11 August Exodus 11

Do not harden your heart

Exodus 11:4-9 (NIV) So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh. 9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.”The final plague was the most devastating. Egypt, once a global superpower and centre of economic prosperity, was now in ruins. Crops and animals were dead, the city was overrun with dead frogs, and people were still recovering from boils, flies, and lice. Egypt had become a shadow of its former self and would need time to heal from the destruction.Despite all this, Pharaoh continued to refuse to let the Israelites go. The economic destruction he inflicted on his people by hardening his heart far outweighed the financial consequences of freeing his slaves. Even with the threat of his child's death, he remained stubborn.Satan had a strong influence on Pharaoh in this situation. A significant lesson from the plagues of Egypt is that Satan’s influence leads only to pain, death, and destruction. He pushes you to rationalise harmful actions, hurting not only yourself but also those around you. If only Pharaoh had stepped back and realised the damage his irrational stubbornness was causing! He could have been seen as a hero instead of a tyrant.Jesus speaks implicitly abut Satan in John 10:10 (ESV) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. However this is explicitly stated in 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings”. Satan loves to steal our happiness and joy because he wants to see us sad and upset. In addition to stealing our happiness and joy, Satan also wants to kill and destroy us.We believers have the Holy Spirit in us, and He can help us overcome temptations. James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Paul states this in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it”. Unlike a thief, the Lord Jesus does not come for selfish reasons. He comes to give, not to take. He comes so people may have a meaningful, purposeful, joyful, and eternal life. We receive this abundant life the moment we accept Him as our Saviour. Abundant life is eternal, beginning when we come to Christ and receive Him as Saviour and continuing throughout all eternity.Let’s not be like Pharaoh, who hardened his heart in disobedience; let’s submit to God's will and follow Him in obedience.