1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.'”
1. Why would God tell them to ask to go hold a feast when He really wanted them to leave Egypt?
Sacrificing to God in the wilderness was the first step toward Israel’s freedom. Moses and Aaron did not rush into the presence of Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go. We are leaving Egypt and going to the promised land.” They simply requested that Israel be allowed to go out into the wilderness and worship. They were preparing Pharaoh and softening him up for what would ultimately come. JVM
Exodus 3:18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
2. What is all this about sacrifice? What is the purpose of sacrifice?
Two un-reversible laws. Much like the Law of Gravity. Once you understand the law of gravity it makes life easier, just as understanding God’s laws helps us see salvation easier.
Ezekiel 18:4 ” Behold, ……. The soul who sins shall die.
Hebrews 9:2 And according to the law ……… without shedding of blood there is no remission.
So there are no “good people”.
There is none righteous, no, not one:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:10-12
SACRIFICE—the ritual through which the Hebrew people offered the blood or the flesh of an animal to God as a “substitute payment” for their sin. Sacrifice and sacrificing originated in the Garden of Eden immediately following the *Fall of man. Adam and Eve made loincloths of leaves to cover their sinfulness, then hid from God because their provision was inadequate in their own minds. God then killed animals and made larger tunics for Adam and Eve. God’s covering covered man adequately, while man’s covering was insufficient.
These coverings were declared acceptable by God because they covered more of man’s body and they were produced by the shedding of blood.
Noah’s first act was to build an altar upon which he sacrificed animals to God (Gen. 9:20-21); that’s one of the reasons why there were 7 each of the clean animals on the ark, Abraham made sacrifice to God (Gen. 15:8-10) and rejoiced in anticipation of the appearance of a promised redeemer
The expansion of the concept of sacrifice came with the Mosaic Law. In this code sacrifice has three central ideas: consecration( the act of setting apart, or dedicating, something or someone for God’s use). expiation (covering of sin), and propitiation (satisfaction of divine displeasure). But no approach to God could be made without a blood sacrifice offered for sin (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).
Both Testaments confirm that the Old Testament sacrifices were presented as a representative gesture. These substitutes pointed forward to the ultimate substitute, Jesus Christ Hayford’s Bible Handbook
Charles Stanley : the all atoning, vicarious, substitutionary death on the cross.
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,…………………14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Heb. 10:11-14
3. Where is the first mention of acceptable sacrifices and unacceptable ones?
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Gen: 4:3-4
4. Why go 3 days journey into the wilderness to have the feast and sacrifice? Why not just do it there in Egypt?
And Moses said, It is not suitable or right to do that; for the animals the Egyptians hold sacred and will not permit to be slain are those which we are accustomed to sacrifice to the Lord our God; if we did this before the eyes of the Egyptians, would they not stone us? Exodus 8:26
We see there is a practical reason, but is there more to this?
If you go to your employer and say” I need to take off three days next week and go out into the Mojave Desert and have a religious party and kill some animals, he might not be thrilled.
5. Is it possible that God is trying to push the Pharaoh into a fight?
John 2 : 14-15 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.
I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. Exodus 3:20
2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
6. Did the Pharaoh really not know who the Lord was?
John MacArthur 5:2 Who is the Lord … ? In all likelihood Pharaoh knew of Israel’s God, but his interrogative retort insolently and arrogantly rejected Him as having any power to make demands of Egypt’s superior ruler.
It is very possible that the Pharaoh knew about the Hebrew God and that the conversation might have gone something like this “How’s that God of yours working out for you, I noticed your people are down in the stinking mud pits working 7 days a week making bricks for palaces that my people live in” that’s quite a God you got there Mose”. And now you want me to obey him. Give me a break” Get back to work. “
To appreciate the audacity of the demand we must remember the unbridled power and authority claimed by the Egyptian monarchs… For him great Egypt existed. For him all other men lived, suffered and died. For him the mighty Nile flowed …. For him vast armies of priest and magicians and courtiers worked and ministered.” [F.B. Meyer. The Life of Moses. (Lynnwood, Washington: Emerald Books, 1996) p. 47]
Imagine having the power of life and death over millions of people. Being worshiped as a God and having your every whim catered to, and this dirty 80 year old sheep herder comes and wants to tell you what to do. The scene is laughable.
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
7. Why would they call the Lord “the God of the Hebrews” isn’t He the God of everybody?
No . And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. Ephesians 2:2-3
2Co 4:4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them.
5 Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!”
6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying,
7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 “But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9 “Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”
10 So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not going to give you any straw.
11 ~’You go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.'”
12 So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”
14 Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?”
15 Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16 “There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.”
17 But he said, “You are lazy, very lazy; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
18 “So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks.”
19 The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, “You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.”
20 When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them.
8. What was the Pharaoh’s solution to the Hebrews request?
You have too much time on your hands, therefore no straw for you. Seinfeld has the soup Nazi. If you complain about anything, he responds with “no soup for you”. So here
we have the “straw Nazi” “no straw for you’.
I can remember as a kid getting into trouble and my dad saying “you’ve got to much time on your hands, so we’re going to find something to keep you busy”, and I would find myself pulling weeds in the yard and scrubbing the tile in the bathroom.
He looked upon at “time management”, I looked on it as punishment.
Maybe the Pharaoh was just helping the Hebrews better use their time?
21 They said to them, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
9. So Moses’ “homeboys” were real happy with having to get their own straw and they told him how happy they were with the idea?
21 They said to them, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me?
23 “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”
22 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me?
23 “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”
10. So who does Moses complain to when things seem to be going from bad to worse?
Have you ever felt like God wanted you to do something and it seems like he abandons you, just leaves you to hang out to dry.
“When your schedule presses, when your prospect dim, when your hope burns low, when people disappoint you, when events turn against you, when dreams die, when the walls close in, when the prognosis seems grim, when you heart breaks, look at the Lord and keep on looking at Him.” [Charles Swindoll. Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication. (Nashville: Word, 1999) p. 166]
- ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes
- MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
- NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
- JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
- ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
- BN …..Barnes Notes
- WBC…… Wycliffe Bible Commentary
- CN …… Constables Notes
- IC……….Ironside Commentary
- NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
- JFB…………..Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
- VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
- CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
- BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
- Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
- Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
- NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary: Matthew and Mark.
- BKC………………….Bible Knowledge Commentary
PCB…………………… Popular Commentary of the Bible,
SSN…………………..Scofield’s Study Notes
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