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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Exodus 10:29
“Just as you say,” Moses replied, “I will never appear before you again.”
This is one of the most poignant verses of all Scripture.
Pharaoh completely misread the circumstances. He had become callous, calculating and cynical but God remained the same. Pharaoh had mistaken privilege for power and prestige for promotion. God raises up and God humbles. Pharaoh is about to learn a fatal lesson.
The elders had initially welcomed Moses, but once reality set in and the difficulties began, they gave vent to their feelings at Moses and Aaron rather than at the Egyptians who were the true slave-drivers and taskmasters.
Before the plagues there was the incident with the rods. The magicians could copy Aaron – their rods also became snakes – but Aaron’s snake ate up all the others. The seven plagues are interesting for a variety of reasons. In the case of the blood and frogs, the magicians could do the same – but they couldn’t stop them. Only Moses could do that.
Interestingly in the case of the frogs, Moses allows Pharaoh the choice of time for deliverance and he chooses “tomorrow” (Exodus 8:10). How did he explain one more night with the frogs to his wife? After that, it seems, he always had to endure another night.
Then came the gnats - their “gods” and the magicians have to admit, “this is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). From the flies onwards, only the Egyptians were affected – the Hebrews in Goshen were protected.
When it came to the locusts, following the hail, even Pharaoh’s officials had had enough and said, “Let them go” (see Exodus 10:10). But not Pharaoh. He broke promise after promise. But he was neither thick nor stupid, rather a devious and determined man.
The darkness seemed to get to him at last – right up his nose. He said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die” (v 28).
I bet he was feeling very proud and self-confident at that point. He had finally given release to all his pent-up emotions and told this ‘little squirt’ what he really felt. He had finally won the battle and pronounced the final fatal sentence.
How very wrong he was. Moses, I’m sure, just quietly replied (maybe with even a hint of sadness), “Just as you say. I will never appear before you again.” That burst his bubble. Moses had been the one to intercede for Pharaoh at his bidding – that option was now withdrawn.
Pharaoh may have felt he had won the battle but in fact he had just lost the whole war. He had pronounced his own sentence. He had grossly overplayed his hand and brought with it total annihilation, humiliation, despair and destruction. (The enemy does the same. When he makes his ‘best’ move, it always backfires against him.) Moses let Pharaoh know what was going to happen next and then left him to reflect, ponder and fear.
Pharaoh missed two important lessons – God’s grace diminishes neither His justice nor His power. Just because God, in His grace had made him to be Pharaoh, wealthy and powerful, and just because He had stopped each plague, it did not mean He had changed His mind. God deals with sin; He does not overlook it. Sin catches us out now and later. The only way of ‘escape’ is to accept the sacrifice of Christ – where God dealt with sin.
The second lesson is that you don’t dictate terms to God. They usually rebound on you. God is an awesome God. He is Sovereign and all we can say is – “Yes, Lord” and “Amen”. Never ever make the mistake of treating God’s grace lightly. Don’t ever treat the Holy as common. God is a jealous God.
When the enemy laughs at you, or causes people to laugh at you, relax; God always has the last word.
And He will.
Incidentally, that is how we get into Hell. God doesn’t send us there. We say to God, in effect, “Make sure You do not appear before me again.” He replies, “Just as you say.” The result is Hell… for eternity.
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