THE PLAGUES
Suggested Reading: Exodus 10-11
(click scripture link to read online)
The Great Lake at Karnak Temple is 2.5 km north of Luxor, Egypt
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, Click HERE.
Key Verse: Exodus 11:5
And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.
80 years earlier, the grandfather of the present Pharaoh ordered the death of all Israel’s boy babies. Moses is now threatened with death (Ex. 10:28-29). Some say that the decision for the final plague came from the mouth of Pharaoh himself. In verse eight it states that Moses was “hot with anger” when he left this last meeting with Pharaoh. According to Numbers 12:3, “Moses was very meek.” Meekness means “strength under control.” When all else fails, God brings severe judgement. We cannot trifle with God or view Him as a celestial Santa Claus. We are to love God and fear God at the same time. There is a tension here that brings balance. We embrace God, who cares for His people, but at the same time God, who will accomplish His purposes, has the right to pronounce and execute judgement.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Almighty and eternal God, Your judgement fell upon Your firstborn and only begotten Son, Jesus, our Saviour and our Lord. I thank You with all my heart that Your love and Your judgement came together at the Cross. You suffered greater pain than any of us can begin to comprehend. I love You and I fear You. I come boldly before You because Jesus took my place. In His Name I pray. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I wonder about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Yes, God sent plagues of increasing severity. It was Pharaoh’s reaction to God’s actions that produced the hard heart. In slave-based economies, slaves represented the greatest wealth of the nation. I’ve watched several times the movie on the life of that great Christian, Wilberforce, who brought about the deliverance of the slaves in Britain and throughout the Empire. If you’ve not seen this or read the book by Eric Metaxas on which the movie was based, I urge you to avail yourself of his history of this modern Moses (find the book HERE or the movie HERE). The Civil War in the United States was over the issue of the slavery of God’s children. Refresh your knowledge of that period by reading about President Lincoln or watch a movie. Many more deaths resulted because of America’s struggle than occured in ancient Egypt. In the Cairo museum there is a mummy that the scholars identlfy as the body of the Pharaoh of the exodus. I’ve gazed several times at this semi-decomposed body and drew my own conclusions as stated here.
Yours for freedom to do the will of God,
David
REMINDER: If you are reading the email version and wish to post a comment on my blog, go to www.100words.ca and “Leave a Reply.”
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Faith is a journey, and as you mentioned David, this journey requires a healthy measure of love and fear as we humble ourselves before our Lord. An unbeliever may not understand how we can love God and yet fear Him at the same time. I view this ‘fear’ as an awesome reverence and respect before a Holy God. Sort of a ‘take your sandals off Moses, your standing on Holy ground’ moment! Rather than any sense of ‘fear’ of losing my status as a child of God or God clobbering me, nothing of this sort. But this isn’t to say that God won’t have the final word. As I’ve stated before, we will All stand before Him, both the believer and the unbeliever, in final judgement. Speaking for myself, I would much rather approach our Holy God of love and justice as a believer than an unbeliever!
My prayer is the same as yours David
Lianne Hogg
I love you 100 words, it is wonderful to start the day with you and the words
from God himself……..thanks so much, am looking forward to meeting you
and your wife on the tour in Nov.
Good Morning David…
A Healthy Fear…. not like we know it in the world….but with great Awe ..for He is God….
Sending Prayers for your day as we journey…. Love your 100 words this am….
Thanks for the Link…very helpful……until later…….
Exodus covers every aspect of salvation, redemption, deliverance and Divine guidance. The interesting discussion is did Pharoah have a free will.? Did God harden his heart or did he harden his own heart? Pharaoh persisted in his determination, resulting in God’s Judgment according to Rom. 1:17-22 God gave him over to his stubbornness and note how many of his people suffered the consequences of his disobedience. What amazing lessons for today.!