For 430 years the Israelites lived in Egypt. They began as welcomed guests. Joseph even became the Pharaoh’s prime minister. It was good in Egypt for about 200 years. Then a change in the power structure in Egypt happened.

Suddenly, the Israelites were no longer welcome guests. Instead, the Israelites were feared. Yet, the Israelites were a necessity to the Egyptian economy, because they did the manual labor the Egyptians didn’t want to do. Even while being oppressed the Israelites grew in numbers. This caused the Egyptians to fear them even more. The Egyptians oppressed them even more through beatings and enslaving them. The Israelites called out to the Lord for help. God heard the cries of the Israelites and 40 years later sent Moses, a most reluctant prophet. Moses went to Pharaoh and demanded that he let the people go.

The encounter between Moses and Pharaoh doesn’t go well. As Exodus 5:22 tells us, Moses is confused. He thought God was sending him to save the Israelites, but it seems like he has only made things worse. Pharaoh has oppressed them even more, and it seems like God hasn’t done anything to rescue them. God sends Moses to the Israelites to assure them that God will rescue them and bring to the land that has been promised, a land flowing with milk and honey. There are at least ½ million Israelites in Egypt, and they don’t believe Moses. So, God sends Moses, along with Aaron, back to Pharaoh.