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Exodus 7-11
There are a lot of things to learn from the plagues in how God works. You can do research to find out just how God was combating each of the gods of Egypt. But there is one thing that really caught my attention through it all as I read through them this time. PHARAOH!
I found myself relating to Pharaoh. He reminds me of me. He reminds me of us.
How often do I know what the right thing to do is, and still I don't do it? How often do I say I believe and trust in God, yet still refuse to let go of total control. Pharaoh does just that. He knows all along that God is all powerful and the only true God, but he fears the total surrender to him.
Now I know that in this case, God has already determined to use Pharaoh at his discretion, but perhaps so we can see how we are just like Pharaoh. Or perhaps to show how God can do what ever he wants and we have to decided if we are good with that.
So two things I get:
1. If I am like Pharaoh, how can I break out of the same outcome?
2. If God can do whatever he wants with me, how can I have a say in my salvation?
1. I Am Like Pharaoh!
I am not God! I know he is powerful. I also have "gods" to which I hold on. You do too. We all hold onto certain things that keep us from fully giving ourselves to our God. Just listen to any excuse we give when asked to do something for our Lord that is outside our comfort zone. Just pay attention when we are asked to let go of somethings because it hinders our relationship with God, or even is an abomination to God.
Pharaoh knew from the very beginning the difference between the signs shown by God and the work of his magicians. But his heart was hardened. Pharaoh knew God was who he said he was and that his gods were no comparison, but he was too proud to completely surrender to him. He fought it to the very end. He saw that he was at a point of no return. I believe this to be true. He couldn't let go of pride, power, or the past. He couldn't let go of his belief or his way of life. He knew truth and rejected it. He knew truth, and fought against it.
Sounds like me. Sounds like you.
So How do I break out of this? Surrender!
Unless God is the one hardening your heart (see next section) then you have the power to break the pattern. It will not be easy! You will want to give up! You will want to fight the truth! But you can do it. And once you do, you will truly be free. (more can be said here about this freedom, but for the purpose of this blog, I will move on to the next section.)
2. God Can Do Whatever He Wants AND I Am in Charge of My Own Salvation.
God is all powerful. He is HOLY! I am nothing like Him. He IS GOD!! He put the world in motion. He gave man breath. He created the rules. He can change them at anytime. He doesn't have to ask my permission to do something outside of my comfort level. What makes us think he does?? Why do we think God can't do certain things. He is God and He can do whatever he wants to do. We do not have a say to question why certain things happen. We don't get to choose what God will or will not do.
So this brings to my mind the following:
1. Why do we pray?
2. Why do we bother trying to save ourselves?
3. Why do we bother trying to do good?
4. What hope can we offer others when our God is unpredictable?
There are other truths about God that are important to realize. GOD IS GOOD!!! He is LOVE!! and HE IS HOLY!!
Why does God HARDEN Pharaoh's heart? What kind of mean God is that?
Look at the life of Pharaoh! He made things hard on God's People. God heard HIS Peoples cries of help and desperation. Look at all the people who were freed by this act. God hardened Pharaoh's heart because he loved his people. More people were delivered through this act that would have been otherwise. Through Pharaoh's hardened heart, the Egyptian world was able to see who God was. Egyptians were already beginning to empathize with God's people. They gave them things before they left Egypt to go worship God. The world back then got the message.
Our society likes to second guess a lot of things and point fingers and blame to cause doubt. If God doesn't meet our understanding of who WE think he should be and OUR definition of love, then he is no god at all. We want God to be nice and neat and full of love and compassion without the counter side of justice that comes with it. The problem is, we all have a different understanding of love and justice. Love without discipline is no love at all. True joy cannot be experienced if there is an absence of pain.
God loved us so much that he gave is only Son. HIS SON suffered! Because God is a JUST God! He took on OUR sin.
God is unpredictable, but he is a constant. He is always there! His is always loving! He is always just! He is always right! He did what he did with the plagues because he loved. He does what he does with us, because of love.
So how can we offer hope to others when our God is unpredictable? Because God is LOVE! He wants a relationship with us. He wants to save us from judgement. He wants to free us from sin.
Why do we pray? Because he cares and he listens. When God chooses a different answer for our prayers that what we pray, it doesn't mean he doesn't care. His ways are higher than our ways. We don't know why he does the things he does. But we trust that he is good. He does't promise us an easy live, or a painless life. He promises to be with us to the end and to provide a home for us. Can we live with that?
Why do we bother trying to save ourselves when he has the ability to harden our hearts? Because he gives us the ability to do so. Pharaoh had the same ability. He had the ability of choice. We see that in his mental battles. But you can be so set in your ways that you are beyond return to the right ways. Pharaohs heart was harden already. God used him for his purpose. God didn't take a good man and make him an enemy. He took his enemy and used him for His purpose. So, are you an enemy of God? or are you a friend of God?
You might ask, what about Judas? Judas was the treasurer and had some problems of his own to deal with. Throughout the Bible, you will see God using imperfect people to accomplish his tasks. Judas wasn't perfect, but I do believed He knew Jesus was God's Son. I believed he had battles in his heart for who would sit on the thrown of his life. A famous battle he lost was when he sold Jesus. A sign that this was indeed a battle, was when he realized what he had done, and no longer had the mental capacity to keep fighting, and so he hung himself. Some of us have been quick to say that his place is in Hell. I'm not so sure. God is God! He knows the heart. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Judas in Heaven! God used him for HIS purpose. God is LOVE! I don't think God would send a believer who struggles to HELL for others good. I believe he uses people where they are.
In the story of the plagues, God used Pharaoh right where he was. God's will was done, and freedom was given to a people who were in a foreign land 460 years to the day. GOD BE PRAISED!!
