April 15, 2013
GOD ALWAYS HAS A PLAN . . . ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT WE EXPECT
Exodus 9:1-17
Dave Kimball
Central Truth
The Lord is in control and has a plan for how He will achieve His purposes. Sometimes we like it, and sometimes we don't. But God is sovereign and always in control and will show His power when He desires for people to see it.
Key Verse | Exodus 9:16
"But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth." (Exodus 9:16)
Exodus 9:1-17
The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” 5 And the LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” 6 And the next day the LORD did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
The Seventh Plague: Hail
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, 1 9:14 Hebrew on your heart and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.
Dive Deeper | Exodus 9:1-17
God's desire is to be seen as all-powerful and to be known throughout the earth. But do you wonder what His plan is sometimes? At the time I am writing this devo, it seems like our world is falling apart. Violence has touched our country in unfathomable ways, I have friends who have dealt with and are dealing with great sickness from strokes and cancer, and people keep talking on the news about our country teetering on this cliff.
Sometimes, I wonder what God's plan is in all of this. I find myself saying more and more, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus." I can believe in faith that God is sovereign and in control, even when I don't understand His plan or how all of this will be used for His great purpose.
I know that God's purpose is His glory, but sometimes I wonder if He is going too far. Of course, I know He is not, so I lean on Proverbs 3:5 as it instructs me to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. This is the only way that I can get through life sometimes -- knowing that God is powerful and in control and that He uses everything so that His name will be proclaimed.
The Egyptians watched all their livestock die, and they felt the effects of their skin being covered with boils, as well as the eight other terrible plagues they suffered in Exodus. They must have felt like there was no hope for anyone, except they could see that the Israelites' God was protecting them. The Egyptians also had to realize that the Israelites had hope because of their God and how He was protecting them.
The world that we live in today must feel that same way sometimes to people who do not know Christ. They have to see the terrible things happening and wonder why. My question is, "Do people see the same hope in the believers of today that the Egyptians saw in the Israelites?" Have we shared with the people of today the Good News? They need to know.
Discussion Questions
1. At what point do you think that the Egyptians realized that the Israelites' God was way more powerful than their Pharaoh?
2. What do you think the Israelites were thinking as they were watching the Lord continue to take away or cause havoc within the lives of the Egyptians?
3. Do you think the Egyptians' magicians finally realized that they had met their match as they sat with boils all over their bodies and were not able to meet with Aaron and Moses?
4. Why do you think that God continued to harden Pharaoh's heart?