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Exodus 10:28–29
“Pharaoh said to him, ‘Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.’ Moses said, ‘As you say! I will not see your face again.’ ”
Pharaoh never really learned the right lesson as God sent plague after plague upon Egypt, for he consistently tried to bargain with Moses to meet his request only halfway, feigned repentance, and hardened his heart (Ex. 7:14–10:27). When it came to heeding Moses only part of the way, for instance, during the eighth plague Pharaoh said he would send the Israelite men away but keep the women and children (10:7–11). Presumably he thought the Israelite males would miss their wives, sons, and daughters and soon return. Moses, of course, rejected Pharaoh’s suggestion (v. 9).
Immediately after the ninth plague—three days of absolute darkness in Egypt everywhere but where the Israelites lived—Pharaoh tried negotiating again. This time, he said that he would let the slaves go free if they would leave their animals behind (vv. 21–24). He had a good economic motive for doing so. Since the locusts that came during the eighth plague devastated Egypt’s crops, and since many of Egypt’s animals had been killed during the hail of the seventh plague (9:13–10:20), Pharaoh needed all the livestock he could get his hands on to keep trade going and to feed his citizens. Moses replied by telling the king that Israel’s leaving without their goats, sheep, and other animals was not an option (10:25–26). Overall, these failed negotiations paint a picture of a king who in his madness does not realize that he is attempting to bargain from a point of weakness. Pharaoh has been losing and has been desperately trying to save face, but to no avail. It is all rather comical; the most powerful man on earth in his day cannot get the comparatively powerless Moses to give in and lessen his demands. We are reminded of Psalm 2:1–4, where the Lord laughs at those who dare to think that they can oppose the man anointed to lead the people of God.
This makes Pharaoh’s words, recorded in today’s passage, nothing but pompous bluster that cannot be fulfilled, as one commentator points out. Pharaoh casts out Moses from his presence for the last time, threatening him with death should he ever see his face again (Ex. 10:28–29). The king’s warning really carries no weight, for Moses has the stronger ally—the Lord God Almighty. In fact, that Pharaoh only now threatens Moses with death shows his powerlessness, for he has possessed the authority throughout his contest with Moses to put him to death. The Lord has been protecting Moses, who has nothing truly to fear from the Egyptian king.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
When God is on our side—or better yet, when we are on God’s side—we have nothing truly to fear. The enemy may do his worst. He may even succeed in taking our physical lives. But that loss is only temporary, for we will be resurrected to rule and reign with Christ. We need not fear those who oppose the gospel, for they cannot finally defeat us if we are in Christ (2 Tim. 2:11–12).
For Further Study
- Psalm 2:10–12
- Daniel 3
- Matthew 19:28–30
- Romans 8:31–39