Exodus 9 & 10: Will You Humble Before God?
Verse of the Day: (10:3) And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
1. Hebrews (9:1-35)
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (9:1)
Pharaoh never believed and trusted in the God of the Hebrews as time and again he hardened his heart, and refused to let the Hebrews go. God then sent the fifth plague, which was a grievous murrain that caused the death of all the cattle of the Egyptians, while the cattle of the Hebrews survived the murrain. Pharaoh again hardened his heart, and God sent the sixth plague, which was boils upon man and beast, throughout Egypt. This time Pharaoh was physically hurt as the boils were upon him and the Egyptians, while there was no boil upon the Hebrews. Again Pharaoh hardened his heart and God sent the seventh plague, which was thunder and hail throughout Egypt, while there was no thunder and hail in the land of Goshen where the Hebrews stayed. Indeed, God always protects and preserves His people and those who trust in Him. Let us therefore keep trusting God as He shall protect and preserve us on earth and in heaven now and forever.
2. Humble (10:1-20)
And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD. (10:2)
God told Moses that His ten plagues, that were sent to humble Pharaoh and the Egyptians, was to tell the whole world, and in particular, the Hebrews, throughout the ages to come, that their God, the God of the Hebrews, is indeed the true and living God. As God explained to Moses, Pharaoh again hardened his heart, and God then sent the eight plague, which were swarms of locusts, to destroy all the vegetation throughout Egypt. Pharaoh then pleaded with Moses that he had sinned against God, and he would release the Hebrews provided God removed the locusts from Egypt. God removed the locusts, but Pharaoh did not keep his promise, and God sent the ninth plague, which was complete darkness, throughout Egypt, and the only light was in the land where the Hebrews stayed.
3. Harden (10:21-29)
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. (10:27)
It was not that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but that God allowed Pharaoh to choose to harden his heart. Though God’s desire was for Pharaoh to humble his heart, yet He allowed him to have choices, and he chose to harden his heart and sinned against Him.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to humble before You, and to love and serve You.
