Exodus 5:1-21 NKJV
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”
3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”
10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”
17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh with God’s command: “Let My people go” (v.1). But Pharaoh’s defiant response, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” (v.2), exemplifies the world’s resistance to God’s authority. When God calls His people to worship, the world often responds with opposition. This is a reminder that following God’s commands may not result in immediate success in the eyes of the world.
Pharaoh’s refusal led to increased hardship for the Israelites. Their cries for freedom were dismissed, and their burdens intensified as they were forced to make bricks without straw (v.7-8). How often, when we try to follow God’s will, do our circumstances become more difficult? Like the Israelites, we may wonder why things worsen when we’re trying to do what’s right.
In their distress, the Israelites turned against Moses and Aaron, blaming them for their increased suffering (v.21). Even when faithfully following God’s direction, those around us may misunderstand or accuse us. Moses and Aaron were obedient, but the results didn’t meet their expectations. Leadership and obedience to God often include moments of rejection and hardship.
Yet, God’s plans are not completely thwarted by human resistance or initial failure. Pharaoh’s refusal was part of a larger plan to display God’s power and deliver His people. Just as Moses and Aaron faced opposition, we too may encounter challenges when serving God. We must hold fast to His promises, trusting that deliverance will come, even when the situation seems hopeless.
The Israelites’ suffering under Pharaoh was real, but it was not the end of the story. God had a purpose for allowing their burden to increase, for through their trials, He would reveal His mighty hand. In our own lives, the burdens we bear may seem unbearable, but God is faithful. He is present, and His plan for deliverance is always at work, even when we cannot yet see it.
Let us pray: Lord, help us to trust You in the midst of trials and to remain faithful even when the way seems hard. Strengthen us to follow Your will and wait on Your deliverance. Amen.