Waltke: ... embrace the darkness attendant to their election.

Bruce Waltke makes the following observation about the perceived failure of Moses and Aaron's first attempt before Pharaoh in Exodus 5.

The narrator weaves together six short incidents in two cycles using direct speeches to highlight the immediacy and rapid flow of events that are triggered by Moses’ confrontation with the pharaoh.

I. Cycle 1 (5:1–14)
A. Moses/Aaron confront the pharaoh to let God’s people go and worship (5:1–5).
B. Pharaoh orders Egyptian taskmasters and Hebrew foremen to increase Israel’s work (5:6–9).

C. Taskmasters and foremen deliver Pharaoh’s order to the people, and taskmasters beat foremen (5:10–14).
II. Cycle 2 (5:15–6:1)
A. Foremen confront a hardened pharaoh (5:15–19).

B. Foremen confront Moses and Aaron and accuse them of injustice (5:20–21).
C. Moses and Aaron accuse I AM of being unfaithful to his promise (5:22–6:1).

The urgency of the narration accentuates the wickedness of Pharaoh, the fickleness of God’s elect, and the powerlessness of Moses and Aaron to effect salvation.

This initial failure teaches the elect that, in addition to trusting and worshiping the covenant-keeping God and having faith in a covenant-keeping leader, they must also embrace the darkness attendant to their election .

Waltke, B. K., & Yu, C. (2007). An Old Testament theology: an exegetical, canonical, and thematic approach (p. 354). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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