# 24 2024 Dev. Ex.5:2. “Let My People Go!” Read all of chapter five first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Ex 5:2 “ Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”
Ex 5 The book of Exodus Is about three main subjects: God’s deliverance, God’s morality and how to worship. God chose the time for liberating His people Israel from Egypt. God chose the method and He chose the person to accomplish it. He also told Moses what to say to Pharaoh Ex 3:18
Vs.1-5 Moses and Aaron did not say what God had told them to say to Pharaoh. They said to Pharaoh: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” But that is not what God told them to say to Pharaoh. They started with an imperative, “Let my people go,” That is like saying: we demand that you let us go and have a festival in the wilderness. They got a very negative reaction from Pharaoh. But then they were told that Pharaoh would refuse. “Then they said, ‘the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord out God.’” That is what God told them to say, a much softer tone. But they did not end it there, they added, “or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword” Were they trying to scare Pharaoh, with thousands dead depleting his work force? In any case Pharaoh hardened his heart. It would take God’s power to accomplish the release, not Moses’ or Aaron’s effort. When we start to depend on ourselves we get into trouble.
Vs.6-21 The end result of the first meeting was devastating for the Israelites. They had to make a certain number of bricks a day but now they would not get the straw they needed, they had to find it themselves. Pharaoh was punishing them saying they had to much time on their hands. “The Israelis overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh” to no avail, he called them lazy, he refused to give them straw and did not change the quota of bricks. The overseers went to Moses and Aaron and blamed them for this situation, it would be very difficult to meet the daily quota. “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Vs.22-23 “Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?” Moses here blames God for this problem. He should really be blaming Pharaoh. He could also take a little blame himself for his confrontational approach. This is typical for many of us as well, quick to blame God, quick to blame others, and not always take responsibility for our own actions. God responds but we will have to wait for the next chapter.
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