Stuff On. Must Rush (Ex 5/ 55)

Exodus 5

I get the feeling from reading this chapter that the Egyptians really wanted the Israelites to make bricks without providing them straw as they had done in the past.
It’s one of those subtle conclusions I deduced from reading “No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks” for the third or fourth or fifth time.

Moses is in the do-do and he must feel it.
A simple request is denied by Pharaoh.
“Let us go and sacrifice in the wilderness”
But God is working on Pharaoh to show His people his capabilities later on.
Imagine though if Pharaoh had just said “Um okay. Can’t see anything wrong with that.”
Exodus would be a bit shorter.
No signs.
No diseases.
No frogs.
Nothing to demonstrate the power of God to His people.
Simpler, but maybe not as effective.
Long term anyway.

And I’m sure that may have come up in conversation between Moses and God.
Oh it does.

V22 “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?
V23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

Or paraphrased. “Thanks God for making me look like a twit. Now Pharaoh AND the people hate me. I wish I was with me sheep still. I always stuff up”

No wonder all the pictures you see of Moses have him with grey hair.
But I guess it’s not just God making a deal about Himself, He’s making a leader out of Moses.
It’s the hard stuff that makes us grow.
And we never see it until later.
That’s why you’ve gotta trust that God knows what He’s doing.
Because He does.
:D