Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

Let’s look at the passage…

Exodus 5:1 “1 Afterward 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.’

”

Look at what Moses and Aaron are saying that Yahweh is asking here…

This is what Yahweh (the covenant-maker), the Elohim (the deity) of Israel, says…

A deity is announcing that these people you are oppressing, these are MY people.

There’s a personal relationship, an ownership, a connection to these people.

Let the go have a festival = make a pilgrimage, celebrate a feast

This is a request to take all the Hebrews into the wilderness on a camping trip to worship God.

The entire purpose of letting the people go is worship.

This is not just freedom for freedom's sake.

What is worship?

And why is it such a big deal… we get to more of this later, but for now…

Worship is putting something in the center of your existence, to give glory to something, to hold someone or something in the highest esteem.

God is declaring to Pharaoh through Moses, that he wants his people put himself in the center, the Hebrews are to reorganize their lives around Yahweh—and that's exactly what he teaches them to do after they are delivered.

Exodus 5:2 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.”

Pharaoh's perspective: “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.”

I don't know this name, this god means nothing to me, stop wasting my time and get back to work.

I could care less.

Yahweh is of no significance to me.

Your deity means nothing to me.

Knowing Yahweh is going to be key to understanding all of these passages

The rest of the narrative is God's response to Pharaoh's challenge.

Yahweh is going to introduce himself to Pharaoh.

a giant part of Egyptian culture is the belief that the king/Pharaoh and the divine are one.

The Divine has made himself known in the person of the king—Pharaoh was thought to be the embodiment of all divine power.

In fact, the storage cities were most likely storage for everything that was needed to worship the Pharaoh after he died—for as long as possible

The deity worshipped by this immigrant slave population has zero significance here in Egypt

This is a rivalry between deities/Gods—this goes way beyond two cultures; Egyptians and Hebrews.

In the tenth plague God says he's striking down all the gods of Egypt.

A human just challenged the One Who Is, as if they're on equal ground, and Yahweh is going to reduce that king down to human size.

Do you realize that at some point, God is going to reduce everything to it’s proper size?

I wonder if a giant part of living this new kind of life—this "kingdom of God" life—that Jesus invites us into is about learning to live as if everything is already reduced to its proper size…

Exodus 5:3 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.”

Notice that this first request isn't for total freedom from slavery to the Egyptians… its for a three-day weekend

In Pharaoh's response to this small request we begin to see what kind of taskmaster Pharaoh is, we begin to see his hard-heartedness on display

…also, their argument is that it's in Pharaoh's best interest that they go, so that his labor force doesn’t get wiped out by a plague or something.

Exodus5:4–14 “4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?

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.”

More bricks!

Less straw!

The heat gets turned up in this situation.

Pharaoh’s desire to be the deity in charge isn’t going down without a fight.

Our desire to the the deity in charge of our lives, our selfish and self-centeredness never goes down without a fight.

It just never does.

Pharaoh wants all the worship, this king wants the people to serve him.

So do we.

Exodus 5:10–14 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?”

The work load and expectations increase, the resources decrease — there is so much in these passages.

Listen, you might not be in slavery to an ancient Pharaoh, but I’d bet that you’re struggling against a slavery of some kind today…a longing, an addiction, an annoying habit… you’re looking for some freedom, but as you do the expectations increase and the resources seem to decrease.

The heat gets turned up and you feel worse than before you realized that there was an issue!

and you begin to feel pretty beat up…

Exodus 5:15–18 “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.””

So the Israelite overseers went and appeal to Pharaoh (the false deity).

Notice how they don’t turn to Yahweh, the one who made the covenant with them… rather they run for help to the one holding them captive…

I wonder how often that last place we go for help is to God himself?

And they don’t get any help, other than being told that their lazy… Can I let you in on a pastoral secret…whenever your struggling and hear the message, you just need to try harder

Exodus 5:20–21 “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.””

The Israelite leaders are mad!

They were hoping for freedom, and not only did Pharaoh say no, he made their lives more miserable.

And so now they blame Moses and Aaron.

Let me remind you of something that had just happened at the end of chapter 4…

Exodus 4:29–31 (NIV) 29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses.

He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed.

And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

The elders had just believed what God was about to do through Moses and Aaron…and they had just humbly bowed in worship, in gratitude because it was clear God was involved; he had seeing their suffering and was about to answer their prayers

BUT, it was not working out according to their plan, the way they think it should work out—and their mad about it because life is a bit tougher than blissfully living in slavery!

This will be a repeating pattern.

God be going to prove his trustworthiness over and over again.

and every time, when their needs are not immediately met in the way they want, they will complain and criticize their leaders.

I wonder how often we get mad, or turn our backs on God because he doesn't do what we want when we want it?

Exodus 5:22–23 “22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?

Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.””

Good ol Moses doesn’t have anyone else to complain to…he actually turns to Yaweh for an answer.

This is not working!

And we get quite a long speech from Yahweh…

Exodus 6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

God is saying that he will get his way in this situation.

And that Pharaoh will not only let the go… he'll drive/cast them out of Egypt.

What would have to happen for this Pharaoh, who doesn't want to lose his slave labor force and let them go, to change course and actually drive the out?

A whole lot of pressure!

Exodus 6:2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.

5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.

From chapter 5 all the way to chapters 11–12, the big point is knowing who Yahweh is …God is making himself known