Exodus Chapter 10 Verse 7

:7 “And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?” 

Pharaoh and his servants were all politicians.  As politicians they kept up with the attitudes and desires of the people.  It is apparent that the people were tired of the plagues that were coming upon Egypt because of Pharaoh and his stubbornness.  They were snared in the circumstances of the plagues and their grievous effects.  Even ruthless kings know that if all the people of your kingdom turn on you that your time in power is going to be soon terminated.  The servants of Pharaoh were advising Pharaoh of the political climate and urging him to let the men go that they may serve the LORD their God.   

Verses 8-11  

:8 “And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go? 9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD. 10 And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. 11 Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.”   

“And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?”  Pharaoh listened to the urgings of his servants to let the children of Israel go and called Moses and Aaron back unto him.  However, Pharaoh is not yet ready to let them go and uses the principle of compromise to try to get his way.  Pharaoh starts with what sounds very promising: Go serve the LORD your God.  However, he doesn’t stop there as he asks: “but who are they that shall go?”  He lays out where he is expecting a compromise.  Pharaoh is hoping to keep a portion of Israel in Egypt in order to get the rest of Israel to return after they have gone out into the wilderness to worship.   

“And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.”  Moses growth in faith is readily apparent as he realizes that the God he serves has the upper hand and that his God will not compromise.  In essence, Moses said to Pharaoh that all of the children of Israel will go and all their livestock with them.   

Pharaoh was not pleased with Moses answer and said, “And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. 11 Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire.”  Pharaoh, once again hardened his heart and told Moses that he would not go along with all the Israelites leaving, but only the men leaving.  Then he says that what Moses and Aaron had desired.  There is no evidence that Moses and Aaron ever told Pharaoh that they only desired that the men would leave.  Pharaoh again lied in an effort to get his way.   

“And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.”  Pharaoh is still acting as though he is in control of the events when in all reality the LORD is in control.  However, an unregenerate will think or act like he has control over the affairs of his life and not God.