8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.
Sometimes as we read the Scriptures we rush right past some important details. I did this very thing this morning. Moses has just been told that all the firstborn in the land will die. He is not allowed to talk to Pharaoh again. He has been banned from his presence. I think Moses spoke before Pharaoh one more time, even with the threat of death hanging over his head. Notice that the text says “these officials of yours.” I can see Moses’ hand pointing out the officials as he is standing talking to Pharaoh, right as he is about to leave. It sounds as though Moses is recounting exactly what he said to Pharaoh. Imagine the holy boldness that took to talk this way to Pharaoh. Moses tells Pharaoh that his very own officials will come and bow before him, instead of bowing before Pharaoh. What in insult! I think if I were Pharaoh I might have been tempted to kill Moses right then and there just to prevent it. It is also interesting that Pharaoh is not included in this group who will release Moses and the Hebrews. Because Pharaoh has hardened his heart and the Lord has responded with a hardening of His own, Pharaoh pursues his sinful course to the end. He will end up losing everything of value to him. His firstborn son will die. As Moses gets ready to leave Pharaoh’s presence he is so angry that his anger shows on the outside. It is OK to be angry, even anger that can be seen. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to show my anger on the outside. I like to hold it in, keep it secret. At this point Moses lets it show in a big way. Sometimes it is OK to let your anger show, but this is a rare occasion for Moses. Moses’ anger gets him in trouble at the end of his life.
The Arnold Journey 