Plagues and Not Fighting Fairly

Day 32 of 365...


Exodus 7-9


Key Passages/Thoughts:



Ex 7:11-13 - "But then Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers—the magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their occult practices.  Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.  However, Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said."


Ex 9:16 - "However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth."

The first 7 plagues that God sent to Egypt were the water turning to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils and hail.  Pharaoh, in his arrogance, summons his "wise" men and sorcerers to try and recreate the plagues to show that God wasn't as powerful as Moses and Aaron made Him out to be.  However, after the first plague, the magicians were at a loss.  The first thing this passage tells me is that I have a powerful enemy.  The fact that these sorcerers could recreate any of the plagues shows that Satan is indeed formidable.  I think I take that for granted sometimes, and when I do, it usually comes back to bite me in the butt.  It also is quite obvious that Satan is very clever.  He usually doesn't fight fairly.  If I could see the enemy coming at me face to face, it would be a whole lot easier to fight him.  Satan doesn't operate that way.  He usually starts the fight without me even knowing it.  This is why it is so important for me to be in God's Word daily, because God can point out those little things that I don't even realize before they turn in to something much bigger, which brings me to my second point...


Pharaoh was one hard headed dude, and so am I.  Even in the midst of all these plagues, Pharaoh still didn't believe and let the Israelites go.  At times, I'm not all that different though.  It goes back to what I've written about before...I want God to answer my prayers the way I want them answered.  The other issue is that I'm too stubborn to give up the area of my life that God is trying to work on.  The easy answer is to take up my cross (die to myself) daily and follow Him and everything works itself out in God's way.  The hard answer is to take up my cross (die to myself) daily and follow Him and everything works itself out in God's way.  Either way, there is some dying that needs to take place.  I've been through the hardened heart phase of my life, and I never want to return.  Thankfully, it didn't take 10 plagues to bring me out of it!


God, reveal to me the areas in my life that I'm too stubborn.  Help me to gives those areas over to You.  Break down the footholds that Satan may have in my life, especially the ones I may not be aware of yet.  Continue to purify me.