The First Confrontation with Pharaoh
October 15, 2019
Commentary
After speaking with the Jewish leaders, Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharoah, asking him to let the people go (v. 1). As the most power king on earth, Pharoah must have been shocked by their audacity. He questioned God’s authority and refused their request (v. 2). They claimed that their God had appeared to them (v. 3) and warned of trouble if they were not permitted to leave freely. But Pharoah said they were keeping the people from their work (vv. 4-5), and that same day he gave orders that made the Israelites situation even harder. They would need to find their own straw for the bricks they made while still keeping quota (vv. 6-8). Pharoah said the people’s sudden desire to go and worship their God had more to do with laziness than reverence, and their work would be harder in the future to keep them focused on what really mattered (v. 9). The task masters enforced the new orders, and the people were forced to look for their own straw (vv. 10-12).
The slave bosses continued to be hard on the people and kept saying, “Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw” (v. 13). Since Israel could no longer produce their daily quota, the Israelite overseers were beaten (v.14). Finally, these Hebrew foremen went to the king asking why they were being treated like this (vv. 15-16). They said, “It is your own people who are to blame because they will not bring us any straw. Pharaoh told them they were lazy and to get back to work. He no doubt had anticipated this reaction and planned to use it to turn the people against Moses, whom he considered to be a troublemaker. His plan worked and immediately there was contention within the ranks of Israel and Moses received the blame for this unjust treatment (vv. 17-21). He then prays and asks why so much trouble has been brought on his people and since he came to speak to Pharoah (vv. 22-23).
Application
Unfortunately, the people of Israel looked to Pharaoh for help and not to the Lord who had promised to deliver them. When I feel like I am not being treated fairly I need to look to the Lord for help and not to other people.
Exodus 5:1–23 (NET)
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, ‘Release my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel!” 3 And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or the sword.” 4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work? Return to your labor!” 5 Pharaoh was thinking, “The people of the land are now many, and you are giving them rest from their labor.”
6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the slave masters and foremen who were over the people: 7 “You must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before. Let them go and collect straw for themselves. 8 But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. That is why they are crying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words!”
10 So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I am not giving you straw. 11 You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’” 12 So the people spread out through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw. 13 The slave masters were pressuring them, saying, “Complete your work for each day, just like when there was straw!” 14 The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked, “Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past—both yesterday and today?”
15 The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are you treating your servants this way? 16 No straw is given to your servants, but we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your people.”
17 But Pharaoh replied, “You are slackers! Slackers! That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’” 18 So now, get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still produce your quota of bricks!” 19 The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”
20 When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them, 21 and they said to them, “May the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants, so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!”
22 Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have certainly not rescued them!”
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