Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
At first, Moses and Aaron demanded spiritual freedom of worship only. If Yahweh was going to be a God and Deliverer to them, they must first [at least have the desire to] consecrate themselves unto Him. "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel — Moses, in treating with the elders of Israel, is directed to call God 'the God of their fathers'; but in treating with Pharaoh, he and Aaron call him 'the God of Israel', and it is the first time we find him called so in Scripture. He is called 'the God of Israel', the person, (Genesis 33:20,) but here it is ‘Israel', the people. They are just beginning to be formed into a [spiritual] people when God is called their God.” (Benson Commentary)
“Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness; in the wilderness of Sinai or Arabia, at Horeb there, where they might keep it more freely and safely, without being disturbed by the Egyptians, and without giving any offence to them; and the demand is just; they were the people of God, and therefore he claims them, and service from them was due to him; and Pharaoh had no right to detain them...” (Gill's Exposition)
2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh, nor will I let Israel go.”
"And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord—rather ‘Jehovah.' Lord was a common name applied to objects of worship; but Jehovah was a name he had never heard of.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary) “… The Egyptians, it must be observed, and other nations were at this time sunk in idolatry, and knowing nothing of the true God, the possessor of heaven and earth, each nation had a god or gods of its own. Pharaoh, therefore, did not speak as an atheist, or mean that he knew nothing of any god whom he ought to obey; but he knew nothing of the God of the Hebrews, whom they termed ‘Jehovah', imagining him to be like one of the gods of Egypt, or of some other country, a mere local deity, whom therefore it neither concerned him to know nor to obey. Now the train of miracles which followed were intended to teach Pharaoh and his people, that Jehovah was not only the God of the Hebrews, but of all the world, having an uncontrolled and sovereign power over universal nature.” (Benson Commentary)
3 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 Yahweh our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Yahweh had been silent for 400 years, but now he had evoked worship in spirit and in truth of the children of Israel. Three days journey— probably to Horeb— the mountain of God. Let them "make a pilgrimage…. The Heb. 'ḥag' means not simply a religious ‘feast’ like our Easter or Christmas, for instance, but a feast accompanied by a pilgrimage to a sanctuary...” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) They desired to sacrifice to Yahweh their God on the mountain of God. "And as this demand was made by the express order of God, who knew that Pharaoh would not grant it, all appearance of there being any artful design in it to deceive Pharaoh is taken away.” (Benson Commentary) They sought only to come unto Him who is holy... and therefore must do so in the prescribed way. This was no ruse or scheme as some say, but a sincere request with no other motive than to pay homage to the Holy One of Israel.
Exodus 5:4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
Pharaoh "hints that the Hebrews are in a state of revolt, and charges Moses and Aaron as being ringleaders of the sedition. This unprincipled charge has been, in nearly similar circumstances, often repeated since. Men who have labored to bring the mass of the common people from ignorance, irreligion, and general profligacy of manners, to an acquaintance with themselves and God, and to a proper knowledge of their duty to him and to each other, have been often branded as being disaffected to the state, and as movers of sedition among the people!” (Clarke Commentary) "In Pharaoh, who despised the Lord and rejected his servants, we have the genuine portrait of a wicked man... all the pride of his heart rises into high revolt. He exalts his own will above the divine law, and says, by his conduct, 'Who is the Lord that I should obey him?'” (Sutcliffe Commentary) These despisers of Yahweh, when confronted with the Commandments of God, ask what jurisdiction He has over them. Thus, they make themselves their own masters and contrive a god of their own imaginations.
6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”
"The petition, in God’s name, to let Israel go for the divine service, not only failed of effect, but it excited the anger of Pharaoh, and induced him to augment the afflictions of the people.” (Sutcliffe Commentary)
10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
"When we contemplate Israel amid the brick-kilns of Egypt, we behold a graphic figure of the condition of every child of Adam by nature. There they were, crushed beneath the enemy's galling yoke, and having no power to deliver themselves. The mere mention of the word liberty only caused the oppressor to bind his captives with a stronger fetter, and to lade them with a still more grievous burden. It was absolutely necessary that deliverance should come from without. But from whence has it to come? Where were the resources to pay their ransom? or where was the power to break their chains?” (C. H. Mackintosh's Notes on the Pentateuch)
20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
"In the reproachful complaints which the Hebrew officers made against Moses, we see that unregenerate men will never bear the reproach of Christ. The carnal heart ever revolts against the cross; no man will bear persecution for His sake who has not first seen His glory, and received salvation in His name.” (Sutcliffe Commentary) The disciples were likewise reprimanded and beaten for service to God. In contrast, by His Spirit freely given, "they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name." (Acts 5:41)
Morning Remix
As I walked this morning, I realized that I must distinguish between the officers of Israel and the elders of Israel. The former was appointed by Pharaoh of Egypt; and the latter was appointed and anointed of the God of Israel. As in the time of Jesus, the oppressors of Israel appointed officers of their own people to control them. It was upon them that Pharaoh directed his rebuke… and it was they who he beat for the alleged offense. So, they came to Moses and Aaron saying: “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
"'Jehovah look upon you and judge' (i.e., punish you, because) 'ye have made the smell of us to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants,' i.e., destroyed our good name with the king and his servants, and turned it into hatred and disgust. ריח, a pleasant smell, is a figure employed for a good name or repute, and the figurative use of the word explains the connection with the eyes instead of the nose." (Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary)
Exodus 5:22 So Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Yahweh, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
Moses only wanted to exercise true religion by going into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yahweh. Likewise, many sons and daughters of God feel that my doctrine is blasphemous in His sight. I will listen to my critics, but I will go back to the Lord only for correction and reproof of the things that I believe that He has revealed to me. Indeed, let Him judge between us.
"Moses might perhaps have borne with patience a mere negative result—the postponement of any open manifestation of the Divine power—but the thought that he had increased the burthens and aggravated the misery of his countrymen was more than he could bear…” (Ellicott's Commentary)
The complaint seemed true but it was from the natural man of Israel, not the spiritual one. "...Moses' sorest trial did not arise from Pharaoh's judgement about his mission. The true and Wholehearted servant of Christ must ever expect to be looked on, by the men of this world, as a mere visionary enthusiast…. (C. H. Mackintosh) Carnal Israelites rebuked him!
"Moses returned unto the Lord, to expostulate with him, and pray to him.” (Matthew Poole) "This may imply, either that there was a particular place into which Moses ordinarily went to commune with Jehovah; or it may mean that kind of turning of heart and affection to God, which every pious mind feels itself disposed to practice in any time or place. The old adage will apply here: 'A praying heart never lacks a praying place.'” (Adam Clarke)
"He knew not how to reconcile the providence with the promise, and the commission he had received. Is this God’s coming down to deliver Israel? Must I, who hoped to be a blessing to them, become a scourge to them?
[Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people?] Pharaoh has done evil to this people, and not one step seems to be taken toward their deliverance. It cannot but sit very heavy upon the spirits of those whom God employs for him, to see that their labour doth no good, and much more to see that it doth [seemingly] hurt… [at times].” (Benson Commentary)
"Let not the ministers of religion be too much discouraged, though their efforts may hitherto have proved unsuccessful; let them cry again to God like Moses, and return with vigour to the charge...” (Sutcliffe Commentary) You may feel that you can take no more. You may even consider the wisdom of the sail that you have set in Christ Jesus. Stay the course, my friend. If you are indeed in Him, He is with you whether you feel it or not, working all things to the eternal good of Israel. (Romans 8:28) "The aspect of things had become most discouraging, at the very moment when deliverance seemed at hand; just as, in nature, the darkest hour of the night is often that which immediately precedes the dawn of the morning. Thus will it assuredly be, in Israel's history, in the latter day. The moment of most profound darkness and depressing gloom will precede the bursting of 'the Sun of Righteousness’ from behind the cloud, with healing in His fingers, to heal eternally, 'the hurt of the daughter of His people.’” (C. H. Mackintosh)
Morning Remix
After the morning walk, I decided to focus on three verses, so as not to miss the precept of the Person of the Messiah of Israel. After all, It is Trinity Sunday and this prayer was posted by my pastor-- Mike Smith: "Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." (Collect for Trinity Sunday, Book of Common Prayer) Come and join us as we worship the King.