Introduction
Lesson three explores the difficult beginning of Moses’ mission to free Israel from slavery. Despite clear instructions from God, Moses is immediately met with rejectionβby Pharaoh and even his own people. What began with hope quickly turns into frustration. Moses doubts, complains to God, and feels overwhelmed. But it is precisely in this tension that God begins to reveal His power and faithfulness. The lesson reminds us: even when walking with God is challenging, we can trust that He will lead us to a good end.
Lesson 3: Rough Start
3.1 Who is the LORD?
When human pride challenges divine authority
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Introduction
Pharaohβs question β βWho is the LORD, that I should obey Him?β (Exodus 5:2) β has echoed through the centuries of human history. Itβs not the honest inquiry of a seeking heart, but a statement of pride, rejection, and rebellion. This question symbolizes the attitude of a world that refuses to acknowledge God. And itβs just as relevant today in the 21st century as it was in Mosesβ time.
But what if someone asked you today, βDo you know the LORD?β
Would you hesitate? Or could you boldly respond, βYes, I know Himβ β and explain who God is to you?
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Bible Study: Who is the LORD? (Exodus 5:1β2)
Background and Context
The book of Exodus tells the story of Israelβs liberation from slavery in Egypt β a central theme of the Old Testament and a powerful image of redemption and freedom. Chapter 5 marks the first public confrontation between Moses, Godβs chosen leader, and Pharaoh, the most powerful earthly authority of that time.
God had called Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3), revealing His name as:
βI AM WHO I AMβ β YHWH, the eternal, self-existent God.
This God sends Moses to tell Pharaoh:
βLet My people go.β
Exodus 5:1β2
βAfterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, βThus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.β But Pharaoh said, βWho is the LORD, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.ββ
1. βThus says the LORDβ
Moses does not come in his own name but as Godβs messenger β with divine authority. This phrase was common in prophetic declarations and carried significant weight. God makes it clear:
βMy peopleβ β they do not belong to Pharaoh but to the LORD.
Application: When God speaks, it is with authority. Even today, His Word comes to us β through Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and preaching. How do we respond?
2. βWho is the LORD?β β A Question of Pride, Not Curiosity
Pharaohβs question is not born out of sincere ignorance but of contempt. He does not recognize Godβs authority because he doesnβt know Him β and has no desire to.
This rejection has a double meaning:
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Personally: Pharaoh doesnβt believe in a higher authority over himself.
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Politically: Letting Israel go would mean surrendering power and control.
3. βI do not know the LORDβ
In Hebrew, βto knowβ (yada) implies more than just information β it means relationship, recognition, intimacy. Pharaoh essentially says: βI have no relationship with this God, so I donβt have to obey Him.β
Spiritual Truth: Rebellion often begins with indifference toward Godβs character. Modern people donβt always say βI reject Godβ β they say, βI donβt need Him.β
Theological Meaning: Who is YHWH?
Pharaohβs question opens a deeper exploration:
Who is this βLORDβ (YHWH) Moses speaks of?
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YHWH is the sacred, personal name of God (Exodus 3:14).
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He is eternal β not created, but the source of all existence.
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He is holy β separate from sin, completely pure.
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He is merciful β the God of promise who seeks to set His people free.
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He is almighty β His words bring reality into being; His power surpasses all empires.
Godβs name is not mere information β it is revelation.
In biblical theology, Godβs name reflects His nature, identity, power, and faithfulness.
Egypt as a Symbol of Worldly Rebellion
In Scripture, Egypt often symbolizes a world system that opposes God:
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Isaiah 30:1β3: Israel seeks help from Egypt instead of from God.
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Revelation 11:8: Spiritually compares the world that crucified Christ to Egypt and Sodom.
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Ezekiel 29:3: Pharaoh is portrayed as a dragon in the Nile β a symbol of Satan.
Spiritual Principle: The spirit of Egypt still lives today β in systems and hearts that say:
βI do not know the LORD β and I donβt want to.β
Connections to the New Testament
John 17:3
βAnd this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.β
Jesus Himself answers Pharaohβs ancient question.
To know God, we must come to know Jesus Christ.
Eternal life is not just about heaven β itβs about relationship with God.
Spiritual Principles from Exodus 5
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Godβs commands are not negotiable β He requires obedience, not debate.
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People often reject God because they do not know Him β therefore He reveals Himself.
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True freedom begins with knowing God β Israel wasnβt just to leave Egypt but to come to God.
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God calls for worship, not just moral behavior β βLet My people go, that they may serve Me.β
Application for Life Today
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Do I truly submit to Godβs authority β or, like Pharaoh, do I resist when it costs me control?
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Am I willing to obey God even when itβs inconvenient or uncomfortable?
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How do I respond when God speaks β with humility or excuses?
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Do others see through my life who the LORD is?
Summary: What Does This Passage Teach Us About God?
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God is the LORD β personal, powerful, demanding, and faithful.
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He calls His people out of bondage and from systems that deny Him.
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He confronts every power that challenges His rule.
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He reveals Himself β even to those who donβt yet know Him β because of grace.
Key Verse to Memorize
Exodus 5:2
βWho is the LORD, that I should obey His voice…? I do not know the LORD.β
Lesson: Every person will eventually face this question β and their answer determines their eternity.
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Answers to the Questions
Question 1: How did Pharaoh respond to Godβs command, βLet My people goβ (see Exodus 5:1β2), and what is the significance of his reaction?
Biblical Answer:
In Exodus 5:1β2, Moses β together with Aaron β approaches Pharaoh with a clear message:
βThus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.β
But Pharaoh does not respond with fear or reverence. Instead, he replies with a mix of contempt, pride, and outright rejection:
βWho is the LORD, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.β
This answer is more than just a refusal β it is a direct challenge to God Himself. Pharaoh makes two statements:
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βWho is the LORD?β
This is not a sincere question. Itβs rhetorical, born of arrogance. Pharaoh knew many gods β Egypt was a polytheistic culture β but YHWH, the God of Israel, was unknown to him. Instead of seeking understanding, he dismissed Him outright. -
βI do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.β
This shows a deliberate rejection of Godβs authority. βI do not know Himβ here means more than ignorance β it means βI do not recognize Him as someone I must submit to.β
Theological Significance:
This reaction reveals several deep spiritual truths:
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Rebellion against Godβs rule: Pharaoh refuses to acknowledge any power above himself. As the king of Egypt, he was even considered divine. Godβs demand directly threatens that perceived supremacy.
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A symbol of human rebellion: Pharaoh represents the human heart without God β proud, independent, defiant. This theme stretches throughout the Bible: humanity wants to be its own god (cf. Genesis 3).
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A type of the godless world system: Egypt often represents the world in Scripture β a system that resists or ignores God. Revelation 11:8 symbolically links the crucifixion of Christ with βEgypt and Sodom.β
βThis is atheism, and the land symbolized by Egypt denies the living God in a similar way and displays the same unbelieving and defiant spiritβ (VSL 246).
Spiritual Application:
Pharaohβs reaction still speaks today. Many ask:
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βWho is God that I should listen to Him?β
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βWhy should I shape my life by ancient religious rules?β
Answer: Because God is the Creator and Ruler over all. His will leads to life β but human pride leads to destruction and judgment. Pharaoh eventually experienced God’s power through the ten plagues β yet his heart remained hard.
Lesson for today:
Those who ignore God’s voice will encounter Him sooner or later β either through grace or through judgment.
But those who respond with humility will find freedom, guidance, and life.
Question 2: What would you say if someone asked, βDo you know the LORD?β If you answered βYes,β how would you describe Him β and why?
Personal Answer:
If someone asked me, βDo you know the LORD?β, I would say wholeheartedly:
βYes β I know Him. Not just with my head, but with my heart. Not just from books, but through real encounters. Not just as a concept, but as living reality.β
I know Him as:
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Father β who loves me despite my failures.
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Redeemer β who bought my life through Jesus, not with silver or gold, but with His own blood.
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Friend β who stood by me when no one else did.
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King β who rules even when the world seems in chaos.
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Teacher β who guides, convicts, comforts, and corrects me through His Word.
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Holy Spirit β who fills me, leads me, strengthens me, and transforms me β day by day.
Biblical Reference:
βNow this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.β (John 17:3)
To know God is not merely religion β itβs relationship, identity, and life.
In Hebrew, βto knowβ (yada) implies intimacy, recognition, and experience β not just intellectual knowledge.
I do not know God because I am good β
I know Him because He revealed Himself:
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Through His Word β living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
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Through Jesus Christ β the exact image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
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Through personal encounters with His grace and faithfulness.
Why do I describe Him this way?
Because I have experienced Him:
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In moments of deep guilt β when He forgave me instead of condemning me.
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In times of fear β when He gave me peace beyond understanding.
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In weakness β when His strength was made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
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In decisions β when His Spirit guided me when I had no answers.
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In community β through people who reflect His love, goodness, and truth.
What does it mean to know God?
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Not just talking about Him β but talking with Him.
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Not just reading about Him β but encountering Him.
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Not just believing in Him β but loving, honoring, and trusting Him with all your heart.
When I say βI know the LORD,β I mean:
I belong to Him. And He belongs to me.
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Spiritual Principles
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God reveals Himself to those who seek Him β and resists the proud.
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The spirit of Pharaoh still lives today β in systems, governments, and hearts that deny Godβs authority.
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The question βWho is the LORD?β exposes the real condition of the heart.
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God does not only desire obedience β He wants to be known and loved.
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Application for Daily Life
We meet people who ask:
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βIs there really a God?β
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βWhy believe in something I canβt see?β
In those moments, we are like Moses standing before Pharaoh β not before a literal king, but before proud, skeptical hearts.
Your testimony, your lifestyle, and how you respond to joy and suffering can show people who the LORD is.
Ask yourself:
Does my life reflect a God who is alive, holy, and gracious?
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Conclusion
Pharaohβs defiant question β βWho is the LORD?β β
became the path to his downfall.
But the same question can become a doorway for people today β
a path to discovering God and receiving eternal life.
Because Jesus said:
βThis is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.β (John 17:3)
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Thought of the Day
βThe greatest mistake a person can make is not doubting God β but deliberately ignoring Him.β
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Illustration β Who is the LORD?
A story about control, doubt, and divine encounter in the 21st century
Chapter 1: The King of the Glass Tower
He was a man people either knew β or feared.
Vincent Delmar, 52, was the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar energy conglomerate based in Frankfurt. He ruled over a corporation that spanned continents, controlled resources, and influenced political decisions. In the business world, he was called βThe King of the Glass Towerβ β referring to his futuristic steel-and-glass headquarters that loomed like a fortress over the city.
Vincent believed in efficiency, power, and control.
He did not believe in God.
Religion? An outdated superstition.
God? A psychological construct.
Believers? Weak people.
βI am the master of my own destiny,β he once said in an interview.
And he truly believed it.
Chapter 2: The Disruption
One Monday, he was informed of strikes forming at one of the companyβs subsidiaries β of all places, the Africa branch in the Nuba region of Sudan. The company had operated a copper mine there for years. Workers had stopped operations. The reason: alleged inhumane working conditions, environmental damage β and a new leader.
A man named Musa β a former engineer, now an activist and Christian.
An internal report landed on Vincentβs desk. At the top was a quote Musa had spoken to the site managers:
βThus says the LORD, the God of justice: Let my people go, that it may go well with them, that they may live and not die.β
Vincent leaned back, annoyed.
βWho is this βLordβ?β he muttered.
Then he said it out loud β almost like Pharaoh once did:
βWho is the LORD, that I should obey Him? I donβt know this God β and I wonβt let these people go.β
Chapter 3: The Crack in the Foundation
What started as a small conflict escalated into a storm.
News reports. Scandals. Whistleblowers.
Emails were leaked showing internal cover-ups.
Then: a catastrophe.
A section of the mine collapsed. People died. Among them β Musa.
Vincent was not prosecuted β his lawyers took care of that.
But something inside him began to fracture.
The night he received news of Musaβs death, Vincent sat alone in his penthouse. No sleep. No comfort. Just a deep, unsettling restlessness.
Chapter 4: The Question
Three weeks later, his doorbell rang.
A young man, about 30, stood outside. He was slim, simply dressed, holding a small Bible in one hand.
βMy name is Yohannes. I was a friend of Musa.
He told me to give this to you, in case he… didnβt come back.β
Vincent was about to dismiss him, but something made him pause.
Yohannes handed him a handwritten letter.
Inside, it read:
βVincent, if youβre reading this, I may be dead.
I know youβll probably think youβve won.
But Iβve prayed β for you.
Not that you would lose, but that you would come to know the LORD.
Not just any god.
I mean the LORD β the One I knew.
I followed His call, just like Moses once did.
You responded like Pharaoh.
But I pray your heart doesnβt remain like Pharaohβs.
Ask yourself: Do you know the LORD?β
Yohannes didnβt wait for a reply. He nodded gently and walked away.
Chapter 5: The Turning Point
Vincent couldnβt shake the words.
He started reading. At first hesitantly β then with growing hunger.
First the book of Exodus. Then the Gospel of John. Then the Psalms.
He read about a God who does not remain silent.
A God who delivers.
A God who reveals Himself β even to proud men.
One verse burned in his memory β Exodus 5:2:
βI do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.β
And he realized:
That was me. That is me.
One night, with tears streaming down β for the first time in years β
Vincent knelt on the cold floor of his living room and prayed:
βLordβ¦ if You existβ¦ if You truly are the One they call βI AMββ¦
then reveal Yourself to me. I want to know You. I want to obey You.
I no longer want to be the lord of my own life.β
Chapter 6: The New Way
Two years later, Vincent was no longer a CEO.
He had left the corporation and invested most of his wealth into environmental restoration and social justice β not out of guilt, but from love.
He traveled to Africa.
He visited the families of the victims β and Musaβs grave.
And there, he said out loud:
βNow I know the LORD.β
Epilogue: The Encounter
A journalist met Vincent at a human rights event.
He asked: βHow can a man like you β once so powerful β become a believer?β
Vincent smiled.
βYou know, I used to be just like Pharaoh:
βWho is the LORD, that I should obey Him?βBut now, I know better.
I know Him.
He is the God who called me, even when I ran away.
He is the God who warned me, even when I was deaf.
He is the God who transformed me, even when I was broken.And now β He is the Lord of my life.β
Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-3-rough-start-3-1-who-is-the-lord-exodus-living-faith/