55_Thus_says_Jehovah_Thus_says_Pharaoh

Ex 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”

10, 11 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’”

We have all seen a policeman raising his hand to stop a massive 32-tire truck speeding toward him. The scene seems implausible—what could stop such immense power? Yet the truck halts, not because of the policeman’s physical strength, but because of the authority he represents. The weight of the government stands behind his gesture. Authority triumphs over brute power. This image is reflected in the confrontation between Pharaoh’s earthly power and Moses’ divinely given authority in Exodus 5:1-10.

Moses and Aaron, the representatives of the enslaved Israelites, enter the grand court of Pharaoh. Moses, once a prince of Egypt, now returns as the voice of God to demand freedom for his people. They deliver the message with crisp authority: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.” These words are a direct command from God, underscoring the source of Moses’ authority.

Pharaoh’s response is a defiant question: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” Pharaoh’s ignorance reflects his hardened heart and the arrogance of power unchecked by reverence for God. He refuses to acknowledge Israel’s God and obey the divine command because then he would have to acknowledge his sin in oppressing the children of Israel unjustly.

This question—“Who is the Lord?”—becomes the crux of the plagues that follow. Through them, God answers Pharaoh emphatically: “That you may know that I am the Lord.”

Moses and Aaron repeat their request, giving Pharaoh good reasons for his acquiescence: “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” Their tone is humble, their argument reasonable. They request only a temporary reprieve, not a permanent departure, and point to the impossibility of disobeying the instructions of their God. Yet Pharaoh remains unmoved. To him, the Israelites are mere laborers, valuable only for the wealth they produce. He views their request as a sign of idleness and responds with cruelty.

In response to their request, Pharaoh increases their burden, no longer allowing his people to provide the Israelites with straw. Straw being an essential component in brick-making, it would be impossible for the Israelites to both gather enough of it by themselves and still meet their daily quota. The world attempts to stifle the spirit’s cry for freedom by piling on more work. When we are enslaved to the world’s demands, through our ambition or materialism or unthinking agreement, we cannot obey God and fulfil his purposes for our lives.

Pharaoh’s accusation of idleness is ironic. The Israelites had built entire cities for him with their backbreaking labor. Yet he dismisses their worth, using their supposed “laziness” as justification for greater oppression. This demand mirrors the world’s relentless pursuit of productivity at the cost of human dignity. Worldly value rests upon commercial value and concrete outputs, ignoring the intrinsic worth of people as bearers of God’s image. The people of God must share God’s vision of others, seeing them not as tools, but as individuals created in his likeness, deserving honor and respect.

God had warned Moses that Pharaoh would resist: “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.” (Exodus 3:19). This was necessary, for the Israelites’ reaction to Pharaoh’s harshness was disheartening. Their initial enthusiasm for Moses’ message led them to worship God in gratitude. But faced with intensified suffering, their faith faltered. They turned against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of bringing greater trouble upon them. Overwhelmed by their pain, Moses cried out to God: “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?”

This lament underlines the need for sincerity in prayer. When we face trials, it is better to bring our doubts and pain to God than to allow bitterness to take root. God’s response to Moses is not one of rebuke but reassurance. He reaffirms his promise to deliver Israel, with patience and understanding. Like Moses, we often struggle to trust God’s promises in the face of suffering that hits our beloved. Yet God, in his mercy, strengthens our faith by reaffirming his Word and his works.

The Israelites’ response is instructive. They grumble against their leaders who were sent by God. They did not yet know their God, and therefore they did not seek his strength and guidance themselves. Then they would have found comfort and renewed faith. Their complaints only deepened their misery. This reminds us that murmuring and quarreling never lead to peace. It is prayer and holy perseverance in faith that brings us through difficult times.

Pharaoh’s obstinacy reminds us that we cannot serve two masters. As long as the Israelites were his slaves, they could not worship God freely. The Lord taught, “No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13). True worship comes from a loyal heart, and this means the rejection of any other yoke, whether it is materialism, ambition, or sin.

Pharaoh’s refusal to let Israel go raises the question: why didn’t God deliver his people immediately? Why did he allow the long period of waiting through the ten plagues? Several reasons are apparent. First, God’s patience gave Pharaoh and the Egyptians ample opportunity to repent, since each plague was a demonstration of God’s power and a call to acknowledge him as the true God. Second, the Israelites needed to witness God’s mighty acts firsthand to develop their faith. The centuries in Egypt were years of spiritual decline, where many of them forgot their God and served other gods. Third, enduring hardship for the sake of faith builds character and hope in God’s love even when all around is dark. As Paul writes in Romans 5: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

This is often the answer to why God allows us to go through seasons of difficulty. Such trials are often the means by which he refines our faith and deepens our reliance on him. Through suffering, we come to know his love not as an abstract concept but as a tangible reality. Even Jesus Christ, though he was the Son of God, “learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8). In his suffering, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

The Israelites’ mistake was turning to Pharaoh for justice. They expected kindness from the very source of their oppression. This is a sobering reminder for us: we cannot seek deliverance from the systems or idols that enslave us. The world cannot give us freedom or peace for it is the reason why we do not enjoy rest. Instead, we must turn wholly to God, trusting in his power and promises.

Ultimately, Pharaoh’s power was no match for Moses’ authority, which came from God himself. The same is true for us as followers of Christ. When we face opposition, whether from the world, our circumstances, or even our own doubts, we can stand firm in the authority of God’s Word and his Spirit. The victory does not depend on our power; it has already been won by Christ.

Let us ask ourselves: does anything enslave us and hold us back from fully serving God? Are we, like the Israelites, unable to love and obey God because of the demands of the world? Are we willing to trust God’s promises and follow him, even when the path is difficult? The journey to freedom may be arduous, but the God who calls us is faithful. If we seek his freedom, He will deliver us at the right time and for his glory.

Let us, like Moses, find courage in God’s authority and remain steadfast in our faith. As we serve him with undivided hearts, we will experience the true freedom that comes from worshiping him alone. God bless you.