Plagues of Egypt
223
make them rest from their burdens.”
In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowl-
edge of God’s law, and they had departed from its precepts. The
Sabbath had been generally disregarded, and the exactions of their
taskmasters made its observance apparently impossible. But Moses
had shown his people that obedience to God was the first condition
of deliverance; and the efforts made to restore the observance of the
Sabbath had come to the notice of their oppressors. [
See appendix,
note 1.
]
The king, thoroughly roused, suspected the Israelites of a design
to revolt from his service. Disaffection was the result of idleness;
he would see that no time was left them for dangerous scheming.
And he at once adopted measures to tighten their bonds and crush
out their independent spirit. The same day orders were issued that
rendered their labor still more cruel and oppressive. The most common
building material of that country was sun-dried brick; the walls of the
finest edifices were made of this, and then faced with stone; and the
manufacture of brick employed great numbers of the bondmen. Cut
straw being intermixed with the clay, to hold it together, large quantities
of straw were required for the work; the king now directed that no
more straw be furnished; the laborers must find it for themselves, while
the same amount of brick should be exacted.
This order produced great distress among the Israelites throughout
the land. The Egyptian taskmasters had appointed Hebrew officers to
oversee the work of the people, and these officers were responsible for
the labor performed by those under their charge. When the requirement
of the king was put in force, the people scattered themselves throughout
the land, to gather stubble instead of straw; but they found it impossible
to accomplish the usual amount of labor. For this failure the Hebrew
officers were cruelly beaten.
These officers supposed that their oppression came from their
taskmasters, and not from the king himself; and they went to him with
their grievances. Their remonstrance was met by Pharaoh with a taunt:
“Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to
the Lord.” They were ordered back to their work, with the declaration
that their burdens were in no case to be lightened. Returning, they met
Moses and Aaron, and cried out to them, “The Lord look upon you,
and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes