Exodus 5:10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
In verses 10-13 the taskmasters acted just like many politicians and other officials of our day. They are trying to enforce ungodly rules and when questioned their excuse is: “I am just doing my job.” That is such a cop-out. A person with a moral compass would refuse to act in an unjust manner. However, we see that the taskmasters were more concerned with pleasing a wicked king, than they were with showing respect for fellow human beings. They knew that Pharaoh’s demands were impossible to meet. They knew they would have to whip the people and that still would not get them to meet the tally of bricks demanded of them. They were wicked men who had seared their consciences.
Our police and other officials also know the demands being put upon us are wicked. Even the P.M. does not follow his own rules. He flew to Costa Rica for a “vacation” from his vacation. As they embarked off the plane, none of them was wearing a mask. Yet he demands that those who fly into Canada must wear a mask when they leave the plane, even if they are outside. Rather than admit he is a fraud, he clamps down harder on those who would challenge his hypocrisy. Wicked people are blinded by their own wickedness. It is interesting to note that not one of his MPs is willing to say: “no, I will not support this.” Their desire for power and money has corrupted their minds and their souls.
Judgment day is coming. This tyranny will not last. The last human tyrant will be the antichrist. His rule will be for seven years and then he will be cast directly into the lake of fire. It is never a wise thing to defy the true and living God. The Bible declares:
Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Pharaoh was a fool as is our current PM. There are many others who are in that same camp. I just recently finished a phone survey where I was asked about the situation our country is in. I stated that a major concern I have is the moral decay of this country. The last question I was asked was to pick the two top choices from within our political system that I would vote for. I stated that I would not vote for any one of them. The person on the phone said that was not an option. She said she could put down that I was undecided. I stated that I am not undecided. I know I would not vote for anyone of the parties that are running. I am not going to endorse wickedness. God sets up kings and He removes them. Our system is so corrupt that checking a ballot box is just a formality. The left leaning media even admitted that China played a big part in giving Trudeau his minority government. We have moved quite far from what we had in this country even ten years ago. It seems that this corruption is so deeply engrained now that it will not be rooted out. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back and will establish a Godly rule centred in Jerusalem. It is certain that none of the parties running in our country are interested in rooting it out.
Years ago while in Bible School one of our instructors asked us as a class what we thought was the more effective way of reaching our society: politics or preaching. I stated that preaching is the more effective way if the preacher is a God-fearing man who speaks with boldness according to God’s Word. If someone was truly convinced that God wanted them in politics they would need to run as an independent. If God wanted them in that place, He would provide the means to get them there. To join any one of the corrupt parties and run under their banner is giving consent to their ungodly policies.
Those who do not want to learn from history are bound to repeat it. We have seen ruthless leaders in the Bible after the time of Pharaoh. We have also seen ruthless leaders since the completion of the Bible. Defiance against God is quite common. We see also that in the darkest hours of our history, God has always made a way for His truth to be proclaimed. We know that will continue in this present dispensation. We also know that God will raise up witnesses to proclaim His truth in the Tribulation time.
In our text the leaders of the nation of Israel asked Pharaoh why they had changed their policy and then acted with such cruelty. Pharaoh answered that the people were idle and that was why they asked to go and sacrifice to the LORD. Pharaoh had no time for anyone that was of greater authority than he was. He knew that a pagan society was much easier to control than a God-fearing one. We know that Daniel and his three friends did not bow to the wicked dictates of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel also rejected the ungodly dictates of king Darius. God saw fit to keep them alive and to demonstrate His power and authority in so doing. Those kings learned some important truths through those faithful men.
In our text, Pharaoh never learned the fear of the LORD. He was defiant until the end. He made his choice and he made an extremely foolish one. He perished along with his firstborn son and the firstborn of all the Egyptians. His entire army perished with him in the Red Sea. “Just doing their job” did not work out well for them. God gave the people of Egypt and their king opportunity to repent and know the true God. Some of them sided with the people of Israel but we find that there was a mutiny led by the mixed multitude who left Egypt with the nation of Israel. Those foreigners influenced the ungodly children of Israel and together they rebelled against the LORD. An entire generation, except for two faithful men, was lost in the wilderness due to their rebellion.
In our text, Moses was going to learn the importance of trusting God even when he did not get the results he expected right away. He would also need to trust God even though the elders of Israel would not support him. They would accuse him of causing them more grief than they already had. The flesh would find that difficult to accept. The Spirit would grieve over the misunderstanding the elders developed. The Spirit would want them to trust God to deliver them. There is no doubt that the people would suffer some severe hardships over the next short while. However, Moses was promised that God was going to deliver them. Moses needed to trust God. He is greater than any man or any humanistic system.
We have been living in interesting times over the past couple of years. Those who are saved know that Jesus promised to return to take the saints out of this world. We are not given the day nor the hour. We are told to be watching and to be serving the Lord in the meantime. We are also told we are not appointed unto wrath. If our minds and hearts are yielded to the true God, we will be able to endure hardness like a good soldier. This time is a short time in comparison to eternity. True Christians need to pray for one another. We also need to see the importance of a true local church to attend and be a part of. God has provided this as a major tool for the strengthening of the saints. We need to seek to help the ungodly to see the necessity of turning to God and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Just doing my job” will not wash with God. True Christians are people with godly convictions and by His grace they stand there. God will use them to show lost people the need to turn to Him. A few will do so. Many will reject the truth. That is to their detriment. Compromise among those who are saved will not please God, nor will it help the lost.
Pastor Bartel
