Exodus 10 Devotional Bible Study

Exodus 10 Chapter Summary

Next came the plague of locusts, which ate up the fruit growing on the trees and the grain left in the fields. At this point, even Pharaoh’s officials encouraged him to let the Israelites go, but he would not.

Then came the plague of total darkness for three days, but there was light in Goshen.

 

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?