All Things are Possible with God – Exodus 5-6

“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.’ 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.’ 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.’ 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.’ And Pharaoh said, ‘Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!’ So, the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, ‘You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 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.’ Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.’” Exodus 5:1-9

The first miracle I see in this account is that Moses and Aaron could get an audience with the King of Egypt. According to Exodus 7:7, Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharoah. The second miracle I see is that Moses and Aaron had sufficient faith in God to command the King of Egypt to let his slaves go.

Pharoah confessed that he did not know the Lord. He asked, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” He was going to find out, but until he did, he was determined to make life miserable for Moses, Aaron and the Hebrews.

In Song of Solomon 2:15, Solomon wrote, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards, for our vineyards are in bloom.” Just as tiny foxes can destroy a vineyard full of ripening grapes, so relentless agitation can weaken resolve. Packs of small predators have taken down mighty beasts in the past by wearing them down.

Pharoah took quick action to quell thoughts of freedom from the minds of his slaves. He commanded his taskmasters to make their work harder. He told the taskmasters to be sure that their slaves did not believe the words of Moses and Aaron.

“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. Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ So, the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, ‘Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.’ 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?’ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, ‘Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 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.’ But he said, ‘You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. Therefore, go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.’ 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.’” Exodus 5:10-19

Imagine how worn out the feet of the slaves were at night! They had to search for straw, carry the straw and then, tread the straw into the mud to make bricks. The phrase “the straw that broke the camel’s back” originated from the Middle East, perhaps, even from this event. On top of that, the Pharoah mocked them, saying that their request for time off to sacrifice to the Lord was made due to their laziness.

What kind of methods do abusive people use to control others? Some, like Pharoah, persuade their victims to believe that they are getting just what they deserve. Some isolate their victims from friends, family, and the outside world to remove their support system and ensure they are the sole source of information and support. Some use threats of violence or harm against the victim or their loved ones to ensure compliance. Some might withhold food, sleep, or medical care to make their victim less likely to think critically or resist. Chronic abusers want their victims to believe that noncompliance is futile and that escape is impossible, effectively breaking their will to resist. [1]

God called Moses and Aaron to free an entire race of abused people.

“Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 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.’ So, Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.’” Exodus 5:20-23

The slaves were now angry at Moses and Aaron for making things worse between them and their taskmasters. Their taskmasters treated them with disgust. They were ready to execute anyone who got out of line.

What did Moses do? He expressed his disappointment to God. He asked God, “Why?” The last thing that he wanted to do was to make life worse for his fellow Hebrews. Moses told God plainly what was happening. He didn’t say a scripted prayer. He said to God, “I spoke in Your Name.” What happened? More evil! No rescue!

Moses shared his grief with God. He lamented. In Matthew 5:4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Evil doesn’t just rollover and die when we offer ourselves to the Lord. It often rises up. The evil one uses fear, discouragement, trials and temptation to stop us.

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul wrote, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We must not attempt to conquer evil in our own strength. We must rely on the Lord and on the provisions that He has given to us.

2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” What are our weapons? Paul lists them in Ephesians 6:14-18. They are truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God and prayer. These weapons help us to maintain strong faith in God, and God responds to faith. The battle against the enemy is won by faith in God.

While temporarily in prison for his faith, Paul wrote in Philippians 1:27-28, “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.” In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul wrote, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

No matter how formidable our foe is, God is bigger. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” God did not create the world with already developed resources, He spoke the world into existence. God can speak whatever it is we need into existence out of nothing. He doesn’t need help.

Hebrews 11:27 says that Moses endured by seeing Him who is invisible, namely, GOD.

Salvation comes forth as we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. Lord means He has authority over all that exists. There is no one higher than Him.

“Then, the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand, he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.’ And God spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My Name Lord I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore, say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ So, Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.” Exodus 6:1-9

The Lord assured Moses that the fireworks had not yet begun. Initially, God gave Pharoah an opportunity to respond to His Word without a threat of consequence for non-compliance. From this point forward, each command of God will be followed with a stated consequence for non-compliance.

The ten plagues that God released on Egypt were ten opportunities for Pharoah to repent and believe God. Imagine if Pharoah had complied with God! God’s mighty power would have worked with him instead of against him. However, God used Pharoah’s hard-heart to serve as an example of what He can do to tyrants who refuse to bow their knee to Him.

As to Moses, God reminded him of His faithfulness in the past.

I praise God for such reminders. I have often panicked amidst trials, that is, until God calmed me down by reminding me of His faithfulness to me in the past.

God reminded Moses of His covenant promise to His forefathers. God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. He told Moses to speak to the Israelites on His behalf, saying, “I will rescue you. I will redeem you. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.”

God has promised us New Testament believers in Him a far greater inheritance than an earthly property. He has promised to us a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness. In Luke 23:43, Jesus promised a thief next to Him, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” Jesus must have taken the time to be with him when he arrived. Of course, God is omnipresent. He can be all places at the same time. Which is hard for us to fathom!

Moses spoke God’s Word to his fellow Hebrews, but they did not regard his words. They were experiencing anguish and cruelty.

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.’ And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, ‘The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?’ Then, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” Exodus 6:10-13

At this point, Moses is down on himself. He no longer sees talking to Pharoah as a valid option, but the Lord doubled down on Moses and Aaron. He gave them a command for his fellow Hebrews and for the Pharoah. The command was to release His people.

In Exodus, the Lord set people free from physical bondage. In the New Testament, Jesus set people free from spiritual bondage.

Exodus 6:14-25 is a genealogy of Reuben’s, Simeon’s and Levi’s sons. Verse 16 notes that Levi lived 137 years. Verse 18 notes that Levi’s son Kohath lived 133 years. Verse 19 notes that Amram the father of Moses married his father’s sister, his Aunt Jochebed. Verse 20 notes that Amram lived 137 years. Verse 25 notes that the people in this genealogy were Levitical leaders.

“These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, ‘Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.’ These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron. And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.’ But Moses said before the Lord, ‘Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?’” Exodus 6:26-30

Moses is known as the lawgiver, but desperately needed God’s grace. When Moses looked at himself, he did not see a deliverer. As he kept his eyes on God, miracles happened. All things are possible with God!



[1] Referred to Google sources for insights