“So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.” Exodus 6:9
To get the total context of this you’ll need to start at the beginning of this chapter, but in the previous 8 verses the Lord has made some wonderful promises to Israel. Promises of deliverance and relationship with Himself. He hasn’t asked them to do anything, but states over and over – I will, I will, I will.
Moses brings this word to the people, a word that should have brought hope and encouragement, but they could not receive it.
Why? They were overpowered by the anguish of their spirit and the difficulty of their situation. To be fair, they were in great difficulty. Slavery is bad enough, but their affliction had only increased since Moses’ arrival. They were tired and discouraged and their spiritual condition and unfavorable circumstances prevented them from heeding what God had spoken through Moses.
I have this problem sometimes too. I have a friend at work who can tell when I’m stressed almost beyond my limit. At those times, she’ll look at me so compassionately and say, “It’s gonna be alright. Jesus is coming.”
That never fails to make me smile. Because He IS coming. He has promised to “come again and receive me to Himself” (John 14:3). But in the midst of my struggles, that promise doesn’t always resound so clearly in my heart.
I am thankful for the many ways He sends reminders to me. He always finds a way to help me hear Him.
He is my Delight 