Written by: Andrew Wooding - Church Army
Exodus 8 v 28-32
The king said, "I will let you go so that you may offer sacrifices to the LORD
your God in the desert, but you must not go very far away. Now go and pray
for me."
Moses said, "I will leave and pray to the LORD, and he will take the flies
away from you, your officers and your people tomorrow. But do not try to trick
us again. Do not stop the people from going to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
So Moses left the king and prayed to the LORD, and the LORD did as he asked.
He removed the flies from the king, his officers, and his people so that not
one fly was left. But the king became stubborn again and did not let the people
go.
Notes
It is obvious that the king was the villain here. He got what he wanted - after
making a deal with Moses those pesky flies disappeared - but as soon as that
happened he ignored his promises to the people of God. He didn't keep his
side of the bargain. This was not good - not good at all.
It is very easy to read these words and criticise the king. The trouble is, I feel very uncomfortable reading about him. Why? Because I can all too easily identify with what he did. How often have you asked God to do something and promised him something in return, but then when God has answered your prayer, you forget your part of the deal or conveniently ignore the promises you'd made?
I can remember the very first serious prayer I made to God. It was in the early 1970s when I was at primary school. There was this new BBC comedy series called The Goodies which I was desperate to see, but the trouble was it was always on after my bedtime. My prayer went something like this: "Dear God, if I'm allowed to stay up to watch The Goodies tonight, I promise to read my Bible every day."
Guess what? It was a miracle! My first answered prayer. Amazingly, Mum and Dad let me stay up to watch The Goodies, and I was hooked. (I still collect Goodies videos now.) But did I keep my promise to God and read my Bible every day? I'll let you guess the answer to that question…
Instead of being quick to criticise the king, have a look at your own life and try and see if you are equally guilty of his actions. Have you too made promises to God that you haven't kept?
Prayer
Dear God, search me and show me if I have made promises to you in the past
that I have forgotten about or deliberately ignored. Forgive me for neglecting
you, and thank you that each day I can start again with you and renew my
promises. Amen
Exodus 9 v 1-7
Then the LORD told Moses, "Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘This
is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: let my people go to worship
me. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, the LORD will punish
you. He will send a terrible disease on your farm animals that are in the fields.
He will cause your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats and sheep to become
sick. But the LORD will treat Israel's animals differently from the animals
of Egypt. None of the animals that belong to the Israelites will die. The LORD
has set tomorrow as the time he will do this in the land.'" The next day the
LORD did as he promised. All the farm animals in Egypt died, but none of the
animals belonging to Israelites died. The king sent people to see what had
happened to the animals of Israel, and they found that not one of them had
died. But the king was still stubborn and did not let the people go.
Notes
My first thought on reading this was: poor animals! Their only sin was to graze
in the wrong fields - those of the Egyptians. The only animals to escape
scot free were those that belonged to the Israelites.
This is one of the Old Testament verses where you could interpret the actions of God as quite harsh: "Follow me, or you will die." Where is the cuddly, fluffy image of Jesus, meek and mild, that some people believe is in the New Testament? You could almost get the impression that God is an angry old man in the sky, ready to strike at the slightest hint of sin.
I don't believe in a God like that, but equally I don't believe in a cuddly, fluffy God where everything is sweetness and light. So what can I take away from this Bible passage today?
Let's look at that phrase I used: "Follow me, or you will die." I was exaggerating when I wrote that, but actually there's more than an element of truth to it. If I don't eat, I'm going to die. If I don't breathe, I'm going to die. Similarly, I have been made a spiritual person, but if I don't feed that spirituality - with prayer, relationship with God, and more - that spirituality is going to wither up and die. Today's verse shows that a natural consequence of not falling in line with God is a sort of death, as reflected in the death of the Egyptians' animals. It's up to you, but I hope you choose life!
Prayer
Dear God, please help me to become more alive each day by growing in my relationship
with you. I need you in my life as much as I need food to eat and air to
breathe. Amen
Exodus 9 v 8-12
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Fill your hands with ashes from a furnace.
Moses, throw the ashes into the air in front of the king of Egypt. The ashes
will spread like dust through all the land of Egypt. They will cause boils
to break out and become sores on the skin of people and animals everywhere
in the land."
So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a furnace and went and stood before the
king. Moses threw ashes into the air, which caused boils to break out and become
sores on people and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses, because
all the Egyptians had boils, even the magicians. But the LORD made the king
stubborn, so he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had
said.
Notes
Another plague – more suffering for the Egyptians. What are we to make
of all this? Follow God, or you'll get boils? All I know is that when reading
the description of ashes spreading like dust I wanted to sneeze! I grew up
allergic to various things - milk (no chocolate or ice cream!), animal fur
(donkey rides at the beach were out), and dust (it would hinder my breathing
and make my eyes water). I've outgrown most of these allergies, but the thought
of a dusty room still makes me want to rub my eyes and reach for a hankie in
case I sneeze.
Today's verses, and previous passages in Exodus, almost make God seem like an angry old man in the sky, ready to dish out punishment at the slightest hint of sin. Other parts of the Bible, particularly much of the New Testament, seem to give a more loving, merciful view of God. So, what are we to believe? Does today's passage contradict the rest of the Bible? What about a God of love?
Well, I believe this passage absolutely shows a God of love. If you're a parent, what would be your immediate reaction if someone criticised your beloved son or daughter? Think about it, and be honest. If God seems harsh in these verses, it's because he's sticking up for his children (the Israelites) who have been wronged. Wouldn't you like a mum, dad, teacher or boss like that - someone who believes in you and loves you so much that he or she is going to use all their strength to stick up for your rights? Take heart - if you are a son or daughter of God, that's how he sees you!
Prayer
Father, thank you that as a child of yours you love me so much that you want
to stick up for me. Help me more and more to become a faithful child in your
family. Amen
Exodus 9 v 13-21
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and go to the king
of Egypt. Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says:
Let my people go to worship me. If you don't, this time I will punish you,
your officers and your people, with all my power. Then you will know there
is no one in the whole land like me. By now I could have used my power and
caused a terrible disease that would have destroyed you and your people from
the earth. But I have let you live for this reason: to show you my power so
that my name will be talked about in all the earth. You are still against my
people and do not want to let them go. So at this time tomorrow, I will send
a terrible hailstorm, the worst in Egypt since it became a nation. Now send
for your animals and whatever you have in the fields, and bring them into a
safe place. The hail will fall on every person or animal that is still in the
fields. If they have not been brought in, they will die.'" Some of the king's
officers respected the word of the LORD and hurried to bring their slaves and
animals inside. But others ignored the LORD's message and left their slaves
and animals in the fields.
Notes
I don't know if you have ever read the popular series of Narnia books by CS
Lewis (which include the classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), but
I love the character of Aslan. If you haven't read the Narnia books, Aslan
quite clearly represents God and Christ. He also happens to be a lion, and
that's what I like about him. I wouldn't want to encounter a lion down a
dark jungle alley at night. I would be in fear for my life. Lions are bigger
than me, much more powerful and scary, and also very dangerous. Aslan is
all of these things and more - a very powerful lion indeed. And yet, in his
mercy, he often holds back his power so that he doesn't hurt those around
him. He also makes the ultimate self-sacrifice.
It is similar to the image of God we see in today's reading. God described himself as powerful: "to show you my power so that my name will be talked about in all the earth". And to demonstrate his power he would "send a terrible hailstorm, the worst in Egypt since it became a nation".
Yet God also demonstrated his mercy. He gave the Egyptians a chance. Those who "respected the word of the Lord" could find refuge and safety indoors, and they would be spared the terrible hailstorm.
A powerful God and a merciful God. Has he changed? I don't think he has. He is still powerful, and he still shows mercy by giving us a choice. In our case, we can find refuge and safety by trusting in Jesus. Amazingly, in today's verses not everyone took up God's offer of safety. What are you going to do about God's offer of Jesus? Only you can make that choice.
Prayer
Dear God, I want to thank you that even though you are all-powerful you still
show mercy and give people a choice. Thank you for giving me that choice
and for the love you have shown me. Amen
Exodus 9 v 22-26
The LORD told Moses, "Raise your hand towards the sky. Then the hail will start
falling in all the land of Egypt. It will fall on people, animals and on everything
that grows in the fields of Egypt." When Moses raised his walking stick towards
the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the
earth. So he caused hail to fall upon the land of Egypt.
There was hail, and lightning flashed as it hailed—the worst hailstorm
in Egypt since it had become a nation. The hail destroyed all the people and
animals that were in the fields in all the land of Egypt. It also destroyed
everything that grew in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields. The
only place it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites
lived.
Notes
That must have been one amazing walking stick. In a previous chapter, Moses'
right-hand man Aaron had turned his walking stick into a snake to demonstrate
the power of God to the Egyptians (Exodus 7 v 8-13). But Moses went one better
- all he had to do was lift his walking stick to the sky and one of the most
ferocious hailstorms ever came pounding down across Egypt, killing all the
people and animals that were still outdoors (except for the Israelites in
Goshen). I wish I could buy a walking stick like that - the things I could
do with it!
OK, OK, maybe it wasn't the walking stick that had all this power. It must have been Moses' hand. What a hand! God said to Moses: "Raise your hand towards the sky. Then the hail will start falling in all the land of Egypt." Moses did as he was told (his hand happened to be holding onto his walking stick at the time), and lo and behold miraculous things happened.
On second thoughts, it can't have been the hand. It must have been Moses himself. What incredible God-like powers he must have had to summon up such a deadly ferocious hailstorm out of thin air.
You know what? I'm wrong on three counts. It wasn't the walking stick, the hand or Moses himself. Yes, Moses was obedient, but in the end it is God who has the power. Let us not make idols then of our favourite preachers, our churches, our way of doing things in our particular Christian denomination - God is big and God is powerful. Yes, he uses people - but ultimately God is the one we should look to and give all the glory.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you that you are all-powerful and bigger than any person or
man-made thing. Help me always to remember that ultimately all power comes
from you and you deserve the glory. Amen
Exodus 9 v 27-30
The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "This time I have sinned.
The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the
LORD. We have had enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go; you
do not have to stay here any longer."
Moses told the king, "When I leave the city, I will raise my hands to the LORD
in prayer, and the thunder and hail will stop. Then you will know that the
earth belongs to the LORD. But I know that you and your officers do not yet
fear the LORD God."
Notes
Result! (Or at least it seemed like it…) After countless plagues involving
frogs, gnats, flies and boils, and a barrage of deadly hail, the king of Egypt
finally gave in. He even made a confession of faith: "This time I have sinned.
The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong." Hallelujah!
Time for rejoicing! The king believed and now everything was all right.
Moses didn't seem to think so, as shown by his parting words to the king: "But I know that you and your officers do not yet fear the Lord God." How right he turned out to be, but that's another story!
This passage reminds me of so much evangelism that goes on today, and the king's words remind me of so many so-called conversion experiences. How many people have at one time prayed the prayer of faith and yet deep inside "do not yet fear the Lord God"?
How much of our evangelism is about scaring people into becoming Christians with words like hell, judgement, damnation and death? I'm not saying that these things aren't true - I believe in a God of justice. But if we over-emphasise these things, will people make confessions of faith because they really mean it, or because they're scared God's going to allow something nasty to happen to them if they don't.
I once heard this sort of thing described as Frankenstein evangelism - scaring people into the kingdom of God. I don't know about you, but I would rather people become Christians because of how wonderful Christ is, than because of trying to avoid some terrible fate. It's easier to focus on the negative, and harder to communicate the depths and wonder of God's love - but it's worth it. Are you up to the challenge?
Prayer
Dear God, I want the people I work, study or live with to know you. Please
give me wisdom about how best to communicate your love to them. Amen
Exodus 9 v 31-35
The flax was in bloom, and the barley had ripened, so these crops were destroyed.
But both wheat crops ripen later, so they were not destroyed.
Moses left the king and went outside the city. He raised his hands to the LORD,
and the thunder and hail stopped. The rain also stopped falling to the ground.
When the king saw that the rain, hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again,
and he and his officers became stubborn. So the king became stubborn and refused
to let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Notes
If you've read the verses just before today's Bible reading, it seemed as if
the king of Egypt had finally had some sort of conversion experience. He
couldn't fight against God any longer, and gave in to him, confessing that: "This
time I have sinned. The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in
the wrong" (Exodus 9 v 27).
Following on from the king's confession, we see today that Moses raised his hands to the Lord, and the deadly hailstorm immediately stopped. Guess what? The king's so-called conversion immediately stopped as well! The king was happy to speak out God's name when times were tough and he needed him, but as soon as things got better and he didn't think he needed God any more, it was, "Bye bye God, see you later. I'm off to do my own thing again."
How many of us are like that? We turn to God in the tough times, but when things are all right we forget him. We go about our everyday lives, and maybe make a token acknowledgement of his existence by saying grace before tucking into our fish and chips, or say a quick goodnight prayer between putting our pyjamas on and brushing our teeth.
Imagine only phoning or texting your friends when you're down and want to whinge at someone or ask a favour, but ignoring them when you're happy and cheerful and doing well. How long do you think they'd remain your friends?
Don't be like the king of Egypt. Yes, God's happy to be with you in the hard times, but go on – invite him into your good times as well. He is there with you all the time, 24-7, whether you acknowledge him or not.
Prayer
Dear God, sorry if I only turn to you when times are hard. Thank you that you
are with me in the good times as well. Help me not to forget your constant
presence in my life. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes