Written by: Andrew Walker - Church Army
Exodus 10 v 1-2
The LORD said to Moses, "Go to the king of Egypt. I have made him and his
officers stubborn so I could show them my powerful miracles. I also did this
so you could tell your children and your grandchildren how I was hard on the
Egyptians. Tell them about the miracles I did among them so that all of you will
know that I am the LORD."
Notes
Our God is an awesome God, and so often we forget this. We limit God to our
own understanding of him. Today's reading is about God flexing his arm and
showing his power.
What boxes do you put God into? The emergency service box - to call on when all else fails? The entertainment box - "it's something to do on a Sunday and there's nice people there who I have a laugh with"? The dating box - "there's a fit girl / boy at the church, and who knows where friendships may lead"? The certain doctrine box - "I know God and he works in this way 'cause this is what I have experience of, and no other way is right".
Most people seem to struggle with the fact that God is too big for us to comprehend and too powerful for us to grasp, and so we have to fit him into our own context - but to do this is to deny something of who God is.
There is nothing I like better than to go walking up in the mountains and have my breath taken away by the beauty of God's creation. It blows me away to think that all this was created in the blink of an eye.
Living with the fact the God is incomprehensible is difficult, especially when the culture around us tells us we should be able to know everything about everything and everyone, but I believe we need to learn to live with mystery. We need to be able to cope with a God who is outside our comprehension; a God who can blow our mind with his greatness every day of our lives; a God who is so great and yet so caring that he loves each and every one of us.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for all you give to me. Forgive me when I limit you with my
own short-sightedness, and help me to be surprised and amazed by you every
day so that I can grow more in my love for you. Amen
Exodus 10 v 3-6
So Moses and Aaron went to the king and told him, "This is what
the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to be sorry
for what you have done? Let my people go to worship me. If you refuse to let
my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. They will cover
the land so that no one will be able to see the ground. They will eat anything
that was left from the hailstorm and the leaves from every tree growing in
the field. They will fill your palaces and all your officers' houses, as well
as the houses of all the Egyptians. There will be more locusts than your fathers
or ancestors have ever seen - more than there have been since people began
living in Egypt.'" Then Moses turned and walked away from the king.
Notes
Sometimes it is hard to know what God is asking you to do. In today's reading
it is blatantly obvious what the king is to do as he has two messengers tell
him. If only it were always that easy!
I guess most of us would like a direct line to heaven so we can call God up any time to ask his advice and hear what he thinks directly. Unfortunately, we don't hear God talk to us audibly - well, not most of the time anyway, although I do know people who it has happened to. We have to rely on other things to help us decipher what it is God wants us to do. We can ask the advice of others, or look in the Bible for similar situations and see what was done there.
All too often, though, I think we neglect the one place that is almost the most obvious. God gave us all brains, he gave us all a conscience, a sense of right and wrong, and a sense of intuition and judgment. We are all made in God's image and God is present within us. I think sometimes, just as our earthly parents do, God says: "It's up to you", "What do you think is best?" or "Follow your heart".
God always wants what is best for his children, but he has given us the freedom and the ability to think for ourselves. If we are in relationship with him and have some knowledge of his way of thinking, through things like reading the Bible or listening to talks, then we can usually make the right decision. Even if we make the wrong decision, we can know that God is always there for us and we can always fall back into his arms.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for making me the person you want me to be. Help me when I
have to make decisions, and help me be confident that you have placed within
me your Spirit to give wisdom and to guide me. Amen
Exodus 10 v 7-12
The king's officers asked him, "How long will this man make trouble
for us? Let the Israelites go to worship the LORD their God. Don't you know
that
Egypt is ruined?"
So Moses and Aaron were brought back to the king. He said to them, "Go
and worship the LORD your God. But tell me, just who is going?"
Moses answered, "We will go with our young and old people, our sons and
daughters, and our flocks and herds, because we are going to have a feast to
honour the LORD."
The king said to them, "The LORD will really have to be with you if ever
I let you and all of your children leave Egypt. See, you are planning something
evil! No! Only the men may go and worship the LORD, which is what you have
been asking for." Then the king forced Moses and Aaron out of his palace.
The LORD told Moses, "Raise your hand over the land of Egypt, and the
locusts will come. They will spread all over the land of Egypt and will eat
all the plants the hail did not destroy."
Notes
After reading today's passage I'm glad I wasn't Moses. I've had to do some
things in my time in ministry, but starting the plague of locusts seems a
little too much for me to handle on a Monday morning, especially without
a coffee first!
Sometimes God asks us to do things we don't want to do, or things that we know we are going to find hard. I know there are parts of my job I would rather not do. In fact, a few years ago I didn't even consider I would be in full-time Christian ministry. Sometimes just trying to live a Christian life can be hard. With pressure from mates, family, work and everything else, there are so many chances not to do the right thing.
In situations such as the one Moses found himself in, there is a need to see a bigger picture. Sometimes we can struggle to see that bigger picture, but we need to have faith that God knows what he is doing and that he has a master plan.
When I think of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and hear him praying: "My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering" (Matthew 26 v 39), I take comfort in the fact that even Christ struggled to do what God was asking him to do. Christ knew that what his Father was asking was the right thing to do, and so, as we all know, he gave himself over. The rest is history.
God may not be asking us to die to save the whole world, but we can take comfort in the fact that if God is asking us to do it, then it is the right thing to do and he will help us through it.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for calling me to follow you. Help me when the going gets tough
and when I don't feel like I can do things in my own strength. Help me to
remember that through you, I can do all the things you ask of me. In Christ's
name I pray. Amen
Exodus 10 v 13-15
So Moses raised his walking stick over the land of Egypt, and the LORD caused
a strong wind to blow from the east. It blew across the land all that day
and night, and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.
Swarms of locusts covered all the land of Egypt and settled everywhere. There
were more locusts than ever before or after, and they covered the whole land
so that it was black. They ate everything that was left after the hail -
every plant in the field and all the fruit on the trees. Nothing green was
left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
Notes
I don't know about you, but I sometimes find it hard to read what is written
in the Bible. After all, we are brought up to believe in a God of love, but
when I read things like today's reading, it can be hard to see this love.
What we have to remember, though, is that, yes, God is a God of perfect love,
but he is also a God of perfect justice. The king of the land had been warned
what would happen and had an opportunity to do the right thing, but he refused
to do what God was telling him to do.
I guess most of us know the story of Jonah. He didn't want to do what God was asking him to do and so tried to run away from God. (Not the best idea Jonah ever had!) The result was that he was thrown off a boat and swallowed by a fish.
Most of us may not face such bad consequences when disobeying God, but I can't help but wonder whether things do sometimes happen because of disobedience. Take global warming: mankind was put on the earth and told to look after it, to be wise stewards of it. Over many years, mankind hasn't done this and now we are seeing the results. Third world debt is another example. We are told to be wise stewards of our money, but mankind has been greedy and wanted more and it has resulted in thousands dying of starvation.
And then we blame God and ask why he lets it happen! Seems like maybe we should look a little closer to home for the blame and try and put things right.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for your perfect love, but help me to be mindful that you
are a God of perfect justice too. Help me to walk in the way that you would
have me walk and do the things you would have me do. Make me mindful of how
my actions affect others, and make me more like you each day. In Christ's
name I pray. Amen
Exodus 10 v 16-19
The king quickly called for Moses and Aaron. He said, "I have sinned against
the LORD your God and against you. Now forgive my sin this time. Pray to the
LORD your God, and ask him to stop this punishment that kills."
Moses left the king and prayed to the LORD. So the LORD changed the wind. He
made a very strong wind blow from the west, and it blew the locusts away into
the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
Notes
Today's reading is all about forgiveness. If we turn to God and say we are
sorry for the things we have done, then he will forgive us just as he forgave
the king's sin and stopped the locusts. Sometimes saying sorry is very hard
to do. We know we must, we know we have messed up, but the words are easy
to think and very hard to say.
Humans often bear grudges, and old problems often arise the next time we have an argument or fall out with someone. We forgive, but we find it hard to forget. When God forgives us, he does forget - as long as we turn to him and say sorry, ask for his forgiveness and try not to do it again.
Problem is, if you're anything like me, it is all too easy to fall back and do the same thing again. But when we go to God and say, "Sorry, I've done it again", he says, "What do you mean, again?" It's not that he has a bad memory, but he has wiped the slate clean - it is forgiven and forgotten.
That's not to say that we can go out and do bad things because we know we will be forgiven. God knows our thoughts and what is in our hearts. We have to be truly sorry for things we have done and try our hardest to do better and follow him more closely.
This can be incredibly hard, but as well as asking for forgiveness we can ask God to be with us, to strengthen us by his Spirit and to guide us in all we do.
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you forgive me for all I do wrong, and thank you that
you don't keep a record of my wrongdoings. Help me to ask for your forgiveness,
and be with me as I try to live each day the way you want me to. Amen
Exodus 10 v 20-24
But the LORD caused the king to be stubborn again, and he did not let the Israelites
go.
Then the LORD told Moses, "Raise your hand towards the sky, and darkness
will cover the land of Egypt. It will be so dark you will be able to feel it." Moses
raised his hand towards the sky, and total darkness was everywhere in Egypt
for three days. No one could see anyone else, and no one could go anywhere
for three days. But the Israelites had light where they lived.
Again the king of Egypt called for Moses. He said, "All of you may go
and worship the LORD. You may take your women and children with you, but you
must leave your flocks and herds here."
Notes
Today's reading troubles me. In the previous verse the king had said sorry,
and now God causes the king's heart to be stubborn again. It's almost like
God didn't want the king to let the Israelites go. The only reason I can
see for God doing this is that the king was only saying sorry to stop the
previous plague. He wasn't saying it for the right reasons, and he didn't
mean it from the heart.
I guess it comes down to the fact that God has the bigger picture and he knows best. Many times it seems that God does things or allows things to happen and we just don't understand why. I think when I get to heaven I'll be spending a lot of time saying the word "why"!
Someone once used an illustration which has stayed with me to help explain these things. When an artist is painting a picture he only does one bit at a time and there are times when you can't tell what the picture is supposed to be or even hazard a guess. It is only when the picture is fully complete that you can stand back and fully appreciate what the artist has spent hours doing. You have seen parts of it clearly, but it is only at the very end that it all becomes clear.
It is like this with life. God knows what picture he is trying to paint, and he can see it in his mind's eye, just like an artist can. But we only see the work in progress, and we can only catch glimpses of what it will be like when it's finished. In the meantime we have to sit and trust that God does know best, and it will turn out a masterpiece.
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you know all things and you see the bigger picture. Help
me when I struggle with how things are and what you are doing. Reveal your
plan to me, and help me to deal with the uncertainty of what is to come.
Amen
Exodus 10 v 25-29
Moses said, "You must let us have animals to use as sacrifices and burnt
offerings, because we have to offer them to the LORD our God. So we must take
our animals with us; not a hoof will be left behind. We have to use some of
the animals to worship the LORD our God. We won't know exactly what we will
need to worship the LORD until we get there."
But the LORD made the king stubborn again, so he refused to let them go. Then
he told Moses, "Get out of here, and don't come again! The next time you
see me, you will die."
Then Moses told the king, "I'll do what you say. I will not come to see
you again."
Notes
I'm glad that the idea of animal sacrifice isn't part of our worship any more.
I'm not sure I would want to be in ministry if that was part of my job! We
are still called to make sacrifices, though - not to save us from our sins
as the animal sacrifices did, but as offerings to God as part of our worship.
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice to save us from our sin. He was the pure
spotless lamb, and this is why we no longer sacrifice animals.
The Bible tells us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, to give ourselves over to the service and worship of God (see Romans 12 v 1). That doesn't mean we all have to give up our day jobs and become priests, but it does mean we are meant to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God.
It means being open to God using us as he wants to, in whatever situation we find ourselves in - be it at school, university, work or home. When we help others in Christ's name, we are giving of ourselves. When we give money to help the church or to charities that help others, we are giving of ourselves. Remember, though: so many people just give of their money and think that's all they need to do, but I believe that is only one way in which we can give.
What ways can you give? Could you do something in church; could you help out with a charity; could you be a listening ear for someone you know? Why not ask God each morning how he would like you to be of service to him today? How can you be a living sacrifice in your life?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for your sacrifice for me. Thank you for all you give to me.
Help me to give something back to you, and show me how I can serve you and
your church. In Christ's name, 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