What is the meaning of Exodus 4:23? I told you to let My son go • The command is simple and direct. God, speaking through Moses (Exodus 4:22-23), identifies Israel as “My son, My firstborn.” By calling the nation His “son,” the LORD highlights covenant intimacy and rightful ownership (Hosea 11:1; Deuteronomy 14:1). • This isn’t a negotiation. It is the Creator’s authoritative summons to Pharaoh, a ruler who styles himself a god yet is being confronted by the true God (Exodus 9:1). • The literal reading shows God’s personal involvement: He Himself has spoken. There is no room to doubt the certainty of the command or His resolve to see it obeyed. so that he may worship Me • Deliverance has purpose: freedom to worship. God never liberates merely for autonomy; He frees for relationship and service (Exodus 3:12; 8:1; Psalm 95:6). • “Worship” (sometimes rendered “serve”) includes offering sacrifices and living in obedience. Israel’s identity is wrapped up in drawing near to the LORD (Exodus 19:4-6). • In refusing the request, Pharaoh is not just blocking travel plans; he is opposing the very reason Israel exists as God’s people (1 Peter 2:9). But since you have refused to let him go • Pharaoh’s refusal is willful and repeated (Exodus 7:13; 9:34). Each act of stubbornness hardens his heart further, illustrating Proverbs 29:1: “A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be broken.” • God’s patience gives space for repentance, yet persistent defiance invites escalating judgment (Romans 2:4-5). The text underscores human responsibility alongside divine sovereignty (Romans 9:17). • This line reminds every reader that hearing God’s word carries accountability; ignoring it has real consequences. behold, I will kill your firstborn son! • The warning is specific: loss of Egypt’s firstborn, culminating in the tenth plague (Exodus 11:5; 12:12). In an honor-based society, the firstborn represents strength, future, and legacy; God is striking at Egypt’s pride and security. • The judgment mirrors Egypt’s earlier violence against Israel’s sons (Exodus 1:15-22). God’s justice is measure-for-measure (Galatians 6:7). • The Passover rescue that follows points ahead to another Firstborn—God’s own Son—whose death secures deliverance for all who apply His blood by faith (John 3:16; Hebrews 11:28). summary Exodus 4:23 lays out a clear sequence: God commands Pharaoh to release His firstborn nation so they can worship; Pharaoh’s repeated refusal provokes a proportional, righteous judgment—the death of Egypt’s firstborn. The verse reveals God’s covenant love for His people, the purpose of redemption (worship), the seriousness of resisting His word, and a foreshadowing of the ultimate Passover accomplished through the greater Firstborn, Jesus Christ. |
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