February 4 - Exodus 10:1-12:51

Good morning everyone,

What a great day of reading! Oh my word. It began with the plague of the locusts. Once again Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to 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. If you refuse, I will bring locusts into your country.” Of course you all know, Pharaoh did refuse and the locust did come. A massive wall of them which “experts” say would look like 100 ft. tall, basically a ten story building,  and 4 to 5 miles in length. It would block out all light and leave everything stripped bare. The famine that would follow would be devastating. Pharaoh would summon Moses and Aaron, and again tell them he has sinned against the Lord their God, our God, and ask to be forgiven. Yet still, Pharaoh would stubbornly hold his position.

The plague of darkness followed. For three days, in Egypt only, it was so dark, we’re told, that it could be felt. No one could see anyone else. I have been in caves before where when they turned off the flashlights, it was so dark, I could not see my hand in front of my face. It is disorientating and frightening. God reserves this darkness for those who greatly sin against Him. He used it when Jesus died on the cross, for three hours it was dark. He will use it again for those who refuse to accept Jesus as their personal Savior.

Finally the plague of the firstborn. There is so very much to glean from chapters 11 and 12. I could write pages and pages on these two chapters alone. Up until this point, Moses didn’t know how long the plagues would go on, but now God tells him there is one more only and to have the people go throughout the town and ask their neighbors, the Egyptians, for their silver and gold. It is believed, and I agree, that God was having them collect past wages due them for four hundred years of slavery. All of this plunder would eventually be used to build a temple for God. Then God tells Moses exactly what is going to happen. I wonder what look Moses had on his face when God shared His plan. 

In chapter 12 the Lord said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” It would be akin to the birth of a child. It was the birth of a tradition, one to go on for all of time, one that is honored to this day by the Jewish community. The passover celebration, an eight-day festival, is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. By following the rituals of Passover, the story is retold, the experience relived from generation to generation.

I can only imagine how much faith the Israelites had to exercise in obeying the order given to them. Pack this, dress like that, now cook this, and …. what did you say? Put blood of a lamb on my door frame? Then … wait. What were they thinking when they heard the wailing across Egypt as the destroyer, one by one, took the lives of the first born? Gosh that would be horrifying. Right? But, finally Pharaoh, summoned Moses one last time and told him to take everyone and everything and go, and so they did.

What speaks to me most about today’s Scripture is God told Moses, “I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren.” It was very important, it is still very important to God that we tell our children and grandchildren how wonderful, how marvelous, how big our God is. The truth of His Word. They need to know how significant it is, the importance of, even when it doesn’t make sense, to trust in the Lord. They have to be told, Christians,of the blessings they will receive, if they would but place all their faith in Christ Jesus. 

I am passionate about this. In Deuteronomy 11 it says speaking to the Words of God, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Friends, if you don’t tell them how awesome God is, how much He absolutely loves them, how perfect His right and wrong is, they will hear and believe the lies of the world. We teach our children how to walk, how to talk, we prepare them for school, the changes they will experience in their bodies and ready them for their future. We absolutely need to be making Jesus known to them. Praying with them, praising God with them.  I would encourage you, and totally remind myself to, as often as we possibly can, talk to our kids and grandkids about Jesus. Prepare them for their eternity. If not now … when? If not you …. well, then who? Their life literally depends on it. Amen?

Have a great day and to god be the glory.

God bless you all …..