This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see
what’s happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

After meeting God in the burning
bush, Moses obeys his commands.

He travels to Egypt, shows
God’s miracles to Israel’s leaders,

and commands Pharaoh
to let the Israelites go.

But things don’t go as Moses
or the Israelites expected.

Pharaoh says no to Moses’ request and
increases the persecution against the Israelites.

Understandably, Moses and the
people are confused and angry.

If they were God’s people and if Moses had
obeyed, why were these bad things happening?

This confusing situation leads Moses
to ask God a very difficult question,

“Why have you done
evil to this people?”

But God doesn’t explain,
justify, or defend himself.

He simply repeats
his promise to Moses.

Everything is still going
according to his plan.

Suffering has not thwarted God’s will.

God also takes his promise
a step further by adding to it.

Not only will he save Israel, he will
do so by punishing their enemies.

God will hold Pharaoh and the
Egyptians accountable for their evil

through what he calls,
“Great acts of judgement.”

These are the famous
plagues that are about to occur.

Through them, Egypt will be
judged and Israel will be saved.

No wicked event, no matter
the size of the suffering it created,

has turned back God’s
plan to save the world.

But it doesn’t always
seem like that is true.

Even when we seem to be
doing the right thing, we still suffer.

We ask the question, “Why do bad
things happen to good people?”

The problem for us, though, is that we only
want to identify with the suffering Israelites,

wondering why things sometimes
get worse, even when we obey God.

But we need to see that
we are are also like Pharaoh.

Our wicked actions are often the answer
to the question, “Why do bad things happen?”

Therefore, God has every right to
treat us like he would treat Egypt.

He has every right to hold us
accountable through great acts of judgement.

But Jesus willfully put himself under the
weight of all our evil and suffered by it and for it.

In that moment, Jesus could have easily
repeated the question Moses had asked centuries ago,

“Why have you done this evil against me?”

But in that moment of suffering on the cross,
God brought about the fulfillment

of his greatest plan.

The good news doesn’t stop there.

Just as God promised to hold
the evil of Egypt accountable,

Jesus will also hold accountable
all the evil that people have committed.

No one has ever suffered
who will not be avenged.

No wrong will ever be done
that will not be put right.

This makes what Jesus does for
those he saves all the more beautiful.

We deserve to be held accountable for the
suffering we have brought into the world.

But instead, for those
who will trust in him,

Jesus takes the great acts of judgement
they deserve and gives us freedom.

I pray that the Holy Spirit
gives you eyes to see the God

who is faithful through our
suffering and holds evil accountable.

And may you see Jesus
as the one who is faithful to us

by holding himself accountable
for the evil we commit.