Exodus
5:18-23
Go
therefore
now,
and
work;
for
there
shall
no
straw
be
given
you,
yet
shall
ye
deliver
the
tale
of
bricks.
And
the
officers
of
the
children
of
Israel
did
see
that
they
were
in
evil
case,
after
it
was
said,
Ye
shall
not
minish
ought
from
your
bricks
of
your
daily
task.
And
they
met
Moses
and
Aaron,
who
stood
in
the
way,
as
they
came
forth
from
Pharaoh:
And
they
said
unto
them,
The
LORD
look
upon
you,
and
judge;
because
ye
have
made
our
savour
to
be
abhorred
in
the
eyes
of
Pharaoh,
and
in
the
eyes
of
his
servants,
to
put
a
sword
in
their
hand
to
slay
us.
And
Moses
returned
unto
the
LORD,
and
said,
Lord,
wherefore
hast
thou
so
evil
entreated
this
people?
why
is
it
that
thou
hast
sent
me?
For
since
I
came
to
Pharaoh
to
speak
in
thy
name,
he
hath
done
evil
to
this
people;
neither
hast
thou
delivered
thy
people
at
all.
The
story
of
the
Exodus
is a
story
of
miracles
–
yet
in
the
beginning
when
Moses
first
appeared
before
Pharaoh
to
deliver
the
children
of
Israel
from
400
years
of
slavery,
the
Israelites
were
severely
tempted
and
became
angry
because
of
the
initial
hardships
that
were
laid
upon
them.
They
leveled
their
anger
at
Moses
because
suddenly
they
were
told
that
they
would
have
to
gather
their
own
straw
for
making
bricks.
They
were
concerned
about
offending
their
slave-masters,
fearing
that
they
would
slay
them.
The
Israelites
were
so
accustomed
to
their
slavery
that
they
didn’t
want
their
lives
disrupted
despite
the
fact
that
freedom
was
at
hand.
Resigned
to
this
miserable
life,
they
utterly
failed
to
apprehend
or
appreciate
the
freedom
that
was
soon
approaching.
Yes,
there
was
a
temporary
price:
increased
hardship
and
great
pressure
would
set
the
stage
for
their
final
deliverance.
The
same
can
happen
to
us.
It
has
often
been
said
“The
darkest
night
is
just
before
the
dawn”…
Perhaps
the
enemy
senses
his
impending
defeat
and
pulls
out
all
the
stops
to
prevent
it.
Perhaps
the
Lord
loves
a
good
story
with
a
really
dramatic
and
climactic
ending
and
great
glory
for
His
Name…in
any
case
–
Don’t
let
yourself
remain
accustomed
to
any
form
of
bondage
–
seek
and
believe
for
the
freedom
that
God
has
given
us
through
His
Son.
Expect
a
life
of
great
victory
over
sin
and
demonic
oppression
–
Why?
Because
that
is
His
promise
to
us!
