Pointing to Jesus (Exodus 5)

Summary:

Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh with God’s command: “Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.” 

Pharaoh defiantly refuses, declaring “I do not know the LORD,” and intensifies Israel’s oppression by denying them straw for brickmaking while maintaining the same quota. 

The Israelite foremen are beaten for failing to meet production, and when they appeal to Pharaoh, he mocks them as lazy. 

Bitter and disillusioned, the foremen blame Moses and Aaron for worsening their plight. 

Moses returns to God, confused and discouraged: “Why have you done evil to this people? 

Why did you ever send me?… You have not delivered your people at all.”

Pointing to Jesus:

The dramatic worsening of bondage immediately after the promise of deliverance typifies the pattern of Christ’s redeeming work. 

Pharaoh’s increased cruelty mirrors how sin and Satan rage most fiercely when redemption draws near (cf. Rev 12:13–17). 

God’s sovereign plan is not thwarted by apparent setback. The people’s suffering intensifies precisely because the elect Redeemer is now at work. Moses’ cry (“You have not delivered… at all”) parallels the disciples’ despair on Good Friday—“We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). 

Yet the darkest moment (increased burdens, beaten foremen, Moses’ complaint) is the prelude to the greatest display of sovereign grace. Just as Israel’s misery peaks before the Passover Lamb is slain, so humanity’s guilt and bondage reach their climax at the cross, where the true Moses, rejected by men and seemingly defeated, accomplishes eternal redemption for His elect (Heb 9:12; Rom 8:32–39).

Reflection:

Exodus 5 is a stark reminder that obedience to God’s call often makes things worse before they get better. 

Following the Lord can lead to misunderstanding, opposition, and intensified hardship—Pharaoh’s reaction is the world’s normal response to the gospel claim. 

Moses’ honest lament teaches us to bring our confusion and disappointment straight to God rather than abandoning the mission. 

The chapter warns against judging God’s faithfulness by immediate circumstances: deliverance is certain, but the timetable and pathway belong to the Sovereign who “makes everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl 3:11). 

For Christians facing workplace hostility, family rejection, chronic pain, or spiritual dryness after stepping out in faith, Exodus 5 says: “This is normal. The King is on the move, and the enemy knows it.” Our calling is to keep trusting the promise-keeping God who heard Israel’s groaning in chapter 2, commissioned Moses in chapter 3, and will not—cannot—fail to bring His elect safely out, no matter how dark the night between the promise and the plunder.