Theme of the Week: Exodus
Bible Verse: “The Lord had said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt’” Exodus 11:9
Scripture Reading: Exodus 11:1-10
To say that Moses was reluctant to be God’s spokesman to Pharaoh would be a colossal understatement. It took a concession on God’s part to convince Moses to go about delivering the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. Signs and wonders were not enough to convince Moses. In the end, God sent Aaron, Moses’s brother, with him to speak. The entire exchange between Moses and God in Exodus 3 and 4 shows how deeply Moses did not want to return to Egypt. But he finally went and took with him signs for both Israel and Egypt.
The plagues.
At the hand of God, nine of the worst disasters befell the Egyptians. From flies to frogs and hail to darkness. God made his power and might known to the Egyptians. Some scholars believe that each of the plagues was a direct attack on one of the Egyptian gods and that each disaster brought about by Yahweh was proof that he was stronger than the God of Egypt responsible for that particular area of life. It was an impressive show for everyone who could see it. One God versus many gods, and it was no contest.
But God wasn’t just putting the Egyptians in their place for their mistreatment of the Israelite people. He also showed the Israelites that He was the one true God and that they could travel to the desert to worship Him. God was multiplying His wonders to show His people who He was and that He could be trusted because He was more than the gods of the people who had enslaved and abused them. God wasn’t being mean. He was proving that He, and He alone, was God.
We need to remember that it’s likely that the Hebrews didn’t have any conception of who this God was. They may have had stories of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but it doesn’t seem that He had shown up much in the 400 years they were in Egypt. So when He did show up, He showed up! He multiplied His wonders to (re) introduce Himself to His people.
God wants His people to know Him. He wants us to know Him. He worked incredible wonders in Egypt to show Himself to the ancient Israelites so they could be led out of bondage. He worked unbelievable miracles through Jesus to show his character so that we could be freed from our bondage to sin. God is in the business of freeing people, and it takes some wonders to do so. Thank God for the wonders He performed to free us!
Prayer: God of freedom, thank you for the lengths you went to claim a people for yourself. From Israel to Jesus, you have moved mountains, parted seas, and walked through death to take possession of your people. Thank you for rescuing us when we could not rescue ourselves. Thank you for the wonders you performed to save me. Amen.
Reflection: Where and when have you seen God move? What impact has that had on your faith? How can you be a witness to the power of God to someone else today?
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