God’s initial plan for the Exodus, as outlined to Moshe, did not go exactly as foretold. The nation did indeed accept and believe Moshe’s message, but their level of cooperation was lower than God’s words might have led us to expect. The text makes it clear that Moshe and Aharon entered alone to speak with Pharaoh, unaccompanied by the elders. Pharaoh’s answer to them is likewise formulated in the second person, as he speaks about the nation in the third person. In fact, the story of the Exodus is characterized by passivity on the part of Bnei Yisrael throughout. Since it would seem that the initial plan had intended otherwise, we must try to understand what changed, and why.
Through an examination of the text as well as verses in Yechezkel, we learn that as a response to the nation’s unwillingness to cooperate, God declares that from this point onwards, He will lead the process unilaterally. In view of the inability on the part of the people to rise to the occasion and choose courageously the option that God offers them, God does not rely on their contribution for His guidance of history. They cry for Divine aid, but then observe the events unfolding before them as onlookers, failing to grasp their role and responsibility.
