Ex 10:3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

4 'Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

5 'And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field.

6 'They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians-which neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.'" And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7 Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?"

8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?"

9 And Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD."

10 Then he said to them, "The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you.

11 "Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land-all that the hail has left."

13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

Ex 10:14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them.

15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

17 "Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only."

18 So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.

19 And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt.

20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

This is the worst locust infestation in Egyptian history. It completely destroyed the economy.  

God slapped around the Egyptian deities here like Nut, the sky goddess, Osiris, the god responsible for crop fertility who could not prevent the plants from being eaten away and Serapis, the protector against locust. 

Ex 10:1 Now the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him,

2 "and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD."

God was thinking of the next generation of Israelites. He did what He did so that these Israelites would have stories to tell about how great their God is. That He is the LORD. Telling children Bible stories is God's will. 

 

Ex 9:13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me,

14 "for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

15 "Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

16 "But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.

17 "As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.

18 "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.

19 "Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die."'"

20 He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.

21 But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt-on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."

23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25 And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.

26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.

28 "Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

29 So Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD'S.

30 "But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God."

31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.

32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.

33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.

35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

Again, the Egyptians gods were discredited here. Nut, the sky goddess could not do anything. Osiris, the god of crop fertility was shown to be powerless. Set, the storm god, could not help the Egyptians. 

Pharaoh thought of himself as sovereign and yet he was put in his place when God through Moses told him: "I have raised you up."

The first six plagues were distressing but this plague is now deadly. Things are getting worse for Egypt. 

The purposes of God as to why He dealt with Pharaoh and Egypt this way are the following:

a) that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth verse 14

b) that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth verse 16

c) that you may know that the earth is the LORD'S. verse 29

 Ex 9:8 So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.

9 "And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt."

10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.

11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

Here, the pagan gods of Egypt that God discredited were Sekhmet who supposedly had the power over diseases, Suno, the god of pestilence, Isis, the god of healing, Seraphis, another god of healing and Imhotep, the god of medicine. They were proven inutile in this plague.

 Ex 9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

2 "For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them,

3 "behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep-a very severe pestilence.

4 "And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel."'"

5 Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land."

6 So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.

7 Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

God slapped many pagan gods of Egypt in the face here. Pagan gods associated with the animals that were hit by the plague like Apis, Ra, Hathor, Anubis, Bakis, Mentu and Khnum were all discredited. 

Only all the animals "in the field" were struck. It should not surprise as later on in the chapter that there were other animals which survived. Apparently, there were other Egyptians who took Moses' warning seriously who secured their animals from the field at this point in time. 

This was a direct hit to the economy of Egypt. The cattle, for example, was considered as the most important wealth of Egypt. Oxen were used as "equipment" to do heavy labor in agriculture. Camels, horses, donkeys were for transportation. This was an all-around economic crises here in Egypt. The stock market was down! 

The timing, duration and the limitation of the plague prove the supernatural element of this disaster. Someone supernatural was obviously controlling the timing, the duration and the extent of the plague. 

 Ex 8:20 And the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

21 "Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.

22 "And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land.

23 "I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be."'"

24 And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

25 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."

26 And Moses said, "It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us?

27 "We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us."

28 And Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me."

29 Then Moses said, "Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.

31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.

32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.


The pagan gods connected with flies was discredited here like Re, Uatchit and Belzebub.

The Egyptians believed that each god held power only within a specific region. To prevent Pharaoh from thinking that it must have been one of the Egyptian gods who was doing it all, a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites was made. The flies would only infest the Egyptians but not the Israelites, making it very obvious that it was the God of Israel who was doing it. 

The Egyptians viewed the animals that the Israelites would be sacrificing as sacred. They were manifestations of their respective gods. To sacrifice them in front of the Egyptians would have caused a violent uproar. Moses did not want to be unnecessarily offensive. 

The removal of the flies were so effective that "not a fly remained" displaying the power and sovereignty of the God of the Israelites. He is not only in control of the swarm of flies but also of every single fly. 

Ex 8:16 So the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.'"

17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast.

19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

This annoying, irritating and nagging plague was God's way of discrediting the land and desert gods of Egypt like Geb and Set. The dust of the earth became lice on man and beast. Imagine them creeping into the eyes and nose of the Egyptians! This time, God, restrained Satan and his demons from mimicking it. 

Moses has already performed signs that involve the water and the air. This time, it involves the land. The point is --- the God of Israel is the God of water, air and land. 

 Ex 8:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

2 "But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs.

3 "So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.

4 "And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants."'"

5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.'"

6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD."

9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only."

10 So he said, "Tomorrow." And he said, "Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.

11 "And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only."

12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.

13 So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.

14 They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

Frogs were regarded as sacred by the Egyptians. Therefore they were not to be killed. They believed in the frog goddess called Heqt. God greatly discredited this pagan god here in this plague. 

To emphasize God's hand in it, Moses allowed Pharaoh to do the honors of selecting as to when should the frogs be taken away. Moses would then call on the Lord, and the Lord would take the frogs away, showing Pharaoh as to who was really in charge.

Ex 7:14 So the LORD said to Moses: "Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.

15 "Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.

16 "And you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness"; but indeed, until now you would not hear!

17 'Thus says the LORD: "By this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood.

18 "And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river."'"

19 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.'"

20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.

24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.

25 And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.


The Egyptian's highly depended on the Nile. It was their mode of transportation, the source of their food, it gave them water to drink and it was the object of their worship. Moses caused a national economic and religious crisis here. 

There were many gods associated with the Nile but they were no match to the God of Israel. He showed Himself superior to them. That's the point of the first plague here. 

Funny, instead of turning the blood back into water the magicians of Egypt only made it worse! They could not reverse the whole thing. 

 Ex 7:8 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

 9 "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Show a miracle for yourselves,' then you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.'"

10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

13 And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.


God permitted the wise men, sorcerers, and magicians through Satanic power to turn their rods into serpents to harden his heart.

Now, this is a creative act right here. Question: "Does Satan have creative powers?" No, only God has the power to create. Personally, it appears that God granted Satan with some creative powers to harden Pharaoh at this point.   

Seeing that the miracle was something that his own magicians could replicate, even though their rods were swallowed up, Pharaoh's heart grew hard.

 Ex 7:7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The advanced ages of Moses and Aaron respectively would only highlight the fact that whatever power or ability they had were not from them inherently but from a divine source --- God. Their infirmity was a stage upon which God's glory would shine brightly through the things that God would accomplish through them. Their seeming disqualification was their very qualification for God to use them. People would say: "Whatever they accomplished could only be from God Himself!"  

Ex 7:6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did.

Moses' and Aaron's obedience are emphasized here. They did according to what the LORD commanded them to do. Moses is no longer the fearful and cowering man. He was a changed person from this point on. He's now bold and courageous to do God's will. 

Ex 7:3 "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

4 "But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

5 "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them."

Moses is warned about Pharaoh's response in spite of Aaron's eloquence and Moses' ability to perform supernatural signs. Moses was a pragmatist. He was results-oriented. You are doing your job if you get results; you are a failure if you can't show any. Moses must realize that Pharaoh's stubborn heart is part of God's plan. God's ultimate purpose in all these is His glory. That "the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD."

 Ex 7:1 So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

2 "You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

Moses felt inadequate about his qualifications in going to Pharaoh. Now, God is addressing that issue. Who is Moses? He is the man who God made "as God to Pharaoh!" Moses was God's representative. God reveals His will to him, and so, in effect, in this capacity, he was "God" to Pharaoh. Here God Himself is qualifying Moses for the job. 

The Pharaoh's back then were viewed as gods. In order to create an impression of their divinity, they usually spoke through a spokesman. This create a sense of distance which kept up the impression that they were divine. 

Now, Moses is going to do it to Pharaoh through Aaron! 

 Ex 6:14 These are the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.

15 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.

16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven.

17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families.

18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahali and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20 Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father's sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.

21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri.

23 Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families.

26 These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies."

27 These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

28 And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

29 that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "I am the LORD. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you."

30 But Moses said before the LORD, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?"

The focus of these verses is actually Aaron. Moses has been introduced already in the earlier chapters. We know about his history. But who was Aaron? Aaron was the brother of Moses. He was therefore a worthy partner of Moses. That's the point.  

 Ex 6:12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?"

13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Moses became painfully aware of his inadequacy. He admitted that he was not a great speaker as if great oratorical skills could turn things around. 

But Moses was the right man for the job. And so God charged both Moses and Aaron to give it one more go. 

We put so much premium on our abilities. If it all depended on us like what we can do and all then the glory would be on us. If Moses was able to move Pharaoh and the children of Israel through his great speaking ability then people would say "It's because of his great speaking abilities! Wow! Amazing!"

But, if Moses had a weakness like what he had and the whole thing was done, people would say: "It's obviously not Moses' ability. It's God! Amazing how He can use a weak instrument like that!" All glory would go to God. 

 Ex 6:10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 

11 "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land."

Moses was recalled again to the ministry. He needed further encouragement to fulfill his calling. We are slow to believe and slow to obey. And so, God has to repeat Himself oftentimes. 

I see the significance and the importance of the TELLING ministry here. Ours is to go-tell; the rest is up to God; leave the results to Him. 

 Ex 6:9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

They didn't believe the good news of deliverance. This is what happens when we are consumed by our troubles than on God's promises. When we are more overwhelmed by circumstances than on God's truth.

To be sure, what God told Abraham was passed around and retold over and over again:

 Ge 15:13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

If they kept this in their hearts, if they heeded it, they would have heeded Moses. 

 

 Ex 6:2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD.

3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.

4 "I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.

5 "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

6 "Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

7 'I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

 8 'And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.'"

The beginning, the middle and the end of these statements is this "I am the LORD." The patriarchs had heard this name, but they had never known it experientially. The name "LORD" is Yahweh, the self-existent One. As the self-existent One He is ever there to keep His promises. Now, Yahweh is going to make good His covenant to Israel. He is going to deliver them. 

Seven times in these verses (6 to 8) God says "I will." God's seven "I wills." Meaning, He is going to completely fulfill what He promised to the patriarchs with regard to their descendants the Israelites. 

 Ex 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

Somebody said that "Man's extremity is God's opportunity of saving." The situation actually only provides a dark background for God's display of His power. 

It was when Moses precisely cried out in despair that God said: "Now you shall see what I will do." God always remains in control no matter how the situation appears to be dark and bleak. This is precisely the set up that God wanted. 

Ex 5:20 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."

22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, 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."

Have you ever tried doing God's will and yet it only turned things from bad to worse? You did the right thing and yet it only got you into trouble. That's what happened to Moses here. Pharaoh hated him. Now, his own people turned against him! 

Have you experienced disappointment with God? You thought that God would do this and that and yet things did not turn out the way you expected. That's what Moses here experienced. Realize that godliness and doing the right thing does not always bear immediate results. 

Disappointed in ministry? Well, that's what Moses had here too. 

You are not alone! Even Moses had such moments. But he was actually on the right track. 

 Ex 5:10 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."

The Israelites found themselves in a bigger and deeper trouble. Their situation has become utterly desperate.  Before God delivers He would often make us painfully aware of our dire condition and plight. Can't truly appreciate deliverance if you have not experienced utter distress. Sin is a hard taskmaster and our only hope is the Savior! 

 Ex 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!"

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."

Pharaoh was defiant. He became more harsh, unreasonable and oppressive. He thought that the people must have been given idle moments which caused them to long and daydream of freedom. He raised their workload to an impossible situation. 

Satan is just like Pharaoh. He does not want people to follow God.  He keeps them busy so that they won't have time for Him. 

 Ex 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"

2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go."

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 the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."

Moses and Aaron presented the Lord's demand for a religious holiday for Israel. But Pharaoh would not. Then, Moses and Aaron, personally pleaded with Pharaoh about it. They had to go to a considerable distance from the Egyptians because they would be sacrificing animals that the Egyptians considered sacred. They had to offer sacrifices because of their sins in Egypt.

God here was testing Pharaoh in His demand to let His people go. The wording in which the demand was stated, most probably, hardened the proud monarch. He had a heart problem and God was giving him over to his own proud heart. 

His question "Who is the Lord?" is the very subject that the Ten Plagues was lecturing Him about. He was given front row seats in God's theology class! That He was the LORD of the Nile (the life of Egypt itself) when He turned it to blood. That He was the LORD over their livestock when He struck them with a disease. So on and so forth. God gave Him a good theology lesson through it all. God made Pharaoh a good theologian the hard way! 

 Ex 4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Moses' concerns were all addressed. He worried about his lack of eloquence, so God provided Aaron as his spokesperson. He feared the people might doubt him, so God performed miraculous signs through him to validate his mission.

God is capable of providing solutions and addressing any issues that may arise --- something that Israel should learn. 

 Ex 4:24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.

25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, "Surely you are a husband of blood to me!"

26 So He let him go. Then she said, "You are a husband of blood!" -because of the circumcision.

In the meantime, there was an issue that was taking place in Moses' family. Moses delayed, to the point of disobedience, circumcising his son. It was apparently due to his wife's resistance of the rite. Moses did not act like the man of the house. And so, God was about to punish him. Seeing the direness of the situation, in order to save Moses' life, his wife was compelled to circumcise their son. 

Before we call on others to obedience we must be characterized by it first. Before we can go out and be used by God in public we must make sure first that we are obedient to God at home  

This is Moses' way of emphasizing the importance of keeping the covenant. 

  

Ex 4:22 "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.

23 "So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."'

Pharaoh ought to know that Israel was not just any other ordinary nation. Rather, Israel is a nation that has a special relationship with God. Israel is not a slave but God's firstborn. The word "firstborn" is a term of position and rank. He is destined to be supreme among the nations.  

Since Israel is considered God's firstborn, refusal to release them would result in corresponding punishment.

This is Moses' way of teaching Israel their status before God. They are God's firstborn son. 

 Ex 4:19 And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

At this point, Moses, was still apparently fearful that God had to assure him that all the men who sought his life were already dead. There was a degree of unbelief in verse 18, and so, here, in verse 19, we read of his apparent fearfulness.  

Through God's encouragement, he managed to shoo away his fears and doubts that he boldly went to Egypt. The fact that he took his entire family in verse 20 demonstrates this. 

God gave him an advance notice as to what reception his ministry would have back in Egypt in verse 21. He should not be discouraged if the result would not turn out favorable.  

 

Ex 4:18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

Jethro was Moses' employer and father-in-law. Out of respect for him, he informed him about his plans. Moses had a moment of unbelief by saying that he would go back to Egypt to see whether his brethren, the Israelites, were still alive. Of course, they were still alive! God told him so. Apparently, he suffered a degree of unbelief here.