Last Rabbeinu Bahye on Parshat Shemot Explains Geula Delay and More

Rabbeinu Bahye:

... And also here, HKB"H's answer to Moshe, "Now you will see that which I will do..." means that this suffering is only to double the reward over the reward that they would have received earlier.  This is  "Now you will see."  And the success and tranquility for Par'oh is only to double his punishment over the punishment that he would have received earlier.  And this is what is meant by, "...that which I will do to Par'oh."  In other words, I already prepared the plagues for him, and because of this was the reason that the work should be more burdensome from the day that I sent you - in order to double the punishment over the punishment that they would have received earlier and to strengthen the reward for Israel when they withstand the suffering and take it with love.

And you should know that the matters of this first exile is a hint to the the matters of our final exile in which we are currently with the servitude and suffering at the hands of the Kingdom of (Aram) [Edom] and we hope for the salvation of Hashem Yitbarach, as David ע"ה said about this matter (Tehilim 130:6): "My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning; yea, more than watchmen for the morning." Waiting and waiting again. And if the Redemption will be delayed in coming, everything is to add good reward for us and to favor us in the end - and to add punishment to those who subjugated us.

And just as we find that the hour was pushed for Israel in Egypt starting at the time that the first redeemer [Moshe Rabbeinu] came before Par'oh and said to him that in the words of Hashem Yitbarach, "Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness," and afterwards, the work was made more burdensome, and hatred was awakened against them and it was very much increased over what it was, so too in our Future Redemption, in the exile, the final redeemer will awaken hatred between the nations and Israel and will increase servitude over the servitude that existed earlier.

And the redeemer will be revealed and then be covered in order to fool the nations and to harden their hearts, as we find by the Redemption from Egypt that Moshe was revealed to them, but then was hidden again from them. And this is what Raza"l were Doreish [on the verse] "And they met Moses and Aaron" - after 6 months, HKB"H was revealed in Midyan and told [Moshe]: "Go, return into Egypt."  Moshe came from Midyan and Aharon from Egypt, and the Israelite officers met them when they were exiting Par'oh's presence.  And similarly Midrash Hazit (Shir Hashirim 2) was Doreish [on the verse] דּוֹמֶה דוֹדִי לִצְבִי: Just as a deer is seen and is covered and is seen again, so too, the first redeemer [Moshe] was seen by them, and then was covered from them, and was then seen again by them.  And how long was he covered from them?  Ribbi Tanhuma says: 3 months.  This is the meaning of the verse "And they met Moses and Aaron".  Ribbi Yehuda B"R [?] says לקריסין - in other words, an expression of once-in-a-while meetings.  And similarly, the future redeemer [Mashiah] will be revealed and then hidden again as this Redemption is destined to mimic the Redemption from Egypt in many matters.  And similarly, the prophet says (Micha 7:15), "As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things."

And when the Keitz will come closer, there will be great troubles and these will continuously intensify, and this is a sign of salvation for Israel.  And it similarly says in Midrash [and Sanhedrin 98a on the verse] (Yeshaya 59:19) "for distress will come in like a flood, which the breath of the LORD driveth" that if you see a generation where many troubles are coming upon it like a river, wait for him, as it says "for distress will come in like a flood, which the breath of the LORD driveth" and next to it, it says, "And a redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD."