Chapters 5-7
Exodus 5:1-9 - This did not go so well for Moses and Aaron. It goes to show that sometimes things get worse before they get better. Technically, however, they did not say exactly what the Lord had told them to say. This sometimes happens in the prophetic passages where the prophet is given some liberty to convey the same message in their own words. But in this case, I don't think they did convey the full meaning. In 4:23 the Lord says, "Let My son go, that he may serve Me." This sounds like the Lord is saying to permanently release the Hebrews. What Moses and Aaron asked for was (5:1), "Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness" (NASB). That word, "celebrate a feast" means literally "to make a pilgrimage." In Exodus 23:14 this same word is used of going to celebrate a feast. The core meaning of the word is a temporary feast that one goes to and then returns. Thus, it sounds like Moses is asking that they be free to go and then return from the feast.
Exodus 5:3 - The Lord did not instruct them to say this. In verse 1, He did. Their first attempt foiled, they are trying other measures as well. The language is different here, however. The first attempt was authoritative. They were speaking for the Lord. Pharaoh laughed in their face. Now they try entreaty: "Please let us go..." (In the original Hebrew, Moses uses the particle of entreaty not found in the first verse.) We will easily try things God's way at first, but if it doesn't work like we think it should, then we will resort to our own devices, which (if we are lucky) will not work either. Sometimes failure is a part of God's plan, only to bring success later.
Exodus 5:22-23 - This was just Moses' first attempt at freeing the people. It was disastrous, and he was ready to quit. There were many more hardships ahead of him, however. Moses was in a place that many of us are in today. We've been so disheartened and discouraged that we have withdrawn from our Gospel labor. Moses only reluctantly went back to the Lord's work of freeing the people. What forced him to go into exile 40 years ago was the same thing he was trying now. Only 40 years ago, he was trying to accomplish it in his own power. After spending all that time in the desert, the Lord humbled him. Now was the time to act. Yet, Moses still had to grow past that discouragement of previous failures. To accomplish the work of the Lord requires great perseverance in the face of mighty obstacles. But with the power of God on our side, there is nothing to be discouraged about. As time progressed, Moses becomes more comfortable with his role, and he sees the Lord work through him. Thus he is more at peace with the trials he faces and less apt to give up.
Exodus 6:5 - This is a good life principle to remember: For many years Israel was in slavery to Egypt. (Probably more than 100 yrs.) They had most likely long forgotten the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Look at where they were! They were slaves; property. After all those years of hopelessness, finally something was about to happen. The Scripture says, "I have remembered My covenant." Sometimes we think the Lord has forgotten us. By the measure of time, it would seem that way. But also notice that when it was time for the Lord to act, He promised every power in heaven to deliver them from bondage. That should cause rejoicing!
Exodus 7:3 - Things were only going to get harder for Moses, as the Lord had purposed to harden Pharaoh's heart. God's plan was: "That I may multiply My signs in the land of Egypt." And why would the Lord want to multiply His signs? 1. Egypt was a land of many gods. The Lord wanted to show how their gods were powerless and that He was omnipotent. 2. This was an evangelistic endeavor of the Lord. He wanted them to see the futility of their faith in their own gods and to see that they needed to trust in Him. 3. It is also an opportunity to execute judgment on Egypt. Sometimes God must punish to open our eyes and change our behavior. He was displeased, no doubt, with their idolatry and enslaving of Israel. This was a chance to punish their sin and at least give them the opportunity for repentance.
Exodus 7:11 - This goes to show that there are other powers in the world other than the Lord's power. It is my opinion that there is an ethereal force that is neutral. Some people have the natural ability to use that force. The Lord operates within that force and so does the devil. Human abilities such as déjà-vu, telepathy, which have always been viewed with skepticism, are natural abilities that some humans posses and others do not.
Exodus 7:22 - We also see that there are varying degrees of difficulty in manipulating this neutral force for one's own purposes. In this case, it was a harder task, but the magicians of Egypt were still able to accomplish it. Later, we will see that they no longer can work the same miracles as the Lord.
