Mar 31, 2026
As we move into Exodus 5, we see two coexisting realities that still resonate with us today: 1) God’s plans coming to pass as He said they would, and 2) man’s tendency to doubt God during the process. Let’s look first at the fulfillment of God’s plans.
After Moses and Aaron spoke with the Israelite elders, they moved on to talk with Pharaoh, requesting that he let God’s people go so they could worship the Lord in the wilderness. “But Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go’” (v. 2). Just as God said would happen, Pharaoh’s heart was indeed hardened as he refused to let the Israelites go worship God. What’s more, Egypt’s ruler was so embittered by the request to release God’s people from their servitude that he worsened their treatment, directing his taskmasters not to give the people straw to make bricks while keeping their daily quota the same. Because the Israelites could not keep up with the new demands, their foremen were beaten and abused. Just a side note, we shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter resistance from this fallen world, especially among those who do not know or fear God, when we seek to worship Him.
All of this mistreatment from Egypt’s leadership understandably upset the people of Israel. However, their anger was not rightfully directed toward Pharaoh, but rather at Moses for asking the ruler to release the people to worship God. Their wayward grumbling led to an illustration of the second aforementioned point regarding God’s people doubting Him during the journey: “Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all’” (v. 22-23; emphasis added).
Please hear me. God does not need us to defend Him. However, as leaders, I do believe it is our responsibility to help those within our sphere of influence whose faith is wobbling to refocus their hearts on what they know to be true about God—especially during unpleasant situations. Instead of calling people to trust in what God had already told him about His plans for delivering His people, though, Moses appeared to question the faithfulness and goodness of God himself. “Moses did right in speaking his heart to God [but] did wrong in forgetting what God had said.”[i] Oh, how quickly we can fall into the trap of letting our emotions in the midst of uncomfortable conditions inform our beliefs about God! Choose to believe the Truth, even when your heart may not immediately be inclined to do so.
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· What is the danger of letting your emotions determine what you believe about God?
· How can you remind yourself and others to believe the Truth, even when the circumstances are bleak?
[i] Study Guide for Exodus 5. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved February 26, 2026, from
https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/exodus/exodus-5.cfm