Moses and Aaron Go to the King of Egypt

Exodus 5:2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” 

Pharaoh probably knew about Israel’s God, but he arrogantly refused to acknowledge His power. 

When Moses told him to let Israel go, Pharaoh mocked the idea that God had any authority over him.

He saw himself as the ultimate ruler. His pride led to the plagues, where God proved He alone is in control.

Exodus 5:3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”

Exodus 5:4 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.”

Exodus 5:5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”

Exodus 5:6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, :7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 

Pharaoh’s response to Moses and Aaron’s demand to free Israel was not just a refusal—it was an act of oppression. 

Instead of negotiating, he intensified the Israelites' suffering. By taking away the provided straw but still demanding the same brick production, Pharaoh sought to break their spirits and discredit Moses as their leader.

This move had several purposes:Punishment for Moses’ Request – Pharaoh saw the demand for freedom as rebellion. By increasing their workload, he aimed to discourage any further attempts to challenge his authority.

Distraction from Deliverance – He wanted the Israelites so consumed with survival that they would lose hope in God’s promise of deliverance.

Test of Loyalty – Pharaoh likely hoped that the people would turn against Moses, seeing him as the cause of their hardship.

Exodus 5:8 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 God.’ 

Pharaoh’s response reveals both his cruelty and his attempt to justify oppression. By refusing to reduce the brick quota despite taking away the supplied straw, he made an impossible demand. His reasoning? He accused the Israelites of being idle—claiming they only wanted to worship God because they had too much free time.

Key Themes: Distorting the Truth – Pharaoh twisted the Israelites’ plea for worship into an excuse for laziness.  This is a tactic often used by oppressors—to dismiss legitimate cries for freedom as mere complaints.

Increased Oppression – By making the Israelites’ labor unbearable, Pharaoh hoped to crush their spirit and discourage their faith. This mirrors how, at times, when we seek to obey God, opposition rises to test our endurance.

Hardness of Heart – Pharaoh had no intention of listening to Moses or acknowledging God. Instead of fearing God’s power, he doubled down on his resistance. His heart was already hardened, setting the stage for God to reveal His might through the coming plagues.

Exodus 5:9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”

Exodus 5:10 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.

Exodus 5:11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ” 

Pharaoh’s command was both cruel and calculated. By refusing to supply straw while demanding the same quota of bricks, he was intentionally increasing Israel’s burden. This was not just forced labor—it was oppression designed to break their spirit.

The taskmasters, acting under Pharaoh’s authority, delivered this message with no compassion. “Go, get yourselves straw” mocked the Israelites’ situation, as straw was not easily available. It was Pharaoh's way of punishing them for daring to hope for deliverance through Moses.

The phrase “none of your work will be reduced” exposes the injustice. The people were set up to fail. This was Pharaoh's tactic to turn the Israelites against Moses and God's plan—divide, discourage, and dominate.

Yet even in this trial, God was not absent. He allowed their burden to increase so His deliverance would be undeniable. 

Before freedom, the fire of affliction burned hotter. But God was preparing both Moses and the people for a mighty display of His power.

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

Exodus 5:13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.”

Exodus 5:14 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?”

Exodus 5:15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants?

Exodus 5:16 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.”

Exodus 5:17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’

Exodus 5:18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”

Exodus 5:19 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.”

Exodus 5:20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. :21 And they said to them, “Let the Lord 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.”

The leadership team evidently knew of the lodging of the formal labor complaint and waited outside the royal hall in order to meet Israel’s representatives. The meeting was definitely not a cordial one, with accusations raised both about the propriety of and the authority of the words and actions of Aaron and Moses toward Pharaoh.

The Lord’s Promise to Moses

Exodus 5:22 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? :23 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.”

Whether Moses and Aaron argued with the foremen about their harsh and unfair judgment is unclear.  What we do see is that Moses turned to the Lord in prayer. 

It seems Moses didn’t expect Pharaoh’s refusal to bring such trouble—not just from Egypt, but from his own people. Instead of support, he faced anger from both the Egyptians and the Israelites. This was not what Moses thought would happen! 

Exodus 6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 

The Lord announced in response to Moses’ prayer that finally the stage had been set for dealing with Pharaoh, who, in consequence, would only be able to urge Israel to leave.

Exodus 6:2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. :3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. 

The same self-existent, eternal God, Yahweh, had been there in the past with the patriarchs; no change had occurred in Him, either in His covenant or promises.