The Problem of Discouragement

This section of the Scripture reveals the second of four problems that Moses will face, the civil problem with Pharaoh.

Uncertainty, feeling of being alone with a task he felt unfit for, his wife Zipporah and his children staying behind with his father-in-law (cf. Exodus 18:1-5), Moses needed someone who could come and help. The Lord knew this before Moses, and He sent Aaron to meet him.

1. The situation with the elders of Israel, 4:27-31.

A short time after the enforced stop by the LORD, Moses meets Aaron at the mountain of God, the place where Moses received his commission from the Lord. Verse 27 tells us that the LORD told Aaron to meet Moses in the wilderness. And Aaron went obediently, finding Moses and greeting him with a kiss.

Why was the Lord working in this way? He did so to bring encouragement to the hearts of both men. He brought them together to cause them not to lose heart, but to know that the Lord was working in all that was happening.

Encouragement is needed for even greater testings awaited them both. The Lord builds up their faith by manifesting that He is in the circumstances and will work all things to His glory. For us today, often discouragements come in our lives and then encouragements follow where the Lord has revealed that He is in the circumstances of life, helping prepare us for greater testings.

It has probably been at least 40 years since Moses had seen any member of his family. This certainly was a time of great rejoicing.

Moses wasted no time in verse 28. It was important for Moses to give complete instructions to Aaron about all that the LORD had spoken to Moses as well as all the signs that He had commanded Moses to do. Aaron would be Moses’s mouth and as God instructed Moses, so Moses would instruct Aaron. The message of the LORD had to be communicated fully and accurately both to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh. Our text does not tell us that Moses performed the signs for Aaron, but only that he told Aaron about them. From this day until Aaron's death, these two brothers will be working together in the Lord's work.

A few days passed, probably travel back to Goshen, but passed over in the text as being insignificant. Verse 29-31 gives us a brief picture of Moses and Aaron as they begin to share the LORD’s plan to redeem Israel.

Moses was commanded by the Lord to go to the elders of the children of Israel according to Exodus 3:16, 18.

Exodus 3:16 NASB95

“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.

Exodus 3:18 NASB95

“They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

Aaron can help here; he would know exactly where to go to gather the elders together. It is the leaders of the people of Israel who get the opportunity to choose, to decide.

Just as the leaders of the Jews in the time of Jesus Christ had the chance to make a choice. Their decision then concerning Jesus Christ caused them to commit the unpardonable sin and doomed the nation to destruction.

The point is these leaders, and all those who are in leadership positions, bear a very grave responsibility for their attitudes and their actions

First, Moses and Aaron gathered all the elders of the sons of Israel. Aaron then communicated to the elders the words of the LORD given to Moses. To confirm the words, he performed the signs in the sight of these representatives of the people, using the staff of Moses.

The people, namely the elders who were gathered there, believed. Israel is a sign nation (1 Corinthians 1:22) and after they had seen the signs, they believed. Signs were present whenever there was a new message. The signs affirmed the message was of God.

1 Corinthians 1:22 NASB95

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

Later, when Christ came, He had signs that attested to His message, but the leaders did not believe the signs. They told Him, “Show us a sign from heaven.” He had already given them the signs, but they would not believe. So, no more signs would be given but the sign of the prophet Jonah- death, burial, resurrection, and the gospel to the Gentiles.

The children of Israel had prayed for so long, hoping for the God of their forefathers to hear and deliver them from the Egyptians. Now they have heard that the LORD not only had heard them, He was concerned about them. He was a God who had seen their affliction and was ready to act on their behalf. They responded by bowing low and worshipping.

True worship follows revelation, then believing what God has said. There must be regeneration before true worship. The elders of the children of Israel heard the message from God, believed it and then worshipped. What an encouragement for the children of Israel that the Lord not only heard their prayers but was concerned about them, had seen their affliction, and was ready to act on their behalf.

But today we are even more blessed to announce a greater message: The Lord has visited the children of man because He has looked down upon the affliction and bondage of the evil one and He has provided redemption for all who receive it by faith in Jesus Christ!

The situation with the elders was fruitful. I think Moses was relieved that what the LORD had promised regarding the response of the children of Israel occurred just as He had said. This was designed to be an encouragement and affirmation of their call. After all, when Moses went to his people the first time, he was rejected. This time he and the message he bore were received.

2. The situation with the Pharaoh of Egypt, 5:1-19.

The next stop: before the Pharaoh of Egypt… And now when the matter is brought to Pharaoh, things change. The situation goes from good to bad to terrible! The bottom drops out, everything caves in- just as God had told them.

A. Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, 5:1-9.

As representatives of the Hebrew people, Moses and Aaron were permitted to have an audience with Pharaoh and they knew how to bring this about. But there was a danger that failure would bring adverse consequences. They came anyway because God had instructed them to do so.

Aaron said, “Thus says the Lord, …” The same command is given in Exodus 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3. The message: the people were to go a three days journey into the wilderness to hold a feast before the Lord. The Lord wanted sacrifices, for the people of Israel had sinned against Him, forsaking Him, and worshiping Egyptian deities. Not until the sacrifices were offered would God be propitiated or satisfied.

Note verse 1 and verse 3. Pharaoh knows the Israelites have a God which was their national god. All the nations have a national deity, but Pharaoh did not recognize Israel’s deity to be in a supreme position. Why should Pharaoh take orders from a deity whose people were in slavery?

Pharaoh's response in verse 3 is that he does not know or recognize the authority of the Lord. All they know are their own gods.

Now we come to what the whole series of plagues upon Egypt is about. The Lord enters a contest with Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt for the specific purpose of displaying His power and making Himself known to the whole world. This is what we read in Exodus 9:16.

Exodus 9:16 NASB95

“But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.

We must remember that the Israelites as a people did not even know the Lord, or worship Him, but were worshipping the gods of Egypt, so God executed judgment on those gods,(Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4).

Exodus 12:12 NASB95

‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.

Numbers 33:4 NASB95

while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the Lord had struck down among them. The Lord had also executed judgments on their gods.

Pharaoh did not know the Lord, but before it was all over, he and the whole world would know him. Now if Pharaoh had granted Moses and Aaron's request, he would have acknowledged the Lord. Instead he chooses to defy the person of the Lord and His word, thereby placing himself under the wrath of the Lord. He will receive judgment because of his defiance. The request is simple enough that Pharaoh cannot argue with God that an impossible thing was asked of him.

Moses and Aaron try once more to have Pharaoh change his mind. Where verse 1 gives the direct words of the Lord to Pharaoh, verse 3 looks from the viewpoint of the nation of Israel. God's heart desired a feast; what Israel’s sin needed was sacrifices. A three days journey out would have placed the people out of the area where their sacrificing would have been an abomination to the Egyptians. Therefore, they could not sacrifice to the Lord (Exodus 8: 26).

Exodus 8:26 NASB95

But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the Lord our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us?

But did Moses and Aaron deliver the message God had for them to give? The message first stated in Exodus 3:18 was faithfully given. The second message which involved judgment found in Exodus 4:22-23 was never given to Pharaoh.

Exodus 4:22–23 NASB95

“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. “So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

Instead of a warning to Pharaoh, they gave a warning of judgment upon themselves if they failed to obey God's word. Pharaoh could not care less if they suffered.

Apparently, Aaron, as Moses’s spokesperson, panicked. In place of delivering the whole message, part was deleted, and other things were added that were not part of the word of God at all. If they had thought to appeal to the King's sympathy, they utterly failed. Pharaoh's heart was hardened.

Pharaoh's answer is in two parts-- first to Moses and Aaron: then to the taskmasters.

In brief, he said to Moses and Aaron: “You should not be worrying about sacrificing to your God, but to me. You are too lazy, you have too much time to think about your God. We will seek to cure that.”

The number of the people of Israel is about 2 1/2 million, and Pharaoh is holding Moses and Aaron responsible for planting this idea into the people's heads and spreading discontent. Thus, Pharaoh will seek to discredit them in the eyes of the people and, except for the grace of God, will succeed.

Then Pharaoh gave command to the taskmasters, who were who are Egyptians, and the officers who were Israelites that were over the children of Israel, yet under the taskmasters. The orders from the taskmasters were passed to the officers who were to see that it was performed by the children of Israel. Anything wrong was the officers’ fault and they were punished. They were the intermediate agents between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

There are two changes to the work of the Israelites. First, the officers previously provided straw for the brickmakers. But now, straw will not be provided. The process of brickmaking in ancient times was normally done by mixing straw in the brick, making it stronger. Archaeology has discovered some bricks made during the period with straw and some without in the two store cities built by the children of Israel. Second, the number of bricks was to be the same, but now they must provide their own straw.

Pharaoh is in unbelief and he hardens his heart against the word of the living God. Look at how he regards the Lord's words in verse 9: “false words.”

The devil is still in the business of calling good evil and evil good, making truth error and error truth, of exchanging light for darkness and darkness for light, and calling the bitter, sweet and the sweet, bitter.

The word of God is always his target. He must nullify the word for him to hold his captives in bondage. One who makes light of the word has rejected the only basis for deliverance from Satan's advantage. Jesus knew this when he spoke these words in John 8:31-32.

John 8:31–32 NASB95

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

There is no freedom apart from the truth, and there is no truth apart from the Son, therefore there is no freedom apart from the Son (John 8: 36),

John 8:36 NASB95

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

the One who speaks the word in truth, for He Himself is truth (John 14:6)

John 14:6 NASB95

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

B. The taskmasters before the people, 5:10-14.

The word of Pharaoh is communicated to the people. The task of finding straw became more difficult as time went by. The Egyptians harvested only the grain, leaving the stocks in the field, but now Israel was forced to find, cut, gather, and transport the straw or stubble they found, yet also continued to make their brick quotas.

The taskmasters began to apply more and more pressure because the quotas were not being met until finally beating the officers because they are now two days behind.

C. The officers before Pharaoh, 5:15- 19.

The officers felt this was unjust and appealed to Pharaoh, presenting their case to him rather than to the Lord--and they got nowhere! But their complaint was wrong. The fault was not in the taskmasters; the fault was in the head of the Egyptians--Pharaoh.

Spiritually, the fault is with Satan, not with his subjects, for it is he who increases the burdens and makes them unbearable.

The reply of Pharaoh reveals that the situation has gone from bad to worse. Darkness has descended, thick and black, as if it were impossible to break. There is just no human way to get out from under this -- and this is exactly how God has been working the situation.

This is a black hour for Moses. Instead of liberation, the children of Israel are under greater bondage; instead of their faith in the Lord being built up, their faith is shattered. All that was left was just the word of the eternal God. Moses is discouraged, but he takes his problems to the right place -- he goes to the Lord.

Why would God call Moses, send him with Aaron to the Israelites not only to have their efforts completely fail in their attempts to do the Lord's will, but even to make matters worse? The Lord was at work, using all these things, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:11.

1 Corinthians 10:11 NASB95

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

As we close, what are a few of the main lessons we can learn from this text?

1] Moses in Israel need to know the reality of Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

God is not defeated because things do not go the way we think they should, or in one day’s time. They needed to learn to lean on Him, not on themselves or their own understanding. To learn this, it takes two things in the school of experience: time and trials.

2] Israel is not sick of Egypt yet.

God's method is such that when they finally leave, they will be rejoicing to be completely free of the whips of the taskmasters. But even then, it is soon afterward they forget and once again long for the meat pots and fish left behind - forgetting all about the whips.

3] Moses must learn how to act and react in crisis situations as the leader of the people.

He did well here; He went to the Lord. His preparation will continue as there will be greater times of crises with this people.

For us, so many situations arise in our lives for the same reason: to prepare us for future testings on a greater scale. Our automatic response should be pleasing to the Lord always; If we have not learned this, we will certainly fail in the day of great crises.

4] Finally, unless the situation is so hopeless and dark that it is impossible for men to work, the Lord cannot work and receive all the glory for it.

He waits until there is no human way out, and then He works so that all praise, honor, and glory go to Him forever and ever.

Where are you today? Discouraged because your God-given plans have failed? At the end of your rope with no way out? Or have others turned against you, and you find yourself all alone? Praise God and take heart! You are in a place where you can learn some of the most important and precious lessons in walking with the Lord that there are. He is brought you here just for this purpose, so you could walk with Him through this hand-in-hand. It is your privilege to stand up on nothing else but the word of the living God.