So Moses gives in to God and begins a return journey to Egypt, not before stopping in to see his father-in-law. Jethro is after all the head of the clan, and Moses' boss.
Moses chooses not to tell Jethro about his whole God encounter story, but instead, says he wants to visit relatives. Perhaps Jethro pointed out that he was still a wanted man there. But the historian tells us that God has reassured Moses that the people who wanted him dead are they themselves dead.
And then God gives Moses a synopsis of his plan: Moses is going to so and threaten the Pharaoh - that because he refuses to let God's people go free, God will take Pharaoh's first born child in retaliation. And things will surely happen this way because God says, "he will make the Pharaoh stubborn."
There are two ways to hear this. First, that God imposed stubbornness on to the Pharaoh when Pharaoh would have otherwise complied.
Certainly, as God is the Creator of the universe, he should have the power and the right to impose someone on one of his creatures. But there are two issues with this understanding. First, why does God not just "impose" cooperation, which would have been easier? Second, there are few examples of God imposing him on me - to the best of my ability to decipher. God doesn't seem to impose peace on warring countries, or impose good behaviour on evil people. And a God who imposes chaos seems inconsistent with a God who hears the cries of suffering people, and bends over backwards to earn their freedom.
So the second way to hear "make the Pharaoh stubborn" is that God will not impose "un-stubbornness" on Pharaoh. Since Pharaoh is a ruthless dictator and is determine to put up a fight, God will not impose cooperation with some sort of magical spell. Pharaoh is going to have to pay the consequence of his stubborn lack of respect for God and human decency.
And this fits my experience of God: that he invites my cooperation without imposing it. And for all the choices I make in life, I will reap the consequence whether good or bad.
But then again, I should be careful to not handcuff God with his own kindness. Just because he chooses not to impose himself on me, doesn't mean he can't, or doesn't. So it's a good thing that God is a God who cares about the suffering of his people.
Write
Think about your faith story: how have you experienced how God works in the world? How has he ever imposed himself on you? How has he given you room to choose?
Presently, where in your life - what relationships or circumstances, are you struggling with doing what you always do, or to make different, kinder choices?
Who do you know is struggling with cooperating with God?
Pray
What
is God saying to you today? What's Good News to you?
Talk to God about how your experience of how he works in your life. Thank God for the way he seldom imposes himself, and often gives you the grace and time to respond to his invitation to make better choices.
Pray about the significant decisions you are struggling with presently. Ask God for the help you need, the reassureance of his presence, and the courage to resist doing what you normally do and instead, do what you know is better.
Pray for your friend who is struggling to cooperate with God. Ask God how you can come along them to help them in thier choice.
Pray for an experience of God's love, grace and mercy in the way he lets you choose, and the ways he empowers you and your friends to learn to make better choices.