Exodus 5-8

“Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” (5:2).  Pharaoh didn’t know the God of Abraham.  The Hebrew slaves didn’t have a clear picture of Him, either, after hundreds of years in Egypt.  Some, like the midwives, had faith strong enough to inspire defiance.  Others simply suffered quietly, without hope.  “They did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage” (5:9). 

The plagues forced Pharaoh to free the Israelites.  But they also taught the unbelieving Israelites about their God: He is the One who hears our cries and comes to rescue us (Ex 2:24).