Exodus 5:1-91And 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. 2And 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. 3And 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. 4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8And 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. 9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words. (Exodus 5:1‑9)
The time had now arrived for Moses and Aaron to appear before Pharaoh with their message: “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.” Nor did they hesitate to speak with authority. “Thus saith the Lord,” was to be, on every approach to that worldly throne, the strength that sustained them.
It was God acting for His people. It was Himself entering into controversy with Pharaoh. It was, so to speak, the day of grace for Pharaoh. God was waiting in patience and long-suffering before His hand would be lifted up in judgment. “That they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.” Here was the object of God in the deliverance of Israel. God finds His own joy in the joy of His redeemed. It is for the gratification of His own heart that He has wrought salvation for His people.
The message of Moses and Aaron brought out the true character of Pharaoh. Heathen idolator that he was—proud, selfish, cruel, hating God—he had no ear for this message. He 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.” To worship the Lord was to him no reason why the people should lay down their tools, even for three days. He could not, nor cared to, understand that God’s people must separate themselves from the idolatrous atmosphere of Egypt, to worship Him in truth. One, in the midst of oppression and suffering, may cry out to God and be heard, but if His people, in oneness of spirit, are to proclaim their worship of Him, it must be removed from the influences of Egypt.
But it was still not the day of release. The result of the interference of Moses and Aaron was that the tasks were increased, and the children of Israel groaned yet more. They were quick enough to resent Moses’ and Aaron’s interference as if they themselves were the causes of their increasing troubles.
The prospect of losing the service of his slaves filled Pharaoh with anger. “Wherefore do ye,” he said to Moses and Aaron, “let (hinder) the people from their works? Get you unto your burdens... 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... Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words.” To Pharaoh all the proclamations of the God of Israel were merely “vain words,” and “a feast to Jehovah” was but an impossible loss of their productiveness at the brick kilns. Thus he placed himself in direct antagonism with God, a defiance which went on and ended only in his complete overthrow and destruction.
There is much in the world that echoes the sentiments of Pharaoh. To many a hardened heart, the name of God or His Son has no real value or attraction. Attention to His word and the thought of seeking His presence is foreign altogether. For such, the world and business, or its diversions, are the only acceptable occupations, and the worship and service of God is counted a great waste of time. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:1414But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14).
ML 09/08/1968