What a bold answer was Pharaoh’s, to Moses and Aaron when they came in to him with their message of, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, ‘Let My people go!’”
“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” he said, “I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”
Pharaoh found out who was the Lord, before long, When He laid His hand on him, but just now he was angry, and instead of promising to let the children .of Israel go, he ordered the taskmasters to no more give them the straw they needed to make bricks. More work was to be forced from the men, for now they must search for straw, and still make as many bricks each day as before.
Then the officers of the children of Israel who had been set over them to see that the work was done, were beaten because the poor slaves could not make as many bricks while they had to hunt for straw through all the country, and the officers went to Pharaoh to complain. But Pharaoh answered, “Ye are idle, ye are idle .... go therefore now, and work, for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks:” So the officers told Moses and Aaron, as they came away from Pharaoh, that they instead of helping the people, had made their lives harder than ever.
Pharaoh was like his master, Satan, and did not want to lose the people of Israel; he wanted to keep. them working for him without pay. Satan too in particular, wanted to prevent God from keeping His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to Moses. Just so it is with Satan always. Let God promise to Himself to save poor sinners from, hell, and bring them to glory with the Lord Jesus, and Satan determines that none shall be saved, if he can prevent it. So when the message came by Moses, that God was going to set the people of Israel free, Satan moved Pharaoh to make the people’s troubles so much greater, that they would not believe what God had said.