365 Reflections

It's a rather abrupt shift in focus from the end of Exodus 11 to the first part of Exodus 12. God has described the final of the 10 plagues that will wipe out the firstborn of Egypt, from Pharaoh to the handmaid. It says: Exodus 11:6 (ESV) There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. In other words, the worst thing to happen to the Egyptians ever will be happening now.  Then immediately Exodus 12 opens with a vivid description of what God wants for His people concerning the "Passover." They are to take a year-old perfect male lamb into their homes on the 10th day, kill it on the 14th day and spread it's blood on the doors of their homes. They are to roast the lamb whole (with its inner parts) and eat all of it leaving none till the next day. They are to eat it in haste. There's more... They are to eat one lamb per household. This will be a community experience. They are not to

Exodus 11:1 (ESV)   The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Something different finally happens in the plague routine with God, Moses and Pharaoh. After several notifications from God that Pharaoh would not budge after the next plague, we come to the 10th and final plague and God has Good News for Moses. This is going to be the end. From this moment forward, there will not just be a total destruction of Egypt's power over you, Egypt will drive you away "completely". Did you also notice how God prophesies to Moses that this will be the end? That's revealing someone else Who will be prophesied throughout scripture. When Jesus came, it was truly the END of slavery to sin and death. The last plague is a picture of our salvation in Christ. As the firstborn Son of God, He bears the death of us all, He destroys the devil

Exodus 9:6 (ESV)   And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. Exodus 9:11 (ESV)  And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. Exodus 9:26 (ESV) Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. Exodus 10:15 (ESV)  They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. Exodus 10:23 (ESV) They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. The recurring message of the final plagues is the repeated theme that while Egypt suffered the wrath of God, the people of I

Exodus 9:13–17 (ESV)   Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord , the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. We are all serving God. It's just a matter of how so. This passage makes it abundantly clear there is no one in the story of God's deliverance of Israel that isn't part of the Sovereign plan of the Almighty.  God says to Moses, "Rise up early

There are those who investigate God simply to find new ways to deny Him. This is the case of Pharaoh's hardened heart in Exodus 9. We are 5 plagues in to the Exodus and Pharaoh's own advisors have spoken against his willful arrogance. He has seen the evidence now for two of the five plagues that God is distinguishing between Egypt and Israel. The plague on the cattle is the second plague in a row in which all of Egypt suffers while Israel lives peacefully. The signs cannot get much clearer for this rebellious man. Pharaoh does something interesting concerning the fifth plague too. It reads: Exodus 9:7 (NLT) Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate, and they discovered that the Israelites had not lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he still refused to let the people go. What did Pharaoh do after the plague? He went to investigate if indeed it happened just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. It had. And all Pharaoh did from this m

Exodus 8:8 (ESV)  Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” Pharaoh feins belief here for the sake of relief. He even uses the name of God, "The Lord" and asks Moses to pray to Him on his behalf. He even makes a deal with God, "If God will, then I will..."  It is the sign of a hardened heart that only goes to God when things are not what he/she wants them to be. It is also not the life of faith we are called to embrace. We do not make deals with God or silly promises to God that will only be fulfilled after God has shown up how we want. Pharaoh is case in point that those who put such expectations on God are not at all serving Him, they are serving their own desires. Even after the plague is removed it tells us: Exodus 8:15 (ESV) But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as

Exodus 7:10–13 (ESV)   So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. An interesting thing happens when Moses and Aaron start to do the works of god before Pharaoh. His magicians do the same things by their "secret" arts. We often don't think about this, but the Bible never denies the powers of evil to do the supernatural at times yet with limitation. For the magicians in Egypt will not get past the second plague (frogs) in their evil practices. Notice here, the snake of Aaron's rod swallows up the snake of the magicians. 

Exodus 7 is a bit of a turning point in the story. It moves from the story of the man God would use to the story of redemption God will perform. Here's God's commission to Moses and Aaron: Exodus 7:2–4 (ESV)   You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. What a job. God first says, "Say all I command to Pharaoh." Then God says, "And I want you to know he will not listen to you." If that were my assignment I'd wonder what was the point! But herein lies the secret to works for God for those He has called. You are not in charge of results, you are simply assigned the task to speak. No one can m