[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. [19]
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. [20] And they met
Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
In thy own people - For if they had given us straw, we
should have fulfilled our task.
[21] 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.
The Lord look upon you, and judge - They should have
humbled themselves before God, but instead of that they fly in the face
of their best friends. Those that are called to public service for God
and their generation, must expect to be tried not only by the threats of
proud enemies, but by the unjust and unkind censures of unthinking friends.
To put a sword in their hand to slay us - To give them the occasion they
have long sought for.
[22] 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? [23]
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.
He expostulated with him. He knew not how to reconcile
the providence with the promise, and the commission he had received. Is
this God's coming down to deliver Israel? Must I who hoped to be a blessing
to them become a scourge to them? By this attempt to get them out of the
pit, they are but sunk the farther into it. Wherefore hast thou so evil
entreated this people - Even when God is coming towards his people in ways
of mercy, yet sometimes he takes such methods that they may think themselves
but ill - treated: when they think so, they should go to God by prayer,
and that is the way to have better treatment in God's good time. Why is
it that thou hast sent me - Pharaoh has done evil to this people, and not
one step seems to be taken towards their deliverance. It cannot but sit
very heavy upon the spirits of those whom God employs for him, to see that
their labour doth no good, and much more to see that it doth hurt, eventually,
though not designedly.
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