AFTER Moses and Aaron had talked with the people, and found they were ready to receive them, and were thankful for the promised deliverance, they went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness:” But Pharaoh defiantly said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”
Still they pleaded with him, but all to no avail. Instead of making it a little easier for the people, the king commanded the taskmasters to lay heavier burdens upon them. Until that time. straw had been furnished them for making bricks; but now they must make as many bricks as before, and also go out and gather the straw for them, where they could. This made it hard indeed for the poor Israelites, and they began to reproach Moses and Aaron for bringing displeasure from Pharaoh upon them.
This complaint of the people led Moses to go again to the Lord, in trouble and sorrow of heart. The Lord met him in much grace, and gave him a most assuring and cheering message to carry to the children of Israel. But they were so tortured with their cruel bondage, and were in such anguish of spirit, that they would not hearken to the message which the Lord sent them through Moses.
Do we not sometimes find Christians acting very much in this way—in their time of sorrow, rebellious, and not willing to receive, or listen to the messengers of the Lord? It should not be so.
Then the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and ask him to let the children of Israel go out of his land. But Moses reasoned with the Lord, saying if the children would not hearken to him, how should Pharaoh hear him. The Lord, however, was going to accomplish His purposes; so He tells Moses again to go, and He said to him that Aaron his brother should be his prophet; and Aaron should speak to Pharaoh. Thus assured, and thus urged, they went in unto Pharaoh, and did as the Lord had commanded. Aaron cast his rod down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh called for his wise men; and they came and cast down their rods, and they also became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. This wonderful evidence of God’s power did not move Pharaoh. He still refused to let the people go.
Then the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh in the morning, for he would go out to the water; and Moses should stand by the river’s brink, and wait until he would come, and again he was to ask him to let the children of Israel go; and then Moses was to tell the king that he would smite the waters with his rod, and they should all turn to blood; and by this he should know that it was the Lord who had sent him. All this was done, and the water of the river, streams and pools, was turned to blood; and the fish died, and the people had to dig round about the river to get water to drink. This trying condition lasted for seven days, but there was no relenting on the part of Pharaoh; he hardened his heart and refused to let the people go.
ML 09/14/1902