Chapter 23—The Plagues of Egypt
This chapter is based on
Exodus 5-10
.
Aaron, being instructed by angels, went forth to meet his brother,
from whom he had been so long separated; and they met amid the
desert solitudes, near Horeb. Here they communed together, and
Moses told Aaron “all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and
all the signs which He had commanded him.”
Exodus 4:28
. Together
they journeyed to Egypt; and having reached the land of Goshen, they
proceeded to assemble the elders of Israel. Aaron repeated to them all
the dealings of God with Moses, and then the signs which God had
given Moses were shown before the people. “The people believed:
and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel,
and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their
heads and worshiped.”
Verse 31
.
Moses had been charged also with a message for the king. The
two brothers entered the palace of the Pharaohs as ambassadors from
the King of kings, and they spoke in His name: “Thus saith Jehovah,
God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me
in the wilderness.”
“Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?”
demanded the monarch; “I know not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel
go.”
Their answer was, “The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let
us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice
unto the Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with
the sword.”
Tidings of them and of the interest they were exciting among
the people had already reached the king. His anger was kindled.
“Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let [hinder] the people from their
works?” he said. “Get you unto your burdens.” Already the kingdom
had suffered loss by the interference of these strangers. At thought of
this he added, “Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye
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