1. Who met Moses as he was on his way to Egypt? "And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him." (Exodus 4:27)
2. What did Moses tell Aaron? "And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him." (Exodus 4:28)
3. When they reached Egypt, what did they do? "And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people." (Exodus 4:29-30)
4. How did the people receive the message, and what did they do? "And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." (Exodus 4:31)
5. With what words did Moses and Aaron greet Pharaoh? "And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness." (Exodus 5:1)
6. What reply did Pharaoh make? "And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." (Exodus 5:2)
7. What further statement did Moses and Aaron make, showing the urgency of the case? "And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us; let us go, we pray you, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword." (Exodus 5:3)
8. Had God told Moses to make this request? "And they shall hearken to your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and you shall say unto him, the Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now let us go, we beseech you, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God." (Exodus 3:18)
9. Do you think that Moses expected Pharaoh to grant this request? "And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand." (Exodus 3:19)
10. Then why was he directed to make it, and why did he ask that the people might be allowed to go and sacrifice, when they wanted complete deliverance? See note.
11. What did Pharaoh charge Moses and Aaron with doing? "And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and you make them rest from their burdens." (Exodus 5:4-5)
12. What did he say was the reason that the people wanted to go and sacrifice? "And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, you shall lay upon them; you shall not diminish ought thereof; for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. ... But he said, Ye are idle, you are idle; therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord." (Exodus 5:8,17)
13. How were their burdens increased in consequence? "And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, You shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ... But he said, You are idle, you are idle; therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. ... And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, You shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task." (Exodus 5:6-7,17,19)
14. After the Israelites had been delivered, what exhortation was given to them, based on their hard usage in Egypt? "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you." (Deuteronomy 5:14)
15. What were they told to remember in order that they might not be led to require their servants to work on the Sabbath? "And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day." (Deuteronomy 5:15)
16. For what purpose did God deliver them from bondage? "And I say unto you, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn." (Exodus 4:23) "And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness: And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labor of the people; That they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws. Praise the Lord." (Psalm 105:43-45)
17. What does this indicate? That they could not properly serve Him in Egypt.
18. What may we conclude from this fact, and Pharaoh's statement to Moses and Aaron that they made the people "rest from their burdens," and the exhortation in (Deuteronomy 5:14-15)?
From (Exodus 4:23) and (Psalm 105:43-45) we learn that the children of Israel could not serve the Lord in Egypt. In (Deuteronomy 5:14-15) we find special emphasis given to that portion of the fourth commandment requiring the man-servant and the maid-servant to rest, and the Israelite was told to remember that he had been a servant in the land of Egypt; also in (Exodus 5:5) we learn that Moses and Aaron made the people "rest from their burdens."
From these facts we may conclude that the Sabbath was one of the things in which they could not serve the Lord in Egypt; and when Moses and Aaron came with the message of God, (Psalm 105:43-45) they attempted a reform, which only increased their oppression. The Israelites were delivered that they might observe the statutes of the Lord, including the Sabbath, and this placed upon them an additional obligation to keep the Sabbath strictly as well as to keep all the commandments. "You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He has commanded you. And you shall do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which the Lord swore unto your fathers." (Deuteronomy 6:17-18) "You have avouched the Lord this day to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice: And the Lord has avouched you this day to be His peculiar people, as He has promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; And to make you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that you may be a holy people unto the Lord your God, as He has spoken." (Deuteronomy 26:17-19)--Signs of the Times, June 8, 1888--Lesson 25 - Sabbath, June 23--Exodus 4:23 to 5:19.
E.J. Waggoner