Life Gets Harder For The Israelites

Life Gets Harder for the Israelites

Q: When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, what were they forced to make?

• a. bricks
• b. houses
• c. cotton cloth

Kyle scooped another shovelful of snow from the driveway. He wanted to go on an amusement park trip with his church during spring break, but he didn’t have enough money. His parents said they’d pay him to shovel each time it snowed, and they’d pay for half the trip if he earned half. To take his mind off how cold he was, Kyle thought about how much fun the trip would be.

The Hebrews in Egypt had to work hard day after day, but there was no end in sight for them. They didn’t have anything special to look forward to. God was planning a big trip for them—a journey to freedom—but they didn’t know that. In fact, things got worse before they got better.

After Moses and his brother, Aaron, went to talk to Pharaoh about freeing the Israelites, Pharaoh told the slave drivers to stop providing the straw the Hebrews needed to make the bricks they were forced to make. He said they had to find their own straw but still make the same number of bricks each day!

The Israelites were angry with Moses because life got harder after he talked to Pharaoh. Moses didn’t understand why God had allowed that to happen. But God wasn’t finished yet. He knew the whole plan, while the Israelites could only see the daily hardship they faced. Even though it seemed God was ignoring their problems, he’d already set his plans in motion.

For You

Sometimes it’s hard to see beyond everyday problems—the difficult math homework, the bully who targets you, and the arguing between you and your siblings. But these things are temporary and only a small part of your life. Stay faithful and remind yourself: God is at work even when you can’t see it.

Answer: a

[Pharaoh said,] “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota.   Exodus 5:7-8

(The Whole Story: Exodus 5)