hearts of believers. And we pray, Lord, that no evil shall come nigh us. In Jesus' name, amen. I want you to go to Psalm 119, please.

Psalms 119, verse 71. 119, Psalm 119, verse 71. Just going to read one verse to begin. Unbelievable verse. Now wait till the leaves start, stop rustling. Psalm 119, verse 71. It is good for me that I've been afflicted.

How many believe that's in your Bible? Is that in your Bible or do I have a special edition? Read it right out loud with me. It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes.

There's my message. Learning through afflictions. Now what kind of theology is this? It's good for me to be afflicted. Because the Hebrew word here used by the psalmist is very descriptive. It means brow-beaten, troubled, abased, chastened, defiled, hurt, humiliated, weakened, depressed.

Put it all together and you know how it reads? Incredible. It's good for me that I've been brow-beaten, troubled, abased, chastened, defiled, hurt, humbled, weakened, and depressed. It's all been good for me so that I can learn the Lord's statutes.

And the word statutes here means an engraved law. And what the psalmist is saying, it's good for me that I'm going through all the trouble I'm going through because in the process he's engraving his laws in my heart.

It's been engraven. Not just written, but engraven. Like in indelible writing. Now it's true that we are tested and tried and afflicted to be tested. Yes, there are tests, but that's not the primary reason of the afflictions among Christians.

Affliction and the Suffering of God's People

Now I know that there are many of you hearing me now that are being afflicted. You are going through trouble. You sit here right now and say, Brother, that's me. I'm in trouble. It could be financial.

It could be family problems. It can be affliction. The enemy coming against you at home and on the job or wherever it may be. You may be going through slander. I don't know what it may be, but there's affliction among God's people because the Bible said many are the afflictions of the righteous.

And if you say you're righteous, you're afflicted. If you're not afflicted, I'd get worried. The righteous, many are the afflictions of the righteous. Let me give you an example of learning through afflictions.

This past week, I was preparing a message. Boy, was I going to thunder it this morning. It was entitled, The Pettiness of American Religion. The pettiness. The word petty means trivial. And it also means small-minded.

While I was thinking of this message, I was really going to pour it out. I was all fired up for the whole week I've been working on this, the pettiness of American religion. And while I was preparing this message, I picked up a newsletter from our missionaries that we support, Roland and Heidi Baker.

And they're going into Mozambique as missionaries very shortly. And in their newsletter, they told of the situation in Mozambique. Mozambique has been called by the United Nations, the poorest nation on earth now.

And the situation there has become so bad because they've been embroiled in a long civil war. The infrastructure has been destroyed with all the roads, the bridges, the villages, the schools and hospitals have all been— most all have been blown up.

There's been all kinds of torture and killing. Millions have fled as refugees. And perhaps two or three million have died in the war. Over one million landmines had been planted. And it resulted in the world's highest percentage of maimed and disabled people, children running around with one leg or one arm, totally maimed by these mines that are being tripped up and blowing them apart.

The children are dying of malaria. Children and adults are still wandering around in blackened, burned-out villages, naked and starving to death. And many pastors have been imprisoned and killed as the government has tried to do away with democracy—with Christianity.

And Roland tells about recently going by highway up from South Africa into Mozambique. And they were driving a pickup truck that was loaded—had a camper top on it, loaded with supplies to go into Mozambique.

And they had to hit the border by five o 'clock because the border closes into Mozambique. And they were about five hours away, so they tried to speed it up. And the closer they got, there was a car in front of them going further and further.

They didn't know who was in the front car, but the car started slowing down. And they floored the gas pedal, and it still slowed down. And it slowed down, and they were right near the border, and the car almost died.

In fact, they got right up to the customs office, how about two minutes to five, and it died. The motor just died. And they got out and couldn't understand because they had a meeting that night. Couldn't understand why.

They wanted to make that meeting so badly. But the car, the pickup truck just died. About five minutes later, they decided they were going to stay on this side in South Africa and go to Mozambique in the morning.

And all of a sudden, people running around, officers running around, very excited. And a helicopter came in, landed. Officer got up, and Roland asked what's the matter. He said, well, there was an explosion.

A warfare group, one of the warring factions blew up the car ahead. And they were flying in the people by helicopter across into South Africa. If they had not, if the Holy Ghost had not slowed that car down, they would have been there, and they too would have been bombed.

And the next day, they turned the key, started up, and everything was fine. Just moved right on. And I was reading all of these reports of the suffering and the maimed bodies, and I thought, how can we compare our afflictions and our troubles to theirs?

How can we compare our hurt and our feelings and our financial woes and our infirmities to those in Mozambique? Because they seem so petty. They seem so trivial. You know, somebody slanders you on the job, bad hair day.

My credit card bills are piling up. I'm working harder than ever, and I'm still falling behind financially. We can't seem to make it on what we're being paid. And these are the kind of talk that we hear.

And there's another kind of thing that I was going to deal with this morning, but in a different way, because we hear so much today in the church about depression. So many people are depressed and downcast and blue.

And I thought, how do you compare depression and the blues or loneliness with what is happening in Mozambique and in most suffering, war-torn, ravaged countries around the world, where people are just trying to survive?

Something to eat? A roof over their head? Pastors in prison? Now, of course, there is no comparison. You can't compare those kind of things with what is going on. And there are some things that we face as Christians that could be called trivial and small-minded.

And I really, I tell you, I had a message. The pettiness of Christians focused on depression and their emotional, mental problems and the hurts caused by people talking about them and so forth. And I was going to get up and really lambast it today.

Except for one thing. On Friday, I got up. And something happened to me that very seldom happens. I was depressed. I mean depressed. I've never had patience with people who've been depressed because I've never been depressed.

But I was depressed. I walked around the apartment. I said, what's going on? I had no reason. All kinds of emotions. Grief and sorrow and self-pity and fear. Everything all wrapped up in one deep, dark, blue funk.

You know what the dictionary calls a funk? A deep, dark dejection. So bad you don't want to do anything or go anywhere or make any decisions or face anybody. Have you ever had that? I said, I'll walk it off.

That's what I'll do. I'll walk it off. I walked 35 blocks. It got worse. I said, Lord, it doesn't make sense. I'm going to preach about this on Sunday. I'm going to preach how petty, how trivial this is.

And I got to thinking people are dying in Mozambique. And here I am focused on what I'm going through. But it was so bad I went to the house. I sat down and cried for an hour. Just cried. I don't know why I was crying.

I can't begin to know what depression must be for those who have what they call clinical depression. It's not just the day, but they have it for days and weeks and sometimes months. They're down. They are down.

They can't seem to get out. They try everything. Even medication doesn't help some people. They go to psychologists and psychiatrists. It doesn't seem to help. And folks, I had something on me that was not trivial.

It was not small minded. This was life and death. I started taking authority over demons and everything else. Everything I'd learned. It wouldn't go away. Folks, I learned something through that affliction.

I learned, first of all, I couldn't get up here and lambast you about it. That's a big lesson. And I knew that I couldn't counsel anybody else and treat depression as something trivial and small. I also learned that in the eyes of God, it doesn't matter whether it's homelessness.

It doesn't matter whether it's a maimed arm or anything else. If it's depression, whatever it is, He's touched with the feelings of our infirmities. And He's a compassionate Lord. And I began to see it doesn't matter whether it's Mozambique or right here walking the streets of this city.

God's concerned about His children and He's involved with you in your hurt. You can't compare it to anybody else or what you're going through. It may be you're in business and you can't see the future and you work harder and harder and you fall further and further behind.

But I want you to know God's just as concerned about that is as He is of starving children in Mozambique. He is concerned. He's a loving, compassionate Father. We're not to compare ourselves with anybody else.

Because when I sat there, all I could do is say, oh, God, help! I cried out to God. Well, by five o 'clock, it was gone. I mean, it just disappeared. You say, oh, Brother, I wish I had that kind of work in my heart.

But God showed me some things and I want to share with you this morning what I believe we can learn through our afflictions. Lesson number one. You can't deliver yourself out of any affliction. That's God's work.

God Alone Delivers From Bondage

You cannot deliver yourself out of any affliction. I don't care what kind of trouble you're in this morning. You can't extricate yourself from it on your own human power. No matter what kind of bondage.

I'm going to tell you something else. I don't care what kind of habit you have, what kind of sin that has a grip on you. You cannot break that by yourself. You don't have the power. The devil's too big for you.

You say, well, he's been defeated. Oh, he's been defeated as far as the ultimate victory is concerned. But he's still God of this earth. He's still God of this world. And he's going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour.

And you are no match. Now, the secret to understanding how you can get victory or learn in your affliction, you have to go to the children of Israel and see how God delivered them out of their afflictions.

Because they were patterns, the scripture said. The Bible says, now all these things happened unto them, Israel, for examples. And they are written for our admonition or our instruction upon whom the ends of the world would come.

First Corinthians 10, 6. All of these things happened unto them and they are our examples. Everything that happened to Israel, their bondage, their deliverance out of Egypt, all the ways that God worked with them are testimonies.

They are patterns. They're examples for us. He did in the natural for them what he does for us in the spiritual. He delivered their physical bodies. He delivers our spiritual bodies. He delivers us from the power of the darkness in our minds and our bodies.

The physical deliverance of Israel represents the spiritual deliverance we're to see. And all these steps and ways of God are clearly outlined in the Old Testament. Do you ever wonder why Israel, when Pharaoh got so angry, he took away their straw and he sent taskmasters and began to beat them?

And they had no sleep. They had to run all over the nation looking for straw. Wouldn't you think that Israel would have risen up and taken matters in their own hands and said, that's enough. We don't have to take this bondage anymore.

Because let me tell you, even Pharaoh said of them, behold, the people, the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. That was the testimony of Egypt. These people have outgrown us. They're stronger than us.

Let's deal with them. Israel knew that. They knew they were stronger. Why didn't they rise up in rebellion? Why didn't they say that's enough? We're going to do something about it now. Why wasn't there a revolution after the 10 plagues?

Egypt was devastated by the time the firstborn had died in every home. Every soldier had somebody. He had to go home and mourn and bury somebody. They were so busy in funeral parlors. They were so busy burying the dead.

They couldn't fight. Why didn't Israel rise up and say that's enough and take matters in their own hand? Because they couldn't have done it. Because God said, I'm coming down. I'm going to deliver you.

I will deliver you. This is the work of God. The scripture says, and the Lord said, I've surely seen the affliction of my people in Egypt. This is God speaking. And I've heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters.

For I know their sorrows, and I've come down to deliver them. I know their sorrows. Now folks, if that doesn't give you comfort right now, nothing will. I know your sorrows, and I have come down to deliver you.

Whatever you're going through this morning, whatever kind of test, whatever kind of suffering that you face right now, God says, I know your sorrow. You can't do it by yourself. You can scheme. You can dream.

You can manipulate. You can do anything. You cry. But this is my work. This is my work. Hallelujah. Are you burdened down this morning with a besetting sin, or a habit that won't let you go, or trouble that seems to linger on?

I want you to go to Exodus with me, the sixth chapter, please. Exodus 6. I want you to begin reading with me verse 6. Now folks, these two verses ought to be underlined in every Bible. You have your pen or pencil, underline or mark these two verses.

Exodus 6, verse 6 and 7. Therefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments, and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God, and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

And I will bring you in. I will bring it. It is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps. It's not in man to direct his own steps. David came against the giant. Look at me, please. He came against the giant, and you know what he quoted?

Here's what David said when he faced that big giant. And the assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is who? The Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. And 1 Samuel 17 50 says, and there was no sword in David's hand.

There was no sword in David's hand. David didn't take matters in his own hand. He didn't say, I'm going to bite the bullet. I'm going to fight this through. I'm going to do it on my own strength. Folks, you're bound for failure.

You can't beat any giant in your life unless you believe that it's the Lord's battle. It is the Lord's battle. Hallelujah. Now, folks, that takes the pressure off. That takes all of the pressure off. Does this mean that I have no part in my deliverance?

No, you see, your part and my part is to believe what he said is true, that he will deliver you if you will trust him, seek him with all your heart, hate your sin, and then turn to him and say, oh God, you are my deliverer.

You are greater than all my enemies. The sword is in your hand, Lord. You deal with the enemy. You deal with him. Hallelujah. Now, here's the key. I will save you out of bondage so that I will be to you a God and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.

What he's saying, you have read in the Old Testament how I delivered Israel. You read how I delivered David and Samson. You've seen the whole testimony. But God says, now I want you to let me be a God to you so that you experience miraculous deliverances so that you can testify just like these in the word of God.

I want to be God to you. I want to deliver you. I want you to see miracles. Hallelujah. That's the purpose of afflictions. God says, I want to show you that I will deliver you, and I want you to have the testimony that these you read about have.

Hallelujah. Folks, I don't know if you saw the headline in yesterday's paper. Tough love, a dad shoots his firstborn to save his younger son from drug abuse. And this Constantinos Papadopoulos, 39-year-old father, had a 20-year-old son that was on drugs, and he was taking his 16-year-old brother out evidently to smoke pot.

I don't know what the whole story, it doesn't give the whole story, but the father saw, he felt he'd lost his oldest son. And so he took a gun and shot his oldest son in the chest and in the mouth. And then he locked himself in his room, was going to commit suicide.

The boy, even though he was bleeding profusely, and his younger brother broke the door down, went in, saved their dad from committing suicide. And the boy in the hospital apologized, said it took this to wake me up.

And the father's so stricken, he said, I lost one. And he'd been under such depression, such horrible, horrible depression, because he'd lost one son, and he said, now I'm going to lose my other. And this 39-year-old father says, I can't take it anymore.

His depression brought him to the point of trying to kill his own son so that he could save his others, the other. Folks, that's not trivia. That's life and death. And what you're going through this morning, I'm going to talk just plainly to you right now, I'm not trying to impress you with preaching some powerful sermon.

God's trying to get through to you that you cannot bring yourself out of your depression. You can't bring it up. Go to any doctor. Go to any psychologist. Take any kind of medication. It's not going to last.

There is deliverance. There is a way. And I'm going to talk about it now. This is lesson number two. Afflictions come to drive us to the Lord, to bend our knees, to teach us to learn to pray and cry out to God in all of our problems.

Affliction Drives Believers to Prayer

Psalm 77 -2 says, In the day of my trouble, David said, I sought the Lord. When I got in trouble, it drove me to the Lord. Before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I have kept thy word. He's saying, I was lazy.

I was spiritually dying. I was losing my first love. But since I've been afflicted, now I've been seeking the Lord. When he was in affliction, speaking of Manasseh, when he was in affliction, then he sought the Lord and humbled himself greatly before God.

David said, I know, God, that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me. You've been faithful. The affliction that I'm going through is a part of your faithfulness. Because God is, David is saying, God, I know why you afflicted me.

You saw that I was just drifting. You saw that I was not seeking you. You saw that I was not really diligent in my ways. So you allowed affliction in my life to wake me up. And that is your act of faithfulness.

Folks, whatever you're going through, stop and think about it for a minute. God, you're faithful in afflicting me because you're waking me up, driving me to my knees. Hallelujah. He wants you to seek his face.

Exodus 2. Turn left to Exodus 2, verse 23 to 25. And it came to pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage. And what did they do?

They cried. And their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel.

And God had respect unto them. And that word respect means he took action. And God took action. Folks, look at me, please. There's something about the heart of God you and I must understand when we look at our afflictions.

There's something about his heart. He hurts when you hurt. When you're afflicted, he's afflicted, the Bible says. Whatever you're going through right now, he is going through it with you. Now, folks, how can you understand a God so mighty?

Is to say this, listen to it closely. Isaiah 63 .9. In all their afflictions, he was afflicted. And the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity, he redeemed them. And he bared them and carried them all the days of old.

Every time they were afflicted, God hurt with them. In fact, when Israel sinned, and they brought misery down upon them, and they're suffering for their sin. And there's some of you might be in misery and affliction now because of sin.

That happens. Even then, though, God said, and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. And the context of that, they had been in idolatry. And now they were coming to the Lord and they were in terrible grief.

Their sin had brought their misery and grief. And yet, even that misery caused by their own sin, God said, his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. I talked to a man, a brother who'd been delivered from alcohol.

He said, Brother Dave, when I walk the streets, he said, I go past the bar and I can smell it. The taste is still in my mouth. I love the Lord, the taste, and it's misery to me. I've known people who eat, drug addicts, alcoholics, all who've had habits and cigarettes.

Some of you fighting a cigarette habit. You're doing pretty well for a week or two, and then you get the smell of it and something comes up in your flesh. The taste is still there and the battle rages on.

And you're in misery. And I'm going to tell you something, folks. God shares. He knows the misery you go through. And you can make yourself a million promises. I'll quit smoking. I'll quit drinking. I'll quit this.

Folks, how many promises have you already made and broken? Thousands and thousands of promises are made and they are broken because we do not lean on the Lord as our only source of hope. He alone has the power.

And these things should drive us to the cross, should drive us to our knees till we learn to cry out. And folks, that's how my deliverance came on Friday. I stayed on my knees crying out to God until the victory came.

I got into His Word and I began to build myself up in the faith. And I began to realize that all I could do is stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. That this was His battle. His battle. And I'm His child and He loves me.

And He'll come and bring deliverance. But you have got to understand no matter what you go through, no matter what your trouble, He hurts with you. He feels with you. He grieves to see you broken. And He wants more than anything else to deliver you.

I don't serve a God who hangs around and says, you're miserable because of what you did. You failed me and now you're paying the price. And I'll just sit and wait until you have hurt long enough. And then I'll come to your rescue.

We don't serve a God like that. We serve a loving Father. The moment you feel grief, He feels your grief. Hallelujah. You may not know it. You may not see it now. But God started your deliverance the first moment you cried.

The first time you got on your knees and cried out, Oh God, deliver me. God went in motion. God, you may not see it. There may be no evidence in front of your face. But God heard you. Now, I had just read to you the scripture here in Exodus, this sixth chapter.

I just, no, second chapter. Again, verse 25. And God looked upon the children of Israel and God had respect unto their cry. They had just cried. God says He heard their cry. Look at chapter three. The next thing you read, immediately God falls on the bush.

You fall on your knees, God falls on the bush. Immediately. The first time they cried in their misery, God said, I heard you. And He goes out to Mount Horeb and He lays His hands. Let me read it to you.

And Moses kept a flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.

And he looked and behold, the bush burned with fire and bush was not consumed. Now, folks, Israel has just cried out to the Lord. They don't know it. They don't see it. But God has already taken charge.

God's already set in motion their deliverance. They weren't going to see it for a while. They're not going to see it and they're going to complain. And they're going to wonder if God's ever heard their cry.

But the whole time they're wondering, why hasn't God heard me? God's already working. He's fallen on the bush. He's calling a man. He's trained him. And folks, within a few days, Moses is going to be making his journey toward them.

The deliverer was on the way. First time you prayed about what you're going through. First time you prayed, God heard you. God started acting. You don't see it. You may be totally blind to it. You say, I don't see any evidence of God doing anything for me.

He's already put the bush on fire. He's already set the deliverer. Hallelujah. The answer is being shipped to you. Hallelujah. The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Many of the fixings of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Hallelujah. I know sometimes God would love. I think he'd love to pull the curtains back of divine providence and show you and me his whole plan.

You know why he doesn't do it? Because the moment you saw it, you'd get lazy. You wouldn't have any faith. You didn't need it. You said, I saw what I'm getting. I saw what he's going to do for me. You'd go around boasting to everybody.

I saw it. You don't know what. I got a secret. And you'd be so proud. Nobody could live with you. God said, no, the only way I can teach you to believe I'm working, but I'm not going to show it to you.

So that by the time it comes, you'll be living in faith. Oh, I'd sure like to know what he's got for me. He may give you some hints. Lesson number three, afflictions get much worse just before the deliverance comes.

Deliverance Often Comes After Intensified Affliction

Oh, you better believe this. Look at chapter three, verse 14, verse 14. And God said to Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you.

And God said, moreover, unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has sent me unto you. This is my name forever. This is my memorial unto all generations.

Go and gather all the elders of Israel together. Say unto them, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has appeared unto me and said, I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

And I have said, I will bring you out of the affliction of Egypt into the land of Canaanites, Hittites and so forth. They shall hearken to their voice and shall come down the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt.

And he shall say to him, the Lord God of the Hebrews have met us. And now let us go. We beseech thee three days journey to the wilderness that we may sacrifice the Lord our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

But folks, get the picture. Here's Moses. Now he's appeared on the scene and he's got this good news. God sent me to deliver you. You are going out of bondage. You're going into the promised land, the land of the Hittites and Jebusites.

And God's going to drive them out. You're going into land of milk and honey. The promise is given to them. Isn't the word wonderful? Aren't these promises glorious? And boy, will they test you. Until his time came, the word of the Lord tried Joseph.

He was tried by every promise. And now they've got the promise. They're going around saying, oh, hallelujah, we're going to be free. My bondage is all over. Hallelujah. But Ashotha was in Israel, in Egypt, among the Israelites.

The deliverer is here. We are finally free. Boy, a lot of times I thought, boy, I'm out of the tunnel. Didn't tell me there was another one, right? Look at chapter 4, verse 29. This is just after they've been told.

Oh, here it is. And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses and did the signs on the side of the people.

The people believed. And when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and they worshipped. Isn't that wonderful?

Deliverance. Wonderful. I'm free. Go to chapter 5. Let's see how free. Let's start with verse 19. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case after it was said, ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

See, they've just come out from meeting Pharaoh. Now, up to this time, they had straw for bricks. And now, after they were told they were going to be delivered, they get no straw. And things get worse.

And they have taskmasters now beating them. And Pharaoh said, get out of my sight. Go to work. And now Moses is waiting for them after they came out from meeting Pharaoh. And when they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh, and they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil and treated this people? Why is it thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people.

Neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Wow. Lord, everything you said has not happened. Lord, it's worse than it's ever been. Moses is incredulous. He can't believe. God, why did you send me? Why did I go out on a limb like that?

Why did I tell the people they're going to be delivered? They're not delivered. They're being beaten. They have no straw now. You have not kept your word. Let me tell you something about this. Look at me.

Do you think for a moment the devil is going to sit by? He knows that they're going to go. He knows deliverance is coming. The devil knows it. He said, I've got just a little time left. And the time I got left, I'm going to throw everything in hell at him.