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There are many lessons you can learn about God's role in your life by reading the Bible. You'll see that He didn't intend for us to go through life aimlessly.
From Series: Life Lessons Learned from the Bible - Exodus 7-8
Even though we face challenges, setbacks, obstacles, and disappointments in life, you'll come to understand that they are essential for our growth, wisdom, and reliance on God. In the end, you will receive what is meant for you and become who you are destined to be.
Exodus chapters 7 and 8 illustrate that in times of fear, we can take comfort in the fact that God is actively at work, removing the need to worry. Furthermore, when we stay faithful, we will see the evidence of His awesome work in our lives.
Let's explore a few illustrations from the book of Exodus.
Exodus 7:1-2
Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country."
This act of God is common today where we see God's Spirit, speak through men and women to convey messages to others. In the instance of Moses, because he complained that he couldn’t speak, God employed Moses's brother Aaron as a spokesperson, putting Moses in a divine-like status since it was Moses with whom God was communicating directly.
However, for the people that needed to hear what God was saying, Aaron served as the intermediary to convey what God had communicated to Moses. Let's read on.
Exodus 7:3-5
"But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”
In life we experience hardship, setbacks or disappointments, but how many of us know that God can use them for our good?
With Moses God was the source behind Pharaoh to no longer have feelings or care about the Israelite people. When you read the following chapters, you’ll see how God orchestrated events to demonstrate His power to the Egyptians.
When you invite God into your life and allow Him to dwell within you, nothing can just happen to you. You have a hedge of protection over your life. You are shielded by God's protective barrier. Therefore, nothing happens to you by mere chance; everything occurs for His divine purpose.
The ancient Egyptians had a complex system of worshipping numerous Gods, with a deity assigned to almost every aspect of life. To show that He is the all powerful Sovereign one, He prompted Pharaoh to not care so He can show everyone involved - Pharaoh, the Egyptians, Moses, and the Israelites - that He is the ultimate Supreme Being.
In the Bible, God often demonstrates His superiority over opposing nations to show that they are no match for Him.
When we delve Job Chapter 38-42 we encounter a dialogue between God and Job, where God gave a detailed description of who He is. Similarly, the Egyptians and all observers of God's mighty deeds were introduced to His true nature through these powerful events. This marks the beginning of God revealing His power to them.
Exodus 7:8-13
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.
Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts. Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
These were the individuals that God had to confront. The Egyptians were skilled in magic, so they perceived Moses and Aaron's actions as a form of sorcery. However, Egyptian magic was influenced by either humans or demons. God disapproves of such practices due to their origins (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Acts 8:9-11, Acts 13:6-7, Acts 19:19). Nonetheless, Aaron's staff devoured their staffs, demonstrating superiority.
Exodus 7:14-19; 22-24
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.
The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water." The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.”
But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not even take this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
God's power is truly remarkable.
Through the stretching of a stick as commanded by God, all the water reservoirs in the land of Egypt were turned into blood, as well as the personal water supplies of the people.
Imagine a situation where your pool, toilet, drinking water, and water hoses all turn into blood within a day. When you go to rivers or lakes, you discover that they too are contaminated with blood. How would you respond to such a scenario?
God wanted the Egyptians to recognize His power, but they were unimpressed because their magicians replicated His miracles and provided solutions. This did not sway Pharaoh, who remained indifferent towards the Israelites. Pharaoh was still cold towards the Israelites.
Exodus 8:8-15
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.” Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
Once Moses and Aaron departed from Pharaoh, Moses pleaded with the Lord concerning the frogs that had afflicted Pharaoh. The Lord granted Moses' request, causing the frogs to perish in the houses, courtyards, and fields. They were gathered into heaps, and the stench of death filled the land. However, despite experiencing relief, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he refused to heed Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
Moses had the ability to both create situations and alter situations with the help of God. He was equipped by God with all that was needed to fulfill his purpose. This should be typical for Christian living and should serve as a model for Christian life, due to the authority God gave us (Mathew 28:18, Luke 10:19, Mark 16:17-18, Genesis 1:26).
However, there is a requirement. Similar to Moses, we must practice humility, completely surrender our lives to God, allocate time for God, regularly pray, practice patience, and pursue wisdom.
One thing you may have noticed from the previous chapters and this one is that, although the magicians were able to mimic God, they could not undo His actions.
Satan, our adversary, imitates but lacks originality, lacks the capability to stop, hinder, and is powerless to prevent God's actions. He is no match for God, as he is vastly inferior and cannot be compared to Him.
Our advantage lies in God's love for us, granting us the opportunity to establish a relationship with Him that fulfills the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). We can approach Him as His friends, loved ones, children, and deepest desire.
Pharaoh eventually had to admit defeat and ask Moses for help. Moses's opponent had to come to him for relief. Nevertheless, Pharaoh's heart remained unchanged.
Regrettably, many of us are like Pharaoh. Even though God rescues us from a predicament, we often revert to our old ways or return to the same circumstances. This is due to our lack of genuine repentance. We want to escape the consequences of our actions, but we are not willing to make the necessary changes in our lives.
Exodus 8:16-18
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals.
All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.
We are now witnessing the manifestation of God's Supremacy. This event was a clear demonstration of God's power, which the magicians were unable to replicate. They began to realize that they were facing a superior and more powerful entity.
God has the power to permit or forbid, to initiate and to halt. He has complete authority over all things.
He permitted the magicians to perform as He desired and prevented them from doing what He did not want. This should reassure us and strengthen our faith that regardless of circumstances, God is completely in charge. Furthermore, things will only go the way He wants it to go—whether good or bad. All things work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
When faced with fearful situations, we should remember that there is no need to be afraid. God is actively working and doing something.
If we persevere, do not give up, or waver, we will witness the manifestation of His amazing work.
Exodus 8:20-25
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. “But on that day, I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow. And the Lord did this.
Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”
Even in times of illness, disease, epidemics, and plagues, you are under God's protection, and He will make a distinction for all to see.
This is the kind of life we should have. We should live in a way that cause others to want to have a relationship with God based on our lifestyle. We should not conform to the ways of the world, but rather inspire others to want a relationship with God through our actions.
God is sovereign, so there is no need to live in fear regardless of the circumstances or information we receive. Trusting in Him will reveal to others who He is in your life.
God is omnipotent, which means that there is no greater power than His, no power has ever surpassed His, and no power will ever exceed His. He stands as the most powerful being in all of existence.
Having a relationship with God and trusting Him will result in a life abundant with signs, wonders, and miracles. This will become the standard way of living as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
Living a life without fear begins with having faith in God. Therefore, immerse yourself in His Word and keep what He says close to your heart and understanding. Hold onto His words in your heart and mind. This way, when you encounter your own Pharaohs, you will know that the Pharaohs in your life will be defeated.
Remember, there is nothing God cannot do and there is nothing too hard for Him either (Jeremiah 32:27)
From Series: Life Lessons Learned from the Bible - Exodus 7-8
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