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February 2nd
Our Bible reading today is in Exodus chapters 10,11,12.
God has sent 7 plagues upon Egypt so far...and Pharoah continued to refuse to let the people go.
God spoke to Moses. “I have hardened Pharoah’s heart against your request...so that...
I may show my signs/wonders among the people of Egypt...
God had predetermined that a full cup of His righteous judgment would be seen and felt all across the “man worshipping” Egypt...all ten judgments!
Obviously, the judgments were not obscure. They were neither small nor hard to recognize...water turned to blood everywhere...millions of frogs everywhere...gnats, flies, diseased cattle, everywhere...sores, and running boils on everyone, everywhere...hail beat down vegetation in the fields and orchards, everywhere....and there are three more judgments to read about...the worst saved for last...everywhere throughout Egypt.
Nothing was left to chance! God was sovereignly at work.
I have wondered on occasion how many Egyptians repented and turned from worshipping Pharoah to worship the true God of Israel? That would have been a great part of the story...
EXCEPT for one thing...
The Exodus was all about God’s glorious redemption of His chosen vessel, Israel....the son of promise.
God would make sure Israel would know, going forward, that He was their God and they were His people.
God also told Moses that there was another reason for His terrible judgments in Egypt...He was giving Israel a story to tell to their children and their grandchildren...a story of God’s presence, power, and deliverance so that their children would know without a doubt that their Lord...He was and is God.
Oh, friends...let us not miss this...what God is doing in our midst today is not to be forgotten.
God has worked in mighty ways so that... we will have a story to tell tomorrow...especially to our families so that they will be strengthened spiritually for whatever comes.
One more part of the text in the podcast today...”Thus says the Lord, (Moses speaking to Pharoah on behalf of God) “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go that they may serve me.”
Remember, we are reading the Bible text that God wrote for us who believe Him.
It is my belief, that what God did in hardening Pharoah’s heart did not erase his personal responsibility to the God who made him. Long before Moses stood before the head of Egypt, the Pharoah owed God his life of worship. But Pharoah chose to be God instead of submitting to the one true God.
So after 7 plagues in the land...7 rejections by Pharoah...God STILL extends another opportunity for Pharoah to turn to Him.
So how does the hardening by God go with His invitation?
I believe...along with Spurgeon, Calvin, and MacArthur...that what we see here is God’s grace operating in parallel with His sovereign purposes.
God purposed to pour out all of His judgments upon Egypt. AT THE SAME TIME...He offered grace for humility and repentance to the hardened Pharoah. Questions?...Me too...
But let us remember, He’s God. And we are not. His Word says that His ways are far above our own...especially above our own understanding at times. Surely we will understand it more completely by and by.
Thank You, Jesus...You are the Word!
