Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Exodus chapter
5 as we continue our study through the Word of God.
As we concluded our study last time, God was sending Moses
and Aaron down to
That is where we will pick up our study this evening, as Moses and Aaron come before Pharaoh with their request from God to let His people go. And so, let’s begin reading in Exodus chapter 5, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as we study His Word.
VERSES 1-3
Don’t miss what Moses is doing here. The Pharaoh’s were looked upon as god’s, not as servants. And yet, by the power of God working in and through Moses and Aaron, they boldly came before Pharaoh and said that Jehovah or YAHWEH God of Israel is saying, “Let My people go . . .” Now the Egyptians were polytheistic, they worshiped many gods and yet he rightly said that he did not know YAHWEH! Was he interested in finding out and surrendering his life to YAHWEH? Absolutely not, his heart was hard towards the true and living God. Many do the same today, “Who is God?” and they are not interested in finding out because they refuse to obey Him and like Pharaoh, they will be judged!
Why did Moses only ask for a three-day feast to go and worship the Lord? I thought they were going to be set free and go into the Promise Land? It is possible that God is testing Pharaoh’s heart, giving him a chance to let them go free for three days and then when the big question came his heart would be soft and he would let them go. Obviously God knew what Pharaoh would do but He is giving him every chance to change.
VERSES 4-9
It seems that the children of Israel did not work since Moses and Aaron came to town and in Pharaoh’s mind, all this free time is giving them visions of freedom. So he turns up the heat on them - they are to make the bricks but now they would have to gather the straw and they will still need to make the same number of bricks!
What is Pharaoh saying here? He was telling them, “You have no time to worship!” “You have not time to commune with God!” “You have no time for devotions!” “You have no time for God at all!” Folks, keep in mind that Pharaoh is a type of the Devil and he tells us the same thing and tragically, many believe him! How busy we can be or think we are and the reality is, you don’t have time not to worship God. He should be the priority in our lives. That is one thing that was understood in our home as our children were growing up. Nothing gets in the way of our worship of God. Not sports, not friends, not any other activity because in the end, they won’t matter but how we spend our time with God will!
VERSES 10-14
How was straw used in making these bricks? Straw has an acidic content that makes the bricks stronger. The use of straw in making bricks in Egypt during this period is confirmed by archaeology. Cole gives us these words regarding finding this type of bricks. He wrote, "Bricks of all sorts have been found in Egypt, some with regularly chopped straw, some with rough roots and oddments, some without straw at all."
Also, Clarke tells us, "The eastern bricks are often made of clay and straw kneaded together, and then not burned, but thoroughly dried in the sun. This is expressly mentioned by Philo . . . 'because straw is the bond by which the brick is held together.'"
Obviously things are a lot worse for the children of Israel but isn’t it always darkest before the dawn? You bet it is! Looking at things from their position, it doesn’t look good. And folks, we do the same. We look at what we are going through now and see the situation as hopeless when in reality, God is working and we need to stand still and see the salvation that the Lord will bring to the situation we are facing!
Is there historical or archeological evidence to support this change in brick making? Yes there is. In the city of Pithom it shows that the lower layer of bricks in the buildings are made up of very fine cut straw. But, as you get to some higher layers of bricks in these same buildings you find these bricks have stubble in it or cornhusks and other things. And then, as you get to the upper bricks in these buildings you find that there is no straw or stubble at all and it does confirm what the Scriptures are telling us took place!
VERSES 15-19
Now the union people come in and complain about how they and those they are representing are being treated. But Pharaoh blasts them and does not cut them any slack. Let me ask you this. Why did they run to Pharaoh, the Devil you might say for help instead of the Lord? Before you are too hard on them, where do you first run to for help? Maybe not the Devil but to the world and Satan is the ruler of this world. Thus, you are running to him and in the end you only get grief, more bondage like the children of Israel did. Bring it to the Lord as Paul said in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Don’t cry to Pharaoh but cry out to God!
VERSES 20-21
I guess the elders of Israel are not too happy. What happened since in Exodus 4:31 we were told, “So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” All the joy they had, the excitement to see what God was going to do, the worship that they had was now quickly changed as their circumstances changed. But, are they going to be delivered? You bet they are, in spite of what they are now facing.
We as Christians need to remember this, to not only worship and praise God, to have the joy of the Lord when things are going well, but also when things are not, when things are tough because you are trusting in Him. You see, we have peace in the midst of the storms of life because our faith is in Jesus. Remember what Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” May we not forget that!
Let me make this point also. When they were not against Pharaoh they thought he was their friend even though they were in bondage to him. Now that they want their freedom, they want to worship God, he shows his true colors, he is not their friend, and he was never their friend. Satan doesn’t bother us folks when we don’t stir things up but as soon as we want to worship Jesus, things tend to get difficult for us. It is as Paul tells us in II Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Thus, don’t compromise your faith, but trust in the Lord!
VERSES 22-23
Moses did the right thing, he brought it before the Lord but he forgot what God had said to him back in Exodus 3:19-20, “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.” Moses wanted things to go smoothly even though God already told him they wouldn’t. He wanted to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” and Pharaoh would respond back, “Fine, have a good trip!” But it doesn’t go that way for Moses or for us because things don’t work out according to our plans, the way we want but according to what God wants, which is best!
For us, we might say, “Lord, You told me to do this and now look. Things are even worse!” That is the wrong perspective to have for Moses and for us because what God has promised He is more than able to bring to pass!
VERSE 1
Moses lost all hope because of the outward circumstances he was facing. Thus, God tells him to look to Him because Pharaoh will let him go. You see, Moses was too impressed by Pharaoh and his power and not impressed by God and what God has said to him. We, like Moses need to correct that problem and not let the world nor the ruler of this world impress us by their power or might, causing us to fear instead of looking to the One who created the heavens and the earth and the One who is in control!
VERSES 2-5
God reminds Moses who He is, YAHWEH, the Great I AM! And God is showing Moses that He is not only the God who made this covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but He is the God who will keep, who will fulfill this covenant that He has made!
Now this is interesting to me for it says that the Patriarchs only knew God as God Almighty but they did not know Him as LORD – all capitals or YAHWEH! And yet, in Genesis 13:3-4 we are told, “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”
Not only that but in the book of Genesis God is called by the name YAHWEH or LORD in capitals some 160 times, so how can this be? I see it like this. The Patriarchs knew the God who made this covenant but now the children of Israel will know God as the One who has fulfilled this covenant! For us, yes we should know Almighty God but we should also know God as the One who not only established the New Covenant with us but also has fulfilled it!
I like what God says in verse 5, “I have remembered My covenant.” That truly is not the issue. The real issue is can Moses remember the God of this covenant and that is true in our own lives!
VERSES 6-8
God wants Moses and Aaron to tell the children of Israel all that He is going to do in delivering them from their bondage in Egypt. And He starts out by making sure they say that this is coming from the God of the covenant – YAHWEH! And then He gives to Moses 7 “I will” statements. This is important. Yes, in Isaiah 14:13-15 Satan gives 5 “I will” statements but he had no power to bring them to pass but God does and will and did!
Let’s look at these 7 “I will” statements of God:
· I WILL BRING YOU OUT
· I WILL RESCUE YOU FROM THEIR BONDAGE
· I WILL REDEEM YOU
· I WILL TAKE YOU AS MY PEOPLE
· I WILL BE YOUR GOD
· I WILL BRING YOU INTO THE LAND
· I WILL GIVE IT OT YOU AS A HERITAGE
And just in case they still doubt, He says, “I am the LORD.” In fact, in these verses there are some 25 personal pronouns that show what God has done, is doing and will do for the children of Israel! He is not only the covenant maker but He is the covenant keeper! Folks, may we not forget that!
VERSE 9
Why didn’t they believe Moses? Because all those years as slaves under bondage made them think as slaves instead of believing that they are the people of the covenant! In fact, in Ezekiel 20:5-9 we are told, “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands. Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.”’”
In other words, instead of seeking the true and living God they believed the lies of these false gods, and specifically the lies of Pharaoh. Thus, they didn’t trust God. Folks, we have lived in sin for a long time and now that we are set free, it is hard to let it go, it is hard to believe that God has forgiven us of all our sins, but He has! Thus, live that way. May we not believe the lies of the Devil but understand that we too are the people of the covenant!
VERSES 10-13
From a human perspective you can understand how Moses felt. His own people did not believe him, thus, how will Pharaoh? But God gets Moses and Aaron refocused by taking their eyes off the people and the situation and focusing back on the Lord! He wants them to stay on course no matter how choppy the waters may get. How many times God has shown me that one – to focus on Him and steady the course, to believe that what God has promised He is more than able to bring them to pass. Thus, go back to Pharaoh with the message - “LET MY PEOPLE GO!”
VERSES 14-27
In this section we see the genealogies of Jacob’s first 3 children and we are not going to read through all of this. But there is Ruben, Simeon and Levi and then the focus is on the descendents of Levi. Within the tribe of Levi were 3 main families: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. As we will see in our studies, each of these families will have specific duties in the tabernacle and their service to the Lord. Then, from the family of Kohath is the father of Moses and Aaron, Amram. We also see some of the descendents of Aaron, his sons: Nadab, Abihu and Eleazar and grandson through Eleazar, Phinehas. Keep in mind that Nadab and Abihu will be struck dead for their blasphemy! Thus, the priestly line can be traced through Aaron!
VERSES 28-30
Once again, probably because of the previous failures, Moses is refusing to do it as he is questioning God. What is wrong with Moses? God has spoken to Him very clearly and yet he is questioning the plan of God! Folks, don’t we do that? Of course we do as God tells us to go forward and we don’t, or make excuses. And don’t say that God is not speaking because He is, through His sword in which Paul says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. Don’t forget that and be obedient! God wants to use you but you must walk by faith no matter what the situation looks like because He is the one who is doing the calling!
VERSES 1-2
Our God is so gracious and merciful. He does not even rebuke Moses for his unbelief here but just re-instructs Moses on what he is to do before Pharaoh. I am thankful for that because if it wasn’t for God’s grace and mercy I would have been done a long time ago and folks, so would you!
I want you to also notice that this was not going to be the words of men, the words of Moses but God instructed Moses who would then tell Aaron who would then tell Pharaoh. How important that is for us as we speak to people, that we speak forth the Words of God instead of our own ideas!
VERSE 3
Once again you need to understand that God is hardening Pharaoh’s heart according to Pharaoh’s own wishes, his own desires. And God still does that today as Paul tells us, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves . . . And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” Romans 1:24, 28.
There are two Hebrew words for “harden.” One is a stubbornness or rebellion and that is the word that is used of Pharaoh hardening his heart before God. The other Hebrew word carries with it the idea of making it firm. It would be like putting a piece of clay into the fire to harden it. That is exactly what God did to Pharaoh – He made his heart hard in that stubborn or rebellious position he had. Folks, don’t let stubbornness or rebellion control you life like it did Pharaoh, nothing good can come from that!
VERSES 4-7
Remember back in Exodus 5:2 where we read, “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.’” By the time the children of Israel are freed from their bondage in Egypt, Pharaoh and the Egyptians will know who YAHWEH is! Yes, he won’t listen at first but after he sees God’s judgment, he will let God’s people go!
VERSES 8-10
Moses and Aaron obey the Lord and come before Pharaoh a second time, which took some faith on their part since things did not go too well the first time. And now, the sign that God gave them to share with Pharaoh so he can see the power of God is now manifested as Aaron throws down the rod and it turns into a snake! And I’m sure Moses and Aaron thought that this would do it, but God already told them it wouldn’t. I guess they didn’t hear that and many times we do the same, don’t we?
VERSES 11-13
Now according to II Timothy 3:8, two of Pharaoh’s wise men, sorcerers or magicians were Jannes and Jambres. But don’t come to the conclusion that there were only two of them. The text indicates that there were many and they all threw down their rods and they turned into snakes! Was this some cheap parlor trick? I don’t believe so. There is power in the demonic world; Satan does have an arsenal of lying signs and wonders that he will use to deceive. Thus, miracles don’t prove that it is from God! I wish more Christians would understand that fact today instead of being drawn to these things!
What I like here is that Aaron’s rod or I should say snake, swallowed up all of their snakes! Can you imagine the faces of Pharaoh and his men! Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor! And yet, after all of this, Pharaoh still rebels against the Lord and refused to let His people go!
Now just to give you an idea of who some of these Pharaoh’s were. The Pharaoh that did not know Joseph was probably Pharaoh Sesostris III, who was reigning just before Moses was born. And Pharaoh Amenemhet II followed him and was on the throne during the time of Moses. And the Pharaoh during the time of the exodus was Pharaoh Neferhotep I.
VERSES 14-18
THE FIRST PLAGUE: WATER BECOMES BLOOD
As we will see with all these plagues, God is destroying their deity’s to show Pharaoh and the Egyptian people who the real God is, and answering that question of Pharaoh! The god HAPI was said to be the god of the Nile and the god KHNUM was to be the guardian of the Nile. In fact, the great god OSIRIS was said to have the Nile as his blood!
Some like to say this was something like a red tide or the effects of the Nile during this time of year, July through August when it overflows and picks up red dirt that will discolor the water and the organisms within the dirt would kill the fish. I disagree! Yes, God could do that but the word “blood” means just that, blood! It was not “like blood” but it was blood! And it was not just in the Nile River, as we will see in verse 19!
Pharaoh seems to go down to the Nile River regularly to worship there but this time, his god’s are bloody!
VERSES 19-21
As we are going to see, there are 3 sets of 3 plagues with the last one, the 10th plague all alone. With the first 2 plagues of each set there is a warning and the 3rd plague of each set there is no warning.
Just as God told Moses and Aaron, just as they told Pharaoh, it came to pass and the smell of all those dead fish caused a stench in the land of Egypt!
VERSES 22-25
For seven days this plague lasted and the only water they could drink was well water. Now, these sorcerers of Egypt, instead of healing the river they take the water they received from the well and they turn it to blood. As I have said, there is power in the realm of darkness as we have seen. The thing I want you to see is that the occult forces can’t heal, they can only cause more destruction, as we will see with these other plagues. Only God can bring true healing! It is a Meyer wrote, “Alleviation of human suffering is no part of the program of the devil or his agents. That can only come from Jehovah, through the believing cry of his servants.”
Once again Pharaoh hardened his heart, he refused to surrender to the true and living God even though his gods were exposed as frauds. They had no real power! But, God knew Pharaoh’s heart and what it would take to let His people go. But make no mistake about it; Pharaoh did not turn to the Lord just as Judas didn’t. He recognized his error but he never repented of his sin and got right with God but hardened his heart. Folks, may our hearts be soft and open to what the Lord is showing us and may we obey His Words to us!