GOD SAYS GO BUT PHARAOH SAYS NO Exodus

GOD SAYS GO BUT PHARAOH SAYS NO Exodus 5

Exodus 5 ◦ Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness. ’” ◦ 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go. ” ◦ 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a threeday journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword. ” ◦ 4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working. ”

Exodus 5 ◦ 6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God. ’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies. ” ◦ 10 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all. ’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw. ” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before? ”

Exodus 5 ◦ 15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people. ” ◦ 17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. ’ 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks. ” ◦ 19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day. ” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. ” ◦ 22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all. ”

What Moses Had (and Was) ◦ Moses had God’s power (Exodus 3: 8, 17) ◦ Moses had God’s prescence (Exodus 3: 12) ◦ Moses had God’s promises (Exodus 3: 20, Exodus 4: 21) ◦ Moses was God’s appointed prophet ◦ Moses was ◦ Armed with God’s power ◦ Assured of God’s prescence ◦ Confident in God’s promises

Thus Says the Lord ◦ “All the kings of the earth, before God are as good as grasshoppers, they are nothing, and less than nothing: both their love and their hatred is to be despised. The wrath of the great King of Kings, is as much terrible than theirs, as His majesty is greater. ” – Jonathan Edwards, 1741 ◦ “I am that which was, and is , and shall be, and no man has lifted my veil. ” – Inscription on the tomb of an Egyptian Pharaoh ◦ “Who is the Lord, that I shall obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go. ” – Pharaoh’s response

God’s Promises to Us ◦ 1 Peter 2: 9 “[The church is] God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation, God’s special possession. ” ◦ 1 Peter 1: 1 “[We are] God’s elect…. who have been chosen…” ◦ Matthew 28: 20 “Lo! I am with you always even to the very end of the age. ” ◦ Matthew 28: 18 “[Jesus has] all authority in heaven and earth…” ◦ Proverbs 21: 1 “In the Lord’s hands the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please Him. ” ◦ Matthew 12: 29 “Or else how can one enter intro a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoli his house. ” ◦ Psalms 2: 8 “Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your inheritance. ” ◦ Isaiah 40: 15 “Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales. ”

Adoniram Judson (1786 -1850) ◦ “There is one being who exists eternally, who is exempt from sickness, old age and death; who is, and was, and will be, without beginning and without end. Besides this, the true God, there is no other God……”

What we can learn from this? ◦ First, the point is clear that when the people of God attempt to devote their full service and allegiance to God, they encounter opposition from the world. Rather than finding instant blessing and peace, they find conflict. (https: //www. preceptaustin. org/exodus-5 commentary) ◦ Second, remember…Mountain top experiences are wonderful, but the direction off of most Mountains is down. And so it is not uncommon to experience adversity after we have encountered the Lord in special ways. (https: //www. preceptaustin. org/exodus-5 commentary). ◦ And third, obeying God’s word and doing God’s will always leads to God’s blessings but before those blessing come there will be a sovereignly designed process that will feature successes and failures; emotion elation and emotional depression. ”

Moses’ Second Attempt ◦ V 9: Pharaoh accuses that God’s word is false ◦ V 1: Thus says the Lord… let my people go ◦ V 10: Thus says Pharaoh ◦ V 1: Thus says the Lord… let my people go ◦ V 11: Pharaoh says I will tell you where to go (”you go”) ◦ V 12: Instead of going to the Land of Milk and Honey, they end up scattered across Egypt

God’s people’s response ◦ They call out to the wrong person ◦ They told Pharaoh they were Pharaoh’s servants ◦ They quickly forgot God’s promises and blamed God’s prophet for their predicament. ◦ “You may serve the devil, or you may serve the LORD, but you all got to serve somebody. ” – Bob Dylan, Gotta Serve Somebody (1979) ◦ Psalm 146: 3 God says “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings who can not save. ”

Moses’ Imperfect Prayer ◦ “If in prayer I come before a throne of grace the faults of my prayer will be overlooked”. (Charles Spurgeon sermon) ◦ “Our Lord Jesus Christ takes care to alter and amend every prayer before He presents it, and He makes the prayer perfect with His perfection and prevailing with His own merits. God looks upon the prayer as presented through Christ, and he forgives all of its own inherent faultiness”. (Charles Spurgeon 1834 -1892) ◦ “God hears no more than the heart speaks; and if the heart be dumb, God will certainly be deaf. ” (Puritan Thomas Brooks)