Seems simple enough, right? Except Moses knew better. He knew the hearts of his people, the Israelites.
The text tells us, "The last was a most difficult task." See, this wasn't just about facing a powerful king. It was about convincing a nation broken by slavery that freedom was even possible. A nation that had, perhaps, lost faith.
And Moses, ever the advocate for his people, voiced his doubts. As the text says, the words of God concerning this task wrung the exclamation from Moses: "See, the children of Israel will not hearken unto me. How, then, should Pharaoh hearken unto me?"
He was essentially saying, "God, they don't trust me! They won't listen! What makes you think Pharaoh, the most powerful man in Egypt, will be any different?" It's a poignant moment, isn't it? Moses, the reluctant prophet, pleading on behalf of his people, and perhaps even questioning the logic of the mission itself.
This marked the third time Moses declined to go on God's errand. And let's be honest, even divine patience has its limits.
Now, according to Legends of the Jews, something shifted. "Now the Divine patience was exhausted, and Moses was subjected to punishment."
What was this punishment? Not fire and brimstone, not a plague, but something perhaps more subtle, more profound.
"At first God had revealed Himself only to Moses, and the original intention had been that he alone was to perform all the miracles, but henceforth the word of God was addressed to Aaron as well, and he was given a share in doing the wonders."
Moses was no longer the sole conduit of the divine. Aaron, his brother, was now brought into the fold. He would share the burden, and also the glory, of the miracles to come.
Think about that for a moment. Was this a punishment, or was it a necessary evolution? Was it a way of saying that even the greatest leaders need support, that even the most daunting tasks are best faced together? Perhaps it was a lesson in humility, a reminder that even Moses, chosen by God, couldn't do it all alone.