NOTES for Exo 5:1-23

The Bible contains many stories of faith passing through trials. Their pattern is largely the same: following God's promise unexpectedly leads to the very opposite result. In this story, Moses' attempts to carry out the task God gave him, the task of saving the people from slavery, lead only to harsher forced labor. Moses and those who were prepared to believe him can no longer continue “on autopilot,” with everything going smoothly and nothing left to do but marvel at how wonderfully God has arranged it all. No, they have to face yet another choice: either it was all a deception, or self-deception, or God will remain faithful to His promise and will not leave them in slavery. It turns out that faith is a choice in favor of God, while tested faith is a choice in favor of God in spite of everything...