Ex. 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
Ex. 5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
Ex. 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
After gaining the trust of the people of Israel, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and gave him a message from the LORD, the God of Israel—“Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” Pharaoh is a mighty king and knows nothing of this God of Israel. He certainly hasn’t seen any evidence of the people being in a “god’s” favor to this point, and we have already been told that Joseph has long since been forgotten. So his response is expected—“Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.” Moses and Aaron continue to press. The God of the Hebrews has met with us. They asked to be allowed to take the people on a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to their God to keep Him from striking them with plagues or with the sword.
Ex. 5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
Ex. 5:5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
Ex. 5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
Ex. 5:7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
Ex. 5:8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
Ex. 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
Pharaoh isn’t a bit threatened. He is just upset that the people aren’t working, and he tells the people to get back to work. Then he emphasizes how much work is being lost by having so many people not working
Pharaoh attributed their desire to go and sacrifice to their God to not having enough to do (vs 8). So he ordered the slave drivers and foremen not to supply the people with straw for making the bricks anymore. They were to have them gather their own straw, but not reduce the number of bricks that were required to be made in one day. He figured if they had more work to do, they wouldn’t have time to listen to the “vain words” of Moses and Aaron.
Courson: “Just how many bricks did the children of Israel make? Historical records indicate they made enough to build a wall ten feet high and five feet thick that would stretch from Seattle to New York City.”
Clarke: “The eastern bricks are often made of clay and straw kneaded together, and then not burned, but thoroughly dried in the sun. This is expressly mentioned by Philo in his life of Moses, who says, describing the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, that some were obliged to work in clay for the formation of bricks, and others to gather straw for the same purpose, because straw is the bond by which the brick is held together….”
Ex. 5:10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
Ex. 5:11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
Ex. 5:12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
Ex. 5:13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
Ex. 5:14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
Ex. 5:15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
Ex. 5:16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
So the slave drivers and foremen went out and instructed the people as Pharaoh had commanded them. The people scattered all over Egypt looking for straw, and the slave drivers kept pressing them to meet their daily quota of bricks. They beat the Israelite foremen for not making the quotas. So the Israeli foremen went to Pharaoh and asked him why they were being treated this way. They blamed Pharaoh’s people for not providing what was needed to make the bricks.
Wiersbe: “Instead of going to Pharaoh to complain, the foremen should have gone to Moses and Aaron and suggested that they summon the elders and have a prayer meeting. They should have reminded themselves of the promises God had given Israel and claimed them by faith.”
Ex. 5:17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
Ex. 5:18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
Ex. 5:19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
Ex. 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
Ex. 5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
Pharaoh had no sympathy. He called them lazy. He told them their laziness was why they wanted to go and sacrifice to their LORD. Then he sent them back to work—gathering their own straw and maintaining the same quotas as before. The foremen knew this was not possible. On the way out they ran into Moses and Aaron. They called for God’s judgment on Moses and Aaron for making Pharaoh hate them. The Hebrew for “savour” indicates that they had become a stench, a bad odor to Pharaoh. At this rate, they would all die for not being able to produce as commanded.
Ex. 5:22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
Ex. 5:23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
Moses doesn’t argue with the foremen, he goes to the LORD in prayer. These aren’t the results he expected after obeying God’s command to go. He had been told that Pharaoh would deny his request, but he did not expect things to get worse for his people. He asks God why he sent him to Egypt? Was it to bring trouble to the people of Israel? Things had only gotten worse for the people with his arrival.
This is typical of how things often seem to go when we are trying to be obedient to the LORD. I believe it is Satan using all the tools at his disposal as the god of this world in trying to thwart the will of God, the plan of God. When God allows him to do this, it is always because the glory that can be gained by overcoming these evil attempts is greater still. We are just to keep being obedient and wait in faith for God to gain the victory for us.
Moses is doubting his actions because the script isn’t happening as he expected. His people are in worse trouble than when he got there; this hasn’t been a rescue.
Ex. 6:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
Ex. 6:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
Ex. 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
So the LORD tells Moses—just you watch. Now you’ll see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my strong hand he will let the people go; in fact, he will drive them out of Egypt. God then tells Moses, “I am the LORD.” He tells him that He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai); but He did not make Himself known to them by the name JEHOVAH (YHWH, the self-existent, eternal God).
I decided to go to the Bible dictionary for help with this. The thought that made the most sense to me was that the people had never yet experienced the redemptive power of the “I AM.” Although they knew Him as Almighty God, they had not experienced the redemptive power associated with the name of God that they were about to experience firsthand.
Ex. 6:4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
Ex. 6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
God told Moses that He had established (considered an act already accomplished according to Webster) His covenant (promise) with them to give them the land of Canaan where they (their forefathers, the patriarchs) had lived as aliens. God has heard the groanings (pain, misery, unhappiness) of His people; He knows they are slaves. He is ready to take the next step in fulfilling His covenant. That is the key here—the time is now right according to God’s perfect will for the next step.
Ex. 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
Ex. 6:7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Ex. 6:8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
God tells Moses to speak to the Israelites for Him. He is to say, “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens (oppressive treatment) of the Egyptians.” I will free you…..I will redeem you. Moses is to affirm that they are God’s own people; He is their God. They will know this when He frees them from slavery in Egypt and takes them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “I will give it you for an heritage (possession); I am the LORD.”
God minces no words. This world is His. He can choose to give whatever He wants to whomever He wants whenever He wants. When He acts, there will be no mistaking whose power is accomplishing these actions. I think He is also alluding to His protection for His people with His “outstretched arms,” the same arms that will bring down the hands of judgment on their oppressors.
Courson: “In verses 4-8 we see seven ‘I wills,’ seven statements of promise made by God. The one thing we don’t see if a single, ‘If you…’ because such is the nature of the gospel. The gospel is the expression of God’s furious love toward us. It’s all about what He has done and nothing about what we must do.”
Ex. 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Ex. 6:10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Ex. 6:11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
Ex. 6:12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?
Moses gave God’s message to the Israelites, but they did not believe him because of their discouragement and cruel treatment. They had believed him the first time—and look where that had gotten them.
Guzik: “This is why Israel doubted both God and His messenger. Their centuries of slavery made them think like slaves instead of people of the covenant. Pharaoh was bigger in their eyes than God was.”
So the LORD tells Moses to go to Pharaoh again and tell him to let the Israelites go. Moses argues with God again. I don’t know in what form this communication is happening, but I know that Moses is consciously “talking back” to Almighty God. I can’t really fathom this in one sense, yet in another sense I know I’m just as guilty as Moses. My mind knows that God is speaking to me in one sense, but in another sense I often deny His presence/voice by my actions. Is this because I can’t see God? It is a constant battle to realize that His communication to me is just as important as His communication to Moses; it is just as real.
Back to verse 12—Moses basically answers with, “If my own people won’t listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, a man with uncircumcised lips?” The Hebrew for the word uncircumcised indicates unskilled, but the main definition has to do with having foreskin, a covering. It makes me think that Moses had a physical problem like a lisp or stutter that would “cover” his words.
Ex. 6:13 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Ex. 6:14 These be the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.
Ex. 6:15 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.
Ex. 6:16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.
Ex. 6:17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.
Ex. 6:18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.
Ex. 6:19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.
Ex. 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.
Ex. 6:21 And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
Ex. 6:22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.
Ex. 6:23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Ex. 6:24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.
Ex. 6:25 And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.
Ex. 6:26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.
Ex. 6:27 These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.
In verse 13 we are told that the LORD reiterated His command to the people of Israel and to Pharaoh, instructing His people to leave Egypt. Suddenly, we are given a family record of the oldest three sons of Jacob—Reuben, Simeon and Levi; Moses and Aaron are among the descendants of Levi. First are listed the clans of Reuben and Simeon. Then we are given the sons of Levi (who lived 137 years)Kohath (133 years)Amram (137 years) who married his father’s sister (his aunt) Jochebed, mother of Aaron and Moses.
Aaron married Elisheba and had four sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Others were mentioned, but these were directly connected to Aaron and Moses.
Verse 26 tells us that this is the history of the Moses and Aaron that God has commanded to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. They are the ones confronting the Pharaoh. I’m sure this is an important historical record, especially for the people to whom it was first addressed. The authority of Moses as God’s spokesman in these early days of Israel’s history was to be established as a fact without dispute. His would be the voice that God would use to establish His commands regarding worship, sacrifice, and laws (for government and health and safety). He would be the one to supervise the building of the tabernacle and establishment of the priesthood. Basically, he was God’s representative who directed the establishment of all that is at the core, the heart of the Jewish nation.
Clark quoting Dodd: “We may observe here how the Divine promise, Genesis 15:16, of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt in the fourth generation was verified; for Moses was the son of Amram, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Jacob."
Genesis 15:13–16 “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years….But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again….”
Ex. 6:28 And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
Ex. 6:29 That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.
Ex. 6:30 And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?
So when Moses complains that Pharaoh won’t listen to him because he can’t speak well, God provides Aaron as his mouthpiece. Again, there appears to be a clue that this alluded to more than just the use of words; it seemed to reference a disability that made Moses hard to understand.