God's Pattern For Deliverance Part 5 - The Uprooting Begins

God’s Pattern For Deliverance

 

Part 5 – The Uprooting Begins

 

Time to Start Pulling the Tares…

 

               So if we’ve followed the step-by-step Deliverance Pattern that God lays out in the Word up to this point, we’ve watched as God has turned the power of our oppressor against itself. We’ve also seen that its source of nourishment has become abominable to it, and how He’s made those things a source of weakness for it. So now what?

              

And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. Exo 8:5-6

 

And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Exo 8:16-17

 

Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. Exo 8:21

 

And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. Exo 8:24

 

               At the time of the exodus event, the Egyptians believed that nature, and all things natural, consisted of four primary elements. These elements were water, earth, air and fire.

               By causing frogs to come from the water; lice from the dust of the earth; and swarms of flies to fill the air, Jehovah was teaching the Egyptians a very important lesson. He was proving to them that He was so powerful, that He could turn all of created nature into a weapon that could be used against the nation of slave-owners. If this had happened during our time, we would see a guy on every street corner holding a sign, reading “Repent! The end is near!”

               Water, air and earth were the three elements of nature that man had absolutely no control over. As a result, the ancient world both feared and revered them. Every civilization on the earth at the time worshipped gods of air, earth, and water.

In Egypt, the gods that were based in and around the Nile – the greatest source for water and nutrition in the land – were especially revered. In fact, only the god of the sun, the king of Egypt’s deities, was more powerful and more worshipped than the gods centered on the Nile. And even part of his worship was tied to the Nile. For the Nile to produce legions of frogs had to turn the spiritual and supernatural beliefs of the Egyptians upside down.

This whole process of nature turning against the oppressors is still part of the pattern that God uses today. Once the uprooting process has begun in earnest, God empowers His children so that our very nature; the one thing that any source of bondage cannot control, turns against the oppression.

 

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:16

 

               Bondage of any sort may only enter our lives through our submission to it. In one form or another, we have invited our oppressor to begin operating in our bodies, hearts and minds. Usually, it is an act of disobedience to the word of God that opens the doorway for it to enter our lives.  

 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Rom 3:23

 

               Because we have all sinned, we have all disobeyed the word of God at some point in our lives. As a result, all of us can be oppressed, because we have all opened doorways into our lives through disobedience. Oppression is not a “them” issue, it is an “us” issue

 

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God. Exo 8:8-10

 

But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. Exo 8:15

 

And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. Exo 8:18-19

 

               It is at this point that we see cyclical effect on Pharaoh’s attitude. First, he is going to let the Israelites go. Then he decides not to. We see this time and again.

               Once our recreated nature, the nature of God within us, begins to rise up in holy indignation to our oppression, we see the same effect in our own lives. This cyclical effect of strength and weakness is a good sign. It means that our spirits and our flesh are starting to defy our oppressor.

               We see this manifest as a cycle that is repeated time and again. On some days, we will be stronger than the addiction, illness, etc. On other days, it will be stronger than us. This cycle will continue until the last stages of our deliverance.

 

And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

Exo 8:22-23

 

We see at this point that God has drawn a line in the sand between the Egyptians and the Israelites. He has separated them so the plagues He sends against Egypt do not affect His children.

The same thing happens with our oppressor at this point in this process. God separates us spiritually from whatever bondage we have been struggling against.  This spiritual division, or breaking of covenant with it, causes its power over our lives to diminish even further. Now the cycles of strength and weakness begin to grow longer and longer in our favor. Whatever need that this thing used to satisfy, it cannot satisfy any longer. Deliverance is coming.

 

The Negotiations Begin

 

And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. Exo 8:25-32

 

               Now we notice that Pharaoh starts to look like he’s tired of sleeping with a bed full of bugs, and he becomes willing to at least talk about giving in to the demands of Jehovah and Moses. At least he’s willing to negotiate to see if he can get a little better terms than what he’s been offered.

               Our source of bondage will use the same tactic at this point. This will generally happen in the battlefield of the mind. This is usually where an alcoholic will begin to think, “I’ll keep drinking, but just on the weekends.” Other forms of oppression will use similar tactics to make us believe that we are being partially released, and that we’ll be given terms that we can live with.

 

And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. Exo 8:32

 

               First of all, we need to understand that any attempt to negotiate with any form of oppression is doomed to end in failure.

 

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 2Co 6:15-17

 

               If we are to be free from our bondage, we cannot be partially free. We cannot continue to associate with our oppressor in any form or fashion.

 

And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us. Exo 8:26-27

 

               Instead of accepting the terms offered in any attempts at negotiation, we must continue on the path to complete freedom. We must not waver.

 

This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. Gal 5:8-10

 

               If we allow any oppressor room to operate in our lives, even under negotiated terms, we will soon find ourselves completely under its control again. A little oppression is still not freedom. We must continue with this process until we are completely free.

 

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joh 8:36

 

               It is always God’s will for us to be completely set free. It was not His plan that we should continue to be oppressed by anything in any part of our life.

 

The Powerless Oppressor

 

Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

Exo 9:1-7

 

               At the time of the exodus event, horses and cattle represented power just like tanks and helicopters represent power today. When God threatened the cattle and horses of Egypt, He was in fact, threatening their power base.

               Horses represented military power at home. Camels represented power to cover great distances to trade, and military power abroad. Oxen and donkeys represented power to feed the nation by plowing and reaping the harvest. They were also used to carry great loads for Egypt’s building projects. So when God threatened the health and welfare of Egypt’s herds, He was threatening to eliminate their military power, and their power to acquire or replace the wealth and power that had already been stripped from them.

               After we have successfully gone through all the previously outlined steps in this process, we will begin to see the power of our oppressor over our life begin to falter. It is at this point where many deliverance ministers feel the time is right to jump on whatever is binding us and cast it down. The time is not right just yet, however. We need to complete the process. Don’t be in a hurry to jump ahead of God.

And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses. Exo 9:8-12

 

               Once God released the plague of boils against the Egyptians, their ability to do any sort of productive work was stopped cold. The power of their workforce was instantly brought to almost zero. As a result, all types of productive work needed to sustain the nation was ceased.

               As God continues to strengthen us against our oppressor, we will begin to notice that our new spiritual strength begins to manifest in our flesh, as well. Whatever is keeping us in bondage will begin to lose all of its ability to exert its power and authority over our daily lives. As it loses its ability to operate in any sort of power, it becomes weaker every day, just as the nation of Egypt did.

               As long as we continue in the steps of this process, it will be unable to ever regain the ability to operate as it once did. Just like the nation of Egypt, it has become a diseased, weakened opponent, unable to muster any sort of power to operate against us.

 

And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God. And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten: for they were not grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses. Exo 9:13-35

 

               Fire is the fourth, and most powerful element in the natural world of the Egyptians. Although it is also the most fear-inspiring and destructive, it is the one element that the Egyptians had the power to control. At least to some extent. Now, we see that their power to control this most destructive of elements has been harshly wrested from their grasp, and is destroying their wealth and substance.

               To the Egyptians, Amun-Ra, the sun god and king of the Egyptian deities, appears to have broken forth upon them, destroying everything that makes them a wealthy and powerful nation. To make it even worse, their second most powerful gods, those of the Nile, are completely unable to assist them in putting the fires out. The fires of wrath that have descended upon their nation are consuming all of their belongings as they stand around helplessly and watch.

              

And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. Exo 9:23-26

 

To the average Egyptian, it must have appeared that Amun-Ra and the rest of the Egyptian deities had either deserted their nation, or been defeated by Jehovah. This foreign God was destroying their nation, and all they could do was to watch helplessly as it happened.

               As God releases the purifying fires of His wrath against our powerless oppressor, He begins to destroy every outward sign that it ever had any life in it to begin with. And this all happens without any negative effects on us, His children. At this point, drug addicts will begin to notice that they are able to go long periods of time without any withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholics may see long periods of recovery where there aren’t any shakes or any of the other alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms. That doesn’t mean that the cure has been administered. It means that the process is working and we must continue with it.

 

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. Exo 9:27-28

 

               Pharaoh appears to finally be getting the message. It appears that he has figured out that the only hope of saving what is left of his nation is to repent and set the children of God free.

               It is at this point in our deliverance that our oppressor will begin to repent, as well. Disease may go into complete remission. Drug and alcohol withdrawal symtoms may completely stop. But still, we must continue.

 

And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God. And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten: for they were not grown up. Exo 9:29-32

 

               We are not to be fooled by the apparently complete remission of our oppressor at this point in time. Notice from the text above that everything was not destroyed. The wheat and rye were still in the ground, not having grown up, yet.

               It is the same with our pattern of deliverance. If we allow ourselves to be fooled by the apparent remission of our bondage, we will find out later that it had planted seeds that we were not aware of. As a result, there are still roots which may spring up at any time, restoring life to it once again. This is how diseases like leukemia and cancer can spring back up after years in remission. This is also why a recovering alcoholic will fall off the wagon after five years of sobriety. The entire pattern must be completed for deliverance to actually occur.

 

And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses. Exo 9:33-35

 

               Notice that as soon as Moses leaves the city and the pressure is off, the Pharaoh is no longer repentant. He no longer plans to release the Israelites.

               It is the same in our deliverance pattern. As soon as we turn our backs or stop this process, whatever is oppressing us will rise up again, no longer in fear of the consequences. As soon as we are no longer vigilant, it returns. It will return in power, and we will be captive once again. The only solution is to continue to the end of this process and let God have His full work in our lives.

               To those truly seeking deliverance please be on the look-out for the next article in this series: “God’s Pattern For Deliverance Part 6 – The Oppressor Humbled.”