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Exodus 5:1-7:13

Well, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 5. As you’re finding your spot, let me just say that we have A LOT of ground to cover today. In fact, some of you might even wonder why I’m going to read all of this. And to be fair, that’s a legitimate question to which I have three (3) answers.

First, the Apostle Paul instructs us to in 1 Timothy 4:13, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” Second, it was practiced in both the Old and New Testaments. Ezra, the priest, read from the Book of Law from “early morning until midday” (Nehemiah 8:3), and Jesus stood up in the temple and read from the scroll of Isaiah (Luke 4). Finally, and I hate to say it, but it’s true – there are some of us that won’t hear the Word of God for another seven days. We won’t read it. We won’t listen to it. We won’t sing it; even though all of us have access to it. So, I’m going to be sure that we hear it this morning.

By the way, this is another reason why I hope you bring your own copy of the Bible to church. If you’re following along in your Bible, then you’re more prone to engage in the story, than if you’re just listening. So, let’s read, beginning in Exodus 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.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “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.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a 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.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!” 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore, they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

10 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.’” 12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” 14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”

15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and they said to them, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

22 Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, “O LORD, why have You done evil to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, He has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered Your people at all.”

1 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

10 So the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the LORD, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

1 And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

“Our Father and our God, You are full of wonders that no mere human can comprehend. Lord, we seek to understand You and Your ways, in order that we might live accordingly. We pray that the Holy Spirit would help us to see and understand Your truths as outlined in these verses. Open our eyes and our ears – that we may see You and hear You in these pages of Exodus. For we offer this prayer in Jesus’ name, amen.”

These verses set out, for us, the initial attempt of Moses and Aaron to liberate the Israelites from Egypt, and I’m reminded of the shipping company that advertised a job opening for a radio operator. Tons of people flocked to the office and were waiting their turn to be called. In fact, the conversations of the people were so loud that you couldn’t hear the loudspeaker.

Another applicant entered the crowded waiting room, filled out his application, and sat quietly for a few moments. All of a sudden, he got up and walked into the office marked PRIVATE. A few minutes later, he came out of the room with a huge smile on his face – he was hired.

People in the waiting room began to protest: “Hey, we’ve been waiting here a lot longer than you. What made you think you could go in there before us?”

He replied, “Any one of you could’ve landed this job, but none of you were listening to the Morse Code signals coming over the loudspeaker. The message said, ‘We desire to fill this position with someone who is constantly alert. If you’re getting this message, come into the private office immediately.’”

Well, Pharaoh was in that same position. He was a poor listener. Moses and Aaron came with the simple message, “God says to let my people go!” But Pharaoh wasn’t interested in that, and when you fail to listen to God (or His Word), then you’re inviting trouble.

I just want to highlight a few things this morning. The first is…

Obedience To God Doesn’t Mean Easy Sailing

In fact, it might mean hardship, suffering, and persecution. There might even be times where you say, “Why, God?” After the initial request, which is all of chapter 5, that’s exactly what Moses said to God. “O Lord, why have You caused trouble for this people? And why did You ever send me?” (Exodus 5:22, HCSB). When Moses followed God, things actually seemed to get worse.

Have you ever suffered hardship even though you were seeking to be obedient to God? Maybe you remember being a young Christian in school trying to follow Jesus. It seemed that our friends tempted us all the more. We were called “holy rollers” or “Jesus freaks” or “Goody Two-Shoes.” That’s a tough place to be.

Maybe you remember being single and desiring to be married, or perhaps you’re single now, and you had certain standards for a spouse. Friends and well-meaning folks sometimes tried to get you to lower your standards for someone, even though they may not have been committed to following Jesus. Obeying Jesus in singleness is difficult.

All of us know what it’s like to be an employee or an employer. There are all kinds of situations that challenge our obedience to Christ in the workplace. Knowing about someone breaking a company policy or even the law. Did we report it? If so, what were the ramifications. Maybe you felt like the Israelites. “Hey, we’re just doing what’s right and the boss doesn’t like us, so he turns up the heat and expects the same production.”

As the employer, as the boss, as the owner of the company, sometimes the decision was easy – it was illegal, it was egregious, it was a pattern – you had to terminate someone. Other times you felt compelled to offer grace. Sometimes, maybe even many times, it didn’t matter what decision you took (as the boss) you were going to be criticized either way.

This principle is even true for pastors and missionaries and ministers and people with Christian “callings.” I’m sure that Allen didn’t share this with you two weeks ago, but he and Ruth originally felt called to be missionaries. They went through all the necessary training to learn South American culture and language and so forth. They went to Ecuador and Ruth became highly ill. I’m not sure exactly what the issues were, but they had to come home. When Ruth got well, they went back. She got sick again, and they had to come home again. Allen and Ruth will both tell you that those years were tough – even as they sought to be obedient to God.

Obeying God isn’t a pain-free life. It doesn’t automatically mean that you’re going to be popular. It doesn’t mean you’ll be immune from problems like cancer. It doesn’t even mean that you won’t encounter serious spiritual warfare and times of despair. Moses was finally in the center of God’s will, yet he met serious opposition. So, the question isn’t, “Will we ever have moments of discouragement?” The question is: “How will we deal with deep discouragement? Where will we go for help, strength, and sanity?”

The Israelites went to Pharaoh with their complaints. Not a completely unrealistic thing. After all, he was the one they were subjected to. But everyone has to answer to God – whether they believe in Him or not – so why not go to Him, especially if you’re considered part of His chosen nation, His chosen people. The same is true for us. When life is hard. When things don’t make sense. When we’re struggling to get from day to day, financially, emotionally, spiritually… Cry out to God. It’s okay. Shoot, even Jesus cried from the cross out with a question, “Why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

Our questions, our desires for understanding and truth, aren’t sinful so long as they’re made humbly, honestly, and faithfully. So, as we wait on God to provide the answer or some insights, how do we deal with our discouragement? By trusting gospel promises.

Obedience to God Is Trusting Gospel Promises

Let’s walk through these quickly:

First (and we’ve seen this before), God is in control. It’s so easy to forget this. Why? Because we live by sight so much more frequently than we do by faith. Look, God answers Moses’ cry in chapter 6:1, and His answer is simply a reminder that there’s only One person in control and it’s not the man with the snake on his head – it’s the One who has the snake under His heel. The Apostle Paul put it like this, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NKJV).

He’s always using circumstances to shape us into His Son’s image. We don’t always know what He’s doing, but He has a way of doing things in His own time. The Prophet Isaiah, speaking on behalf of God, once wrote, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8, ESV). God is in control. He sustains us. Fight discouragement with this truth.

Second, God keeps His covenant. Time and time again, we read that God remembered His covenant. Exodus 2:24, “God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” Twice, in chapter 3, in the burning bush scene, God tells Moses that He’s “seen their affliction and heard their cry” and that He “will deliver them.” At the end of chapter 4 (we saw it last week), when Moses and Aaron originally met with the elders and the people, they believed that God had “seen their affliction” and they bowed down in worship. And in chapter 6, verse 5, God says, “I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant.”

The psalmist said, “[God] remembers His covenant forever” (Psalm 105:8). For us, this is the idea of preaching the gospel to ourselves. What do I mean by “preaching the gospel to ourselves?” Well, ultimately, God kept His covenant promise through the blood of Jesus. Through our faith in Christ, you and I are part of an eternal covenant, established by Jesus’ own blood. And because of this, we can find peace and rest during life’s discouraging times. We have a Savior who died, who rose, who ascended to the Father, and is even now interceding for us. He’s forever faithful to His people.

Third, (and finally) God saves! He frees us. He delivers us. He redeems us. He adopts us as His children. He gives us an inheritance. And He demonstrates His justice and His mercy. Really quickly, I want you to notice the many “I will” statements that God makes here.

Look at Exodus 6:6-8 (one more time): “Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (that’s freedom), and I will deliver you from slavery to them (that’s deliverance), and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment (that’s redemption). I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God (that’s adoption), and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession (that’s inheritance). I am the LORD.’”

Now, flip over to Exodus 7:3-4 (once again): “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment (that’s demonstrating God’s justice and mercy – justice against the enemies of God and mercy to those of us that are His children).”

Dr. Tony Merida is Dean of Grimké Seminary in Richmond, VA, and in his commentary on Exodus he writes the following:

My friend Dennis Omondi and his bride, Allison, live in Kenya. Their adoption story was recently on MSNBC. They told the story of Benjamin. Benjamin was thrown into an 18-foot hole in a Nairobi slum. This hole was the public toilet. A passing stranger heard his cry and spent two hours digging down into the muck to rescue him from death. Benjamin was taken in by New Life Home Trust and eventually placed into the loving family of Dennis and Allison. (Merida, 44)

What a picture of what God did for Israel! What a picture of what He has done for us! We were in a pit, yet now, we’re in the arms of the Father, who “redeems [our] life from the Pit; He crowns [us] with faithful love and compassion” (Psalm 103:4). “He brought [us] up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set [our] feet on a rock, making [our] steps secure. He put a new song in [our] mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:2-3).

This is what preaching the gospel to yourself looks like. Do you know Christ Jesus? Do you have a personal relationship with the One who died to deliver you, to redeem you, to adopt you, to give you an inheritance and cause you to be an object of His mercy? Trust Him as Savior today! Acknowledge and confess your sins. Cast yourself – heart, soul and mind at the foot of the cross and receive God’s grace, by faith, in Jesus.

For the rest of us, trust God’s promises. He’s in control. He remembers His covenant. He saves us from sin, death and the grave by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Preach that to yourself. Sing the gospel. Pray the gospel. Meditate on the gospel. Hear the gospel. Fill your mind with it. Work it down deep and bless His holy name!