Exodus 8:15 says, But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.  Pharaoh once again reneged on his promise.  There are many people today who will promise God anything when they are in trouble, but as soon as the trouble passes, they will forget everything they promised Him.  Verse sixteen says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.  God next told Moses to have Aaron hit the dust of the land and it would become lice. This would once again be something that would make all the people miserable and would not just affect Pharaoh alone.  Sins of the leaders of countries often affect the entire nation.  Verse seventeen declares, And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.  Once more when Aaron did as God directed, God delivered on his promise, just as He will for us today.  Verse eighteen adds, And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.  This time, the magicians of Egypt were unable to duplicate the event.  There is a limit on how much the world can duplicate the acts of God.  Verse nineteen states, Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.  The magicians finally admitted that what had happened was an act of God, but Pharaoh still hardened his heart against believing.  Verse twenty declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.  God once again sent Moses to Pharaoh to tell him that God said for Pharaoh to let His people go.  God will always give people plenty of opportunities to obey Him and let the sin in their lives go.  Verse twenty-one adds, Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.  God once again had Moses tell Pharaoh what would happen if he didn't obey, and that was swarms of flies.  Verse twenty-two adds,  And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.  God said that He would separate the land of Goshen, where His people lived, and they would not be infested with flies.  God said that this would show Pharaoh that God was indeed the God of the universe.  Though it may not be as drastic, God stills makes Himself known to the world today by our faith in Him.  As with Pharaoh, no matter what signs God gives us today, we can either believe that He is God by faith or reject Him from the hardness of our heart.  Verse twenty-three continues, And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.  Then verse twent-four concludes, And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.  God again said He was going to separate His people from the coming plague, and then He did what He said.  Aaron did not have to do anything this time, so there could be no doubt that it was God causing the swarms of flies to happen,  God still makes Himself known to people today, but many refuse to believe and harden their heart against Him.

Exodus 8:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.  Moses was to go to Pharaohs again with the same message.  We will never have a new message for people today, but it will always be Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected and Lord to all who believe.  Verse two states, And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:  Moses told Pharaoh of the next plague, which was frogs.  This was not to be just a few frogs.  Verse three adds, And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:  Frogs were going to  overrun everything, even their beds.  People today may never face many plagues in life, but they still need to listen to what God says.  Verse four continues,  And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.  The frogs weren't going to just affect Pharaoh, but all the people of Egypt.  Sin seldom just affects one person, especially if the sins are of those who are in power.   Verse five declares, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.  Aaron was once again told to use the rod over the river to bring forth the frogs.  Once more, the rod was nothing magical, but was simply there because of Moses lack of complete faith.  We should never have to ask God for a sign, but should simply accept His word by faith.  Verse six states, And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.  Aaron did what God said do, and that is why frogs came out of the river.  When we do what God says, we will be successful in life.  Verse seven declares, And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.  The magicians were once again able to duplicate the plague.  We should never underestimate the power of the forces of evil in the world.  Verse eight says, Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.  Pharaoh's magicians might have been able to duplicate the calling forth of the frogs, but evidently they couldn't get rid of them.  No matter how powerful the forces of evil cannot overcome God's work.  Pharaohs once again said if God would undo the plague he would let the people go.  Verse nine states, And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?  Moses asked Pharaohs when he wanted him to do this.  Verse ten adds, And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.  Pharaoh told Moses to do it tomorrow and Moses said he would so that Pharaoh would know that God was responsible.  When something good happens in our life, we need to always give God the credit.  Verse eleven declares, And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.  Moses said that the frogs would return to be in the river only.  Verse twelve states, And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.  Moses and Aaron left Pharaohs and Moses called on God.  When we tell someone what God is going to do, we must first make sure that we have talked to Him about it.  Verse thirteen proclaims, And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.  Then verse fourteen adds, And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.  The frogs died, and they left behind a stench.  Things that are caused by sin are always going to cause a spiritual stench.

Exodus 7:14 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.  God told Moses of the hardness of Pharoah's heart.  We can believe this was because God caused Pharaoh to be that way, but I believe that Pharaoh was responsible for his attitude toward God, just as every person is.  Verse fifteen states, Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.  God knew where Pharaoh was going to be the next morning, and told Moses to take the rod and meet Pharaoh at the river bank.   We need to be ready to go and witness to people today where they are when God sends us.  Verse sixteen adds, And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.  God once again told Moses to tell Pharaoh that He was the LORD God of Israel and that He was once again telling Pharaoh to let His people go.  As long as God sends us to witness to a person, even if that person does not listen the first time, we should continue to go and witness to them.  Verse seventeen continues, Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.  God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that he would use the rod to turn the river into blood.  We have no such signs today, and people probably wouldn't believe them if we did.  People must simply come to God through faith in Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse eighteen concludes, And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.  Moses was to tell the Pharaoh of the result of the river being turned to blood.  The fish would die, the river would stink and no one would want to drink from the river.  Spiritually, if someone doesn't accept Christ today, that person is in the same situation.  Everything in the life of someone who does not accept Christ spiritually stinks.  Verse nineteen declares, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.  God told Moses to have Aaron to us the rod to turn all the water in Egypt to blood.  Verse twenty states, And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.  Verse twenty-one adds, And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.  Moses and Aaron did what God commanded and God did what He said He would do.  We can always be certain of the promises of God.  Verse twenty-two states, And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.  We are told that the magicians of Egypt were able to duplicate turning the river into blood, but unless what Moses and Aaron did was just temporary, I am not sure how they were able to do so.  Anyway, it was enough that Pharaoh hardened his heart even further against God.  Though people in the world today may feel that they can do anything God can do, they can never bring salvation to themselves or the world.  Verse twenty-three adds, And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.  Pharaoh went back into his house, unconvinced by what Moses and Aaron had done.  Some people today are never going to be convinced that God is who He says He is.  Verse twenty-four states, And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.  Pharaoh was causing more work for the Israelites, and God was causing more work for the Egyptians.  Verse twenty-five concludes, And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.  A week passed with the river still the same.  No matter how much time passes, those who reject Christ will be cut off from the Living Water.

Exodus 7:1 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.  God said He had empowered Moses.  I don't believe that God meant that Moses was a literal god, but that Moses had the power of God behind him.  We will never be gods as followers of Christ, but we will have the power of God behind us when we proclaim His word to the world.  Verse two states, Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.  Through Aaron speaking, Moses was to tell Pharaoh everything that God told Moses to tell him.  Moses really didn't need Aaron to speak for him, and we don't need someone else to speak for us today to share God's word with the world.  The purpose of God then was to set the people of Israel free from slavery in Egypt, and the purpose of the gospel today is to set people free from the bondage of sin, no matter where we are in the world.  Verse three adds,  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.  As I have said before, I don't believe that God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened so that God could show His power, but He knew that Pharaoh would not accept God's authority easily.  I don't believe that God is ever the cause of sin.  Today, many people will not accept Christ because they see no physical proof of His being Who He says He is, but that is not because God causes them to not believe.  Verse four continues, But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.  Moses didn't want to go and God told him Pharaoh would not listen to him, but that did not relieve Moses of the responsibility of going.  We may go to people today and share the gospel and they will never believe us, but that does not relieve us of the responsibility of going and sharing the gospel.  Verse five concludes, And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.  Just like the Egyptians, there is coming a day when everyone will know that God is indeed God, even those who harden their heart against Him today.  Verse six says, And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.  Moses and Aaron did what God had commanded, just as we must today as followers of Christ.  Verse seven adds, And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.  Moses was eighty and Aaron was eighty-three at this time, but they were not too old to do what God called them to do.  When God calls us to do something for Him, we are neither too old nor to young to do whatever He calls us to do.  Age should not limit us in doing what God calls us to do.  Verse eight declares, And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,  Then verse nine adds, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.  God knew Pharaoh was going to demand a sign to prove that Aaron and Moses represented God, and God told them to show Pharaoh the sign of the rod becoming a serpent.  People today may demand a sign that God is God when we present the gospel to them, but the only sign we can offer them is the change that Christ has made in our life.  Verse ten states, And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.  Moses and Aaron did what God had commanded them to do, just as we must today.  The rod became a serpent when Aaron cast it down.  Verse eleven declares, Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.  Pharaoh called his wise men and sorcerers and they were able to do the same thing with their rod.  Satan does have a certain amount of power in the world today, and there are those who believe that they can do anything God can do.  I believe this is even more so in the world today.  We are caught up in the new things that man is able to do that seem to be almost as powerful as what God can do.  I believe this is why salvation doesn't come from signs, but from simple faith.  Verse twelve adds, For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.  There was one difference, and that was that Aaron's rod swallowed all the others.  God's word and power today will swallow up all other claims of power on the part of people, but we must believe it for it to do us any good.  Verse thirteen concludes, And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.  Pharaoh still would not believe what God said through Aaron and Moses, even when he saw the superiority of God's sign to him.  We should not be surprised when people do not believe the sign off the cross today.

Exodus 6:1 says, Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.  God sent Moses to Pharaohs again.  God told Moses that he would see what He would do to Pharaoh. There is coming a day when the whole world will see what God will do to those who will not listen to His call to salvation.  Pharaoh was filled with self pride about his own power, but compared to God, it was nothing, and there is no power on earth that can stand when God comes in judgment.  Verse two states, And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:  Just as God declared to Moses, we need to always acknowledge that God is the only God.  The Israelite may have been complaining and Pharaoh may have been making life harder, but that wasn't what was important.  Who God is was what was important.  No matter how bad things may seem in life, as long as we are following God's direction, nothing else matters.  Verse three adds, And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.  God said that He was the same God that appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that they didn't know Him by the name JEHOVAH.  God would now show Himself to be a God Who did what He promised to those who came before, and One Who completed what He had started.  This is a promise that we can rest assured in.  God was the same God to Moses, but Moses was just going to see a greater revelation of Who God is.  God has never changed, but if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we have a greater understanding of Who He is.  Verse four continues, And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.  God said that He had established a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan, where they were strangers.  As followers of Christ today, God has promised us a new home in Heaven, to which we are strangers.  Verse five proclaims, And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.  God heard the suffering of the children of Israel because of the bondage of the Egyptians.  God had not abandoned them, nor has He abandoned us today even if we are suffering under the power of this world.  God's promise is still just as certain as it has always been.  Verse six adds, Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:  God told Moses to remind the children of Israel, His chosen people that He was God, and He would deliver them.  When we have struggles in life today as Christians, we must remember Who God is and that He has already delivered us from the power of sin and death.  Verse seven states, And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  God said that He would take the Israelites for His people and they would know that He was the LORD because He would deliver them from Egypt.  God would be making Himself known to the whole nation of Israel, and He makes Himself known to everyone in the world today.  By faith in Christ, we become a part of God's kingdom, but He will always be the One Who reveals Himself to us.  Verse eight concludes, And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.  God said He would fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that the people of Israel would know that He was God.  We cannot prove the existence of God today except by believing in Christ, and the proof will come with His return.  Verse nine declares, And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.  Moses told the children of Israel what God had said and they did not believe him because of their cruel bondage.  All we can do today is witness to the people of the world about Jesus Christ, but we cannot make them believe.  Some people are always going to see the things of this world, whether good or bad, as more important than God.  Verse ten says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Then verse eleven adds, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.  God once again sent Moses to speak to Pharaoh.  We need to be willing to go to people with the gospel as often as He sends us.  Verse twelve declares, And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?  Moses told God that he couldn't even get the children of Israel to listen, so he wondered how he could get Pharaoh to when Pharaoh wasn't even a part of God's chosen people.  Our responsibility is not to get people to believe, but simply to share the good news.  Then God takes over.  Verse thirteen states, And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.  God gave Moses and Aaron the charge of the children of Israel to bring them out of Egypt.  This would be accomplished by God's power.  God gives us the charge today, by His power, to bring people out of the bondage of sin by sharing the gospel.

Exodus 5:14 says, And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?  The Israelites over the other Israelites were beaten because the others had not met their quota.  Sometimes, we may suffer because of the actions of others, even if they and we are doing our best.  These were God's people, doing there best to meet worldly demands.  Verse fifteen states, Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?  The officers from Israel came to Pharaoh and asked why he was doing this.  We today very often hear that same question of why is this happening to me.  Verse sixteen adds, There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.  The leaders said that the demands were unreasonable, and that they were beaten because of something that was not their fault.  We do know that life today can be very unfair, even for those who follow Christ.  Verse seventeen declares, But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.  Pharaoh said that if they had enough time to go worship God, then they had enough time to do more work.  The world today will also try to keep us too busy to worship God.  Pharaoh attempted to force them to blame God for their problems.  Verse eighteen adds, Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.  The leaders were told that nothing was going to change, just as things today may not change if we make people aware of problems.  Verse nineteen says, And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. The officers saw that they were in a bad situation and told the people that they just had to continue.  Sometimes, all we can do is struggle on, but we must remain faithful to God as we do.  Verse twenty states, And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:  The leaders met with Moses and Aaron who stood in their way.  Moses and Aaron had to be curious about what Pharaoh said, just as we should know what the world is saying to Christians today.  Verse twenty-one adds, And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.  Basically, these leaders of the children of Israel, God's chosen people, told Moses and Aaron that their problems were all caused by Moses, Aaron and God.  We, as followers of Christ, God's people today, cannot blame religious leaders and especially cannot blame God when troubles come our way.  Verse twenty-two declares, And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?  Moses didn't argue with the people, but instead he questioned God.  We don't need to argue with people when they are angry with us about what God tells us to say to them.  We do need to go to God for the answer, but we don't need to go questioning why He told us to do what He told us to do.  Verse twenty-three adds, For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.  Moses said that it was all God's fault.  Moses had spoken to Pharaoh, and God had not delivered the children from evil.  Instead, things had only gotten worse.  We cannot allow worldly conditions to cause us to question God's love and salvation.

Exodus 5:1 says, And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.  Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh what God had said.  They said that God wanted Pharaoh to let His people go so they could hold a feast for Him in the wilderness.  God didn't even ask that His people be allowed to leave for good.  Some people today refuse even reasonable demands made by God, simply because they want nothing to reflect glory on Him.  Verse two states, And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.  Pharaoh asked the question that every person must ultimately ask, "Who is the LORD, and why must I obey Him?"  Even as followers of Christ, we may at times ask why must we obey God.  Verse three declares, And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.  Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh that he needed to let them go three days journey to worship God or there would be consequences.  Sometimes today, God's people aren't willing to go even a thirty minute or less drive to worship Him, and when they don't there are spiritual consequences.  Verse four says, And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.  Basically, Pharaoh, the authority of Egypt, told Moses and Aaron to tell the people to get back to work.  Those who do not believe in God today use every way possible to cause people to avoid worshipping God.  Verse five adds, And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.  Pharaoh said that there were too many Israelites to allow them to be released from their burdens, or work.  Worshipping God was the reason they were to be released.  What would happen today, in America especially, if all Christians stopped working for three days to worship God?  Verse six declares, And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,  Then verse seven adds, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. Pharaoh told those over the people of Israel to quit providing them with straw to make bricks, which would make it harder on them.  We should not be surprised if the people of the world today go out of their way to make life harder for Christians.  Verse eight continues, And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.  Pharaoh said that the amount of bricks made would not decrease, since evidently the Israelites had too much time on their hands if they wanted time off to worship God.  We may at times feel that we just have too many demands on us for us to take the time out to worship God, even without someone adding to our workload.  Verse nine concludes, Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.  Pharaoh said add to the work load so the people of Israel would not regard vain words.  Pharaoh regarded God's word as vain, or nothing.  We today cannot  allow God's word to mean nothing in our lives if we are to successfully follow Christ.  Verse ten says, And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.  The taskmasters told the people that Pharaoh had declared that they woul receive no straw to help make their bricks.  The people of Israel would have known that this was a direct result of Moses and Aaron going to Pharaoh on behalf of God.  I wonder how many questioned if it was worth it, and how many people today ask the same thing about following Christ if it is going to cost them materially.  Verse twelve adds, Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.  The work requirements were going to increase, but the amount of output required was going to be the same.  Verse twelve says, So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.  The people of Israel had to scatter everywhere through the land to find straw.  At times, it may feel like we have to work harder in order to serve God, and the question is if we feel that it is worth it.  Verse thirteen concludes, And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.  The taskmasters did not decrease the demand for production.  We should not be surprised today if the world attempts to make serving and worshipping God harder for us.