We are in Exodus chapter five with our word for today. פָּגַע fall on, strike upon, to strike, attack, assail, meet, press someone, encounter, afflict suddenly in an adverse way. It is used 44 times in the Old Testament. We find our word used to describe putting to death. 1 Samuel 22:17-18 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to לִפְגֹ֖עַ strike the priests of the Lord. The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and וּפְגַ֖ע strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and וַיִּפְגַּע struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 2 Samuel 1:15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, פְּגַע execute him!” So he struck him down, and he died. We also see it used in the sense of being harassed or assaulted. Ruth 2:22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be יִפְגְּעוּ harmed.” This range of meaning from being harassed all the way to death is how we see our word used in our chapter today. Exodus 5:3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he יִפְגָּעֵ֔נוּ fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” The context surrounding our word clarifies it’s meaning. Pestilence can be simply harassment whereas the sword can mean serious injury even death.
This is the idea that all sin has consequences to it. There is a consequence to not obeying God. The reason for the request is to avoid this consequence of not going and worshiping God. The people are saying we don’t want the result that would come from not going and worshiping God. We might be tempted to think that God is trying to manipulate the people into worshiping him or else. But this is not the case. God knows what is best for us. He loves us and is for us. Romans 8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
So Moses and the people are ready to obey God and go and worship Him. But Pharaoh is not and he will find out what the consequences are of not obeying God. It took 430 years but God brought about justice on Egypt who failed to bless God’s people and therefore received a curse instead of God’s blessing. I’ll close with this great reminder that Jesus was the one that came and paid the price for our sins. He was not only harassed but also put to death in our place as the consequence of our sin. Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has הִפְגִּ֣יעַ laid on him the iniquity of us all.
