Sermon Video:
10:1-2 Purpose. The plagues have a meaning that differs depending upon whether a person was an Egyptian rebelling against God or whether a person was a Hebrew in need of God’s rescue. God’s rescue of the Hebrews would end up being the origin story that gave identity and purpose to the people of Israel.
10:3-11 Hardness. Yet, that same rescue and blessing from God looked like – and ended up as – judgment for Pharaoh and Egypt. His absolute unwillingness to let God’s people go, his refusal to bend the knee and obey God, continues.
10:12-20 Repeat. What comes is exactly what God had warned Pharaoh against: utter devastation of the nation’s crops. Pharaoh made a half-hearted and deceitful effort at claiming to be repentant, but he would not truly turn from his sinful ways.
The Point: The God we trust is the God who uses all things for the good of His people – events which may be seen as hardships, even plagues, upon those who will not trust Him.
Prayer: Lord, so often we don’t know the answers to our questions. So often, we ask “why?” In our asking and wondering, let us not trust our own ideas, our own selves, more than Jesus. Instead, work in us to trust Him most of all.
Application: The temptations of Egypt are with us today. Is your life marked by obedience to what God has said and joy in Christ? Or by a pattern of life leading to God’s judgment?
Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________
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