When God is telling Moses exactly what to expect upon his arrival in Egypt, He tells Moses to originally ask Pharaoh for a three-day leave for God’s people to go into the wilderness and make sacrifices to God.
On the surface, this doesn’t seem like that unreasonable a request. After all, even though the people are technically slaves, they still represent a massive force in his empire. The ability to placate them with a simple three day trek into the wilderness is a layup. Who wouldn’t allow that to keep a couple million people in happy subjection?
Consider the purpose of the request, though. Moses is asking Pharaoh, a man who believes he is a god, for permission to wander into the wilderness and worship a different God (the real One). That’s borderline treason; why would he willingly allow a people to worship anyone other than him?
But here’s an even bigger question: Why does God tell Moses to make the request in the first place? If the goal is to take them to the Promised Land, why do a pump fake by asking for a three day journey into the wilderness?
I’ve long since given up speaking for God, but in my opinion, this request is designed to show the nation of Israel the darkness of Pharaoh’s heart.
Remember, when Moses is told to go speak to Pharaoh, he’s told two things: First, that the nation would respond favorably, and second, to take the elders with you to go meet Pharaoh. This puts Pharaoh into a terrible position. If he says no to Moses’ request, not only is he refuting a very popular proposition, but he’s doing so in front of the movers and shakers of the entire nation.
You would think a normal person would be moved by this, but Pharaoh isn’t “normal.” In fact, not only does he refuse Moses’ request, but he increases their labors as a result. Because they have so much free time, Pharaoh argues, why not use it to make more bricks (Exodus 5:6-9)?
The request for a three day trip was never going about the three day trip, it was to show just how much Pharaoh wanted to maintain control over the people. It drove a previously antagonistic relationship right to the point of hatred, where Pharaoh drives the people out forcibly and the people are all too ready to leave.
You’ve probably experienced the same thing in talking to people about the Gospel. You may bring up a simple request to study the Bible with someone. You’ll even buy the coffee! And yet the person not only refuses, but refuses angrily. How dare you try to talk to them about the Gospel!
We do the same when we respond to people who want to talk to us about our sin. If someone kindly approaches us about something they’ve noticed in our life, and we respond hatefully, we’re no better than Pharaoh. We may not be balking at a three-day trip into the wilderness, but our unreasonableness is revealed when we reject even the most reasonable of requests.