Exodus 10:1-11
Tell Your Children What I Have Done
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
2and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”
3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
4But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
5They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields.
6They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
7Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
9“We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil.
11No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD tells Moses to go to Pharaoh because he has hardened Pharaoh's heart and the hearts of his servants. God says the signs are to be told to children and grandchildren so that Israel may know that he is the LORD.
Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and ask how long he will refuse to humble himself and let the people go. If he refuses, locusts will cover the land and eat what the hail left. They will fill the houses and be unlike anything their ancestors have seen.
Pharaoh's servants ask how long this man will be a snare. They urge Pharaoh to let the men go so they may serve the LORD. Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron back and asks who will go. Moses answers that they will go with young and old, sons and daughters, flocks and herds, because they must hold a feast to the LORD.
Pharaoh refuses and says that only the men may go, because that is what they are asking. He drives Moses and Aaron out. His offer is another attempt to control who may worship and what freedom will mean.
The command to tell children turns memory into a responsibility. Israel is not to keep deliverance as private family folklore; it is to explain God's acts across generations while the conflict is still unfolding.
Questions
1 Why does Moses tell Pharaoh's officials what the LORD has done in Egypt?
AnswerGod announces the locust plague and commands Israel to tell future generations, while Pharaoh offers only partial freedom and refuses to release the whole people.
2 What do Moses and Aaron say about which people must go to worship?
AnswerMoses says that young and old, sons and daughters, flocks and herds must go because the entire community must worship the LORD.
3 Why does the command to tell children matter in a story of judgment and deliverance?
AnswerIt invites truthful remembrance, complete rather than partial obedience, and humility about the way power tries to limit another person's freedom.
4 What work of God's mercy should our household explain to the next generation?
AnswerThe household can tell a child a truthful story of God's faithfulness and examine one compromise that leaves someone important out of worship or responsibility.
What This Means for Us
Pharaoh tries to define worship on his terms: the men may go, but families and resources must remain. Moses refuses because God's call includes the whole people. A household should be alert when a powerful person offers freedom that still keeps dependents under control.
Telling children what God has done is more than reciting victories. It includes honesty about oppression, waiting, fear, and God's faithfulness. Children deserve truthful answers suited to their age, not either frightening detail or polished silence.
Memory also creates responsibility. If God has rescued us from a pattern, we should not rebuild it for someone else. The story we tell should match the freedom and care our household practices.
Ask, “Who is being left out of the freedom we claim?” Tell the truth and take one step toward fuller, safer participation.
Prayer
LORD, help us remember your works and tell the truth to the next generation. Expose partial freedoms that preserve control, and make our household a place where every person can worship and serve with dignity. Amen.