# Exodus 05 đ: Bricks Without Straw
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
## Opposition to the Plan of God
[[#Verse 01.]] Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, âThis is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, âRelease my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feast to me in the wilderness.ââ
[[#Verse 02.]] But Pharaoh said, âWho is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel!âÂ
[[#Verse 03.]] And they said, âThe God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or the sword.âÂ
[[#Verse 04.]] The king of Egypt said to them, âMoses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work? Return to your labor!â
[[#Verse 05.]] Pharaoh was thinking, âThe people of the land are now many, and you are giving them rest from their labor.â
[[#Verse 06.]] That same day Pharaoh commanded the slave masters and foremen who were over the people:Â
[[#Verse 07.]] âYou must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before. Let them go and collect straw for themselves.Â
[[#Verse 08.]] But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. That is why they are crying, âLet us go sacrifice to our God.âÂ
[[#Verse 09.]] Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words!â
[[#Verse 10.]] So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said, âThus says Pharaoh: âI am not giving you straw.Â
[[#Verse 11.]] You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload.ââÂ
[[#Verse 12.]] So the people spread out through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw.Â
[[#Verse 13.]] The slave masters were pressuring them, saying, âComplete your work for each day, just like when there was straw!âÂ
[[#Verse 14.]] The Israelite foremen whom Pharaohâs slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked, âWhy did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the pastâboth yesterday and today?â
[[#Verse 15.]]  The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh, âWhy are you treating your servants this way?Â
[[#Verse 16.]] No straw is given to your servants, but we are told, âMake bricks!â Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your people.â
[[#Verse 17.]] But Pharaoh replied, âYou are slackers! Slackers! That is why you are saying, âLet us go sacrifice to the Lord.ââÂ
[[#Verse 18.]] So now, get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still produce your quota of bricks!âÂ
[[#Verse 19.]] The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, âYou must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.â
[[#Verse 20.]]Â When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them,Â
[[#Verse 21.]] and they said to them, âMay the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants, so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!â
## The Assurance of Deliverance
[[#Verse 22.]]  Moses returned to the Lord, and said, âLord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you ever send me?
[[#Verse 23.]] From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have certainly not rescued them!â
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Pharaoh's question, "Who is the Lord?" (5:2), is answered by the plagues, where God repeatedly says Egypt will know that He is the Lord (7:5).
2. Egyptian mud bricks were often mixed with straw, which helped them hold together as they dried.
3. An Egyptian tomb painting from the tomb of the official Rekhmire shows foreign laborers making bricks.
4. Moses first asks for a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice (5:3).
5. In Egyptian belief Pharaoh was considered divine, so in his eyes he owed obedience to no other god.
6. Pharaoh calls the Israelites "lazy" (5:8, 17), treating their request to worship as an excuse to avoid work.
7. The brick quota stayed the same while the straw was taken away (5:8, 18).
8. The people had to gather stubble, the leftover stalks in harvested fields, instead of straw (5:12).
9. The Israelite foremen were beaten when the quotas were not met (5:14).
10. Moses' complaint (5:22-23) is an honest lament, much like the laments found throughout the Psalms.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who gives rest to those crushed by heavy labor. Pharaoh piled on heavier burdens (5:9), but Jesus invites the weary to take His easy yoke and find rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Pharaoh asked, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?" (5:2). Where do you hear that same attitude today?
2. Obeying God made things harder for Israel at first (5:6-9). How do you respond when obedience seems to make life worse?
3. Moses brought his frustration straight to God (5:22-23). What can we learn from his honest prayer?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 1: Moses and Aaron deliver God's command: Let My people go.
- đ verse 2: Pharaoh refuses, saying he does not know the Lord.
- đ verses 22-23: Moses asks the Lord why He has brought trouble on His people.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Matthew 11#Verse 28.|Matthew 11:28-30]] - Jesus offers rest to the weary.
- đ [[Psalm 02#Verse 01.|Psalm 2:1-4]] - The rulers of the earth oppose the Lord in vain.
- đ [[Psalm 13#Verse 01.|Psalm 13:1-2]] - How long, Lord?
- đ [[2 Corinthians 04#Verse 08.|2 Corinthians 4:8-9]] - Pressed but not crushed.
- đ [[Galatians 06#Verse 09.|Galatians 6:9]] - Do not grow weary in doing good.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Exodus 05- SOAP|Worse Before It Gets Better]]
## đ Internal Notes