Scripture Daily

Context No. 30 of 4322 · Exodus

Context · Reflection

Exodus 6:9-13: in context

9Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn’t listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 10The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.” 12Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, when I have uncircumcised lips?” 13The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Moses has been sent back to Egypt to bring Israel out of slavery, and his first attempt has made things worse. Pharaoh answered by ordering the Israelites to gather their own straw while making the same number of bricks, and the people turned on Moses for it. Now God gives him a fresh promise to carry to them, and this passage is what happens when he delivers it.

They did not listen, the text says, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage. The Hebrew is literally shortness of breath. The good news reached people so crushed by labor that they had no room left to take it in. God's next word to Moses is to go tell Pharaoh anyway. Moses argues back with plain arithmetic. The Israelites will not listen to me, so why would Pharaoh? He adds his standing objection about himself, that he has uncircumcised lips, a stammering, unfit mouth.

Moses has now been refused by the people he came to save, and he expects worse from the king. God does not answer the objection or fix his speech. He simply repeats the charge and sends him to both, the slaves and the Pharaoh. Who have I stopped speaking to because the last attempt went badly, and was their silence really refusal or just exhaustion?

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