Slices
Prepare
Reflect on the words of this song: ‘How long before your glory lights the skies? / … your radiance lifts our eyes? / … your fragrance fills the air? / … the earth resounds with songs of joy?’ (Stuart Townend, 2007).
Bible passage
Bricks without straw
5 Afterwards 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.’
3 Then they said, ‘The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.’
4 But the king of Egypt said, ‘Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labour? Get back to your work!’ 5 Then Pharaoh said, ‘Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.’
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 ‘You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, “Let us go and sacrifice to our God.” 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.’
10 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, ‘This is what Pharaoh says: “I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.”’ 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, ‘Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.’ 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, ‘Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?’
15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: ‘Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, “Make bricks!” Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.’
17 Pharaoh said, ‘Lazy, that’s what you are – lazy! That is why you keep saying, “Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.” 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.’
19 The Israelite overseers realised they were in trouble when they were told, ‘You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.’ 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, ‘May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.’
Explore
Did you sense the pain and frustration of God’s people seeping through the words you read today? I certainly did. Such hard labour, unfairness, physical suffering, weariness and toil! And the Israelites’ faith is dwindling as they experience this onslaught from Pharaoh: while they worshipped God at the end of chapter 4 (4:31), they are bitter by the end of chapter 5 (v 21).
Despite all the evidence of God at work, their faith turns quickly against God’s plan. How easy do you find it to hold fast to God’s promises when you suffer?
Pharaoh was a nasty man, lacking in faith (v 2) and full of vengeance (vs 7–11). You may be able to identify such godless leaders in your immediate surroundings, and in our world. But God remains in control, and there will come a time when he will make all things new (see, for example, Revelation 21:1–8).
Respond
Take a look at today’s news headlines and allow your heart to pray prayers of deliverance for the suffering and afflicted. Pray that our world would stop rejecting God and would turn to see him as Saviour!
Deeper Bible study
Lord, create in me a heart that is receptive to whatever truths you reveal, accepting of whatever rebukes you administer, responsive to whatever challenges you issue.
Moses asked, ‘Who am I that I should … bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’1 Now, Pharaoh asks, ‘Who is the LOARD, that I should obey him …?’ (v 2, emphasis added). Both questions display incredulity, but whereas the first stems from humility, the second springs from arrogance.
‘Pharaoh’, in Egyptian, means ‘great house’. The pharaohs of Egypt were not only tremendously powerful politically, they enjoyed divine status as sons of Ra, Egypt’s sun-god. Despite his ignorance of God, Pharaoh’s question is not a request for more information but a contemptuous dismissal of this deity of the Hebrews. He has already made up his mind and closed off his heart to the things of God. It is of such people that Jesus declares, ‘This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.’2 Pharaoh neither knows nor cares to know about God. Arrogance frequently struts hand in hand with ignorance. Accompanying the announcement ‘I do not know the Lord’ is the pronouncement ‘I will not let Israel go’ (v 2). Pharaoh is an authority unto himself and will brook no rival and admit no equal. He resorts to attack as the best form of defence. ‘That same day’ (v 6), Pharaoh goes on the offensive, ramping up the oppression until the people are broken and beaten – physically, mentally, economically and emotionally (vs 10–18).
Paul warns of God’s wrath against those who ‘suppress the truth by their wickedness’.3 In a calculated move, Pharaoh labels the people ‘lazy’ and their beliefs ‘lies’ (vs 8,9). By closing his mind to the truth and actively suppressing it, Pharaoh has chosen the path of darkness over light, a destiny of destruction over life.
When people who are important to you are hostile to the gospel, do you dilute or sugarcoat the message to make it more palatable? DON’T!
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 9,10; Matthew 21
Pray for Scripture Union
Local Mission Partner Farne Churches Youth and Family Outreach work in four primary schools; pray for the development of the work, for ongoing enthusiasm and motivation amongst their volunteers and for the trustees as they seek God for the future direction of the work.
