Read with Me
Exodus 9:13-21 (HCSB)
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. Otherwise, I am going to send all My plagues against you, your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like Me in all the earth. By now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth. You are still acting arrogantly against My people by not letting them go. Tomorrow at this time I will rain down the worst hail that has ever occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Therefore give orders to bring your livestock and all that you have in the field into shelters. Every person and animal that is in the field and not brought inside will die when the hail falls on them.” Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD made their servants and livestock flee to shelters, but those who didn’t take the LORD’s word seriously left their servants and livestock in the field.
Listen with Me
In this message to Pharaoh, God revealed His knowledge of the hearts of men, His stern judgment on those who arrogantly oppose Him, and His mercy, even in the midst of His judgment.
Through Moses, God told Pharaoh bluntly that it was only because of His grace that he and his people were still alive. By this time God could easily have sent a plague that would have wiped out not only Pharaoh and his family, but the entire population of both Upper and Lower Egypt. But God helped him to understand that the reason He had not yet taken that extreme measure was not purely out of kind heartedness, but so that His own name would be glorified as His power and plan were progressively revealed.
This seventh plague was going to be the most severe and destructive yet. God would send large and destructive hail on the land of Egypt. The intended target of the hail would be the crops that were just starting to grow in the fields. The hail was not aimed at the people, animals, and buildings of Egypt. So, God had Moses warn Pharaoh to bring all the people and livestock in from the fields the next day.
But sadly, only some of the people took the warning seriously and brought their people and animals in from the fields. The rest arrogantly ignored God’s warning and sent their servants and animals out the following day, where many of them died as a result of being pelted by massive hailstones.
Pray with Me
Father, I must admit that I have missed the aspects of how targeted this plague was, and of Your mercy demonstrated by You providing a way of staying safe for all who were willing to believe what You were telling them. Even today, You provide through the gospel a way to survive the final judgment for those of us who have heard and heeded Your warning and have taken shelter in Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing grace and mercy. Amen.