OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN OF GOD THE ASSURANCE OF …biblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/exodus/Exodus 5.pdf · A. Exodus 4:21, The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt,

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Commentary and Questions by Wayne Harlan

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN OF GOD

THE ASSURANCE OF DELIVERANCE

EXODUS 5:1-23




OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN OF GOD

THE ASSURANCE OF DELIVERANCE

Text: Exodus 5:1-22,

1. Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says

the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Release my people so that they may hold

a pilgrim feast to me in the desert.’”

2. But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by

releasing Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel!”

3. And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go

a three-day journey into the desert so that we may sacrifice to the

Lord our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or the sword.”

4. The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you

cause the people to refrain from their work? Return to your labor!”

5. Pharaoh was thinking, “The people of the land are now many, and

you are giving them rest from their labor.”

6. That same day Pharaoh commanded the slave masters and foremen

who were over the people:

7. “You must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as

before. Let them go and collect straw for themselves. 8. But you must

require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making

before. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. That is why they are

crying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to our God.’

9. Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay

no attention to lying words!”

10. So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the

Israelites and said, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I am not giving you straw.

11. You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because

there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’”




12. So the people spread out through all the land of Egypt to collect

stubble for straw.

13. The slave masters were pressuring them, saying, “Complete your

work for each day, just like when there was straw!”

14. The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over

them were beaten and were asked, “Why did you not complete your

requirement for brickmaking as in the past—both yesterday and

today?”

15. The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are

you treating your servants this way?

16. No straw is given to your servants, but we are told, ‘Make bricks!’

Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your

people.”

17. But Pharaoh replied, “You are slackers! Slackers! That is why you

are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’

18. So now, get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you

must still produce your quota of bricks!”

19. The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they

were told, “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”

20. When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and

Aaron standing there to meet them,

21. and they said to them, “May the Lord look on you and judge,

because you have made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his

servants, so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!”

22. Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Lord, why have you caused

trouble for this people? Why did you ever send me?

23. From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has

caused trouble for this people, and you have certainly not rescued

them!” (NET)




Introduction:

I. The main points of Chapter 5.

A. Pharaoh rejects the request of Moses and Aaron for a three (3)

day pilgrimage.

B. Pharaoh increases the labor and suffering of the Israelites.

C. The Israelites blame Moses for their increasing hardships.

II. In verses 1-2 Moses and Aaron present their first request to Pharaoh

to allow the Israelites to make a pilgrimage to worship God. Pharaoh

refuses, saying “I do not know the Lord.”

A. Exodus 4:21, The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to

Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put

under your control. But I will harden his heart and he will not let

the people go. (NET)

B. Exodus 3:19, But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you

go, not even under force. (NET)

III. Moses and Aaron in verses 3-4 again ask for a three day journey to

sacrifice to the Lord God. Pharaoh refuses this time revealing why he

thinks they really want to leave.

A. Moses states his reason for the pilgrimage is to make sacrifices

to God to avoid the wrath of God through plague and sword.

Later Moses explains why they must travel out of Egypt to make

their sacrifices to God.




1. Exodus 8:25-27, Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and

Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”

But Moses said, “That would not be the right thing to do,

for the sacrifices we make to the Lord our God would be an

abomination to the Egyptians. If we make sacrifices that

are an abomination to the Egyptians right before their

eyes, will they not stone us? We must go on a three-day

journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God,

just as he is telling us.” (NET)

C. Pharaoh is thinking they just want to rest from their hard labor,

that they were “slackers.”

IV. Pharaoh’s retaliation for this request is shown in verses 6-14.

A. Pharaoh orders the slave masters to no longer supply straw to

make the bricks.

1. Genesis 11:3, Then they said to one another, “Come,

let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had

brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) (NET)

2. Exodus 1:11, 14, So they put foremen over the Israelites

to oppress them with hard labor. As a result they built

Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. They

made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and

bricks and by all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of

service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous.

(NET)




B. Pharaoh reveals he thinks Moses is lying. His ultimate goal is to

discredit Moses and thereby put an end to the confidence the

Israelites first showed in Moses and God.

C. The Israelites were not able to meet their production quotas,

because now they had to search to supply the straw.

Consequently the Israelite foremen were beaten because of the

declining production.

1. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pg. 238, “Both straw-

made bricks and bricks of pure clay have been found at

Pithom and Rameses”

a. Exodus 1:11, So they put foremen over the

Israelites to oppress them with hard labor. As a result

they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for

Pharaoh. (NET)

V. The Israelite foremen complain to Pharaoh about the unjust

punishment they are receiving and tell him that the fault lies with the

Egyptians as they are not supplying the raw material (straw) to make

the bricks.

A. Exodus 5:15-16, The Israelite foremen went and cried out to

Pharaoh, “Why are you treating your servants this way? No

straw is given to your servants, but we are told, ‘Make bricks!’

Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your

people.” (NET)

VI. When the foremen encounter Moses and Aaron, they make it

abundantly clear that they place all the blame for their mistreatment

on them. This is a pattern that will repeat throughout Exodus.




A. Exodus 14:12, Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt, ‘Leave us

alone so that we can serve the Egyptians, because it is better for

us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’” (NET)

B. Exodus 15:24, So the people murmured against Moses, saying,

“What can we drink? (NET)

C. Exodus 16:3, The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died

by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the

pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, for you have

brought us out into this desert to kill this whole assembly with

hunger!” (NET)

D. Exodus 17:3, But the people were very thirsty there for water,

and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world

did you bring us up out of Egypt—to kill us and our children and

our cattle with thirst?” (NET)

Note:These few examples show how the Israelites continued to test

Moses, and, by doing so, tested God’s patience. Exodus 32:9, Then the

Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people. Look what a stiff-necked

people they are! (NET)

VII. Chapter five (5) ends with Moses again questioning his abilities and

God’s plan for his chosen people. God had explained to Moses this was

not going to be an easy task, but he was still in charge.

A. Exodus 3:19-20, But I know that the king of Egypt will not let

you go, not even under force. So I will extend my hand and strike

Egypt with all my wonders that I will do among them, and after

that he will release you. (NET)




B. Exodus 4:21, The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to

Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put

under your control. But I will harden his heart and he will not let

the people go. (NET)

Commentary:

I. Verses 1-5 recount Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh. Moses and

Aaron explain they had been directed by God to lead the Israelites on a

pilgrimage to sacrifice to God.

A. NET studynote 13, pg. 128 “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 blessings and peace, they find conflict.”

B. Pharaoh rejects the request and insults God by saying, “Who is

the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? . . . I do not

know the Lord, and I will not release Israel.” (verse 2)

1. That is the lesson of the plagues. Pharaoh and the

Egyptian people may not know God, but through their

suffering they will come to understand the rule of God over

man and nature.

C. In verse 3 they again ask for a three-day (3) journey and again

Pharaoh refuses.

1. NET note: pg. 129, “The word ‘journey’ . . . is telling the

distance Moses wanted the people to go. It is not saying




that they will be gone three (3) days, but that they will go a

distance that will take three days to cover.”

II. Pharaoh orders the slave masters to stop supplying straw for this

brick production.

A. Using slave labor to manufacture bricks was practiced in

Biblical times by conquering nations.

B. The Israelites now have effectively had their workload doubled.

The slave masters still required the same quota of bricks, but now

they had to scrounge for straw or stubble, whatever they could

find.

1. Straw was a necessary component of early brickmaking,

as it was the binding agent that helped hold the clay

together. Up to this time the Egyptians had supplied the

straw.

a. Exodus 5:7, “You must no longer give straw to the

people for making bricks as before. Let them go and

collect straw for themselves. (NET)

2. Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, CH. 13, 4:288-289, “

. . . and he commanded him that was the chief taskmaster

over the Hebrews, to give them no relaxation from their

labors, but to compel them to submit to greater oppressions

than before; and though he allowed them chaff before for

making their brocks, he would allow it them no longer; but

he made them to work hard at brickmaking in the daytime

and to gather chaff at night.”




III. Verses 10-14 relate how difficult the task of finding straw was for

the Israelites. Verse 11 states, “You go get straw for yourselves

wherever you can find it . . . And verse 12 . . . the people spread out

through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw.”

A. Holman illustrated Bible Dictionary, pg. 1537, stubble, “stalks of

grain dried out in the field or left on the threshing floor.”

B. American Heritage Dictionary, “Stubble: The short stiff stalks of

a grain or hay crop remaining in a field after the crop has been

harvested.”

C. This shows the Israelites had to search for left overs that were

not sufficient for any other use.

D. In verse 12 it is written “The people spread out through all the

land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw.”

1. To find sufficient stubble to substitute for straw was going

to be a massive undertaking requiring searching throughout

the land at night.

E. Pharaoh’s slave masters increased their oppression of the

Israelite foremen with beatings and harassments for not fulfilling

their daily quota.

IV. The Israelite foremen approached Pharaoh with the complaint that

it was not their fault brick production had decreased, rather it was the

fault of the Egyptians who failed to supply the necessary raw materials.

A. Pharaoh’s response was the Israelites were lazy and trying to

get out of work. He stated the journey to sacrifice to the Lord was




merely an excuse to avoid work! He emphasized, “You must not

reduce the daily quota of your bricks.” (19B)

1. Exodus 3:19, But I know that the king of Egypt will not let

you go, not even under force. (NET)

2. Exodus 4:21B, But I will harden his heart and he will not

let the people go. (NET)

V. After this meeting with Pharaoh failed, the Israelite foremen saw

Moses and Aaron and began heaping blame on them for the increased

hardships they have to endure, even calling on the Lord to judge them.

This attitude against Moses prevailed throughout Exodus. The Israelites

lost sight of what God was doing for them through Moses.

A. Related Scriptures: . . .

1. Exodus 15:24, So the people murmured against Moses,

saying, “What can we drink?” (NET)

2. Exodus 16:2, The entire company of Israelites murmured

against Moses and Aaron in the desert. (NET)

3. Exodus 17:3, But the people were very thirsty there for

water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why

in the world did you bring us up out of Egypt—to kill us and

our children and our cattle with thirst?” (NET)

B. Moses prayed to God and again asked “Why did you send me

to Pharaoh?” He still doubts his abilities, and by doing so doubts

God. Another one chosen by God expressed similar misgiving

about his calling.




1. Jeremiah 20:7, Lord, you coerced me into being a

prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my

resistance and prevailed over me. Now I have become a

constant laughingstock. Everyone ridicules me. (NET)

C. We are told to obey the Lord our God. Obedience brings the

promise of a better life.

1. Exodus 19:5, And now, if you will diligently listen to me

and keep my covenant, then you will be my special

possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,

(NET)

2. Jeremiah 7:22-23, Consider this: When I spoke to your

ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not

merely give them commands about burnt offerings and

sacrifices. I also explicitly commanded them: “Obey me. If

you do, I will be your God and you will be my people. Live

exactly the way I tell you and things will go well with you.”

(NET)

3. 1 Samuel 12:14-15, If you fear the Lord, serving him and

obeying him and not rebelling against what he says, and if

both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord

your God, all will be well. But if you don’t obey the Lord

and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord

will be against both you and your king. (NET)




Conclusion:

I. In rejecting Moses’ request, Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I

should obey him? I do not know the Lord . . .”. He was stating that God

does not exist because he did not know him. God is going to use the

plagues so Pharaoh and the Egyptians will know him and realize that

only he as the one true God has unequaled power over man and

nature.

A. In today’s society more and more people say, “I do not know

the Lord.” Perhaps you have heard someone say this, or “I don’t

believe.”

1. Proverbs 1:7, Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral

knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

(NET)

2. Proverbs 1:29-31, Because they hated moral knowledge,

and did not choose to fear the Lord, they did not comply

with my advice, they spurned all my rebuke. Therefore

they will eat from the fruit of their way, and they will be

stuffed full of their own counsel. (NET)

3. Job 28:28, And he said to mankind, ‘The fear of the

Lord—that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is

understanding.’” (NET)

B. Man does not “discover” God – God reveals himself to man.

1. 1 Chronicles 28:9b, If you seek him, he will let you find

him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you

permanently. (NET)




2. Isaiah 40:5, The splendor of the Lord will be revealed,

and all people will see it at the same time. For the Lord has

decreed it.” (NET)

3. Matthew 11:27b, No one knows the Son except the

Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and

anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him. (NET)

4. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, But just as it is written, “Things that

no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the

things God has prepared for those who love him.” God has

revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all

things, even the deep things of God. (NET)

5. Ephesians 3:3, that by revelation the divine secret was

made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. (NET)

II. To show that he was all powerful, Pharaoh ordered increased

hardships on the Israelites knowing this would diminish Moses’

credibility and put an end to the Israelites requests.

A. God had forewarned Moses that it would be difficult to deal

with Pharaoh. This was God’s plan from the beginning not

Pharaohs.

1. Exodus 3:19-20, But I know that the king of Egypt will not

let you go, not even under force. So I will extend my hand

and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do among

them, and after that he will release you. (NET)




2. Exodus 4:21, The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back

to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I

have put under your control. But I will harden his heart and

he will not let the people go. (NET)

B. Since the beginning of time we also have been predestined

according to God’s plan.

1. Ephesians 1:11, In Christ we too have been claimed as

God’s own possession, since we were predestined

according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all

things according to the counsel of his will (NET)

2. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in your mother’s

womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I

appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” (NET)

3. 1 Thessalonians 1:4, We know, brothers and sisters loved

by God, that he has chosen you, (NET)

4. James 2:5, Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not

God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and

heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love

him? (NET)

5. 1 Peter 2:9, But you are a chosen race, a royal

priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you

may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of

darkness into his marvelous light. (NET)

III. The Israelite foremen appealed to Pharaoh for leniency and were

rebuffed and told the daily quota would not be reduced. Instead of




appealing to God for help, the foremen verbally attacked Moses and

Aaron.

A. Do we have a tendency to blame others for our hardships and

ignore help from God in the process?

1. Matthew 6:33, 7:7, But above all pursue his kingdom and

righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as

well. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will

find; knock and the door will be opened for you. (NET)

2. Psalms 7:1, O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.

Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me! (NET)

3. Psalms 102:1, O Lord, hear my prayer! Pay attention to

my cry for help! (NET)

B. Moses went back to God, saying this plan is not working. It is

causing trouble and the people are not being rescued. Who are

we to judge God?

1. Isaiah 40:13-14, Who comprehends the mind of the Lord,

or gives him instruction as his counselor? From whom does

he receive directions? Who teaches him the correct way to

do things, or imparts knowledge to him, or instructs him in

skillful design? (NET)

2. Job 38:2, 4, “Who is this who darkens counsel with

words without knowledge? “Where were you when I laid

the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess

understanding! (NET)




3. 2 Peter 3:8b, 3:9a-c, that a single day is like a thousand

years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single

day. The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some

regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, (NET)

C. Following Pharaoh’s rejection, Moses was doubtful of God’s

plan and unsure of himself. Compare his response to David when

he faced his battle with Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17:26, David says

“For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the

armies of the Living God?” David understood this was not a

battle between Israelites and Philistines, but God and the false

gods of the Philistines. His first response is to defend the living

God.

D. Are you sure of God’s plan for you and secure in it, as David

was, or are you doubtful of your abilities and God’s calling? Are

you confident? If not, ask God for strength.

1. Psalm 25:2, My God, I trust in you. Please do not let me

be humiliated; do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice

over me! (NET)

2. Psalm 56:3, When I am afraid, I trust in you. (NET)

3. Proverbs 3:5, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and

do not rely on your own understanding. (NET)

4. Psalms 13:5, But I trust in your faithfulness. May I rejoice

because of your deliverance! (NET)




5. Isaiah 12:2, Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him

and not fear. For the Lord gives me strength and protects

me; he has become my deliverer.” (NET)

E. Through God’s word he tells us to trust in him.

1. Philippians 4:13, I am able to do all things through the

one who strengthens me. (NET)

F. David was called at a young age while Moses was given his call

as an old man. Both were men of God who answered the Lord.

David was ready to fight Goliath with the confidence that is

inherent in young men. Moses did not accept so quickly, perhaps

because of the more cautious instincts that come with age and

wisdom, but accept he did.

1. These two became the most important figures of the Old

Testament because they faithfully followed God’s call to

service. They were not perfect, but God had a plan to use

them when the time was right.

2. Be aware that the Lord our God is capable of using each of

us at any stage of our lives. We are not too young or too old

to serve God as he determines.




Questions

on

Exodus 5

1. Why did Pharaoh immediately reject the request for a pilgrimage?_

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2. Moses said the pilgrimage was to allow the Israelites to

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3. What was Pharaoh really meaning when he stated, “I do not know

the Lord.?” _________________________________________________

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4. How long was the journey to be? _____________________________

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5. Moses said to Pharaoh the Hebrews were required to sacrifice to

God to ____________________________________________________

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6. How did Pharaoh retaliate against the Israelites for asking for time

away from work? ____________________________________________

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7. How did this affect the brickmaking process for the Israelites? _____

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8. Did God forewarn Moses of difficulties with Pharaoh? ____________

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9. Referring to question 8, how did God say this would happen? ______

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10. The Israelite foremen told Pharaoh the decreased brick production

was a result of ______________________________________________

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OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN OF GOD THE ASSURANCE OF …biblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/exodus/Exodus 5.pdf · A. Exodus 4:21, The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt,

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