58 PEOPLE WHO WON F O O T ================================

• H O L D

READING

58 PEOPLE WHO WON’T LISTEN

PRAY Lord God, open my eyes to see your sovereignty, and my ears to hear your voice.

READ Exodus 628-725.

THINK Are there any instances in this passage of God’s sovereignty and human anti-God behaviour? —————————————————————- FOCUS Things are really beginning to happen now. God is opening the way for his people to leave Egypt. PASSING ON THE MESSAGE (6:28-7:5). Pharaoh was given another opportunity to let Israel go. But he let it pass by. He ignored the message he was given. However, it was God’s message that Pharaoh was hearing – and rejecting. When we speak for God, it hurts if people take no notice. But the message they reject is not our own – it is God’s. We need to be careful, though, that they don’t reject it because of a thoughtless or insensitive approach by us. PROOF BY A MIRACLE. It is not easy to explain the strange events of verses 8-12. If we accept that Aaron worked a miracle through God’s power (9,10) what do we make of the similar ‘miracles’ of the Egyptians? Some people have suggested this was a clever conjuring trick. It is also possible to hypnotise snakes and make them rigid. Others believe they were using Satanic power. We are reminded in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 that evil-doers can certainly posses such powers. In any case verse 12 shows that God’s power was greater. PLAGUE OF BLOOD (14-24). Pharaoh refused to listen and so God had to use more drastic measures. God doesn’t want to see people suffering but sometimes they bring it on themselves Pharaoh and the Egyptians only had to stop, listen to what God was saying and obey him and their troubles would have been over. When God begins to act nothing can stand in his way. —————————————————————- PRAY Pray for wisdom to identify God’s word among the many voices you hear.