Verse 1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
This entire chapter reveals the pattern the Devil uses to impede the LORD’s people and cause division. This pattern of attack has been used by evil people all throughout history. See if you can see the method used against the Hebrew people.
Application: Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD and spoke the words they were directed to say to the leader of the first one-world government. Can you imagine the emotions these two men were experiencing and can you imagine how intimidated they must have felt while standing in the presence of Pharaoh? If God tells the believer to go and say something to someone or to an organization, these feelings of insecurity may occur. But when in the will of God, victory is already declared in Heaven. Rest in this truth the next time you are challenged to go outside of your comfort zone.
Verse 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
Pharaoh’s words echo the attitude of much of the world’s population today. “Who is the LORD that I should obey…?” Little did Pharaoh know that in a very short time he would know who the LORD was and be helpless to stand against Him.
Application: Evangelism is difficult today because the same evil spirit that was dwelling in Pharaoh is dwelling in the people of the world today. Regardless, the believer is commanded in Mark 16:15 to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Just as it was not Moses’ responsibility to change Pharaoh’s heart and mind, the believer is only tasked with going and speaking the words of the LORD to the unbeliever. It is God’s responsibility to soften and change the heart of the listener.
Verse 3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
God is a compassionate god and not wanting for any soul to perish in their sins and is giving this world leader another opportunity to do the right thing by finding out who the God of the Hebrews is and by obeying Him.
Verses 4-5 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
It is doubtful that the thousands of Hebrew slaves had ceased their forced labors while waiting to see the outcome of the meeting between Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh. They had Egyptian task masters over them supervising their labors. Yet Pharaoh ordered Moses and Aaron to get back to work knowing they were not part or the labor force and then blamed them for any reduction in production.
Verses 6-9 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
Pharaoh’s vindictive spirit is seen here as he punishes the Hebrew people in an effort to get back at Moses and Aaron who had dared to tell him the words of the LORD. Why did Pharaoh not just arrest Moses and Aaron and make them “disappear?”
The word “regard” means to consider. By making it more difficult to work and produce the same number of bricks, Pharaoh is hoping the Hebrew men will also blame Moses and Aaron and stop listening to anything they say.
Application: The believer can count on things usually becoming more difficult before experiencing a miracle.
Verses 10-11 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. 11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
The word “ought” means anything. The Hebrew people making the bricks now had to find their own materials to make them. This would then negatively impact the people charged with transporting the bricks to building sites and the people receiving the bricks to use in the massive building projects Egypt is famous for. The taskmasters would be held responsible for not keeping the slaves’ production at normal levels. Everyone would feel the pain of Pharaoh’s arbitrary orders.
Application: Believers today have taskmasters. The boss at work, the teacher at school, the daily schedule of seemingly unending tasks, the clogged freeways, the demands of family and friends, the constant financial pressures, etc. all become the taskmasters in today’s busy culture. Take heart, stop worrying, and put your faith in Jesus Christ. He knows your situation and will get you through it.
Verse 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
Stubble is that which is left after the straw is cut or harvested. It is small, loose material and is difficult to gather and transport.
Verses 13-14 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
The officers were Hebrew people that were placed over the other slaves with the task of keeping them working. Since they were administrative, it would be doubtful that these men would be actually working to make the bricks. When you cannot beat and threaten all your workers, as a taskmaster, you beat the workers’ leaders.
Verses 15-16 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
It is quite possible that the Hebrew leaders were unaware that the unreasonable order to not provide straw for the slaves came from the Pharaoh himself. It appears that they believe the taskmasters are to blame for the impossible situation they now find themselves in.
Verses 17-19 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. 18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. 19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
Through Pharaoh’s words the Hebrew leaders now understand that the order to produce product without the proper material is from the government and not from the taskmasters and that it is a result of the meeting Moses and Aaron had with Pharaoh. They and all the slaves working for Pharaoh had absolutely nothing to do with the decision making that was causing their lives to be so much worse than before. And they were powerless to do anything to seek a remedy for their troubles.
Verses 20-21 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: 21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
Pharaoh blamed Moses and Aaron for what he perceived as a rebellion by the Hebrews. The taskmasters blamed the workers for reduced production. The workers or slaves blamed the taskmasters for being unreasonable. Now the leaders of the Hebrews are blaming Moses and Aaron for the whole mess. It seems that everybody forgot the God of Heaven and Earth and were only looking at the tangible, physical situation and not at the spiritual implications of all that was happening.
Application: Obedience to God often does not make a believer popular.
Verse 22-23 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
Moses is now entrenched in doubt and guilt. He is questioning his mission and feeling responsible for the difficulties inflicted upon his Hebrew brethren. He knew that life for his people was difficult before his coming to Egypt and now the situation he was seeing develop was making life unbearable for all concerned except Pharaoh. Now Moses is blaming God for the evil.
Application: There is no room in the believer’s life for blaming. Responsibility needs to be taken where appropriate and it is never right to blame the LORD for any evil experienced. When things get more difficult, that is the time for the believer to wait and watch for a miracle. Be patient and do not lose faith. The LORD is never wrong, never unkind, and never late when intervening in a believer’s life.