Exodus 5: Making Matters Worse

Synopsis:

Moses and Aaron go to Pharoah and insist that he let the Israelites go to worship their God. Pharaoh refuses and orders the overseers to stop giving hay to the Israelites specifically because this will make making bricks harder. The officers of the Israelites complain, Pharaoh responds by making things harder still. They complain to Moses, see, you’ve made things worse. So Moses asks God, why he tasked him to confront Pharaoh if that only was going to make things worse.

In other words:

Moses asks Pharaoh to let his people go. Pharaoh says no. Here’s some more hard work for you all to do!

Favorite bit:

Exodus 5: 23 – “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither has thou delivered they people at all.” Moses is a bit of a complainer. 

Ponderable:

Were the bits where god says, this won’t work right away inserted later to kind of justify the fact that the people aren’t let go right away, because it sure seems like Moses was expecting this to work right away.

Moral Lesson:

People don’t change their minds right away – it takes time. (Exodus 5)