Moses: Pharaoh Messes with the Wrong People

• Review

• Moses has just told his family that he was on his way to Egypt – how did they respond?

• As Moses left his audience with Yahweh, God prepared to kill him (Ex.4:24). T/F?

• Why was it so overwhelming for Moses to take on the job of spokesperson between God and the Pharaoh?

• Tell us some things about who the Pharaoh was in ancient Egypt at this time:

2The First Audience with Pharaoh

• The reader and the leaders of Israel have something in common here: they are both fairly confident that the Pharaoh will because Yahweh commands it Exodus 5:1
  • But: Pharaoh’s habit is to increase pressure when he feels like he is cornered
  • And: God is working a plan here that no one is yet aware of – He will be behind the scenes working a greater plan than anyone could imagine
  • The Point: This story is not only about redemption…it is about God glorifying Himself through rescuing the people He has chosen to redeem

  • Why would not God simply take the people out at the beginning of the story? Was He not capable of this?

  • What is the ultimate purpose of this story (or any other in history)?

  • “God is at work here. He is in the process of hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that the king will not release the Israelites. The reason is crystal clear: it is so that God will then bring judgments upon Egypt and miraculously bring his people out of the land. And, in this manner, Yahweh will be supremely glorified.”

3- John Currid (Ex. Study Comm.)

• “Thus says Yahweh” – this is a phrase well known to the King…it is always associated with a
• To be clear, Yahweh is “the God of Israel” – the battle lines are being defined. This would be a war between the gods
• Pharaoh is being made demands of by some foreign god – his authority and his pride are being taken for a ride
• Pharaoh’s position is clear to his and to – he is the god of the Egyptians Exodus 5:2
  • Note the similarities in Ex.3:11 – Moses thought supremely of Pharaoh’s position
  • There is no question in Pharaoh’s mind that the greatest god in the region of Egypt was clearly Pharaoh himself
  • The Hebrew construction is a definite negative – “NO! NEVER!” – this is the strongest negative use in the Hebrew
• Moses and Aaron in their demands once they see Pharaoh’s obstinacy Exodus 5:3-4
  • They begin with a demanding and universally understood, “Thus says the Lord…” – Now they have moved to a weaker stand
  • They even use the Hebrew “please” (‘na’) this time
  • Pharaoh turns into rather than the one on whom the demands are being made
  • Pharaoh tells Moses and Aaron to, in so many words; go back and join the people and get back to work!
  • Pharaoh reciprocates with a demand himself using “GO” in the imperative
  • Pharaoh probably only saw the losses from the cessation of work rather than considering a legitimate choice to listen to these men
  • “The people are many” is probably a brag rather than a comment of fear
• Pharaoh responds to the prophet’s request by the workload Exodus 5:6-8
  • Now the slaves had to gather their own supplies to make the bricks that they had been making
  • Brick making was a main part of life for slaves in Egypt – Pharaohs were huge on building projects
  • Pharaoh’s reasoning is; if the Israelites had enough time to go and sacrifice to their god, they must have time on their hands – so increase the workload (he doesn’t even acknowledge God’s Name, he simply refers to Him with the generic “el”)
• Pharaoh thought that if they stayed busy, they won’t have time to listen to these prophet’s deceptive words 5:9

  • Question: how are the Pharaoh’s commands communicated to the Israelites? Does this sound familiar? What does this say about the Pharaoh’s attitude?

  • With this reactive statement,
  • Pharaoh officially challenges the authority of the Israelite God.

4Pharaoh Responds to the Prophet’s Demands

• increases over time for the Israelite slaves Exodus 5:14
  • Moses and Aaron have provided the Pharaoh with a reason to get rid of these over-populated slaves…and he is taking every advantage of it
  • The foremen are Israelites who work under the guards – they are responsible for the meeting of the quota
  • The Israelites cry out to for help
• Pharaoh is in his decision Exodus 5:16-18
  • It is obvious that Pharaoh is already beginning to harden his heart against God and God’s demands on his life
  • The tables are turned and now Pharaoh is the one making demands in the double imperative (5:18) – “GO! And now GO, serve!”
• The Israelite foremen begin to blame and Exodus 5:19-20
  • The faith of the men of God is being tested.
  • So far, the demands have become unreasonable,
  • the work has increased,
  • and the oppression has become unbearable.

  • Where was the deliverance God promised?

  • Application: What is one thing that we can learn from this story?