Tag Archives: Obstinate

Abijah & Asa

123 – Abijah & Asa

I Kings 15:1-34 II Chronicles 13:1 – 16:14

Jeroboam was still king of Israel when Rehoboam died. After his death, Abijah became king of Judah. Soon afterward, Jeroboam and the army of Israel invaded Judah. 

When the two armies faced one another, Israel’s army was twice as big. Still, Abijah stood on a hill and yelled over at the army of Israel. He said, “Men of Israel, you have left the family of David to serve a servant of Solomon. On top of that, you have left the God of Israel to worship Jeroboam’s two golden calves. And your priests are not from the tribe of Levi.”

He went on and on, preaching to the men. He didn’t realize that while he was doing this, Jeroboam was sending half of his men around to the back of Abijah’s army. Suddenly the army of Judah realized they were surrounded. They cried out to the Lord and the priests blew the trumpets. God fought against Israel and they ran from the battlefield. Many of their soldiers died that day. 

Jeroboam never recovered from this massive defeat, and he died soon afterwards. Abijah became stronger because he trusted the Lord. 

After Abijah died, his son Asa became king of Judah. He ruled for 41 years. The Lord gave him 10 years of peace because he returned the nation to the ways of David. He destroyed the idols Solomon had set up. He told the people of Judah to seek the Lord God. 

Suddenly a vast army from Ethiopia invaded from the south. The army of Judah was greatly outnumbered. Asa prayed, “Oh Lord, only you can help us now!” 

So the Lord helped him defeat the Ethiopian army. Many of them were killed as they tried to run away. When it was all done, their army was crushed before the Lord. The men of Judah collected all the possessions from the bodies that were lying on the battlefield. They also got all of their sheep and camels. 

As Asa and his men went back to Jerusalem, a prophet met him and challenged him to continue his walk with God. So the king decided to start destroying the idols from all the other cities of Judah. He even removed his grandmother from being Queen Mother because of her loyalty to an idol. 

People from the northern kingdom of Israel moved to Judah in large numbers because they worshiped the Lord. On a certain day, everyone met together and vowed to always serve God. Asa then took silver and gold and put it in the Temple treasury. So the Lord gave Judah peace from all their enemies. 

Unfortunately, Asa came to a turning point in his life. The new king of Israel declared war on Judah and invaded the land. He took control of a key city. 

Instead of trusting the Lord, Asa thought of another way he could get the advantage over Israel. He took the gold and silver out of the Temple and sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Syria that was north of Israel. He sent a message saying, “I’m sending you gold and silver so you will break your treaty with Israel, and establish a treaty between our two nations.” 

Ben-hadad took the gold and silver and made a treaty with Asa. He then invaded Israel and captured several of their cities. Quickly the army of Israel left Judah so they could defend themselves against Syria. 

It seemed like Asa’s plan had worked. But then, a prophet went to king Asa and said, “You should have asked the Lord to fight for you— not Syria! Don’t you remember what God did with the massive army of Ethiopia? The Lord is looking for those who will trust Him. You were foolish in doing this. Therefore, you will be at war until you die.” 

Asa was angry with the prophet and called for a guard. “Put this man in prison!” After that, he became cruel toward his own people. Suddenly he developed a disease in his feet, which got worse and worse. Still, he didn’t seek the Lord’s help, even when the disease became life threatening. Instead, he trusted the doctors to help him. Finally, he died after two years of great pain.

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Jeroboam’s Sin

120 Jeroboam’s Sin

I Kings 12:25 – 13:8 13:33-34

Jeroboam chose the city of Shechem to be the capital of Israel. He built it up and put his palace there.
 
He realized his people had a natural tendency to be loyal to the family of David. He said to his advisors, “The people keep going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. Eventually, they’ll decide their true loyalty is to the king from the line of David. They’ll kill me and reunite with Judah.”

To solve this problem, he made two golden calves. He put one in the south at Bethel and the other in the north at Dan. He said to the people, “It’s too hard to travel to Jerusalem several times a year. Here’s your god who brought you out of Egypt.” 

Jeroboam built shrines to these idols and appointed priests for them. The priests weren’t from the tribe of Levi but were just anyone who wanted to be a priest. He then made annual celebrations that were similar to the ones in Jerusalem. 

When he took the golden calf to Dan, people lined up behind it as it went along. Once they got there, Jeroboam made sacrifices to this new idol. He then went south to Bethel to sacrifice on the altar he had built there. 

A young man of God from Judah walked up to Jeroboam as he was standing by the altar. The prophet yelled, “Altar, altar! Hear what the Lord God says to you. ‘A king will be born in Judah named Josiah. On this altar he’ll sacrifice the priests who burn incense on it.’”
The young prophet then turned to the people, 

“The Lord gave me a sign that these things will happen. This altar will rip apart and the ashes will spill to the ground.” 

King Jeroboam got angry and pointed at the prophet. “Grab that man!” As soon as he said those words, the hand he had stretched out froze in position and he couldn’t pull it back. Suddenly the altar ripped apart and the ashes spilled to the ground. 

Seeing this, the king begged the man of God. “Please pray to the Lord and ask him to restore my hand back to me.” 

So the man of God prayed and Jeroboam’s hand returned to the way it was before. The king said, “Come with me to the palace and eat something. Then I’ll give you a gift.” 

The young prophet said, “I wouldn’t go with you even if you gave me half of everything you own. The Lord said that I’m not to eat or drink anything while I’m here. And I’m to go back to Judah a different way from how I came.” With that, he walked away. 

Even with this warning, Jeroboam didn’t repent of what he was doing. He continued to promote the worship of the two calves and appoint priests for them. Because of this sin, his kingdom didn’t continue after his death, and he had no descendants.

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The ruins of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
The location of the altar of Jeroboam’s High Place at Dan, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Abigail

93 – Abigail

1 Samuel 25:1-44

David and his men lived in the same area as a rich herdsman named Nabal, a descendant of Caleb. He was known to be mean and harsh, but he had a beautiful wife who was much more practical in how she dealt with others. Her name was Abigail.

Having David’s army in the area was a great advantage to Nabal because foreign raiders didn’t come and steal from his herds. Still, Nabal didn’t invite David and his men to his annual sheep-shearing feast. So David sent 10 young men with a message. “Peace to you and yours. I respect you as my own father. Your shepherds will tell you that we have protected your flocks over the entire time we have lived in this area. Instead of us coming to your feast, please send some food and provisions with these young men.” 

Nabal said, “I don’t know David. I’m definitely not his father. Slaves are always running away from their masters. Tell him to go back to where he came from. I’m not going to take food away from my servants and give it to strangers.”

The young men went back and told David everything that was said. David said to his men, “Put on your swords. I protected this man’s goods, and he repays me with insults. Not one man in his camp will be alive in the morning.”

Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went and told Abigail what was said and done. He said, “David’s men were ‘a wall’ to us while we were out in the fields. They protected us night and day. We didn’t lose one animal during this time. Yet, your husband insulted them and refused to help them. You must think of something because your husband has offended an army that can kill all of us.”

Without telling her husband, Abigail gathered provisions for David’s men. She got 200 loaves of bread, 2 wine skins, 5 butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs. She put all of these things on some donkeys and headed down the road.

As she rounded a corner, she saw David’s men coming toward her. She got off the donkey and ran to him. She knelt down with her face to the ground and said, “It’s my fault your men were mistreated. I would have treated them well if I had known they were coming. Forgive my husband. His name means ‘fool,’ and that’s how he acts. Please accept these gifts of food.

“It’s the Lord who’s kept you from getting revenge today. He has always fought your battles for you, and he always will. When he makes you king, you’ll want a clear conscience about this day.”

David said, “It was God who sent you here today. Your wisdom has kept me from shedding blood and taking revenge on a man who offended me. If you hadn’t come, every male in your camp would have died.” He then accepted Abigail’s gifts.

She went back home to find Nabal feasting like a king. She didn’t tell him what happened. He got drunk and fell asleep. 

In the morning, she waited until he was sober, and then told him what she did the day before. He immediately had a heart attack and lay in a coma for 10 days. Then the Lord killed him.

David heard about his death and said, “Praise the Lord! God kept me from doing evil, and he punished Nabal for the evil that he did.”

David then sent a message to Abigail asking if she would become his wife. She agreed and went to him.

Meanwhile, Saul gave his daughter Michal to become the wife of another.

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Three Arrows

90 – Three Arrows

1 Samuel 20:1-42

David said, “Jonathan, why is your father trying to kill me? What have I done?”

He said, “The king doesn’t want to kill you. I would know about it if he did. He doesn’t hide anything from me.”

David said, “As sure as there is a God, and as sure as you’re alive, your father wants to kill me. He doesn’t tell you because he knows we’re best friends.”

Jonathan said, “What do you want me to do? Name it and I’ll do it.”

David said, “Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to go to a three-day banquet with the king. If he notices that I’m not there, tell him you gave me permission to go to Bethlehem for an annual sacrifice. Tell him it was important that I be there because it involves my entire clan.  

“If your father accepts that answer, then we’ll know all is well and he doesn’t hate me. But if he gets angry, then it will be clear to both of us that he wants to kill me.

“Jonathan, if you find out that he has good reason to hate me, then come … and kill me yourself.”

Jonathan said, “I’ll go and find out exactly what my father thinks about you. If you’re right and he wants to kill you, I’ll send you away in peace. But remember, we made a vow to each other before the Lord. If I die and God blesses you, take care of my family. Love my household as if they’re your own.

“Here’s my plan. Hide next to the big rock in the field. I’ll find out what my father thinks about you. Then I’ll come here and shoot three arrows toward the rock. I’ll send my servant to get them. As he goes, I’ll yell something to him. If I say, ‘They are on this side of the rock.’ That’s your sign that all is well and you can come back.

“But if I yell, ‘They’re on the other side of the rock,’ That’s your sign that you need to run for your life because my father is trying to kill you.”

During the first day of the banquet, Saul noticed that David was not in his place, but he didn’t say anything. On the second day, Saul said to Jonathan, “Where is that son of Jesse? He’s missed both days so far.”

“Oh, I gave him permission to go to Bethlehem. His family is having a big annual sacrifice, and his brothers insisted that he be there.”

Saul yelled at his son. “You son of a prostitute! I know what you’re doing. You’re taking his side. Don’t you realize he’s going to take away your kingdom? You’re a shame to our family. Now go get him and bring him here so I can kill him.”

Jonathan yelled back. “What has he done? Why do you want to kill him?”

Saul grabbed a spear and threw it at his son. Jonathan got up from the table and left. He didn’t eat for a whole day because he was ashamed of his father.

In the morning, he went to the field with his servant. He shot three arrows out beyond the rock. As the servant ran out to get them, Jonathan yelled, “They are on the other side of that rock. You need to hurry. Go as fast as you can.”

The servant found the arrows and brought them back. Jonathan then told him to take the equipment and go back to the city. 

After he left, David came out of hiding. The two men hugged and cried. Jonathan said, “You’re right. My father is determined to kill you. Go. But remember our pledge to one another, and between your children and my children.” With that, David left, and Jonathan went back to the city.

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Protecting David

89 – Protecting David

1 Samuel 19:1-24

Saul wanted David dead. So he told his servants and Jonathan to find him and kill him. Jonathan rushed and told David, “Go and hide. I’ll talk to my father and see if I can reason with him. I’ll let you know if I’m successful.”

Jonathan talked to his father and told him that David was a loyal servant and would do nothing to harm the king. Saul listened to his son and promised to let David live. So David went back into the king’s courts and served him. War once again broke out with the Philistines and David led the army to victory against them.

Once again the Lord allowed an evil spirit to enter the king. As David played the harp, Saul grabbed a spear and threw it at him. He jumped out of the way and ran from the room.

Saul called his guards and told them to go to David’s house in the morning and kill him. Michal heard about this and warned her husband. “You must leave tonight. They’ll be here in the morning to kill you.”

He went out the window and she helped lower him down to the ground. She placed an image in his bed and put goat hair on top of it. She then covered it with a blanket. In the morning, she told the guards, “He’s sick in bed.”

They went and told the king. He said, “Go! Bring me the bed with David in it, and I’ll kill him myself.”

When they went to the bed, they found the image with the goat hair. Saul yelled at Michal. “How could you lie to me and let my enemy get away?”

She said, “He forced me to do it. He said he would kill me if I didn’t.”

David went to Samuel and told him everything that had happened. Saul found out that David was with Samuel, so he sent guards to go get him. When they got there, they saw Samuel sitting with some prophets. Suddenly the guards sat down and started prophesying.

Saul heard about this, so he sent more guards. The same thing happened to them. They sat down and started prophesying. So Saul sent a third set of guards, and again they sat down and started prophesying.

Finally Saul went himself. When he got close to where they were, the Spirit of God came on him and he started prophesying as he walked along. When he entered the house, the king took off his clothes as he was prophesying. He then collapsed and lay naked the rest of that day, and all night.

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Ark of God Captured

78 – Ark of God Captured

1 Samuel 4:1-22

God was not pleased with Eli. The high priest knew his two sons were sinning in the sanctuary of the Lord. They didn’t even try to hide it. Still Eli hadn’t stopped them. God told him that his family would be judged. The Lord said, “I will do something that will cause people to shudder when they hear about it.”

When Eli was 98 years old, the Philistines made war with Israel. The army went out to defend their nation, but they lost the battle and 4,000 men were killed. 

The elders of Israel were confused. “Why did the Lord allow this to happen?” Suddenly one of them had an idea. “Let’s go get the Ark of the Lord! We’ll take it with us into battle, and it will give us victory.” So they sent for the Ark of God, and the sons of Eli brought it to the camp. When the Israelites saw it, they shouted for joy. The shout was so loud that it seemed like the ground shook.

The Philistines heard the shout and thought it was a war cry. They sent spies to see what was going on and found that the Ark of God had been brought into the camp. The Philistines panicked. They said, “Their gods are now in their camp. We’re doomed! These are magnificent gods. They’re the ones that slaughtered the Egyptians with plagues.”

The Philistine leaders stood before the troops. “Be strong and act like men! You are mighty Philistines, not weak Hebrews. Now is the time to fight like you’ve never fought before. If you don’t, you’ll be their slaves.”

So the Philistines fought as if they had everything to lose. Israel was crushed—their soldiers slaughtered. 30,000 men were killed, including Eli’s two sons. The Philistines then captured the Ark of God and took it to their own camp.

Back in Israel, Eli was sitting on a chair beside the road waiting for a report from the battle. He was concerned about the Ark of God. A man ran from the battle to tell everyone what happened. The entire city started crying out in pain. Eli was blind and had difficulty hearing. He heard the noise, but couldn’t hear what was said. “What’s going on?”

The man got close to the old priest and said, “Our men were slaughtered today. Your two sons were killed, and the Ark of God was captured.” When Eli heard about the Ark of God, he fell backwards off the chair. He was a heavy man, so the fall broke his neck and he died.

Eli’s daughter-in-law was due to give birth to a child. She heard about the Ark of God and her husband’s death. She then heard that her father-in-law was also dead. Suddenly she went into labor and gave birth to a son. Those helping her said, “You now have something to be happy about. You’ve given birth to a son!”

At first she didn’t respond, and then she finally said, “The glory has departed from Israel because the Ark of God has been captured.” Just before she died, she named the boy Ichabod, which means, “The glory has departed.”

Continued in the next story

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Korah’s Rebellion

50 – Korah’s Rebellion

Numbers 16:1 – 17:13

As Israel went back into the wilderness, four men decided to set things straight concerning Moses and Aaron. The leader was Korah, from the tribe of Levi. They formed a group of two hundred fifty prominent men and went to Moses. They said, “You’ve taken your authority too far. We’re a holy nation. The Lord is with all of us. Things don’t have to always go through you.” 

Moses said to Korah, “I know what this is about. The Levites have been chosen to do the Lord’s service. Now you want the priesthood as well. God has chosen the family of Aaron, so you are in rebellion against God. Tomorrow, all of us will stand before the Lord holding censers filled with fire and incense. The Lord will choose who he wants to lead the people.” 

Two of the organizers said, “We’re not coming! You’ve brought us back into the wilderness to die. Now you’re telling us what to do like a king. So, we won’t be there!”

This made Moses angry. He said to the Lord, “I’ve never mistreated these people. I haven’t taken anything from them. Yet, they hate me.”

The next day, Moses, Aaron, and all two hundred fifty men stood before the Lord with their censers filled with fire and incense. The entire congregation was there to watch. 

The glory of the Lord appeared, and God said to Moses and Aaron, “Step out of the way. I’m going to destroy the entire congregation.” 

Moses fell down and begged, “Oh, God, don’t punish everyone for what a few people have done.” God said, “Tell the people to move away from the tents of the men who refused to come to this meeting.” So everyone moved away from those tents. The two men came out and stood next to the door of their tents, along with their wives, children, and babies. Korah went and stood with them. 

Moses spoke to the congregation. “If these men grow old and die a natural death, then you’ll know that the Lord didn’t send me to do these things. But if something unusual happens to them, you’ll know they were speaking against God.”

Suddenly, the earth opened, and these men and their families fell into the hole. The ground closed up around them as if the earth swallowed them. People screamed and ran thinking they might be swallowed as well. Then fire came and killed all two hundred fifty men who were holding censers with incense. 

The Lord said to Moses, “Collect all two hundred fifty censors from among the men’s ashes. Hammer them into plating and use it to overlay the altar. This will remind the people that the priesthood is only for Aaron and his descendants.” 

Even with all of this, the people were still talking about the priesthood the next day. A crowd gathered around Moses and Aaron to talk about the people who died. They said, “You killed God’s people.” 

Moses turned and saw that God’s anger was hot against the crowd. He said to Aaron, “Quick, go get a censer and fill it with incense and fire. Run among the people and make atonement for their sins. God’s anger is flowing out, and he’s striking them with a plague.” As Aaron did this, he saw that the plague had started. He made atonement for the people, standing between the dead and those who were alive. The plague stopped, but 14,700 died that day.

To solve the issue of the priesthood, the Lord said to Moses, “Have each tribe bring a walking stick. 

Put Aaron’s name on Levi’s walking stick. Place them in the Tabernacle. I’ll make one of them sprout. This will make the people stop complaining about you!” 

Moses followed the Lord’s instructions. The next day, not only had Aaron’s walking stick sprouted, it formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds! The people saw this and were amazed. From that day, they didn’t even want to go near the Tabernacle, in case they would die. Aaron’s staff was put back into the Tabernacle for safekeeping.

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The Lord My Banner

42 – The Lord, My Banner

Exodus 17:1 – 18:27

As the people of Israel continued to move toward Mount Sinai, they camped at a place that had no water. They once again complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us here to die? At least in Egypt we had water. Is the Lord really with us?” 
Moses yelled at the Lord, “What am I to do with these people! I bring them here, and now they’re about to stone me.” 

The Lord said to Moses, “Take your staff and stand in front of the people. Have some of the elders with you. I’ll stand in front of the rock. Hit the rock and water will come out so the people can drink.” 

Moses did as the Lord commanded and hit the rock. Water gushed out. It was enough for all the people and the livestock. 

While they were at that same location, the people of Amalek attacked them. Moses told Joshua to organize the men for battle. Moses then stood on the side of the hill and held his hands in the air. As long as his hands were high in the air, Joshua was victorious. But when his hands came down, the people of Amalek started winning. 

Moses’ arms became tired and heavy, so he sat on a stone with Aaron and Hur on each side. They supported his hands, so he could keep them high in the air. The three men stayed there until the sun went down. Joshua was victorious over Amalek. Moses then built a monument and called it “The Lord, My Banner.” 

Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses. He had watched over his daughter and her two sons while Moses was in Egypt. He brought them back once the Israelites camped at Mt Sinai. 

Moses went out to greet his family. He told Jethro about what the Lord had done for the people of Israel—how God’s hand was against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He also shared some of their hardships, and how the Lord delivered them. Jethro then led the people in a sacrifice to God. 

The next day, Moses sat down to do his work as a judge for the people. Jethro watched as people came with every dispute they had, great and small. It was up to Moses to decide who was right in each case. This went on all day. As he was judging, Moses was also teaching God’s laws to the people. 

That evening Jethro said, “What you’re doing isn’t good. You’re wearing yourself down, as well as the people. You need to realize that this is too big of a job for one man to handle. Here is some advice, and I believe it’s God’s will for you. 

“It’s your job to teach the people about the Lord and his commandments. You’re also to represent their needs to God. You must keep yourself free to do this. 

“So, select some good men who fear God. Make sure they don’t take bribes. If they do, the people won’t trust them. Place them at different levels over one another. Their full-time job should be judging the people. 

“They’re to deal with everyday problems, while bringing the more difficult conflicts to you. The people will be happy with this, but mainly it frees you to do God’s will.” 

Moses listened to this advice, and followed it. He chose qualified men, and placed them at different levels of responsibility. These men devoted themselves to their new task. Still, all the difficult cases were brought to Moses. 

After all of this was done, Moses said good- bye to his father-in-law, and Jethro went home.

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What Is It?

41 – What Is It?

Exodus 14:29 – 16:36

The people of Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. Then God killed the Egyptian army when they tried to cross. From there, Moses led the people into the wilderness, toward Mount Sinai. They traveled for three days without finding water. They finally came to a pool, but it was undrinkable. The people complained and said, “What are we going to drink?” 
The Lord said to Moses, “Cut down that small tree and throw it into the water.” Moses threw the tree into the water, and instantly the water was drinkable. 

God said, “If you obey me and follow my commandments, you won’t be sick like the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you. 

From there, the Israelites went and camped at a place that had twelve springs. They stayed there a little over a month, and then left and headed toward Mount Sinai. 

As they traveled, they started complaining, “We should’ve died in Egypt. Yes, we were slaves, but at least we had plenty of food to eat. Every night we had a pot of meat and all the bread we wanted. Here we have nothing.” 

The Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to rain bread from heaven for the people. But I’ll use this to see if they’ll follow my instructions.” 

Moses said to the people, “You’re not complaining against me and Aaron. You’re complaining against the Lord. Still, He’s heard you. Tonight you’ll have meat, and in the morning you’ll have bread.” 

That evening, a flock of quail came and landed in the camp. This provided meat for the people to eat. In the morning, they saw that the ground was covered with heavy dew. When it evaporated, there was something on the ground that looked like frost. The people went and looked at it. They said, “What is it?” They tasted it and it was like a light wafer, sweetened with honey. 

Moses said, “God will provide this bread from heaven six days out of every week. For the first five days, you’re to gather only enough for one day. On the sixth day, you may gather enough for two days. In this way, you’ll have food to eat on the Sabbath. It won’t appear on the Sabbath. 

Some of the people disobeyed God’s instructions and gathered more than one day’s worth. The next morning it stunk and was full of maggots. This didn’t happen when they gathered more on the sixth day. It was still good to eat on the Sabbath. Some of the people went out to gather bread on the Sabbath, but found that there was none. 

The people called the bread manna, which means, “What is it?” God provided manna for them for the entire forty years they were in the wilderness.

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Straw for Bricks

37 – Straw for Bricks

Exodus 5:1 – 7:13

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says. ‘Let my people go into the wilderness for three days so they can worship me.’” 
The Pharaoh was shocked and said, “Who does the God of the Hebrews think he is—telling me what to do? I don’t know him, and I’m certainly not going to let my slaves go into the wilderness.” 

He then focused on Moses and Aaron. “All of your talk about worship is keeping my slaves from doing their work. Stop all this talk and get back to work!” 

He then called for his slave drivers. “My slaves are lazy! They have so much time on their hands that they’re talking about going out into the wilderness and worshipping God. 

“Well, I’ll fix that. From now on, stop giving them straw for the bricks. Let them go get it themselves. Still, they’re to make just as many bricks as before. That’ll teach them not to stand around and listen to these fools!” 

The slave drivers went and told the Israelite foremen what the Pharaoh said. “We’re not going to give you any more straw. You have to get it yourselves. Still you’re to produce just as many bricks as before.” 

So the people immediately went throughout Egypt gathering straw. Because of this, they weren’t able to fulfill their allotted quota for making bricks. Therefore the slave drivers beat the foremen. They said, “You aren’t doing your job. You aren’t making enough bricks.” 

The foremen went to Pharaoh. “Why are you treating your slaves this way? If we don’t have the straw, we can’t make the same amount of bricks as before.” 

Pharaoh yelled at them. “You’re lazy—Lazy, I say! You’ve got time to stand around and say, ‘we want to go worship the Lord.’ So now it’s time to work. Go get your own straw, and I want the same amount of bricks as before.” 

Moses was waiting for the foremen when they left Pharaoh. They said to him, “You have made us stink before Pharaoh. You put a sword in his hand, and he’s going to kill us with it.” 

Moses went to the Lord and said, “Why did you send me here? You haven’t delivered the people. You’ve only caused them more trouble.” 

The Lord said, “Oh Moses. You’re about to see what I’m going to do with Pharaoh. When I’m done, he’ll beg you to take these people away. 

“Go tell the people that I am the Lord. I have heard their groaning, and I’m about to take them back to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 

Moses went to the people and gave them this message, but they wouldn’t listen to him. They were defeated and discouraged. 

Then the Lord told Moses to go and talk to Pharaoh again. “Tell him to let my people leave this land.” 

Moses said, “I’m not any good at this. If the people of Israel won’t listen to me, why would Pharaoh?” 

The Lord said, “Moses, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your prophet. Go and I’ll give you the words to say.” 

So Moses and his brother Aaron stood before Pharaoh and asked him to allow the people of Israel to go into the desert and worship. Pharaoh asked for a sign, so Aaron threw his staff on the ground and it became a snake. The court magicians and sorcerers threw their sticks on the ground and they also turned into snakes. Suddenly Aaron’s snake ate the rest of the snakes! Still, Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to them.

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