Sunday Sermonette: The plot convolutes

Exodus 5 is mercifully relatively short, though it still displays the repetitive style we ' ve gotten used to. It seems straightforward but with a bit of reflection, it reveals interesting pathology on the part of both Pharaoh and God. And the plot has gotten away from the scribes. Nevertheless, unlike the previous chapter, which has bizarre elements that get left out of popular tellings of the tale, this episode is well known.Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’”2 Pharaoh said, “Who is theLord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know theLord and I will not let Israel go. ”3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to theLord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword. ”4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!”5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”Note that there are multiple continuity errors here. In chapter 3, Moses was not instructed to ask for a three-day festival, but for liberation. This is the first time the idea of the festival has come up. It is not what God commanded Moses to ask for. In chapter 4, God told Mo...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs