In reading Exodus 10, I was struck by the fact that Pharaoh tried to bargain with Moses concerning letting the people go. When Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go and then threatened the plague of locusts if he did not, Exodus 10:11 records Pharaoh saying that only the men could go and worship. The women and children and flocks and herds would need to remain.
Later when Moses threatened the plague of darkness, Pharaoh bargained by letting the women and children go but not the flocks and herds (Exodus 10:24). Again we find that this was not what God required.
The truth we find from these verses is that God is not looking for compromised obedience. Our bargaining with God by justifying partial obedience is just disobedience with an excuse. Pharaoh probably thought he was giving up a lot. After all, the male slaves were the majority of the workforce. Later, he was letting the whole family go, just not the animals. Why did they need their herds anyway?
But in each case, Pharaoh was holding onto to a part that would compromise the total freedom God desired to bring to His people.
When we bargain with God, it is usually because we are still desiring to hold onto something that is keeping us in bondage. It may seem harmless, but it compromises the total freedom God desires to bring to us.
Prayer Focus: Ask the Lord to reveal to you any areas of compromise that are holding you back from receiving the total freedom He desires to bring your way. Ask the Lord to help you to fully obey Him today!
