But he said, "Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the number of bricks."
And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, and they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: and they said unto them, "The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made us 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."
C. THE PROMISE OF THE LORD
And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, "Lord, wherefore hast thou evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath evil entreated this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."
And the Lord said unto Moses, "Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land."
THE MEANING OF THE STORY
96 (§34A). We left Moses in Midian. Locate it again on the map. With whom did he live? What was his occupation? Notice that he came to Mt. Horeb, which is also called Mt. Sinai. Locate it on the map.
97 (§34A). As Moses was alone in the wilderness, his thoughts would naturally turn to his people. What would he wish for them? How greatly they needed a leader! If ever the thought occurred to him that he ought to be their leader, how would he feel about it? At last God's message came to him. It is one of the beautiful stories of God speaking to man. How was Moses told to show his reverence? It is the custom in the East. How could they take off their shoes so easily? (See illustration of the sandal.) What custom do we have to show reverence? How did Moses show a still deeper reverence?
98 (§34A). What did God tell Moses? It might have seemed to the lonely exile that the Lord had forgotten all about the people in bondage. A commission is a duty given to a man: what was Moses' commission? At last God's plan for poor Israel was clear. The deliverer had been found.
99 (§34B). It was a startling commission for Moses. He remembered how the people had treated him when he had tried to help them. (Recall §31.) What was he now afraid of? Tell the story of the signs with which the Lord gave him confidence. People were always anxious for something wonderful in those old days.