God Delivers His People

Exodus 5:22, 23; 6:1-7; 12:51

GOLDEN TEXT: “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”—Psalm 50:15

IN TODAY’S lesson we have the account of Moses’ first interview with Pharaoh. In response to his demand, Pharaoh refused, saying, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”

When the request was repeated, even more urgently, Pharaoh again refused. He concluded that the Israelites had it too easy, hence had time for listening to the idle words of Moses and Aaron and were desiring to go out in the wilderness to do sacrifice unto the Lord.

Pharaoh determined to make the lot of the Israelites more difficult and accordingly gave instructions that they should no longer be given the straw used in their brick-making, but would have to produce just as many bricks as in the past, in addition to finding the straw. To enforce this new rule, the foremen, Israelites also, were beaten, and when they appealed to the king, Pharaoh gave them no relief. This unreasonable and harsh rule has become the basis for the metaphor “bricks without straw” which is frequently applied, even now, to unjust exactions. The delay in the carrying out of God’s expressed purpose became a source of trial and test to all concerned. Before presenting their message from the Lord to Pharaoh, Moses had net Aaron and performed the miraculous sighs before him. Then they together had called the elders of the Israelites.

“And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.”—Exodus 4:30,31

It was at this juncture that the first two verses of today’s lesson apply. The foremen or “officers,” of the Israelites met Moses and Aaron after their fruitless appeal to Pharaoh for relief, and reproached them for having increased the severity of their bondage. And then Moses cries unto the Lord, saying:

“Lord, wherefore hast Thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me? 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.”

The prospect was very dark to those servants of the Lord, doubts and fears strongly assailed them. Their faith and confidence no doubt needed this test, but God would not permit them to be too severely tried. He did not hasten His own wise plans for the release of Israel, but in the second section of the lesson, He repeats His determination to effect their deliverance, and assures Moses that He will do this in the face of all the opposition that Pharaoh may contrive.

The Lord tells them to again assure Israel that He will deliver them, and to say to them that He will take them for a people, and will be to them a God and deliver them from under the burdens of the Egyptians. But when this gracious message was transmitted to the Israelites, “they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.”

The last section of our lesson tells of the final deliverance of Israel, in exact accordance with God’s promises. In the interim of perhaps several months the plagues were being experienced by the Egyptians. Finally, with the death of their firstborn in the night when the Passover was instituted and the firstborn of Israel were spared, Pharaoh and his people were anxious to have the Israelites go. He realized that One was working for their deliverance with whom they were unable to cope, and that continued defiance would mean their destruction.

Even though their fear came about through demonstrations of God’s power in His judgment-plagues, and not through recognition of His love and kindness, yet even so, it was an advantage for the Egyptians to learn that much about Jehovah. We can see in the world’s present experiences a somewhat similar gain. In the great time of trouble in the end of this age, the world is to come to “their wits’ end.” But this will be to the advantage of mankind, for we are told that in this dire emergency, when all confidence in themselves and their fellow men has been lost, “they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses.”—Psalm 107:27,28

God also gives His children of spiritual Israel, tests of faith and patience. These experiences of that typical people should be of great benefit and encouragement to us. No doubt as the plagues progressed and the people as well as their leaders saw the mighty works leading up to their final deliverance from Pharaoh and his hosts, their faith and confidence grew, and they were prepared to see that patient waiting on the Lord, alertness and watchfulness and readiness to respond to His instructions, were the lessons He would have them learn. May our experiences as we await our great deliverance likewise instruct us in these valuable character-qualities.—James 5:10,11; Hebrews 10:35,36

QUESTIONS:

What is the background of the expression, “bricks without straw,” which is sometimes used to describe unjust dealings?

What characteristics of God were made manifest to the Egyptians, and were they profited thereby?

Does God test the faith and patience of spiritual Israelites? If so, How?

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