If God wanted the children of Israel out of Egypt before those four hundred years were up, it would have been that way: But God said it would be four hundred years. It was God that hardened Pharaoh's heart to extend the time to the exact date, so each of the signs and the Passover night could take place. They were given and acted out for your and my benefit, living in this final generation. This also means that we can count on those other prophesies of the Old Testament, as well as those of the book of Revelation. The events shall take place exactly as God stated that they would happen. The only change that Jesus made was in shortening that three and a half year period to five months as given in Revelation 9:5, 10.

Unlike our government today, Pharaoh heard each of the complaints by the people himself. He thought of himself as a god, inasmuch as "he knew not the God of Israel". Even Pharaoh had many gods, but before Pharaoh could be forced to change his mind, he wanted to see the supernatural power of the God, or his gods. So as this chapter begins, Moses and Aaron are going in before the Pharaoh, and they are going to ask him to allow all the children of Israel to be released from their duties of building his cities, for the sake of going off into the countryside for three days, to worship a God that Pharaoh has never heard of. Remember even the Children of Israel had forgotten who their God was, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

These Israelites have been slaves for so many years that their memories of past history has grown dim in their minds, and they have become "yes men" to those rulers over them. Like any slave, they do exactly what their owners tell them to do. No, Pharaoh is not worried about the children of Israel's God, for they don't even know or rely on that God in any form. but what he is concerned about is the loss of time at their work posts. In fact God has already told Moses and Aaron that He will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will not let them go.

Exodus 5:1 "And after Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, `Let My People go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.' "

As Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh what God had told him to say; all Pharaoh saw was two Hebrew men trying to force themselves and wishes on the Pharaoh. By this time the number of the children of Israel had grown into the millions. Remember that the time span was four hundred years, twice as long as the USA has been a nation, and Moses is as king that all of them be allowed to be released from their duties for three days to have a feast in the wilderness. Pharaoh must have thought that these children of Israel had too much spare time on their hands, and wanted a time for fun and games.

Exodus 5:2 "And Pharaoh 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."

Moses has introduced "the Lord [YHVH]" to the Pharaoh, and Pharaoh just did not understand why he should have to obey or respect any foreign god. He did not know the one True God, the God of Abraham. Pharaoh was an idol worshipper, and he knew that nothing comes of the form of worshipping the gods. Those gods of his are all man made for the purpose of getting people to submit to the one in control of that idol. It didn't mean a thing to Pharaoh that a God of the children of Israel, that allowed His people to suffer for four hundred years, would give any orders. No, Pharaoh was not about to let all these people stop work to have their feast picnic.

Exodus 5:3 "And they said, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword." 

Notice that Moses included himself with this pestilence and the sword. This is what people do today when they see God bringing down His wrath of curses upon people for their wicked ways. It doesn't matter that they are Christian, for today most Christians want to be gone and out of here when Satan brings his tribulation of deception down on this earth. They rank themselves right with the heathen, and in their minds simply can't see how God can protect them while bringing all the pestilence and the sword against Satan and his followers. Though they say they are Christian, they simply do not have faith in God's Word or His promises of protection.

Stop and think of the reason for that tribulation period. It is a time of testing those that fell in that first earth age. Each of us must enter into this world age of flesh man, through the womb of woman, and it is appointed for each to die once. There is no reincarnation, that is something of the devil, just as the rapture is. It is a false sense of security, a shortcut around the required faith that comes from studying all of God's Word. Satan is coming and his purpose is to sway Christians into worshipping him as God. He is going to do those things that it takes to make you think that he is God, and when he does them; if you don't know the events that are to happen before the coming of the true Christ, you will think that Satan, the "instead of Christ", is Christ and worship him. If you are not sealed in your forehead or mind of this fact before the sixth trump sounds, God will turn you over to Satan to have his way with you.

God will not allow Satan to hurt any of his elect; those with the truth in their minds. We saw how God protected the three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel, and He will be there to protect you also. As Satan does all his supernatural tricks, it will be an abomination to those that love and trust God, and know His Word: for God has told us ahead of time, just like He told Moses what would happen as he faced Pharaoh. Expect those prophecies to happen, and thank God for those signs as you see them happening before your eyes. God has given us documentation through these stories of things that happened in the past that He is faithful to His Word. The pestilence that came to Egypt in Moses day did not hit any of the tribes of Israel.

Each of these events that shall happen by God at the hand of Moses, God will prepare his people in advance of those events. The Israelites will be well prepared before it happens. Even in our day, we know what is supposed to happen in Jerusalem, in our land, at the United Nations and around the world. Expect it to happen, learn those events that God has told you will take place.

Exodus 5:4 "And the King of Egypt said unto them, "Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens."

"Let" as stated here is from the old English word that means "hinder". Pharaoh is asking Moses and Aaron, "Are you trying to hinder the people from their work?" Pharaoh wants his cities and monuments built and he doesn't want any delays in that construction. Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to get out of his sight and get back to work. Remember that Pharaoh has had his heart hardened, and there is no way that he will allow any relief of the work load that is on the children of Israel.

Exodus 5:5 "And Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens."

The request that Moses and Aaron had made to Pharaoh got Pharaoh to thinking; If the people have time to rest for three days from their work, it must mean that they have a lot of time on their hands. A feast for three days was out of Pharaoh's thinking.

Exodus 5:6 "And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the People, and their officers, saying,"

Immediately Pharaoh called in those men that ruled over the workers as well as those men that kept account of the work that had already been done. He wanted to know what was going on, that would allow these children of Israel to think that it was possible to take a three day picnic.

Exodus 5:7 "Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves."

It was a full day of work just making the brick, but now Pharaoh added on the workload of gathering the straw for the bricks in addition.

Exodus 5:8 "And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them: ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, `Let us go and sacrifice to our God."

Pharaoh wanted the daily number of bricks that the children of Israel had produced to that time, and from that day forth, he did not want that number to fall. In Pharaoh's mind he thought that if they have time to have a three day picnic feast to their God, then they have time to to gather their straw also.

Exodus 5:9 "Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.' "

Pharaoh wanted the men to work so hard that they will consider the words that Moses and Aaron had said to be a man's estimate of a divine revelation; something that was thought up and imagined in Moses and Aaron's minds. Pharaoh wanted even the thought of freedom and time off to be vain and worthless words. Pharaoh is still thinking that these were Moses and Aaron's words, when in fact it was the Word of YHVH the Father. It was God's Word. Any time any person calls God's Word vain, they are in for a very rough time, and that even applies to our time, and those so called preachers and others that make idle remarks about God's holy Word. In God's time frame they will account for every idle word that is said, just as God dealt with Pharaoh. Learn the difference between God's Word and man's imaginations, what today we call traditions. False doctrine is what comes out of man's traditions, and those traditional thoughts will lead you in the wrong direction.

Exodus 5:10 "And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the People, saying, "Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw."

Think of the shock that came over the children of Israel, their workload just doubled.

Exodus 5:11 "Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished."

You will keep up the same workload, and the duties of gathering the straw that will be added on top of their workload.

Exodus 5:12 "So the People were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw."

As the people scattered out to get what straw they could find for making their bricks, they started to gather stubble or "gash", the reeds from the Nile to make their bricks with. Remember the bulrushes that Moses' little ark was hid in, even those had to be used in making the bricks for Pharaoh.

Exodus 5:13 "And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, "Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw."

All the while these bosses of the Israelites were driving them on to have them make more bricks, as the bulk that the straw made in the brick was gone.

Exodus 5:14 "And the Officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?" 

So those officers within the Hebrew ranks to rule over their own people, were beaten by the Egyptian officers. Here two days have passed since the order of Pharaoh came down, and the number count of the bricks are being diminished greatly. Pharaoh's order was impossible to fulfill. There was no more straw in the bricks, and there was just not enough of the stubble to give the bulk and make the bricks solid, like straw gave. No, the Egyptian officers didn't want a riot on their hands with the Israelites that numbered in the millions, so they took out their frustrations on the Hebrews that were put over their own people.

Exodus 5:15 "Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, "Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?"

When these officers were beaten, they ran directly to Pharaoh asking him why he was doing this to them. Even common sense would tell anyone that the task that Pharaoh gave them was impossible. It is just not fair, and you are doing our people wrong.

Exodus 5:16 "There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, `Make brick:' and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.' "

So stop and think what is said here, these Hebrew officers are not shifting the blame for a lack of brick off of themselves and on to the Egyptian officers.

Exodus 5:17 "But he said, "Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, `Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.' "

Pharaoh let it be known why the order came to have them gather the straw. He gives it two times for emphasis, and let it be known that Moses and Aaron request to have their three day sacrifice to their Lord's feast was the reason for the added work. As Pharaoh's heart grows more hardened, watch how it causes these children of Israel, God's people to grow up. It has been four hundred years since they had been forced to make decisions, and if their freedom had been immediate, they would not have been prepared for the journey back to the promise land. Sure they were fit for the hard work physically, but mentally, they had become sluggish.

Exodus 5:18 "Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks."

Pharaoh told them to get out of his court, and back to work. He said that he would be watching that tally, and counting the number of our bricks daily.

Exodus 5:19 "And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, "Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task." 

These officers of the children of Israel knew that what was being asked of them was not possible under any condition. So what are we to learn for this situation? The Children of Egypt are God's children, created and loved by God also, and they will be taught a lesson for their actions here, just as there is a lesson for the children of Israel. God is dealing with His own people now. Look around you today for some of these lessons apply to us today. We are under the taskmasters of our day, through usury, and the obligations that we put ourselves under today, through our elected officials and laws that they create.

Exodus 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh:"

As the officers came out of the court of Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron stood just outside and they wanted to know what Pharaoh had said to them.

Exodus 5:21 "And they said unto them, "The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us." 

Can't you see them crying, standing  before Moses and Aaron, saying because of what you said to Pharaoh, you made us look bad and our Lord to be hated by Pharaoh, and we are going to be killed by his officers. Remember the chain of command that God set up with Moses. God would do the planning, and put the thoughts in Moses mind, and those words would be spoken by Aaron. So where Moses is, there Aaron is also. Are these officers of the Hebrews minds on how God is going to deliver them? hardly, their minds are on straw and stubble and all those things of the world that make their daily lives difficult, if not impossible. These guys are giving up before they even started.

When you go out into the community and plant the seed of truth in someone's mind. When they finally see the truth from the Word, they grab it and hang onto it for dear life. When that person thinks that he is under the power of God, and nothing can go wrong, watch out, for that is when the sword of Satan will fall right on their head. Then everything that could go wrong; will go wrong and it will appear that there is no way out. That is what happened here with these Hebrew officers. This person that is just a babe in Christ simply did not know that he had the power to order Satan out of his life, and get those demons on the run. That task is up to the believer, for you have to give the order, and God makes them obey you. Until you do what you are supposed to do, Satan is going to mess over your mind something fierce. That is why we are to put on the armor of God, to fight off those fiery darts of Satan, and to stand against those spiritual things that Satan will use against you.

Ephesians 6:10, 11 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in his places."  

Satan like Pharaoh will let you ride an easy life until you make the commitment, but once you commit to God under the blood of Christ, and Satan loses your commitment to him, the spiritual warfare begins. Satan will use all the spiritual forces at his command to tie you up to where you think you are alone and by yourself. He will do what ever is possible to take your mind off the commitment that you made to become a child of God. And this is why each of us must: "take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in that evil day, having done all, to stand." When you have done all that you can do, then it becomes time to turn it over to YHVH for Him to do what you can't do for yourself.

It is up to you whether Satan wins the battle or not. God has given you the power to order him out of your life, but nobody can do that but you. The gospel armor is all the tools that God has given you through the promises of His Word, and that armor will protect you at all times from anything Satan can throw your way. The little milk of the Word from a few verses will not give you the armor that is necessary to withstand all the pressures that are before our generation, it will take the meat from the entire Word, all the promises, and the leading from God's Holy Spirit to lead you, as He will Moses, through Satan and Pharaohs traps.

Let God's Word flow into your mind, and ask God for the wisdom and common sense to lead us to be not just hearers of the Word, but doers also. However here standing before Moses is this bunch of losers, when all they can think of is how Pharaoh is messing over their lives. So what was their lives? Slaves, stomping their feet into mud and putting the mud into brick molds.

Exodus 5:22 "And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, "Lord, wherefore hast Thou so evil entreated this People? why is it that Thou hast sent me?"

Did you hear what Moses said to the Lord, even after God told Moses everything that He was going to do in His plan. Moses is taking a dangerous position with God, for Moses has forgotten all that He had told him, and Moses is blaming God for all the discomfort to these cry baby officers. Moses is blaming God for treating His people with evil. God doesn't bring evil on His people, and if you think that He brings you down, you are in for a lot of trouble. Don't blame God for your troubles. God must have really loved Moses for He would not tolerate this stupidity in most people.

Our brave commando, Moses is now whimpering with the rest of the fools, for he has taken his eyes off God, and completely forgotten all the signs and the mission that he has been on since those moments before the burning bush on Mount Sinai. God had just told Moses that He was going to harden Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh is not going to listen to a thing Moses has to say.

Exodus 5:23 "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this People; neither hast Thou delivered Thy People at all." 

Moses is telling God that he can't tell if God has done anything for the people. Remember how Pharaoh used all those "I"s back in verse two, well it appears here that Moses is looking to himself here also. Moses has forgotten that he is nothing but the messenger, and the words that he spoke are not his but God's. Here Moses presents himself as the one that went before Pharaoh in God's behalf, and by the use of God's name, YHVH, magically things were supposed to happen. In Moses' mind here, it is I speak for God and you deliver the people. God doesn't like the position that Moses is taking and in the next chapter, verses one through eight, God is going to refer to Himself "I" eighteen times. "Eighteen" in biblical numerics is "Bondage", and God is going to let Moses know that it is He, and not Moses that will free His people from their bondage.

Set in your mind that when you corner Satan, he will fight you with all he has. However, once you make a stand, pay attention to this lesson that the children of Israel had to learn the hard way: Satan can get pretty rough and wicked in his fight against you. But my friend, you just don't have to put up with it, order him out of your life, and don't take it out on those around you. Know where the source of the evil comes from, Satan and order him out.