In Exodus 4, we saw the RELUCTANT PROPHET that came up with all kinds of excuses for why he could not be God’s man to lead Israel out of Egypt.
In Exodus 5, Moses became willing to obey God in the PERMISSIVE WILL OF GOD, BUT NOT THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD.
The PERFECT WILL OF GOD was for God to use Moses alone in delivering God’s people from bondage. But Moses came up with many excuses and finally, his last excuse was that he had a speech problem. God reminded him that He is the One who created his mouth and that was no problem.
But Moses insisted he had a speech problem, so God used him in delivering God’s people in the PERMISSIVE WILL by PERMITTING Aaron, his brother, to speak on his behalf.
When we get to Exodus 5, Moses has his first encounter with Pharaoh. Evidently he did not make a good FIRST IMPRESSION.
Illus: He reminds me of a young doctor that was just setting up his first office when his secretary told him there was a man to see him.
The doctor wanted to make a good first impression by having the man think he was successful and very busy.
He told his secretary to show the man in. At that moment, the doctor picked up the telephone and pretended to be having a conversation with a patient.
The man waited until the "conversation" was over. Then, the doctor put the telephone down and asked, "Can I help you?" To which the man replied, "No, I'm just here to connect your telephone."
Things went about as well when Moses first met Pharaoh for the first time.
HOW DID MOSES GET AN APPOINTMENT TO APPEAR BEFORE PHARAOH? Pharaoh probably granted the interview to the elders of the nation, thinking that some of?cial business needed to be discussed. Whatever the case, there stood a group of slaves before the Pharaoh of Egypt.
WHAT WAS THEIR PURPOSE? To demand that he free God’s people so they could make a religious pilgrimage to worship and serve God out in the wilderness.
We see . . .
I. THE REQUEST
In Exodus 5:1, we read, “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.”
We live in a land today called America. We believe that FREEDOM, LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, IS GOD’S WILL FOR MAN.
Man’s heart cries out for freedom, the freedom to live and worship as he chooses. Yet, there have always been those like Pharaoh who opposed God’s will for man to live in freedom.
WHY DO MEN WISH TO ENSLAVE PEOPLE? There are THREE reasons:
• There are men and women who seek power
• Some seek wealth by forced and cheap labor of others
• Some want fame
This battle of enslavement has been going on since the beginning of time.
Moses came with the message that God wanted him to deliver to Pharaoh. That message was clear and simple; “LET MY PEOPLE GO!”
This was the FIRST ENCOUNTER of Moses with Pharaoh to free God’s people. But Pharaoh did not receive this demand very well. He was used to MAKING DEMANDS, not RECEIVING DEMANDS.
We see THE REQUEST and . . .
II. THE REJECTION
Moses was having a very bad day. Have you ever had a truly bad day?
Illus: You Know It Will Be a Bad Day When …
• Your twin sister forgets your birthday.
• Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.
• You call the suicide prevention hotline and they put you on hold.
• Your income tax refund check bounces.
• You put both contacts into the same eye.
• Everyone loves your driver's license picture, but you think it looks awful.
• You invite the peeping Tom in ... and he says, “No thanks.”
We all have experienced bad days that steadily got worse throughout the day. Moses had some of those bad days in his life.
Illus: We have to remember what Lyn Anderson sang about: God never promised us a ROSE GARDEN.
When Moses made an appointment with Pharaoh, we cannot help but wonder how he slept the night before he met with him.
Illus: Most preachers can remember the first time they preached. The night before they preached, they did not sleep well knowing they were preparing to do something they had never done before.
Moses was preparing to appear before the most powerful man on earth and unload a message that God gave him. The message was, “Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.”
After he unloaded that message, see how Pharaoh responded.
Look at verses 2-14, we read, “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. 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. 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. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 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. Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. 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. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 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?”
Notice, Pharaoh said, “WHO IS THE LORD?” It is obvious he did not know WHO HE WAS, but before God got through with him, in a short period of time, HE WILL COME TO KNOW SOME THINGS ABOUT THE GOD OF ISRAEL WHO IS MAKING THIS DEMAND ON HIM.
When we look at this REJECTION, we must not forget that Moses was the RELUCTANT PROPHET. He did not want to face Pharaoh to start with and he certainly did not want to hear this REJECTION HE WAS RECEIVING.
When Pharaoh met Moses and his entourage, he must have thought, “Where did this bunch of REDNECKS COME FROM AND WHAT IS ON THEIR MINDS?”
Illus: Picture the scene within the royal palace and court of Egypt.
• There sat the great king Pharaoh upon his throne.
• There before him stood Moses, a simple shepherd, and Aaron, a slave.
• Pharaoh was most likely the most powerful man upon earth.
• The elders of Israel were probably also with Moses and Aaron, for God had said, in Exodus 3:18, “And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.”
God told Moses, “AND THEY SHALL HEARKEN TO THY VOICE.” God said this to Moses when He called him to go to Egypt and talk to the children of God and tell them God had sent him to deliver them from the four hundred years of bondage.
Moses told God that they would not listen to him, but God gave him a few signs. One of them was that he was to take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground and it would become blood.
They then recognized that God had sent Moses to deliver them. SO THEY HEARKENED TO HIS VOICE.
We see something else in Exodus 3:18. God said, “And thou shalt come, thou AND THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL, unto the king of Egypt,” Having the ELDERS could have been for moral support.
WHY DIDN’T PHARAOH TAKE THE REQUEST OF MOSES AND AARON SERIOUSLY?
He tells us why in verse 2. When Pharaoh heard about the God of Israel, he was ignorant that such a God existed, so therefore why should he fear him and listen to him.
When Moses came with this demand, the plan was not working out the way he hoped it would work out.
Illus: When I read this PLAN, I think of a manager who told a professional boxer that when you enter the ring you have to enter with a plan. After several rounds of getting beat badly, the manager told him, “YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN!” The boxer said, “I HAVE A PLAN, BUT EVERY TIME I TRY TO EXECUTE THE PLAN HE PUNCHES ME IN THE FACE!”
When Moses stood before Pharaoh, he must have felt that his plan was not working that well. HE JUST GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE BY PHARAOH.
We see THE REQUEST, THE REJECTION and . . .
III. THE RESPONSE
After hearing the demands of Moses, Pharaoh said two things:
1. Who is the Lord that you are talking about?
2. I am not going to set these people free!
His response was sharp, cynical, and severe. His response shows exactly how he felt about what he felt was a ridiculous request.
Pharaoh’s thoughts probably ran something like this: “IMAGINE! A group of slaves appearing before me demanding that I free them to go on a religious pilgrimage. Do they take me for a fool? And the audacity, trying to strike fear in me by claiming that their God sent them with such a ridiculous request. I’ll teach them a lesson they will never forget.”
In verse 3, they told Pharaoh why they were making such a request.
In verse 3, we read, “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.”
Moses said that God had appeared unto them. They wanted to to worship Him, lest bad things happen to them.
God has created us to worship Him. Sadly, there are people who will never worship Him. They have other gods in their life they worship, but they never worship the true and living God that created them.
Notice they said they came with this request lest bad things happen to them. This lost world in which we live pays a TREMENDOUS PRICE because they do not worship God.
Illus: Some remember a game that children play called, “Red Rover, Red Rover.” It was a game that included a lot of children at the same time. There could be perhaps ten on one team and ten on another team. Each team would hold hands making a straight line about 20 or 30 feet apart. Once they had these two straight lines facing each other, one team would look at the other team and try and find the weakest member on that team, and they would say, “Red Rover, Red Rover send John over.” And Johnny would get a running start at the other team that was holding hands, and try to break that chain of hands. But while Johnny is running he is trying to find the weakest member that he can run through and break that chain of hands.
Now the reason I mention that game is because if you are going to pick a fight, you need to pick someone that you can beat. Those who pick a fight with God by ignoring Him and rejecting him…ARE GOING TO LOSE THAT FIGHT!
DID YOU KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SIN ARE TEMPORARILY INSANE? To pick a fight with God you would have to be insane.
Moses told Pharaoh, “We need to have some time off as slaves so that we can worship God the Creator.”
Look at Pharaoh’s response, in verse 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. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.”
Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron why they came with this silly request. “You are holding up work and you are wasting my time!”
He said, “Send these people back to the brick yards, but because they have come here with demands, here is what I demand now as they go back.”
In other words, I will teach them to come before me making such ridiculous demands! I WILL SHOW THEM!
Look at verses 7-19, “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 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. Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. 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. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 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? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 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. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. 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.”
Pharaoh was angry and wanted to teach them a lesson. Pharaoh concluded they came up with this ridiculous demand because they had too much time on their hands. He did not know the God of Israel that sent Moses, but when God sent those plagues, Pharaoh found out that God is not one to REJECT. God has a way of humbling the proud who thinks they are too big to obey God.
In Romans 12:19, God’s says “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Conclusion:
God told Moses to go and he did as God commanded. But things did not turn out so well. In fact, once the people had to work harder, they began to blame Moses for the additional work they had to produce.
Look at Exodus 5:20-23, “And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: 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. 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? 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.”
When things do not turn out as well as we thought they should, we can feel they we are out of the WILL OF GOD.
Moses said, “Why is it that thou hast sent me? 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.”
Because things are difficult does not mean we are out of the will of God.
Chapter 5 closes with a discouraged prophet of God. HE IS NO LONGER SURE GOD CALLED HIM TO LEAD GOD’S PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT. But as you continue to study the life of Moses, he knows for sure that he is in the will of God.
Circumstances do not prove we are in the will of God. WHAT DOES PROVE WE ARE IN THE WILL OF GOD? God’s Word!
• If you are doing everything this Bible tells you that you should do, regardless of the circumstances, you are in the will of God.
• If you are not doing everything this Bible tells you that you should do, regardless of the circumstances, you are out of the will of God.
We see . . .
I. THE REQUEST
II. THE REJECTION
III. THE RESPONSE
