There is a Method to the Madness

So... I took a look at another version of Chapter 4, to find that verses 24-26 are roughly the same. Still don't know what to say about that, so let's move on the Chapter 5!

Shemot (Exodus) 5:1 "Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, 'Thus says Yahuah Elohim of Israel: "Let My people go, that they may hold a fast to Me in the wilderness."'"

I was pretty sure that Yahuah wanted them all out indefinitely... But okay, let's start small, shall we? As far as confronting Pharaoh this way... Pharaoh thought he was a god. Why would he believe anyone was mightier than him?

Shemot 5:2 "And Pharaoh said, 'Who is Yahuah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know Yahuah, nor will I let Israel go.'"

Remember that bit last chapter when Yahuah was telling Moses that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened, and it would not be an easy job? Yeah... This is the first -and not the last- glimpse we get of his stubbornness.

Shemot 5:3 "So they said, 'The Elohim of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to Yahuah our Elohim, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.'"

This seems to be one of those adding insult to injury type things... The Hebrews are already down, is the Pharaoh going to kick them while they're laying there?

Shemot 5:4-5 "Then the king of Egypt said to them, 'Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.' And Pharaoh said, 'Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!'"

Methinks Pharaoh is perfectly happy with the current status quo.Why would he want a change?

Shemot 5:6-9 "So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 'You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle' therefore they cry out, saying, "Let us go and sacrifice to our Elohim." Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.'"

Remember that question I asked after 5:3? Looks like the answer is a yes.

Shemot 5:10-14 "And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, 'Thus says Pharaoh: "I will not give you straw. Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced."' So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, 'Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.' Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, 'Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?'"

As near as I can tell, there were two main components to making bricks back when this was happening. Part one, mud. Probably clay, or at least mud with clay. It's a bit stronger than plain mud, and it doesn't wash away in the rain as easily. ...Granted, it doesn't rain much in Egypt... But you get the idea. Part two, straw. Why straw? Well, have you ever taken a look at the materials used in making cement walls today? You have the frame, the cement, and these steel bars. The cement is poured around the steel, so the steel provides a lot of stability when it's all dry. The straw would do the same thing; provide stability. Think about it, dirt and clay alone will slide around when they get wet. If they're mixed with straw though, they'll stick to the straw and will hold together better.

Shemot 5:15-16 "The the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, 'Why are you dealing thus with your servants? There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, "Make brick!" And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.'"

By making the Israelites go and get their own straw, they're slowing production time immensely, plus the actual product probably won't be as strong when finished if the Israelites are too focused on quantity and not on quality. However... Mouthing off to the king of Egypt was probably a good way to get killed.

Shemot 5:17-19 "But he said, 'You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, "Let us go and sacrifice to Yahuah." Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.' And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, 'You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.'"

How to put this in perspective... Okay, imagine you work at a restaurant as a dishwasher. Every day, you have to wash all the dishes sparkling clean so they can be set out for the customers with their food. If your dishes are dirty, the customers will probably send their food back. Thus, your job is pretty important! Now, imagine you ask for a vacation because you've been washing all the dishes every day for years. Rather than give you the vacation, your employer decides, nope! You don't get a vacation, and you get to buy your own dish soap. Now imagine you can't quit the job; let's say there are literally no other jobs available and you have family depending on your paycheck. So, when your shift starts, you head to the store and buy some dish soap and head back to the restaurant to wash the dishes. Because you lost twenty minutes stopping at the store, you're now behind on dish washing and you can't get caught up. You can't meet your normal number of washed dishes and you start to do sloppy work to catch up. How does this story relate to the plight of the Hebrews? Neither your fictional self in the story, nor the Hebrews, were given the materials needed to complete your job, yet you were still expected to do so.

Shemot 5:20-21 "Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, 'Let Yahuah look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.'"

Basically, they already hate the Hebrews, don't give the Egyptians a reason to kill them all! The officers want to keep the peace. That is a noble cause, but Yahuah has plans for a much better peace than the one they have gotten used to.

Shemot 5:22-23 "So Moses returned to Yahuah and said, 'Yahuah, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have you delivered Your people at all.'"

What a sad note to end the chapter on. Just remember, Yahuah has a plan and there is a lot more Bible to read.

Song for the day: "Be Still" by Storyside:B