"Let my people go"... That was God's message to Pharaoh from the mouth of Moses. The people of Israel were obviously enjoying the fruits and the culture of the Egyptians but they definitely were not enjoying the servitude that they were in, so God says to Pharaoh "Let My people go"... to do what? God says, "that they may serve me". One must have thought ‘of course, they can serve you in Egypt’ but God says "‘NO’, let MY people go that they may serve ME!".
Asides the fact that God hates to see His children in servitude, If we closely observe the life of the Israelites in the land of Egypt, we’ll see that it was impossible for them to serve the Lord in Egypt- they were in another man’s land and it would be a difficult task building a temple for a foreign God on another man’s soil- That would be perceived as a step to rebellion; the Egyptians had their own gods and they would not allow a "foreign God" on their own soil. Again, the Israelites were slaves working for many hours of the day, with only few hours to rest; I don’t see how much time they could 'spare', in such a setting, to serve THE LORD acceptably. So, when God said they had to leave Egypt to serve Him, He knew exactly what He was saying. Many have wondered why they find it difficult to live Holy lives or to serve the Lord, they wonder why they find it difficult to worship the Lord; the reason is because they are still in Egypt and unless they leave Egypt, they will find it difficult to serve the Lord acceptably. For some, Egypt may be friends like it was for Rehoboam; for some, it could be their occupation like it was for Isaiah and for some it could be their family and environment like it was for Abraham. Again, so long as you remain in Egypt, you cannot serve the Lord acceptably nor live in the centre of His plans for you. You know, as humans, we sometimes try to be wise in our own eyes and try to negotiate with God, nonetheless, what God says is for us to reason with Him (see reasons with Him) not to negotiate with Him... There’s a difference! We should understand that when God tells us something, it’s for our own good; His counsel, we must hold strongly. We must acknowledge that we can’t sustain our lives on our strength and tiny wisdom, but by His grace and mercy. I was speaking to a lady someday and she was complaining about her spiritual life, she would tell people to not do certain things, but she would secretly go ahead and do same. I told her to pray, but she said she had been praying and nothing seemed to change. I was, myself bothered, trying to figure out what could be wrong; she knows these things are wrong, she wishes she could stop doing them, but she somehow can't stop doing them... Before long, she told me she feels it’s because of the songs she listens to. At that point, I knew God had answered her prayers, she just wasn’t ready to obey. Many a times, we feel God isn’t answering our prayers but we’re wrong. God can do all things, but there are simply some things that God won't do unless we allow Him do them, and if we don't give Him the allowance, we’re only wasting our energy praying. There are some things that we alone can do; when we pray to God, He reveals those things to us, and expects us to take appropriate actions, but if we keep expecting God to do them, we'll only be wasting our time... There are some things in our lives that are exclusively God's duty, while there are some duties that are exclusively ours. You see, unless this lady in question disengages from strange musics, she cannot live the Godly life that is comely of a Christian; the life of Holiness and Consecration God requires of her. Of course, this also goes for every Christian... Again, if the children of Israel do not leave Egypt, they cannot serve the living God. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 4:17-18 said: “With the LORD’S authority, I say this: live no more as the gentiles do, for they hopelessly are confused, their minds are full of darkness; they wander from the life that GOD gives them because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against HIM. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity” Paul said to the Christians in Ephesians to live ‘no more’ as the gentiles in order for them to live a life of Holiness and Consecration that God want from them. The lost refers to everyone who is not living within the boundaries where God wants them. Saved or unsaved, once they are not living the kind of life that pleases God, they're LOST! If they claim to be saved, then, they ARE like Israelites who have chosen to remain in Egypt. Beloved, have you tried to live a holy life but it's like you're trying to break a rock with a knife? Have you tried to live a life of service to GOD but it's like a pipe dream? Do yourself a favour and Check around you for the Egyptian links... Those Friends, that Company, that Music, that Gathering, that Association... Come on! You can't serve God in Egypt. 2 Corinthians 7:1- "With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God". (MSG) God has sent out the decree to Egypt on your behalf "Let My People Go!" So to you I say, GET OUT OF EGYPT!