Exodus 10
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them 2 that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to 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. 4 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. 5 They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. 6 They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s officials said to 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 is ruined?”
8 Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”
9 Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.”
10 Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil.[a] 11 No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12 And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.”
13 So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; 14 they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”
18 Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea.[b] Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
The Plague of Darkness
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”
25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”
27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”
29 “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 10:10 Or Be careful, trouble is in store for you!
- Exodus 10:19 Or the Sea of Reeds
Worth the Pain?
Exodus 10:1-2
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”
I truly believe that our Heavenly Father cares for each person in the time that they live. But what does He say here about the pain the Egyptians were feeling? He says He is plaguing the Egyptians – at least partly – so that the Israelites could tell future generations about what the Lord did.
One of the reasons we experience pain and hardship is to be a lesson to other people. God always brings good out of bad, right? So, if we understand that God is using our personal circumstances, the situation of our country, the culture of our generation to teach other people and even future generations, we can accept what we’re going through more easily. We see that God will bring good out of the bad we’re going through.
Your situation isn’t just about you; it’s for other people as well.
How Long Will You Rebel?
Exodus 10:7
Pharaoh’s officials said to 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 is ruined?”
How long do we rebel against God? Don’t we realize that not submitting to Him only brings us ruin? If we accept His Kingship over us, He is gracious to us and blesses us. He gives us joy and ends our misery. We can have peace in Him, even when everything else around us is falling apart.
If you haven’t surrendered to Him completely, do it now. How long will you hold out? You’ll have to give in eventually or be separated from Him forever.
Can’t Bargain with God
Exodus 10:8-11
Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”
Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.”
Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
Can I tell you that you can’t bargain with God to still get what you want? Pharaoh was at a bending point after the plagues. He was willing to give in a little but not completely. He was willing to lose his current slave workforce by letting the men go, but he wanted to keep the women and children to grow a new workforce.
The thing is that God doesn’t want us to bend to His will. He wants to break us for Himself – and then remake us in His image. He wants us to die to ourselves and surrender completely to Him. Why? Because it’s for our good to do so. As our Creator and Heavenly Father, He is the only one who knows what we are supposed to be like. He is the only one who can shape us to be what we were meant to be.
Don’t hold back on God. Don’t tell Him, “I’ll do this, but I still want that.” Pray today and say, “You can have everything. I give it all to You. I give all of myself to You.” And see how you feel afterward :-)
How Are the Winds Blowing?
Exodus 10:13-19
So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”
Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
God brought an east wind to carry the locusts in. He brought a west wind to carry them out. God can change how the winds blow. Metaphorically, how are the winds blowing in your life? Are you remembering that God can – and will – change how the winds are blowing?
Light Surrounded by Darkness
Exodus 10:21-23
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
All Egypt was covered in darkness – except where the Israelites lived. They had the light.
It’s the same with believers today. No matter how much darkness there is in the world today, no matter how completely the eyes of the people of this world are blinded by the darkness, we have the light. And it’s not because we have any light of our own. It’s because our Heavenly Father has been gracious to keep His light shining in our hearts and minds.
I encourage you today to remember that you have the light. Walk in the light and get as much of the Father’s light as you can. Don’t be afraid to shine that light – even if the darkness makes the people of the world hate you for it. Some of them will see that the light is better than the darkness, and that makes all of the Lord’s – and all of our – efforts worth it. Amen?
No comments:
Post a Comment