“Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.”
This verse is a part of the account of Moses and Aaron’s confrontation with Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. To understand the significance of this verse, let’s provide some context.
In Exodus, the Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for many years. God chose Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites out of bondage and into the Promised Land. Moses went to Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, with a message from God, asking him to let the Israelites go.
In Exodus 5:1, Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh and said, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” However, Pharaoh did not immediately comply with their request. Instead, he responded by asking who the Lord was and refusing to let the Israelites go.
As a result of Pharaoh’s refusal, God commanded Moses to increase the pressure on Pharaoh and Egypt through a series of plagues. These plagues were intended to demonstrate God’s power and compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites. The events leading up to Exodus 5:7 include the first confrontation with Pharaoh and the beginning of the plagues.
In Exodus 5:6-7, Pharaoh reacts to Moses and Aaron’s request by imposing an even harsher burden on the Israelites. He orders that the Israelites would no longer be given straw to make bricks as they had been before. Instead, they were to gather straw for themselves while still being required to meet the same quota of bricks.
Straw was an essential component used to bind mud and clay together in the construction of bricks. By removing their supply of straw, Pharaoh made the Israelites’ already difficult labor even more arduous and demanding. This decision caused distress among the Israelites, as they were now forced to gather straw themselves while still expected to produce the same number of bricks.
Pharaoh’s action was a deliberate act of oppression aimed at breaking the spirit and resolve of the Israelites. It revealed his hardened heart and refusal to yield to God’s command. However, it also set the stage for further demonstrations of God’s power and His ultimate deliverance of His people from bondage.
The subsequent chapters of Exodus recount the remaining plagues that God sent upon Egypt and the final liberation of the Israelites through the miraculous parting of the Red Sea.
