Exodus 5:10-23 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 5:10-23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10So the taskmasters and the supervisors of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw. Verse 11Go and get straw yourselves, wherever you can find it; but your work will not be lessened in the least.'" Verse 12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw. Verse 13The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw." Verse 14And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, "Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?"
Verse 15Then the Israelite supervisors came to Pharaoh and cried, "Why do you treat your servants like this? Verse 16No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, 'Make bricks!' Look how your servants are beaten! You are unjust to your own people." Verse 17He said, "You are lazy, lazy; that is why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Verse 18Go now, and work; for no straw shall be given you, but you shall still deliver the same number of bricks." Verse 19The Israelite supervisors saw that they were in trouble when they were told, "You shall not lessen your daily number of bricks." Verse 20As they left Pharaoh, they came upon Moses and Aaron who were waiting to meet them. Verse 21They said to them, "The Lord look upon you and judge! You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." Verse 22Then Moses turned again to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you mistreated this people? Why did you ever send me? Verse 23Since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has mistreated this people, and you have done nothing at all to deliver your people."
Devotion
Anyone who accepts the path God laid out for them quickly realizes that vocations turn out to be difficult experiences. Moses discovers that liberating the Israelites from Egypt carries setbacks. When the pharaoh denies the Israelites the freedom to worship their God, Moses regrets making the demand. He thinks he may have caused the people greater pain instead of gaining them freedom.
God’s call upon our lives leads us in various paths, which at times excite and delight us. At other times we experience the disappointments of what it means to be a servant of God. The reality exists that we serve God in a world that does not fully acknowledge God or roll over to accommodate our vocation. “The trail is found in desert and winds the mountain round” (ELW 326). The journey of Lent takes us through experiences of deprivation, testing and sacrifice. While Lent may be a season, the journey lasts beyond this season. Our vocations may not be the easiest tasks, but they reflect God’s will for our lives and the lives of God’s people.
Prayer
Remind us that the path on which you call us may not be the smoothest but that it is made easier by your presence. Amen.