Overview (Verses 42 - 44)

Moses’ Mission Outlined
 
Having made this very clear to Moses, God gives him his first instructions: Go forth, then, you and your brother, with My signs, and never slacken in remembering Me. Go forth, both of you, to Pharaoh; for he has transgressed all bounds of equity! But speak to him mildly, so that he may yet take heed, or may be filled with apprehension. (Verses 42-44) Moses is told to go with his brother Aaron, equipped with the signs God has given them. He has seen two of these in the transformation affecting his staff and his hand. They are told not to slacken in remembering God, for such remembrance is the best equipment and support they can have. Moses is reminded that God protected him from Pharaoh and his wickedness even when he was a helpless child, thrown in the Nile. Nothing of that hardship caused him any harm. Now that he has completed his training, he can approach his task with ease and reassurance, trusting to God’s care.
 
As Moses is directed to go to Pharaoh, he is told that Pharaoh has transgressed all bounds and resorted to tyranny and oppression. Nevertheless, his instruction is that he and his brother are to “speak to him mildly.” (Verse 44) Mild and gentle words which do not trigger a hardening of attitude or insolence and arrogance, which is commonly adopted by tyrants, may yet reawaken Pharaoh’s heart and alert him to the consequences of his actions. Thus, Moses and Aaron were to go about their task, hoping that Pharaoh might take heed, and never despairing of his reform and positive response to God’s guidance. An advocate of faith who gives up on people and thinks that they never respond positively to his message cannot deliver it in the way it should be delivered. Nor is he able to hold on to it in the face of rejection and denial.
 
God certainly knew how Pharaoh would respond, but taking the necessary measures in preaching God’s message is prerequisite. God takes people to account after they act, even though He is aware of their actions before they are made. His knowledge of future events is the same as His knowledge of the present and the past.