EXPLORE THE TEXT

Confronted (Exodus 5:1-4)

Application Point:

Believers can be assured that God will act in accordance with His covenant name.

1 Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh,
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness.”
2 But Pharaoh responded,
“Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go?
I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”

3 They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us.
Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness
so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God,
or else he may strike us with plague or sword.”
4 The king of Egypt said to them,
“Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work?
Get to your labor!”

Key Concept

Hardened heart

The idiom to “harden one’s heart” means to influence someone
so that they choose to disobey God.
Throughout Exodus 4-14, readers learn that the Lord would be the One who hardened Pharaoh
(4:21; 7:3; 10:1; 14:4).
Five times Moses attributed Pharaoh’s hardness to God’s hand
(9:12; 10:20,27; 11:10; 14:8).

No guesswork is required to discover why God dealt with the Egyptians like this.
The Lord explained that it was to multiply His wonders in Egypt (10:1)
and to teach the Egyptians that He alone is God (14:4,17).
God’s purpose was also that Israel would acknowledge God as Lord of their lives (Deut. 4:35).

Ask:

• Why was it important for the Israelites to gather for worship in the wilderness?
• How does a powerful worship experience help unify the faithful? (PSG, p. 21)

Explain:

highlight Pharaoh’s response to God’s demand.

• v. 1 What the Lord . . . says:
  This introduction indicates a battle between the blind and stubborn heart of Pharaoh and God’s powerful word.
• v. 1 Let my people go:
  It means to set something/someone free or allow an escape.
• v. 1 Festival for me:
  A festival of worship implied a complete release. God was not settling for a compromise. He was demanding a departure.
• v. 2 Who is the Lord?:
  Pharaoh’s question was a declaration of superiority and self-sufficiency.
  Pharaoh thought he had all the gods that he needed-
  and he included himself among them.
• v. 2 I will not let Israel go:
  The arrogant, idol-worshiping monarch acted according to his character

Emphasize that Pharaoh was considered a god in Egypt, so he was not inclined to submit to the Lord.

Ask:

• What are some things that cause people to reject God’s message or messengers? (PSG, p. 23)

Transition:

When God directs His people to take a stand for Him, He does not leave them hanging.
He continues to speak to them and give them more of His perspective. That is exactly what the Lord did with Moses.