Today's readings from the Chronological Plan are Exodus 7:14-9:35. Click here to read online.
Miriam said it VERY well yesterday about Pharaoh demonstrating his power by hardening his heart. Little did he know, the power of the Lord wouldn't make it easy for him.
Moses and Aaron changed the water of the Nile to blood. The fish died and stank. The Egyptians could no longer drink it's water and had to dig around it for their drinking water. The Egyptian magician's also did the sames things, and Pharaoh was not bothered.
Then came the plague of the frogs. Aaron stretched his hand over the waters and they came up and were everywhere! Although the magicians did this as well. I don't fully understand the purpose of the magicians doing these things as well. Perhaps it aided in the Pharaoh's denial of God.
It was Pharaoh who finally came up to Moses and Aaron, begging for them to get God to take away the hordes of frogs. He offered to let the people go, and Moses said he would pray for him and his people. Agreed. The next day they prayed, the frogs died and were piled in heaps, and yet again Pharaoh's heart was hardened.
This was followed by the plague of the gnats, the flies, the livestock, also plagues of boils and hail. Even the magicians told Pharaoh that this was the work of God!! But he refused to hear and acknowledge it.
It is important to note that the plague of the flies were not in the land of Goshen where the Isrealites lived. Their livestocks was also not affected. God wanted to make that 'distinction between my people and your people' Exodus 8:23.
Pharaoh promised twice that he would return the people. He broke that promise as many times. He only made those promised to end the plagues. To bring comfort to himself. As soon as they were over he sinned and took back his promises. My Bible's insert says "It's quite easy for us to form the habit of keeping our word only when it's comfortable. Examine your dealings with others, and unlearn any sinful habits before, like Pharaoh, you must learn the hard way." Making promises and going through with them please people. It shows that you are loyal and can be trusted. If you take back those and do not pull through, it is harder for others to trust in you. We can trust in God, because he never fails on his promises!
God knew that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened each and every time. Pharaoh was stubborn. I see those qualities in myself at times. I beg God to change something that may not be going in my favor, then after? I forget and move on to the next thing until I need him to fix something again. He wants to be the CONSTANT in our lives. By denying Him, He does not remove Himself from the scene. It merely removes the opportunity to relate to God. He remains the same. Always there. Just waiting for you.
Tomorrow's reading are Exodus 10 - 12:51. Click here to read online.
2 comments:
Very good post. Interesting.
I was thinking a lot too about the purpose of the magicians being able to perform these tasks. I think your reasoning is good as far as it added to Pharaoh's stubborness.
I was realizing too that Satan has quite a bit of magical power. I'm assuming this since we know that the power of these men was not coming from God, so it had to come from Him (and we see later in the book of Acts the people dropping their magic practices and burning their books when they come to Christ). God let's this happen so the distinction can be shown as to who is more powerful. Satan did not have the power of life and death.
We tend to associate "magic" with such cultic and satanic conotations but I love when C.S. Lewis has Aslan say "there is a deeper magic still that the Witch did not know". God's magic is way more powerful and it makes Satan's stuff look like a little paper bag of tricks.
It's just something I've read too many times and not stopped to think about for a bit.
again...good thoughts!
So true Pam, and Mrs Oz!
It only makes sense that Pharaoh's magicians would try to conjure up the same "magic" as Moses did - and it makes sense that they were able to do it to a certain degree, as Satan does have some power. But I love it when it talks about Moses' snakes eating the magicians snakes, etc - showing the supremacy of God.
I love too how the Bible mentions a few times how the Israelites were spared the plagues. Do you think they were spared all of them? Or only the ones where it specifically says so?
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