Moses; Part 5: Back in Egypt

The Lord told Aaron to go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told Aaron all that the Lord had sent him to say, and also all the signs he had commanded him to do. Moses and Aaron
gathered together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them all that the Lord had told Moses. Moses then performed the signs before the people that God had told him to do, and they believed. (Exo 4:27–31).

Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that the Lord, the God of Israel, wanted him to let his people go, so that they could hold a festival for him in the wilderness. The God of the Hebrews had met them and wanted them to make a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord their God, or he would strike them with plagues or with the sword, see it explained at
time 9:55–11:03 in DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON EXODUS 5 I AM Confronts Evil. 
But Pharaoh replied that he didn't know the Lord, and he didn't let them do it. The same day Pharaoh ordered the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people to no longer supply them with straw to make bricks, they had to go and gather their own straw. But he still required that they make the same number of bricks as before. They should make work harder for the people. And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers whom they had appointed. Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed with Pharaoh about this, but he didn't change his mind. Realizing that they had a problem, the Israelite overseers told Moses and Aaron that they wanted God to judge them for this. Moses turned to the Lord and asked him why he had brought this trouble upon this people, why he had sent him, and why he hadn't rescued his people? (Exo 5:1–23).

Moses had wrong expectations on God when he spoke to Pharaoh. He may have forgotten that God had told him that he would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he wouldn't let the people go. It could be that he had just started walking with God at the age of 80. We should endure hardship as discipline, see the first part of 
The Book of James.

Then the Lord told Moses, that he had remembered (put attention to)
the Abrahamic covenant. God made these promises to Moses,
to tell the Israelites what the Lord would do for them (Exo 6:1–8):

• To bring them out of Egypt (Exo 6:6b, 7c).
• To free them from being slaves (Exo 6:6c).
• To redeem them (Exo 6:6d).
• To take them as his own people (Exo 6:7a).
• To be their God (Exo 6:7b).
• To bring them to the promised land (Exo 6:8a).
• To give it to them as a heritage and a possession (Exo 6:8b).

Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they didn't listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. Then the Lord told Moses to go and tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the Israelites go out of his land. But Moses answered the Lord that if the Israelites wouldn't listen to him, why should Pharaoh listen to him, because he wasn't an eloquent person. (Exo 6:9–30 , Rom 12:1–2). 
It's often because of unbelief that we hesitate to do God's will, see 
How to Build Your Faith.

The Lord then spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and God commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses should tell Pharaoh everything he told Moses. The Lord told Moses that he had made him like God to Pharaoh, and his brother Aaron would be his prophet. He should say all that God commanded him, and his brother Aaron would tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave his land. But God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though he multiplied his signs and wonders in Egypt, Pharaoh wouldn't listen to them. Then God would lay his hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment he would bring out his people the Israelites. And the Egyptians would know that he is the Lord. Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. Moses was 80 years old and Aaron 83 years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. (Exo 7:1–7). 

We as believers represent Christ. The believers are like letters written by Jesus that the whole world reads (2 Cor 3:2–3). People should look at the life of Jesus, they should read the Bible, but many times they look instead at the lives of believers.

See the meaning of "hardened his heart" explained at time 10:25–12:35 in

Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ July 2023. Also see it explained at time 7:35–12:26 in DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON EXODUS 7 I AM God Alone Part 1.

For the next part, see Moses; Part 6: The First Nine Plagues.

For all parts, see Moses; Part 1: Introduction.