Burunche’s Blog

Exodus 12:43 – 51 “And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it. But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him. A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover. It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.

The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it. If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it. The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”

Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.”

This passage seems weird! God is about to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, but right now He’s giving all kinds of rules about the celebration of the Passover. What’s the point?

The Passover and the Exodus from Egypt are significant events whose influence will echo throughout history. Make no mistake! God is very intentional about how He wants things to be handled so that until the end of time, Passover will be celebrated properly.

1. Circumcision of males is a symbol of the dedication of every male to God. Foreigners and slaves could eat the Passover only if they had been circumcised. Once God commanded Abraham and all the males in his household to be circumcised, the Israelites continued to practice circumcision. By requiring circumcision prior to taking part in Passover God was ensuring that His covenant with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants would be remembered and honored.

2. God commanded all of Israel to celebrate Passover, helping bind various families together into a nation.

3. God tied the Passover celebration to His deliverance. “And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.”

Exodus 13:1 – 16 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.” So Moses told the people, “Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.

And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this service in this month. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.

And on that day you are to explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. Therefore you shall keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.

And after the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He swore to you and your fathers, you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. You must redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.

In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’ So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

APPLICATION: DON’T JOKE WITH GOD! God knew that humans had limited attention spans and were likely to wander off into strange practices or to dilute His commandments. To emphasize how serious God was about redeeming the firstborn males, God even ordered that firstborn male donkeys should be killed if the family failed to redeem them by sacrificing a lamb. If donkeys required blood sacrifices, how much more human babies?

Thousands of years later, God sent His only Son Jesus as the perfect blood sacrifice, not only for all of the firstborn males, but for the sins of the entire world. This week is Easter week, when we study and celebrate Jesus’s last days on earth before He sacrificed Himself by dying on a Roman cross. Sin requires a blood sacrifice for payment, and nothing any of us can do or have done is sufficient to blot out our sins. Only the Blood of Jesus can accomplish that miracle!

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to die as the sinless Lamb of God for our sins. Lord, we confess that we are sinners unable to help ourselves and that only because of that blood sacrifice can we approach you in all your holiness, righteousness, and purity. Forgive our sins and help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 12:29 – 42 “Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock. During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”

And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing. Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing. And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children. And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.

Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt. Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.”

Until now, Pharaoh had steadfastly ignored all the advice from his chancellors. As Egypt turned into a rubbish heap, the poor Egyptians came to realize that the God of the Israelites was far more powerful than the gods that they had been worshiping. Even before the tenth plague hit, many Egyptians were changing their minds about Pharaoh.

The death of every single first born male in Egypt was incredible! Nobody was spared, not even the animals. Faced with such terror, no wonder the Egyptians literally forced their best clothing and their jewelry on the Israelites! If only these people would just LEAVE before Egypt ceased to exist!

Who was in the “mixed multitude” that accompanied the Israelites? Perhaps there were sincere Egyptians who had come to realize that their gods were useless while the God of the Israelites was all – powerful.

APPLICATION: GOD’S TIMING IS SPLIT SECOND! God waited until every Israelite was safely inside with blood smeared on the doorposts, and then the Death Angel struck! The scripture says that God kept track of the time “to the very day;” however, it’s quite likely that God actually kept track to the very hour and minute.

So many times we pray and long to see the answers to our prayers. When our prayers are not answered within the time frame we expect, sometimes we feel like giving up. Certainly, at least some of the Israelites had been praying for a very long time! But God who is rich in mercy was trying to give as many Egyptians as possible the opportunity to turn away from the demons they had worshiped and to worship Him instead.

Only God knows the human heart. Only God can truly handle split – second timing. Are you praying for something that you feel is in God’s will? Then, DON’T GIVE UP!!! The answer to your prayers might come at any moment. Jesus told his disciples a story about a widow lady who had a just grievance but who was frustrated by an unjust judge. But that little lady refused to give up! Eventually, the crooked judge decided it was better to give justice to the widow than to have to put up with her troubling him constantly. “And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge. Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” Luke 18:6-8

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are a prayer – answering God! Thank you that your timing is perfect. Lord, help us to trust you and to continue to cry out to you until we see your kingdom fully come and your will perfectly done on the earth! In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 12:14 – 20 “And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.

So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel. You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

WHAT WAS LEAVEN AND WHY WAS GOD SO CONCERNED ABOUT IT? Leaven was yeast, and God used leaven to represent the sin that had come to pervade the lives of the Israelites. The Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years; by now, many of them were quietly worshiping Egyptian gods. It was going to take time to work Egypt out of the Israelites. To this day, observant Jews preparing for Passover make a practice of cleansing their houses from not only leaven, but also any food that can be soaked and swell up. Passover is a time for reflection and for seeking God’s face to eliminate anything that is not of God from our lives. Much later, Jesus, an observant Jew, warned his disciples about avoiding the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:12 “Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”)

The plague of the death of first born males was about to hit that night. God knew that once first – born Egyptian males began dying, the Egyptians were going to panic and urge the Israelites to leave as soon as possible. Yeast bread takes time to rise; unleavened bread, such as matzo, does not. With the institution of these practices, God was insuring that the Israelites would never forget the night when the angel of death spared their first born sons because of the lamb’s blood on the doorpost.

v. 21 – 28 ”Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the top and the two side posts of the doorframe with some of the blood. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and the two side posts and pass over the door; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. And you are to keep this command as a perpetual ordinance for you and your descendants.

When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service. When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.”

Hyssop is an herb in the mint family with cleansing, medicinal, and flavoring properties. Hyssop also has sturdy branches and leaves. Throughout the Bible, hyssop is used in traditional cleansing rituals. The mention of hyssop in Exodus 12 is the first such recorded in the Bible; however, there are many other places where hyssop is mentioned, including the account of the crucifixion of Jesus. It was a stalk of hyssop to which the Roman soldiers attached a vinegar – laden sponge that they passed up to Jesus when he was complaining of thirst. (John 19:28-30) God may have instructed the Israelites to use hyssop so that they would remember that it was the blood of the lamb that was purifying and protecting them and not anything else that they themselves had done.

APPLICATION: Evangelist Ray Comfort is fond of using the Ten Commandments to help people understand that they are sinners unable to help themselves. None of us can fully keep even one of those commandments, let alone all of them. Left to ourselves, there is no way any of us can possibly earn our way into heaven. But just as the blood of those spotless lambs protected the Israelites from the Angel of Death, so the blood of Jesus can protect us from the consequences of our sins…. if we are willing to believe that Jesus really came to earth, lived as a man, and died for our sins.

One day each of us will have to stand individually before a holy, righteous, and perfect God. On that day, the big question each of us must answer is this: what have we done about God’s Son Jesus. Have we believed in Him or have we rejected the truth about Him, claiming that it was merely a fairy tale? Are we depending on our own righteousness or are we trusting that the blood of Jesus’s sacrifice will save us?

PRAYER: Father God, please help everyone who reads this devotional to place their trust in you and to believe in your Son Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 12:1- 13 “Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.

Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household. If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. They are to take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and tops of the doorframes of the houses in which they eat the lambs.

They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.

This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

This passage illustrates the origins of the Passover celebration. Families were to select a perfect lamb,kill that lamb, and smear the blood on the doorposts of their houses. Why a lamb? The lamb was a symbol of innocence and sinlessness. Payment for sin demanded a blood sacrifice. Hebrews 9:22 says, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

From the time of Cain and Abel, blood sacrifices were standard. After the flood, Noah sacrificed clean animals in an offering to God. When God “cut covenant” with Abraham, several birds and animals were sacrificed, their bodies split, and the blood was shed. Now God was calling on the Israelites to act in faith, sacrificing lambs and painting their doorposts with the blood from the sacrifice.

There were more instructions regarding these lambs, all of them aimed at preparing the Israelites so that they could readily leave as soon as necessary. They were to eat the flesh of the lambs along with unleavened bread which would take only a short time to prepare and bitter herbs, as a reminder of the suffering they had undergone in Egypt. They were to be “fully dressed for travel,” even to the point of having a walking staff in one hand while they ate with the other. They were to eat this meal quickly and deal with the leftovers promptly as well.

The sacrifices of these lambs was a forerunner of the ultimate blood sacrifice Jesus Christ paid for the sins of the entire world on the cross at Calvary. God told the Israelites that on the night of the Passover, He would execute judgment against ALL the gods of Egypt. This was God’s final act against every demonic power that the Egyptians had served for centuries.

APPLICATION: “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.” Jesus Christ was born as a man and lived as a sinless man so that He could give His life on a cross at Calvary. As long as men had to depend on animal sacrifices, those sacrifices had to be repeated because they could not permanently deal with sin. Only the blood of a sinless man who would voluntarily give up his life would be sufficient.

Jesus died, rose again, and now lives forever. Forgiveness of sin is available for anyone who will pray to Jesus, confessing that he or she is a sinner, and asking for forgiveness of sin. Jesus will freely forgive all who come to Him.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for shedding your blood for me. I confess that I am a sinner and that nothing I can do will help me earn my way into heaven. Please forgive my sins and help me to follow you for the rest of my life. Amen.

Exodus 11:1-10 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one more plague. After that, he will allow you to leave this place. And when he lets you go, he will drive you out completely. Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.

So Moses declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle. Then a great cry will go out over all the land of Egypt, the likes of which have never been heard before and will never be heard again. But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. All these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.” And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.

The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.”

“The tenth and last plague, the death of the firstborn males, was a judgment on Isis, the protector of children. In this plague, God was teaching the Israelites a deep spiritual lesson that pointed to Christ. Unlike the other plagues, which the Israelites survived by virtue of their identity as God’s people, this plague required an act of faith by them. God commanded each family to take an unblemished male lamb and kill it. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared on the top and sides of their doorways, and the lamb was to be roasted and eaten that night. Any family that did not follow God’s instructions would suffer in the last plague. God described how He would send the destroyer through the land of Egypt, with orders to slay the firstborn male in every household, whether human or animal. The only protection was the blood of the lamb on the door. When the destroyer saw the blood, he would pass over that house and leave it untouched (Exodus 12:23). This is where the term Passover comes from. Passover is a memorial of that night in ancient Egypt when God delivered His people from bondage. First Corinthians 5:7 teaches that Jesus became our Passover when He died to deliver us from the bondage of sin. While the Israelites found God’s protection in their homes, every other home in the land of Egypt experienced God’s wrath as their loved ones died. This grievous event caused Pharaoh to finally release the Israelites.

By the time the Israelites left Egypt, they had a clear picture of God’s power, God’s protection, and God’s plan for them. For those who were willing to believe, they had convincing evidence that they served the true and living God. Sadly, many still failed to believe, which led to other trials and lessons by God. The result for the Egyptians and the other ancient people of the region was a dread of the God of Israel. Even after the tenth plague, Pharaoh once again hardened his heart and sent his chariots after the Israelites. When God opened a way through the Red Sea for the Israelites, then drowned all of Pharaoh’s armies there, the power of Egypt was crushed, and the fear of God spread through the surrounding nations (Joshua 2:9–11). This was the very purpose that God had declared at the beginning. We can still look back on these events today to confirm our faith in, and our fear of, this true and living God, the Judge of all the earth.” (What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt? | GotQuestions.org)

APPLICATION: Throughout the ages, men have always longed for sons who would succeed them and who would continue their family lines. In many cultures, girl children are considered as second class citizens while sons receive all kinds of attention. The Egyptians were no different in this regard. From the palace of Pharaoh to the lowliest huts of the low – class servants, sons were highly regarded. For Pharaoh, his son represented the continuation of a divine line. Until now, God had spared those who would remain inside away from the hail, etc. But now God was about to touch the dearest part of the Egyptian family, the first – born sons.

Throughout the ordeals of the plagues, God continued to demonstrate His mercy by warning the Egyptians ahead of time and by starting with minor plagues and moving to more severe ones. By the time the tenth plague was foretold, many Egyptians were already so impressed by the power of God that they were willing to give up their jewelry. Were there any Egyptians who followed Moses’ instructions so that their sons could be saved? Nobody knows.

Have you ever been in a situation in which God has tried to get your attention? One of the saddest parts of this story is the unnecessary loss of the lives of the firstborn male children, including those of the animals. Had Pharaoh softened his heart, so many of his citizens would not have suffered. But Pharaoh was power – drunk and had lost all sense of proportion. Any leader who is out of touch with his people runs the risk of falling into the same pit as Pharaoh.

PRAYER: Father God, we lift up the rulers of the various countries of the world. Lord, give these men and women humility, grace, and wisdom. Do not allow them to harden their hearts so that their nations suffer but soften their hearts. Please send revival to the nations of the world. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 10:21 – 29 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”

So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. No one could see each other, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”

But Moses replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. “Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”“As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”

The ninth plague, darkness, was aimed at the sun god, Re, who was symbolized by Pharaoh himself. For three days, the land of Egypt was smothered with an unearthly darkness, but the homes of the Israelites had light. (What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt? | GotQuestions.org)

How dense can one man be? The entire country of Egypt is devastated! This destruction is far worse than the famine in Joseph’s time because then they stored up food; now there’s nothing left – no crops, no vegetation, and probably very few animals. All of the Egyptians are trying to heal up from the boils that afflicted them, a difficult thing to do on an inadequate diet. Even Pharaoh’s corrupt advisers have thrown in the towel. And yet Pharaoh STILL has the crazy idea that somehow he is in control.

God is still trying to get Pharaoh’s attention, still trying to prove to Pharaoh that the gods he has served all his life are no gods at all. Now God sends a palpable darkness for three days. What is a “palpable darkness?” Presumably, this darkness would not only be the absence of light but also the absence of anything positive. It’s likely that in addition, the fear of God would fall upon the Egyptians. Remember that God loves those Egyptians also and is trying to demonstrate His power so that the Egyptians will also worship Him instead of the demons they have worshiped. Nobody on the Egyptian side can move at all.

In a last bid to demonstrate power, Pharaoh graciously allows all the Israelites to leave but demands that all their flocks and herd remain behind. Why? Well, remember that at this point, there is no grazing left on the Egyptian side of the boundary and therefore those Israelite flocks and herds represent the only healthy animals left in Egypt. But Pharaoh is still trying to manipulate and threaten Moses, ridiculous as that appears.

APPLICATION: Why did God choose to send the Israelites to Egypt in the first place?

It’s a mistake to think that God only loved the Israelites and that He was not trying to draw other people to Himself. Egypt was close to Canaan and it was the leading world power at the time the Israelites went there. Four hundred years later, Egypt was still one of the leading nations of the time. God chose Egypt so that He could demonstrate His power as the Lord of the Universe. Throughout the plagues, God was constantly calling the Egyptians to come and worship Him and to abandon the false gods who had not helped them. Did God love the Pharaoh with whom Moses contended? Yes! God loved that Pharaoh also. In dealing with someone who had been raised to view himself as a deity, God had to show His power; nothing else would be sufficient.

God sent three days of darkness on Egypt so that all the Egyptians could sit and think about everything that they had already seen. God sent darkness so that Pharaoh, who served as the symbol of the Sun God Re, could realize that Re was powerless and that he, Pharaoh, was equally powerless. What did God say to the Egyptians sitting in darkness? We don’t know, but certainly God was speaking to them, trying to draw them to Himself.

Pharaoh’s final threat to Moses was a death threat. God countered that threat with a death threat of His own. Even three days in utter darkness had done nothing to soften Pharaoh’s heart! It was John Dalberg – Acton who said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Only God can wield power without becoming corrupted. Those of us in positions of authority must continually watch ourselves, lest we fall into the same trap as Pharaoh.

Are you in darkness right now? Sit quietly and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Be assured that God answers every sincere prayer.

PRAYER: Father God, help us not to walk in darkness but to follow you, the One True Living God. Lord, bring correction where we have stumbled and abused power or influence. And bring righteous leadership throughout the countries of the world. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 10:1 – 20 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields. They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.

Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is in ruins?” So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”

“We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.” Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil. No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.” So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be. They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.” So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD. And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.”

“Before God brought the next plague, He told Moses that the Israelites would be able to tell their children of the things they had seen God do in Egypt and how it showed them God’s power. The eighth plague, locusts, again focused on Nut, Osiris, and Set. The later crops, wheat and rye, which had survived the hail, were now devoured by the swarms of locusts. There would be no harvest in Egypt that year.” (What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt? | GotQuestions.org)

Locusts! Very few things are as destructive as locusts. Locusts will eat nearly any kind of plant matter and may also feed on dead insects. The locusts that covered Egypt were so thick that the ground was black and the houses were full. Any grains stored in the houses were consumed by the locusts. Any crops that had survived thus far were gone! Egypt had been stripped of every kind of food and all vegetation. Nothing was left for people or for livestock.

Even the corrupt officials who had been trying to curry favor with Pharaoh finally asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is in ruins?”

APPLICATION: Pharaoh’s heart is still so hard. The Bible states that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but God could not possibly have done that had Pharaoh not first made the decision himself. People are not puppets, and the whole universe tilts on the axis of free will. We can freely choose to accept or reject God. All along, God has been trying to warn the Egyptians and some of them have come to believe that the God of the Hebrews is the God of the earth.

Pharaoh is bent on getting his own way, no matter what. In recent years, there have been dictators in various countries who have acted in this fashion, spoiling once vibrant economies. Apparently, these men did not care for their own citizens but only wanted absolute power, even at the expense of reducing their countries to ash heaps!

We need to pray for world leaders, that no people will have to suffer as did the ancient Egyptians, but that the leaders will listen to God and follow His leading.

PRAYER: Father God, we lift up world leaders and beg you to give them hearts of compassion for the citizens of their various countries. Cause these men and women to truly become public servants and not tyrants bent on maintaining power at all costs. Lord, send a world – wide revival! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 9:13 – 35 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.

Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now. So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’”

Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and livestock to shelter, but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation. Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree. The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”

Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD our God.” (Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom; but the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.) Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.”

Before God sent the last three plagues, Pharaoh was given a special message from God. These plagues would be more severe than the others, and they were designed to convince Pharaoh and all the people “that there is none like me in all the earth.” Pharaoh was even told that he was placed in his position by God, so that God could show His power and declare His name through all the earth. As an example of His grace, God warned Pharaoh to gather whatever cattle and crops remained from the previous plagues and shelter them from the coming storm. Some of Pharaoh’s servants heeded the warning, while others did not. The seventh plague, hail, attacked Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, the crop fertility god; and Set, the storm god. This hail was unlike any that had been seen before. It was accompanied by a fire which ran along the ground, and everything left out in the open was devastated by the hail and fire. Again, the children of Israel were miraculously protected, and no hail damaged anything in their lands. (https://www.gotquestions.org/ten-plagues-Egypt.html)

This time Pharaoh really seems impressed and makes a promise….. right up to the moment that the thunder and lightning and hail and rain cease. At that point, it’s business as usual. As a divine being, Pharaoh likely believes that he has the prerogative to change his mind at any point without fear of contradiction. But many of Pharaoh’s followers aren’t nearly so convinced of his power and they swiftly bring their animals and servants into shelter so that they will not be killed.

APPLICATION: This story demonstrates God’s amazing mercy:

1. God promises to send ALL His plagues against Pharaoh and his officials and his people so that they would know that there was nobody like God in all the earth. God is still giving Pharaoh every opportunity to soften his heart, heed the warnings, and protect his workers and his livestock.

2. God informs Pharaoh that by this time He (God) could have wiped both Pharaoh and his people off the earth.

3. God tells Pharaoh that God has raised Pharaoh up so that God could display His power to Pharaoh and that God’s name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.

God is STILL giving Pharaoh the opportunity to change his heart and to acknowledge God as the One True Living God and to turn from worshiping all these idols.

Why doesn’t Pharaoh wake up and realize that his country is on the road to destruction? Pharaoh is so enthralled with his own power that he has completely lost touch with reality. The officials who are continuing to go along with Pharaoh’s decisions are likely those who have been feeding Pharaoh misinformation and telling him what he wanted to hear all along. Perhaps these officials have encouraged Pharaoh to remain in the palace where he would be far less likely to appreciate the devastation that has engulfed the land of Egypt. It’s likely that these officials are also the same ones who choose to ignore God’s warnings and who leave their workers and livestock in the fields to be killed by hail and heavenly fire. These decisions result in total disaster.

Amazingly enough, Pharaoh actually confesses that he has sinned and that he and his people are wicked! This is likely the only recorded instance when any Pharaoh made such a statement. Too bad that Pharaoh changes his mind as soon as the fire and hail stop. Again, those officials might have played a crucial role in this decision. The officials can manipulate a proud unyielding Pharaoh; they’ve been doing it for years. But a repentant Pharaoh with a soft heart? Who knows what this man might choose to do? Such a change of heart would represent total disaster for those men who have viewed themselves as the power behind the throne. No! Far better to encourage Pharaoh to go back on his promise once more.

If you are a leader, who is feeding you information? Who is pushing your buttons? Are you getting everything from a single source or are you trying to get a variety of opinions? Do you view anybody who argues with you as a trouble maker, never stopping to examine the validity of their opinions? For years I worked with one of the most talented theater nurses I have ever known. We argued several times a day; but inevitably at some point, my friend and I would look at each other and one of us would say, “You know, you are right and I am wrong.” We respected each other enough to listen to arguments.

God is a God of Truth and Light. The Bible says that in Him there is no darkness at all. If we are to follow the One True Living God, we must be willing to hear the truth, no matter how unpalatable it might be. And we should treasure those brave enough to tell us the truth when it’s difficult.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are a God of truth and that you also are a God of second chances. Had Pharaoh repented, the Exodus would have happened sooner but you would have cared for both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives and never to shrink from your truth. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 9:8 – 12 “Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air. It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast throughout the land.” So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast. The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had told Moses.

The sixth plague, boils, was a judgment against several gods over health and disease (Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis). This time, the Bible says that the magicians “could not stand before Moses because of the boils.” Clearly, these religious leaders were powerless against the God of Israel.

Boils! Anybody who has suffered with boils knows the torment and the pain. There are no comfortable positions; those afflicted may find themselves unable to sit, stand, lie down, or even to walk. Even bodily functions become incredibly painful. Once the boils break open, they may drain serum or pus. If the drainage is severe enough, those affected may even become dehydrated from the amount of fluid they are losing through the sores. Presumably Pharaoh also suffered from boils; certainly his magicians were totally incapacitated. And yet Pharaoh’s heart is even harder than before.

APPLICATION: One of the constants of all the Pharaonic tombs that have been examined is the portrayal of each Pharaoh as a perfect physical specimen. The paintings on the walls of the tombs, the statues, and even the death masks and coffins all portray the pharaohs as handsome, viral, conquering heroes. Obviously, physical appearance was extremely important to these rulers. With the plague of boils, God is not only demonstrating the lack of power of the Egyptian gods but also striking at Pharaoh’s pride in his physical appearance and his self image. Items retrieved from many tombs have included make up, alabaster perfume jars, and all kinds of other cosmetics and lotions – all intended for the use of Pharaoh in the afterlife.

Pharaoh not only believed that he was an intermediary but also that he himself was divine. God in his infinite mercy is trying to get Pharaoh to realize that he is not a god but only a man with limitations. If Pharaoh were truly divine or if the gods Pharaoh worshiped were real, then those gods should have been able to spare Pharaoh from the boils, but they could not.

In what are you trusting? What is the object of your worship? I read obituaries in my hometown area newspaper online as a means of keeping up with that community. It is always interesting but sometimes sad to see the things people feel are most significant about someone who has died. There is nothing wrong with being a passionate fan of a particular team or a particular hobby, but the day you die, those things cease to be important. The day you die, the one great question you must answer is this: What have you done with Jesus Christ? Have you ignored Jesus? Have you tried to tell yourself that attending church a few times a year was enough? Or have you truly committed your heart to Jesus and are you sincerely following him? Have you taken any thought for your soul?

The tombs of the Pharaohs are still there, although many of them have been raided by grave robbers. The mummified bodies of the pharaohs are also there, as are their grave goods. But what of the souls of these rulers?

Jesus told his disciples a story about a man who was rich but who was really a fool. “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the mercy that you show to us daily. Thank you that it is not your will that anyone should go to hell but that everyone should follow you so that they will be with you in heaven forever. Lord, help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 9:1 – 7 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. But if you refuse to let them go, and you continue to restrain them, then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”

The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.” And the next day the LORD did just that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent officials and found that none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,a and he would not let the people go.”

The fifth plague, the death of livestock, was a judgment on the goddess Hathor and the god Apis, who were both depicted as cattle. As with the previous plague, God protected His people from the plague, while the cattle of the Egyptians died. God was steadily destroying the economy of Egypt, while showing His ability to protect and provide for those who obeyed Him. Pharaoh even sent investigators to find out if the Israelites were suffering along with the Egyptians, but the result was a hardening of his heart against the Israelites. (https://www.gotquestions.org/ten-plagues-Egypt.html)

This is incredible! Egypt is crumbling! Everybody in Egypt has already suffered greatly and now things are about to get even worse. God is about to kill every bit of livestock in Egypt. Not only will there be no livestock to supply meat, but the donkeys and camels used for transportation will also die. Once these animals are lost, where will the Egyptians find replacements and even if they can buy some from another country, how would they pay for them? The common people of Egypt are being hit with one disaster after another. And God is making a clear distinction between the Isaelites and the Egyptians, sparing all the Israelite livestock. But Pharaoh is continuing to pursue his hard line course, no matter what. Why would any ruler be so foolish as to jeopardize the safety of his own people and the economy of his country?

As ancient Egyptian rulers, pharaohs were both the heads of state and the religious leaders of their people. The word “pharaoh” means “Great House,” a reference to the palace where the pharaoh resides. While early Egyptian rulers were called “kings,” over time, the name “pharaoh” stuck. As the religious leader of the Egyptians, the pharaoh was considered the divine intermediary between the gods and Egyptians. Maintaining religious harmony and participating in ceremonies were part of the pharaoh’s role as head of the religion. As a statesman, the pharaoh made laws, waged war, collected taxes, and oversaw all the land in Egypt (which was owned by the pharaoh). (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/pharaohs)

Pharaoh is a hereditary ruler, trained to believe that he is the divine intermediary between the gods and the Egyptians. During the famine in which Joseph served as administrator, the Egyptians sold all their land to Pharaoh and became Pharaoh’s workers just to survive. From Pharaoh’s standpoint, the lives of these commoners are cheap and he has little or no compassion for them. For Pharaoh, the whole matter is coming down to a power struggle between him as the spokesman for the Egyptian gods and the God of the Israelites, as represented by these two old men, Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh’s pride is so great that he refuses to acknowledge the damage his policies are doing to his country.

APPLICATION: While it’s easy to point fingers at Pharaoh, the question for each of us is this: have we ever blindly pursued a destructive course of action out of pride and arrogance? When we have headed organizations or businesses or groups of people of any sort, how much compassion have we had for those under us? Are we willing to listen to negative feedback, or do we only listen to those who would flatter us? Remember that if you are not willing to hear both sides of a situation, you run the risk of being manipulated.

Where is the evidence of God’s mercy in this situation? God is warning Pharaoh ahead of time about the plague and when it will hit. At any point in the 24 hours preceding the arrival of the plague, Pharaoh can still relent, saving his people. God is giving Pharaoh every opportunity to change his mind, but Pharaoh chooses to harden his heart. Also realize that those who harden their hearts against the One True Living God will ultimately suffer the loss of the things they prize the most.

PRAYER: Father God, please give us soft pliable hearts and ears to hear your leading. Help those of us who head any group to have compassion on those for whom we are responsible and to lead as you would have us lead. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.