Pharoah and Anti Rest Policy!

Moses and Aaron were standing on behalf of God who wanted His people to be released from Pharoah's cruel bondage.

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’"(Exo 5:1)

"The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me."(Exodus 8:1)

Worship is a release from the forces that arrest us and causes unrest in us. Note the theme of "rest" running from Cain and now to the Israelites. They were wandering, in a state of unrest threatened by autocrats like Pharoah. Do you recognise a pattern in our generation too?

Now what was the response of Pharoah to the demand from Moses and Aaron? He made it even harder for the Israeli man power.

See what happens later in Exodus 5 -"Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’” 

When the demand of worship came, work was increased! They had to make the same amount of bricks and had to get the straw in addition. The slave drivers treated them badly. Moses takes the matter with the Lord again and He sends him back to the people with a promise. Their response however was discouraging.

"Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor."(Exo 6:9)

When we are enslaved in this kind of hard labor, no kind of encouragement will help. The Lord however was determined to give His people the rest required and it didn't happen immediately. We see the declaration of Holy Rest day as Passover is instituted in Exodus 12.

"On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do."(Ex 12:16)

The words-"Do no work" would have been something that the Israelites would have found hard to believe. Later the Lord institutes the Sabbath Day - a day of rest on a weekly basis.

 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work,(Ex 20:8-10)

The question to ponder now is- Did Israelites really rest? The answer is "No" as we see in Psalm 95 and later expounded by the writer to Hebrews in chapter 4.

It in fact took centuries, till the blessed Lord Jesus talked to the people . Matthew records this

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."(Matt 11:28)

True rest comes in the presence of our Lord.

Remember, this force of Pharoah is still at work to keep you from experiencing the rest and peace that comes from God.

The small kid scrolling through the phone to the adults hooked on notifications, reels,games Generative AI, whatever that causes unrest should come to the Lord to experience rest as we worship Him. The unrest that started in Eden will give way to ultimate rest in His presence as we see new heavens and new earth-till then fight with the pharoahic forces. Get as much as possible to the Lord who will give you grace and rest!