1. Exodus 6:1 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How does God react to Moses’ questioning (in Exodus 5:22-23)?

Exodus 6:1 (ESV)

1 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

He does not punish Moses and does not give excuses or an explanation. In his patience, God allows Moses to question him and voice his objections.

God is not a dictator who does not tolerate contradiction, but he is a Father full of patience and understanding. And then he repeats his promise. In the continuation (starting in Exodus 6:2), he sends Moses back to work.

We read more often in the Bible that prophets lose hope and complain: Elijah in 1 Kings 19:1–21 and Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20:14–18. God patiently lets them finish what they are saying, and then sends them back to work.