Scripture

“Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him, and let Israel go? I don;t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”

Observation

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh, asking him to let the people go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord. Pharaoh refuses, saying he does not know who the Lord is.

Far from letting the people go, Pharaoh orders the oppression of the Hebrews to increase. From now on they are to find their own straw to make bricks with.

When the people protest, Pharaoh tells them they are just being lazy. The Hebrew leaders relay the order to the people, and they condemn Moses and Aaron for bringing this extra hardship upon them.

Application

Pharaoh was quite cynical about the God of Israel, the Lord. He claimed that he did not know who the Lord was, and therefore would not let the people go to offer sacrifices.

During the world- wide lock downs and restrictions of the Covid pandemic, it has been interesting to see the attitudes of politicians to various groups in different places. While rulers everywhere claim to be led purely by “science”, the actual rules imposed often seem to be arbitrary. Often churches have been considered expendable.

While not using the words attributed to Pharaoh here, the political class seemed to have the same attitude. “I don’t know the Lord. No, I will not let your people go.”

So pubs, restaurants, casinos and Black Lives Matter protests are considered less dangerous than churches. Perhaps this is true, in a prophetic sense.

As the Bible story unfolds, the Lord does set His people free, but Pharaoh and the Egyptians suffer greatly for opposing the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, I pray for freedom for your people in every nation where christians are persecuted. Lord set your people free. Amen.