Exodus 5:1-23
After successfully meeting with the Israelite leaders, Moses and Aaron go to see Pharaoh and give him the message from the LORD to let Israel go celebrate a festival. Pharaoh not only refuses, but he also orders that straw no longer be provided to Israel, and yet, the number of bricks produced cannot be reduced.
The Israelites do not meet the quota of bricks and so the Egyptians beat the supervisors and task masters. The supervisors complain to Pharaoh and are told the reason – Because Moses and Aaron demanded to let Israel leave. So, they blame and complain to Moses and Aaron.
Moses turns to the LORD and asks Him why this is happening. Instead of the people being delivered, the people are suffering more than before.
We can certainly empathize with Moses. He did not want this job. He did not want to confront Pharaoh. He was expecting that the Lord would swiftly show His power and free the people. Instead, the people’s sufferings have increased. He probably does not know how to address the concerns and complaints of his people. The only thing Moses can do is to turn to the LORD for a solution, since it is now way too late to reverse course.
We see how Egypt managed to keep the Israelites under control, even though they outnumbered the Egyptians. It is a pyramid scheme where only a few benefit from the labors of many. The slaves are driven hard to the point of exhaustion, making them easier to control. If they complain or cause problems, things will get worse – This is as good as it gets.
A few are “promoted” to supervisors with some power over the rest, serving as an example that if one works hard, things could get better. If problems arise, then these “leaders” are tasked to keep the people in line. The people cannot deal directly with Pharaoh, so they can only deal with the leaders, which keep them in conflict with each other. Schedule is the key and must be kept at all costs. This leaves little time for holidays and complaining.
This system is no different than how American slavery worked, and in some milder way, how large manufacturing firms worked before labor laws.
This system of oppression works well enough that we see in verses 22-23 that Moses does not blame Pharaoh for the people’s increased hardship but puts the blame on God.
God answers Moses in 6:1 – 1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: Indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”
The LORD is not only going to have Pharaoh drive out the people from Egypt, He is going to demonstrate His great powers to Pharaoh, Egypt, and the surrounding nations. Other nations are going to hear about what the LORD does to Egypt, which will make them fear Israel, which will work to their advantage in the future.
The fact that God responds to Moses’ questions/complaints and explain what He intends to do must have been a welcome situation for Moses. Had God not responded to Moses, it would have put Moses in a very difficult position. He would have to deal with the fact that the people he claimed to have come to help are suffering more because of him obeying God.
Sometimes when we are doing what we believe God wants us to do, we experience setbacks. It will make us stop and ponder about the situation. It could be that God has His intent and timing for His plan to have the full effect and results. But it also could be that we got it wrong, and we are just doing what we want to do, or that we misinterpreted what God wanted us to do.
Moses’ situation was a little different, since there was a visible encounter with God, with God speaking directly with him. God also told Moses exactly what He wanted Moses to say and do. It was not left up to Moses’ imagination or discretion. Also, when trouble came and Moses called out to God, He answered immediately and in a direct and concise manner.
This is not the way things normally work for us. Through answers to prayer, reading of the Bible, listening to messages, requests coming from church leaders, etc., we get an inkling of what God wants us to do. When things do not go as planned, or the people we are trying to help end up dissatisfied, we get unsure of what we are to do. We call out to God in prayer for help, but often, we are confronted with what we perceive as silence. We often do not get a direct response from God like Moses did.
So, what do we do in those situations? We proceed with caution, and in prayer. We ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us, in correcting us if we are not on the right path. We need to be aware that the answer can come from any direction – From reading the Bible, advice from pastors, contents of messages, a message from fellow sister or brother in Christ. There is always a chance that we are simply doing what we want to do, rather than what the LORD wants us to do. If we are the only beneficiary of what we are doing, then we should practice extreme caution….and careful discernment.
However, we can be pretty certain that we are on the right track if we are doing things that the LORD clearly commanded us to do. This includes helping people in need, bringing the good news of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ, making disciples of Christ and bringing God’s blessings to others.
We may not have the huge task of helping to liberate a nation from slavery, but we do have the task of witnessing to the world that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the savior of the world. Even if we get into situations where we are not sure that what we are doing is actually helping anyone, we need to keep turning to the LORD in prayer, knowing that He knows what He is doing, and He will be with us and will not abandon us.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on May 12, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 