DEVOTIONAL 08/13/2021
Exodus 9
34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
Illustration: Let Jesus rule your heart. Photo by Magdaline Nicole from Pexels.com. Photos from Pexels.com are free to use, but check Pexels' license if you wish to reuse the image (https://www.pexels.com/license/)
God called Moses to deliver the message to His people that God would save them from Egyptian’s oppression and to communicate with Pharaoh so that the ruler would let Israelites go to worship Jehovah.
A new Pharaoh who was not the same as the Pharaoh during Joseph’s time (Exodus 1 8) issued a brutal decree to kill any male babies of the Hebrews.
Exodus 1
15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
The children of Israelites under the new rule suffered too much unfairness.
Exodus 1 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
God had compassion for His people and when Moses grew up, God used him to deal with Pharaoh. However, the Pharaoh at Moses’ time due to his ignorance, arrogance, and pride said things like this:
Exodus 5 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
(It is uncertain for the writer of this post that the Pharaoh who issued the decree to kill male children of Israel are the same as the Pharaoh with whom Moses was pleading to release children of Israel.)
Needless to say, this king was so proud of his position that he showed no respect to God. It is enough to kindle God’s anger toward his soul. Many rulers and rich people often suffer this attitude because they have everything handed to them so they take no precaution for the conditions of their souls. Many died and now are condemned for eternity.
Luke 18
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
By “…the finger of God…” (Exodus 8 19), Moses performed many wonders that even Pharaoh’s wise men or sorcerers or magicians could not replicate or counteract. Moses and Aaron turned a rod to a serpent which swallowed serpents that Egyptians made from their rods (Exodus 7 12). Moses and Aaron turned water to blood (Exodus 7 20). God plagued Egypt with frogs (Exodus 8 6), lice (Exodus 8 17), and flies (Exodus 8 24). God brought death to the cattle of the Egyptian (Exodus 9 6). God brought boils unto Egypt (Exodus 9 10). God brought hail, thunder, and fire over Egypt (Exodus 9 23). God plagued Egypt with locusts (Exodus 10 15). God brought darkness to Egypt (Exodus 10 22).
After all these plagues, pestilence, and injury, a ruler in his right mind should have given up and obeyed God’s command to let Israel go. The wonders and miracles were undeniable proof that Jehovah exists and He supports His people. No ordinary man or deity could perform such acts. However, like a blind man, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to believe. Even God hardened his heart further and God is justified in this matter because Pharaoh showed an attitude of pride and resistance to God’s power. At times, he seemed to feel remorse for his sin but then he continued to hinder the release of children of Israel. Even the servants of Pharaoh recognized God’s power, but Pharaoh did not admit.
Exodus 10 7 And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?
Only after the death of his own child, Pharaoh let Israel go.
Many people are stubborn in their ways and refuse to hearken to the voice of God. They are on the path to hell without realizing it, even though some of them are Christians. Jesus knows the consequence of sin and He chastises us so that we will be spared from eternal damnation. Do not harden your heart, obey God’s voice and let Him amend it.
Illustration: God can send diseases, plagues, and disasters to people or nations that refuse to repent. Image by AndreyС from Pixabay.com (Pixabay is an online photo stock that provides worldwide royalty-free images. Please check https://pixabay.com/service/license/, https://pixabay.com/service/privacy/, https://pixabay.com/service/terms/, and https://pixabay.com/blog/posts/pixabay-license-what-is-allowed-and-what-is-not--4/ in case of reuse.)
Sam Christian
Feel free to share and no attribution required. Check Pexels' license and Pixabay's requirements if you wish to include the image above for illustration.
Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, thefreedictionary.com, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.
The Bible used is the King James Version by Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59856-461-7. Some texts were inspired by boldfaced words from this Bible book.
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