July 10, 2024

Exodus 5:1-9 (HCSB)
Moses Confronts Pharaoh
5 Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: Let My people go, so that they may hold a festival for Me in the wilderness.” 2 But Pharaoh responded, “Who is Yahweh that I should obey Him by letting Israel go? I do not know anything about Yahweh, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then they answered, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God, or else He may strike us with plague or sword.” 4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your work!” 5 Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are so numerous, and you would stop them from working.”
Further Oppression of Israel
6 That day Pharaoh commanded the overseers of the people as well as their foremen: 7 “Don’t continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers—that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words.”

Tyler Ubelhor
Let’s focus on what Moses and Aaron did in our reading today. They followed what God called them to do. Imagine what they had to be feeling as they were on their way to see Pharaoh. Those had to be some heavy steps, full of fear and doubt. But they both went! That doesn’t mean that it was going to be easy. We see in verses 4 through 9 that things are about to get harder for the people of Israel. God never said it would be easy. In fact, He told Moses that. But ask yourself this: if Pharaoh immediately said, “sure, go ahead and worship your God in the wilderness”, who would have gotten the glory there? Probably Moses. So, whatever you are going through or doing today, make sure God is the One being glorified.