The Story of Moses, Part 7 (Exodus 6-7)

Of course, the Hebrew slaves were upset when Pharaoh had beaten them with whips for not finding straw and making the required number of bricks. They complained to those in charge, but Pharaoh told them they were idle and that was the reason they wanted to leave Egypt to worship their God. God told Moses to tell the children of Israel, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.” Moses told the people what God had said, but they would not listen to him because of their discouragement and the things they were suffering. When God told Moses to go back to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go, Moses complained that if the people would not listen, neither would Pharaoh listen to him. God then shared his plan with Moses. Moses would become like a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron would be his prophet. Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened over and over, and he would not let the people go. God’s judgments or plagues would then fall upon Egypt over and over until the Egyptians would believe and know that the God of the Hebrews was the true and living God, and the false gods of Egypt had no power at all. Pharaoh and all the Egyptians would then be glad to let the people go. The next time they stood before Pharaoh and he asked to see a miracle, Aaron threw the rod on the ground and it became a snake. Pharaoh then had his magicians throw their rods on the ground and they also became snakes, but the rod Aaron had thrown down ate up all the magician’s rods. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go as the Lord had said. Tomorrow, we begin the story of the Ten Plagues. Don’t miss it!