Exo 5:2 | KingComments | STEP | In their first meeting with Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron speak to him in the name of “the LORD, the God of Israel”. This name for God is mentioned here for the first time in Scripture in connection with His people. In that Name they speak and bring forward without ado the demand of God. It is not a request, but a command to let the people go. They stand as God’s ambassadors before Pharaoh. It is “My people”, says the LORD. Pharaoh has no right to them. He will be told seven times “let My people go”. He is told that the people should celebrate a feast in the wilderness to the honor of God. This is not possible in Egypt. Pharaoh answers proudly: “Who is the LORD?” This fully indicates his character. He has no respect for God at all. He considers it foolishness to listen to the LORD. For him the LORD does not exist. This is pride at its peak. The flesh does not submit to God ( ). It also determines his reaction that he will not let the people go. Moses and Aaron then call God “the God of the Hebrews”. Hebrew means ‘someone of the other side’, that means from another country than Egypt. God has determined that His people will sacrifice to Him. Any opposition is folly, both of Pharaoh and of the people themselves. If they do not listen, they will experience God’s punishment. To celebrate a feast for the LORD, they must make a three days’ journey into the wilderness. The number three speaks of the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. That forms their separation from the world. A feast is characterized by gladness. Joy is part of being in God’s presence. Man’s approach to God is on the basis of sacrifice (pointing forward to Christ’s sacrifice). A heart that is free to enjoy God’s presence is on this foundation. The sacrifice averts judgment and allows the heart to be in God’s presence without fear. Moses and Aaron do not speak about going on to the promised land after the feast in the wilderness. That is not deception. Once delivered from Egypt, one will never return to it. The wilderness is not the goal of salvation. That is an area through which we pass. The purpose of salvation is to bring us into the enjoyment of fellowship with the Father and the Son. It can be enjoyed in the wilderness. For this purpose God has the tabernacle there as His dwelling in their midst.

‏ Exodus 5:2

First Meeting with Pharaoh

In their first meeting with Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron speak to him in the name of “the LORD, the God of Israel”. This name for God is mentioned here for the first time in Scripture in connection with His people. In that Name they speak and bring forward without ado the demand of God. It is not a request, but a command to let the people go. They stand as God’s ambassadors before Pharaoh. It is “My people”, says the LORD. Pharaoh has no right to them. He will be told seven times “let My people go”. He is told that the people should celebrate a feast in the wilderness to the honor of God. This is not possible in Egypt.

Pharaoh answers proudly: “Who is the LORD?” This fully indicates his character. He has no respect for God at all. He considers it foolishness to listen to the LORD. For him the LORD does not exist. This is pride at its peak. The flesh does not submit to God (Rom 8:7). It also determines his reaction that he will not let the people go.

Moses and Aaron then call God “the God of the Hebrews”. Hebrew means ‘someone of the other side’, that means from another country than Egypt. God has determined that His people will sacrifice to Him. Any opposition is folly, both of Pharaoh and of the people themselves. If they do not listen, they will experience God’s punishment.

To celebrate a feast for the LORD, they must make a three days’ journey into the wilderness. The number three speaks of the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. That forms their separation from the world. A feast is characterized by gladness. Joy is part of being in God’s presence. Man’s approach to God is on the basis of sacrifice (pointing forward to Christ’s sacrifice). A heart that is free to enjoy God’s presence is on this foundation. The sacrifice averts judgment and allows the heart to be in God’s presence without fear.

Moses and Aaron do not speak about going on to the promised land after the feast in the wilderness. That is not deception. Once delivered from Egypt, one will never return to it. The wilderness is not the goal of salvation. That is an area through which we pass. The purpose of salvation is to bring us into the enjoyment of fellowship with the Father and the Son. It can be enjoyed in the wilderness. For this purpose God has the tabernacle there as His dwelling in their midst.