February 1 – Exodus 7-9

Today’s reading comes from Exodus 7-9. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

I love the power and might that I see in God and nowhere in the entire Bible outside of the creation story is that stronger than here in Egypt as he displays who he is. These ten plagues we see God display before Egypt all have significance to the Egyptians. The Egyptians believed in many God’s. Many of the natural wonders they attributed to the various God’s they had created … I think this is a clear indication that we were created to worship. Every civilization that has not known about the one true God has created a god or various gods to worship. We have been created to worship.

When God erupts these ten plagues on the land and people he is going straight for their various gods. He is letting Egypt know that whatever magic arts they have … it’s amazing, they were able to turn their staffs into snakes (although Aaron’s snake ate the other snakes … I love God’s sense of humor), they are able to turn water into blood, and they are able to call up frogs on the land. But they could not turn dust into gnats … God wanted them to know he was more powerful, that he was the one true God. I believe they had “magic” powers, whether bestowed upon them by God, or done through the hold Satan and his demons had on the Egyptians … Tangent ~ I guess we could theme today “Tangents” ~ Satan knows we have been created to worship so if he can get us to worship anything other than God he has found victory. He doesn’t care if it is sports, TV, Facebook, or our own created gods, whatever ranks ahead of the one true God, and salvation in Jesus Christ, that is a win for Satan.

God is ready to reveal himself to the Egyptians. The purpose of Pharaoh hardening his heart and then God hardening his heart, the purpose for this destruction, the purpose for the eventual death is for this God stated reason … “Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.” Exodus 9:13-14 NIV84. Did you get that God’s entire purpose was to reveal himself, to make his name famous and to teach the Egyptians that there is nothing greater than him.

Is that a reminder you need in your own life? Pray and ask God to reveal the level of his importance that you hold of him in your life. Seek his leadership in your life and worship him only.

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