Exodus 5:3 - Meaning and Application

After Pharaoh showed no respect for God, Moses and Aaron next found out whether he had any pity for Israel. So they came to him humbly and asked permission to go and sacrifice, but it did no good.

Their request was very modest and respectful (Exodus 5:3). They did not complain about the harsh way they were being treated. They simply said that their journey was not their own idea, but a command from their God, who had met with them and called them to it. They asked gently, “Please let us go.” Poor people often have to plead this way, and even when God calls rulers to account, it is still right for us to approach them with humility and ask for mercy.

What they asked for was very reasonable. They only wanted a short break, three days’ journey into the wilderness, for a good and harmless purpose. “We will sacrifice to the Lord our God,” they said, “as other people do for their gods.” They also gave a strong reason for their request: if they stopped worshiping God altogether, he might judge them, and then Pharaoh would lose his slaves.

Pharaoh’s refusal was cruel and unreasonable (Exodus 5:4-9). First, he made unfair claims about them. He said the people were lazy, and that was why they wanted to go and sacrifice. But the cities they had built for him, and all the labor they had done, showed plainly that they were not idle. Still, he lied about them so he could justify making their burden heavier.

He also said that Moses and Aaron were making the people idle with empty words (Exodus 5:9). He even called God’s words empty. Those men were trying to call the people to the most important duty possible, and he accused them of wasting time. Satan often uses this same lie, making the worship and service of God seem like work only for people who have nothing else to do. In truth, it is a duty for everyone, even the busiest person.

Pharaoh’s orders were just as cruel. He told Moses and Aaron to get back to their burdens (Exodus 5:4). Since they were Israelites, he made no exception for them, even though God had set them apart in a special way. Persecutors have often enjoyed putting shame and hardship on the ministers of God’s people.

Then he demanded the same number of bricks as before, but without the usual straw to mix with the clay or help fire the bricks. He was trying to pile more work on the men. If they managed to keep up, they would be worn out by the labor; if they could not, they would be punished.