Week 39, Day 1: Israel’s labor increases

Today’s Reading:  Exodus 5:1-23

Some thoughts from the reading…

We missed last week’s posts, but we will continue witht he posts from where we last left off instead of skipping any chapters.

Moses goes back to Egypt.  Remember that the last time he was in Egypt he had fled for his life.  Granted a different Pharaoh is now ruling but I imagine there was still a lot of anxiety about returning and especially to go before the king and demand he release God’s people.  Pharaoh’s response is about what you would expect.  “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”  He then concludes that if the people have enough time to think about going out to worship their God then they must not be busy enough.  He commands that they must now gather the straw for making their bricks themselves. 

The people are grieved because their labors have been increased greatly.  As you would expect the people blame Moses and Aaron.  This is interesting since Moses and Aaron had gone to the people and spoken to them before going to Pharaoh (4:29-30).  The people knew Moses and Aaron were sent from God to deliver them but because things did not happen in a way that made their deliverance easy, they grumbled.  I still see lessons here for us to realize that God will keep His promises.  How He chooses to fulfill them or when He decides is the right time is not for us to question.  Nor should we despair when things don’t happen when we think they should.  Wait for the Lord.  Trust that He will take care of you.  He cares and He will not forsake you.

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