Exodus 5

CHAPTER 5THEME: Moses’ appeal for Israel’s deliverance; the increase of Israel’s burden; Moses’ prayerChapter 5 begins the contest with Pharaoh. The plagues are leveled against the idolatry of Egypt. It is actually a battle of God with the gods of Egypt. Moses returned to Egypt after an absence of forty years. The deliverer is prepared now to deliver his people. He was to assemble the elders of Israel, and they were to go to Pharaoh and present their request. Pharaoh refused to let Israel go, and this opened the struggle between God and the gods of Egypt. The plagues were not haphazard. God did not send a plague of frogs and then say, “I wonder what calamity I should send next.” Probably nothing was ever quite so organized and meaningful as these plagues. They were directed very definitely toward the idolatry of Egypt. Pharaoh asked the question, “Who is the Lord? I do not know Him, and I do not intend to let Israel go.” So God introduced Himself and did it by bringing plagues on the land of Egypt. In Exo_7:5 the Lord makes it very clear what He has in mind: “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” God used the plagues to deliver His people and to let the Egyptians know who He was. Each plague was leveled at a different god of Egypt. There were thousands of temples, millions of idols, and about three thousand gods in Egypt. That will outdo anything we have in this country today. There was power in the religion of Egypt. The Egyptians were not fools. We have transistor radios, color television, and have been to the moon, but that does not mean we are superior.

All of our knowledge is based on that which has been handed down from the past. We have been building upon the knowledge that has come to us through the centuries. Paul makes it clear that there was power in the Egyptian religions in 2Ti_3:8 when he says, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” The power in Egyptian religion was satanic and Satan grants power to those who worship him. The oracle at Delphi in the Greek periods is an example of it. God directed His plagues against the idolatry in Egypt, against Pharaoh, and against Satan. It was a battle of the gods. Exo_12:12 confirms it: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” God exposed the gods of Egypt as false, and He revealed to Israel His ability to deliver them. These Israelites had been born in the brickyards in the midst of idolatry, and God had to show them that He was superior. A brief outline of each plague might be helpful at this point in order to see that there was some sense to them. When Moses first stood before Pharaoh, he changed his rod into a serpent. The wise men of Egypt performed the same miracle. This reveals that Satan has definite powers. After this demonstration came the ten plagues.

1. Water turned to blood (Exo_7:19-25): The fertility of the land of Egypt depended upon the overflow of the Nile River to bring it both fertilizer and water. Therefore this river was sacred to the god Osiriswhose all-seeing eye is found in many Egyptian paintings. Pagan rites were held every spring when the river brought life out of death. When the water was turned to blood, it brought death instead of life. The wise men of Egypt also imitated this plague with their sorcery.
2. The plague of frogs (Exo_8:1-15): One of the most beautiful temples in Memphis was the temple to Heka, the ugly frog-headed goddess. It was an offense to kill the sacred frog, but if you found them in your house, bed, food, and underfoot everywhere, as the Egyptians did, you might feel like killing them. But they were sacred. The wise men also duplicated this plague which might indicate that their success up to this point was accomplished by sleight-of-hand tricks or some similar magical device.
3. The plague of lice (Exo_8:16-20): The Egyptians worshiped the earth-god Geb. But “the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.” This which was sacred to Geb they now despise. Pharaoh did not ask that this plague be taken away, and the Egyptian sorcerers could not reproduce this pestilence. They seem to have acknowledged that the One who brought this plague was supreme over the gods of Egypt.
4. The plague of flies (Exo_8:20-32): It is thought by some that the swarms of flies were actually masses of the sacred beetle. And Khepara was the beetle-god. The beetle, or scarab, is found in the Egyptian tombs and speaks of eternal life. These beetles were sacred to Ra the sun-god.
5. The plague of murrain (Exo_9:1-7): Murrain was a disease that affected cattle. The second largest temple that Egypt ever built was located in Memphis and was for the worship of the black bull Apis. You could say that this plague caused the Egyptians to worship a sick cow!
6. The plague of boils (Exo_9:8-17): The priests of all the religions of Egypt had to be spotlesswith no mark or blemish on their bodiesin order to serve in the temples. Well, they had a moratorium on worship in Egypt during this period because of the boils that were on all the priests. None of them could serve anywhere. It was actually a judgment on the entire religion of Egypt.
7. The plague of hail (Exo_9:18-35): God demonstrates His power with the plague of hail over the sky-goddess who is powerless in her own domain.
8. The plague of locusts (Exo_10:1-20): The judgment of the locusts was against the insect gods. The plague of locusts meant the crops were cursed. This was an evidence of the judgment of God as found in the books of Joel and Revelation also.
9. The plague of darkness (Exo_10:21-29): God moved in with darkness against the chief god that was worshipedthe sun-god Ra. The sun disc is the most familiar symbol found in Egyptian ruins. The plague of darkness shows the utter helplessness of Ra.
10. Death of the firstborn (Exod. 11-12:Exo_12:36): According to the religion of Egypt, the firstborn belonged to the gods of Egypt. In other words, God took what was set aside for the gods of Egypt. God was teaching the Egyptians who He was. He was convincing Pharaoh that he was God. Also He was bringing His own people to the place where they were willing to acknowledge Him as their God. This was the final act of judgment that would free Israel from Egyptian bondage. It is important to understand that there was purpose in the plagues of Egypt. God challenged the gods of Egypt to a contest and defeated them. You can imagine the idolatry that was in the land of Egypt. Yet God through Isaiah predicted that the time would come when every idol would disappear from Egypt. And today Egypt is a Moslem country that does not permit idols at all. Every idol has disappeared, as God said they would.

Exodus 5:1

MOSES’ APPEAL FOR ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCEIn chapter 5 the contest begins with Pharaoh and the battle begins with the Egyptian gods. Sacrificing to God in the wilderness was the first step toward Israel’s freedom. Moses and Aaron did not rush into the presence of Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go. We are leaving Egypt and going to the Promised Land.” They simply requested that Israel be allowed to go out into the wilderness and worship. They were preparing Pharaoh and softening him up for what would ultimately come. Now notice the reaction of Pharaoh.

Exodus 5:2

The expression “Let my people go” has been made famous in a picture. I wish we could make the question “Who is the Lord?” famous. It is the best question of all today because you have to know Him before there can be any deliverance for you. Pharaoh made two definite statements: (1) I do not know the Lord, and, (2) I do not intend to let Israel go. In a short time Pharaoh would become acquainted with the God of Israel in a terrible way, and he would let the Israelites go.

Exodus 5:3

God wants us to worship Him. He will judge us if we do ot take this step now.

Exodus 5:4

Moses had been having mass meetings with his people. They were restless and wanted to leave Egypt. Pharaoh saw the problem this presented, and his answer was to send them back to the brickyards. This is exactly what he did and increased their difficulties at the same time.

Exodus 5:6

THE INCREASE OF ISRAEL’S BURDENPharaoh thought the Israel was asking for a holiday. He reasoned that if they wanted some time off, they must not be working hard enough. Starw was withheld from them, and they were forced to produce the smae number of bricks and gather straw, too. Their daily tasks increased so that they served with rigor.

Exodus 5:15

The children of Israel blamed Moses and Aaron for their increased burden. They accused these two men of hindering rather than helping them and of giving Pharaoh an excuse to make life more unbearable for them.

Exodus 5:22

MOSES’ PRAYERMoses is impatient. He is complaining to God. “I’ve come down here to deliver them at Your instructions. But instead of letting them go, Pharaoh has only made life more difficult for the children of Israel.” Moses could not see the entire picture, but God was moving slowly and patiently to work out His plan. In chapter 6 God encourages Moses and the children of Israel and renews His promise to deliver them. God has much to teach Moses, the Israelites, the Egyptians, and Pharaoh.