June 21, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Exodus and Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Exodus 5 (NIV)
Bricks Without Straw
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”……Continue Reading
Exodus 5
22Moses returned to the Lord…..
Pharaoh answers Moses, who is this Lord you speak of I don’t know him. To think the Egyptian had many gods, but the only true God was a mystery to them, not too far off than where we are today to think of 60 years ago in this country, the streets were completely empty on Sunday mornings And there was one convenient store open in our town now people will say to you who is this Lord you speak of
so true Mark!
Sometimes the enemy will up the persecution when God’s servants are determined in obeying Him.
”So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”“
Exodus 5:3 NKJV
Moses/God gives a little foreshadowing of what is to come for Pharoah.
Exodus 5
Things don’t go quite how Moses thought they were going to go. It would seem that God’s commands to us do not always immediately have their ultimate effect…but in all that may happen, God is faithful, and has purpose for us, and we can be certain that it is for our good.
Ultimately, God is still God, and we are not. Regardless of how He works all things for our good…we can be certain, that He is for our good, for His Word is true.
We will be trying an integrated Old & New Testament reading plan for this time through the Bible. We did decide to start this plan a little late so we apologize for any confusion but going forward you will find the old testament books broken up by chapters in new testament books. We will still continue periodic short breaks in Psalms and Proverbs. Thanks for reading with us!
Thanks for the explanation! It’s hard to break from a story. At the end of Matthew, we said, “really we’re stopping Matthew? There’s 3 more chapters.”
Exodus 5
Well said Mark. Time has passed since Joseph died and his generation. Then a new Pharoah that didn`t know him tried to kill Moses and succeeded in killing a the male babies up into at least two years. But God intervenes and saves Moses through Pharoah`s wife. We have to assume that maybe this Pharoah knew Moses but then again Moses was 80 years old when he came back to Egypt so maybe the next generation. I understand that the records of Moses were destroyed. At least that is what I understand. But all the other evidence of the events and Israel leaving and crossing where they did are there. Without going into detail. But there is always more evidence being found. But whether this Pharoah knew Moses or not; he tells us that he doesn`t know the God of the Israelites. He will soon find out. The Israelites are angry at Moses and Aaron because Pharoah has increased their burdens. Sometimes in life things can get worse before they get better. Just look at all the examples in the Bible. And our own lives. God bless.
This chapter shows very clearly that God is a process God. There are various things often times that need to unfold for His plan to come together, and the sooner we understand that, the better off we will be. With all that God has revealed to Moses, he expected to walk up to Pharaoh and get permission to leave. But God has to humble Pharaoh first. He has to take a man who doesn’t know Him and doesn’t regard Him, and help him do both. And in the mean time of God’s plan unfolding, don’t be surprised that things get worse and evil seems to be triumphant. Faith is meant to free us from the fear, doubt and complaining about how God is working. The Israelites don’t get this unfortunately and that often that leads to challenges for leaders who are to continue to point people to God and the faith that we should have in Him. Don’t miss as well, that at this point Moses is just requesting to leave for a short trip and presumably come back. At the end of the process, they will be free…so there is usually a good return for waiting on God….
Exodus 5
Even though Moses knew this would be Pharoah’s reaction to asking him to let the Israelites go, still he was perplexed. He questions God at the end of the chapter with a tone that he was hoping for a different outcome. His hesitation to go made it obvious that he knew the job wouldn’t be easy and now when faced with that reality he goes to God. Certainly he wasn’t fully trusting God before with all his questions and anxieties and now He is in the thick of it he has no other choice then to lean on God and trust. God is doing a work in both Moses and Pharoah and it is no easy task.
Exodus 5