The Israelites were standing on the brink of deliverance, or so Moses thought. God had promised to deliver them from Egyptian slavery. The message of impending deliverance had been favourably received by the Israelites and an air of expectancy enveloped the Israelite camp.
In the excitement of it all, Moses and Aaron had forgotten that God had already predicted Pharaoh's reaction in Ex 4:21. Pharaoh would not let the people leave, not until a great display of God’s power would force him to drive them from his land.
Exodus 5:1 calls God the “God of Israel”. He was the God of Israel (formerly Jacob), but now He identifies Himself as the God of Israel, a nation of slaves. Pharaoh's response to Moses and Aaron’s entreaty is one of sheer arrogance. “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go.” As far as Pharaoh was concerned, he was the ruling monarch in Egypt and his peopled revered and worshipped him as the son of god. Why should he submit to a god of a slave nation? After all, if their God was so powerful, why did He let them become slaves in the first place? Pharaoh made the mistake of identifying Israel with their God. Israel may have been weak, broken down by slavery, but their God remained strong. Pharaoh had forgotten that the reason for their slavery was precisely because their God had blessed and multiplied them exceedingly!
Pharaoh's response to the request for release of the people of Israel was to increase their workload and refuse them assistance to gather supplies to meet their daily quotas. They were no longer given straw to make bricks, but were dispersed across Egypt to look for their own straw with no commensurate reduction in their work quotas. The leaders of Israel were put to a test; their faith in God was tried and they were found wanting. The magnificent cities in Egypt were silent testimonies that the Israelites were not lazy; they were being falsely accused by Pharaoh as an excuse for him to increase the intensity of their persecution. Even Moses and Aaron were told harshly to “go back to work”.
The faith of the Israelite leaders took strain under Egyptian abuse and they accused Moses and Aaron of “making them stink in the sight of Pharaoh.” Little did they realize that they had always been so in the sight of Pharaoh. It was easy to look with nostalgia at the past, calling it the “good old days” but they were ever really that good?
Deeply troubled, Moses went to God and questioned the reason for His sending him to Pharaoh. The disappointments in his commission did not drive him away from God, but rather made him run to Him for answers and solace. In our day, there is precious little time to worship God. If we don’t make time, we often find ourselves overwhelmed by work and the cares of this world, having neglected our daily devotions. As knowledge is increasing, people are scurrying to and fro, just as the prophet Daniel predicted. Do not let satan use work, cares and the burdens of this life to distract you from worshipping God. It was his method of choice in Exodus, and it is now too. Let the Word of God sink into your heart and don’t let distractions choke it out of you. Deliverance may not be easy, but it is sure because God has promised it.
Scripture refs: Exodus 5, Luke 8:14
