Exodus 5:15-23

When we believe, and set our minds to obey G-d, satan will invariably move against us in order to discourage us and get us to go back to where we were before salvation – back into the world (Egypt, Biblically, is a typology for the world).

v15 officers – These were Hebrew men who were charged with keeping order within the Hebrew ranks. They were the go-between between the Egyptian leadership and the Israeli people.

· Your servants -Immediately we see a problem. These officers identified themselves as Pharaoh’s servants, rather than (first and foremost) servants of the G-d of Israel. They did not want to suffer, so were more interested in pleasing Pharoah than serving G-d.

v16: Your servants -this is reemphasised. They are his servants in the flesh, but (as people in a covenantal relationship with the Almighty G-d) our identity should not be in the flesh.

· Beaten: Struck. They feel as if they are being punished.

v17 Idle/casual. Pharoah is saying that if they have time for spiritual thoughts they are not working hard enough. He has now found something to keep them busy. Pharoah wants to be the Supreme Authority. He is upset and making them suffer because they have implied otherwise.

v18 Pharoah refused to change or compromise. Pharoah is harsh and his burden, in contrast to Jesus’(Matthew 11:28-30), is heavy. Rest is only found in G-d’s will.

· Go now – Pharoah, with a sense of urgency, instructed them to get back to work.

v19 In the eyes of the officers their situation was seen as one of trouble. In Hebrew this word is translated “evil” – they felt that they must be out of the will of G-d and that is why this was happening to them.

v20 This meeting was not by chance. Moses and Aaron had positioned themselves to meet the officers in order to hear the verdict. They returned with the bad news that the situation was not going to be improved or changed.

v21 When you are doing the will of G-d satan strives to bring adversity into your life. satan loves the suffering of others. That’s what motivates him. He wants G-d to consume us with His wrath.

· Sword in their hand to kill: When we begin to walk with G-d it is like putting a sword into the hand of the enemy – but know this…in the end we’re going be victorious! It doesn’t matter what weaponry our enemies have – if G-d is for us who can stand against us? These leaders had the wrong priority. They wanted G-d to judge Moses and Aaron so that they could reject them as their leaders and go back to being treated kindly and favourably by Pharoah (treated better than the other Hebrews “on the ground”)

v22 Moses again reveals his spiritual immaturity in this verse. He has believed what the leadership has said – that the situation is evil and not good. Moses was not happy with G-d, with his call and nor with this outcome (Romans 8:28).

v23 G-d had warned Moses in the wilderness that it was going to take some time for Pharoah to recognise the authority of G-d. Moses was in for the long haul. He had lost sight of this and was despondent because it was taking longer than he had anticipated (Romans 8:24-25)

· Neither have You delivered: This is a complaint. G-d’s purposes was not just to save the Hebrews but that there would be a great mixed multitude of Gentiles that would also receive and respond to revelation (Exodus 12:38) What G-d was doing, the time He was taking etc, was the most effective way of bringing (rescuing) the largest amount of people into His Kingdom as possible.