"Pharaoh Stops The Complaining Of The Israelite Overseers ( Who Represent The People Of Israel).” Series

Tom Lowe <tomlowe6869@yahoo.com>

To:

Mary Hauck

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Chloé Link

,

Chloe Sullens

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Manny Link

,

Lucas Sullens

and 5 more...

Fri, Jun 3 at 6:45 AM

A better title would be: “Pharaoh stops the complaining of the Israelite overseers ( who represent the people of Israel).”

15 Then the Israelite overseers went to meet with Pharaoh and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way?

16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’

18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

Exodus 5:18 - Now get to work. ...

Exodus 5:18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”.....

Following the happy result of their conversation with the elders, Moses and Aaron are ready to go to Pharaoh. Undoubtedly, they have been emboldened by the elders’ acceptance of everything the Lord had told them to say. They performed the signs, and the elders believed. They said the Lord sent them, and the elders accepted their commissioning. It had all culminated with the elders bowing down and worshiping the Lord. Moses had been worried about this encounter, and it went off exactly as he had hoped. Filled with confidence, he and Aaron march right over to Pharaoh, no doubt expecting continued success. However, two points are worth repeating. First, God has already told Moses that Pharaoh will not listen “unless a mighty hand compels him” (Ex 3:19). Second, God has also said that He and Pharaoh will play a role in hardening Pharaoh’s heart “so that he will not let the people go” (see Ex 4:21).

Nonetheless, Moses and Aaron are coming off from their accomplishments with the elders. They are all prepared and all fired up. They go before Pharaoh, staff in hand— their authorization, if you will—and announce, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let my people go.’” “Thus says the Lord” is a prophetic phrase. When a prophet says those words, the next thing that comes out of his mouth is God himself. He is merely using a human mouth to say it. This has prophetic authorization. Aaron likely speaks these words because he is Moses’ mouth and Moses is like “God” to Aaron. In saying this, Moses and Aaron affirm that they are God’s messengers, fully authorized by Him. Indeed, Pharaoh will respect this and comply.

So they say, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” This is slightly different from God’s original instructions. God told Moses to take the elders with him and say, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God” (3:18). There is no mention of sacrifices here, although one might argue that any festival would include that activity. Also, God instructed Moses that he and the elders should go to Pharaoh. There is no mention of the elders here (3:18).

Some scholars have suggested that Moses’ taking license with God’s instructions contributes to Pharaoh’s disagreeable response. Pharaoh replies, “Who is the Lord? Should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know him, and I will not let Israel go!” Scholars also argue whether Pharaoh’s question, “Who is this Lord?” is sincere or completely sarcastic. It is unlikely that he is unaware of the Lord.

Nevertheless, Pharaoh would know Him as the God of an enslaved and demoralized people. What can such a God offer? The Egyptians worship a plethora of gods accorded a measure of honor and respect. So doing the same for the God of the Israelites would not be out of the ordinary. However, Pharaoh’s statement that “I do not know Him” is, no doubt, very accurate. He does not know the Lord, at least not yet. He will come to know Him over the next few chapters, as it soon becomes evident that the actual conflict in this matter will be between Pharaoh and the Lord.

As soon as Pharaoh says he will not let the people go, Moses repeats his request, “This God has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” This time Moses repeats the words God has instructed him to say. Unfortunately, it is too little too late. Scholars disagree whether Moses is pleading or speaking from a position of strength. He and Aaron arrive on Pharaoh’s doorstep expecting a quick resolution in line with what has happened with the elders. Perhaps they are surprised by Pharaoh’s response. Despite his refusal, they want him to know that the God of the Hebrews had met with them. These are God’s instructions; they are not asking this on their own. The mention of plagues and the sword could be seen as a veiled threat.