“Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.”
The new order continues: but require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Pharaoh's interpretation of the people's request — laziness — reveals his complete incapacity to conceive of the divine claim on human beings. He cannot imagine that a slave might have a God whose summons overrides a master's command. The word lazy here, nirpim, means slack or slack-handed, and Pharaoh will use it again in verse 17. His diagnosis is always human weakness, never divine authority. 1 Kings 18:17 records another ruler calling the prophet a troubler of Israel; Matthew 26:8 records disciples calling Mary's anointing a waste. The language of those who cannot see the holy is always productivity, pragmatism, and the accusation that worship is luxury. It is not. It is the most necessary human act.
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