Exodus Chapter 5 Verses 12-19

:12 “So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. 17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. 18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. 19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task."

“So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.”  Much of the time that the people would otherwise have been making brick they now spent gathering stubble.  Gathering stubble is a slow and tedious job.  To gather enough stubble to make a tale of brick would take a lot of time, yet the children of Israel were told to produce the same amount of bricks as they had before.  It was an impossible task that Pharaoh had given them.  This he did to punish them for asking to be given time off to go and worship God.   

“And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?”  The taskmasters, no doubt, under Pharaoh’s orders beat the officers of the children of Israel because they had not fulfilled their task in making the same quantity of brick as they had before.  The officers were in a strait.  The children of Israel could not possibly fulfill the task and yet they were beaten for not fulfilling their task.  In their mind, they probably thought that if they continued to fail to fulfill the task that they would be beaten to death.   

“Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.” The officers seeking relief from the impossible task went to the only person that they thought could give them relief.  They went to Pharaoh.  However, Pharaoh had set them up for failure because that Moses and Aaron had sought time to go into the wilderness to worship their God.  Pharaoh’s answer to them was: “But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.  Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.”  Pharaoh was pointing out to them that their request to go and do sacrifice to the LORD was the reason they were in the predicament they were in.  He said that it was obvious they were idle.  He reiterated that he expected them to do deliver the same amount of brick even while no straw was given unto them.   

“And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.”  As far as the officers were concerned they had no way out of their predicament.  I make the point here that serving the Lord requires a willingness and readiness to suffer for his name’s sake.  As of yet, the officers and the children of Israel had not yet learned that lesson.  It is one of the lessons of faith, that often times the first steps are met with opposition and seemingly failure.  Yet, we must learn to trust in the Lord for our deliverances.