Bible Devotion

Meditative Reflection
Surrender has to be Total

“ 'Tomorrow', Pharaoh said." (Exod. 8:10)

I agree with many commentators that each of the ten plagues represented an escalation in pressuring Pharaoh and his officials not only to let the Israelites go, but to acknowledge the sovereignty of God over their gods and also over their will.

As much as Pharaoh continued to harden his heart, we can also see a gradual softening of his heart which, unfortunately, was accompanied by his intentional withholding of the total surrender of his will which God desired of him.

Frankly, the second plague of the frogs represented nothing more than an inconvenience or a nuisance to Pharaoh, and since his magicians could also duplicate the same thing, he could have continued “not to take even this to heart” (7:23). Instead, he asked Moses and Aaron “to pray to the Lord”. This was a clear acknowledgement of the power of God. He conceded that neither his magicians nor any of his Egyptian deities could match the mighty power of the God of Israel. But such a softening of heart was not a complete surrender.

As Moses gave him the “honor” to set the time for his prayer and for the cessation of the plague, surprisingly Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow”. You and I would have said, “Right now”, unless we try to pretend that it really does not bother us too much. “Take your time Moses, I don’t really care.”

Therefore, it is not surprising to see Pharaoh renege on his promise, once relief was found.

I find a parallel here with people who presumably have come to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, and yet they do not really take their sins seriously. They are trying to better their lives or find relief from their less-than meaningful lives through becoming a Christian. They never take their sins seriously. While their mouths declare that Jesus is Lord, their hearts have yet to surrender totally to the Lordship of Christ. Not only will there be no change or fruitfulness in their lives, their sins will also reek like dead frogs to people around them.

Meditative Reflection
I am His and He is Mine

The same truth is seen in our lives as Christians. There is no doubt that the blessings of being God’s children extend beyond the temporal to the eternal. One hymn that speaks beautifully to such privileges is George Wade Robinson’s I am His and He is Mine. If you do not know the music, I urge you to go search for it. The lyrics and music combined to provide a wonderful meditation which draws us into a closer communion with our Lord. Let’s reflect on the lyrics:

I am His and He is Mine

1
Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so!
O, this full and perfect peace!
O, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.

2
Heav'n above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen;
Birds with gladder songs o'erflow,
Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as I now know,
I am His, and He is mine.
Since I know, as I now know,
I am His, and He is mine.

3
Things that once were wild alarms
Cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms,
Pillowed on the loving breast.
O, to lie forever here,
Doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear,
I am His, and He is mine.
While He whispers in my ear,
I am His, and He is mine.

4
His forever, only His;
Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss
Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav'n and earth may fade and flee,
Firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.

George Wade Robinson (1838-1877)

Meditative Reflection
The Prayer of the Righteous

“Now pray for me.” (Exod. 8:28)

In an effort to encourage Moses to persevere in his mission in spite of setbacks, the Lord once told Moses, “I have made you like God to Pharaoh” (Exod. 7:1). Indeed, as we read on, Pharaoh saw the mighty hand of God in plague after plague, and each was manifested through Moses and Aaron. And, as Pharaoh relented, it was the prayer of Moses that he was counting on. So as he could not bear the devastation of the flies (the 4^th plague), he not only asked Moses to pray to take the flies away, but he actually asked Moses, “Pray for me” (8:28).

Maybe, I am reading too much into it, but it is definitely different from the last prayer request for the frogs (8:8). Perhaps, his soul was so disturbed that he was asking for prayer not just for the plague to leave, but for the well-being of his soul. Maybe, he even knew his own heart too well that his pride and stubbornness would once again make him renege on his promise, and he knew it would only make matters worse.

In any case, he knew that Moses’ prayer would be effective. If only Moses would pray, all would be well. In other words, God’s promise in Exodus 7:1 has come true. Pharaoh was treating Moses as if he was God. This would present one of the greatest temptations to any servant of the Lord. How easily would one usurp the glory of God! But not Moses for we learn from Numbers 12:3 that “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”

I know I am in no way near the greatness of Moses, but as God’s servant, I have come across people who asked me to pray for them (or their loved ones), as if my prayers were far more effective than that of anyone else. Not only did these requests make me uncomfortable, they presented such a temptation to think more highly of myself. To those who so asked, I would immediately say “Yes, I would pray as you have requested, but my prayers are no different from anyone else’s, because God answers all sincere prayers, not just mine.”

Indeed, when it comes to approaching the throne of God, we have only one advocate who is Jesus Christ. Perhaps, the Apostle James had been approached for prayers just as I had been and he reminds us all that, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” And he quickly adds, “Elijah was a man just like us” (Jas. 5:16-17).

Next time, when you desperately need intercession, go to your brothers and sisters in Christ for help, but do not forget to pray yourself. Elijah was a man just like you!

Meditative Reflection
God Cares about All His Creation

“The Lord set a time and said, ‘Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land'.” (Exod. 9:5)

God waited until the 5^th plague to inflict harm on the lives of the livestock of Egypt which included horses, donkeys, camels cattle, sheep and goats. And, before the plague was actually carried out, God set a time so that the plague might be avoided. On the surface, the waiting time was set to help save these valuable properties of the Egyptians, but in essence, it was also for the sake of the livestock.

I am not one of those animal lovers who care more about animals than human beings. I have met quite a few people who’d rather keep animals as their companions than being associated with any human beings. Perhaps, I should not be too critical of them. Some of them have been hurt so deeply by friends, relatives or even their spouse that they have lost faith in human beings, including themselves. Others are like one former football coach who would rather keep fish as his companions, because, in the words of his son, “They don’t bother him.” That’s very sad.

Having said that, it does not mean that we should not care about animals. If you read the last verse in the Book of Jonah, you might be surprised that one of the reasons that God withheld judgment on the city of Nineveh was because of the animals: “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people…and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

As He was concerned about the cattle of Nineveh, so was He concerned about the livestock of Egypt and so He set a time and waited for Pharaoh’s response. God is just amazing!

Meditative Reflection
Facing up to Our Sins

“Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. ‘This time I have sinned', he said to them. ‘The LORD is right, and I and my people are in the wrong'.” (Exod. 9:27)

I have to admit that I have a lot of pity on Pharaoh as I am reading the story of Exodus:

- For one, as a king of Egypt, how would you deal with a growing immigrant population who would in time overtake your own population?

- As Moses approached him with the request of letting his people go for a short trip to the desert to worship their God, he knew very well that it was a ploy only and that he would lose most of the labor force that was so vital to the economy of his country.

- Moreover, letting the Hebrews go would lead to political instability because of the message being sent to other vassal states and to his own opponents within the country that he was a weak king.

But none of the above could justify the murder of babies. None of the above could justify subjecting anyone to slavery. The heart of Pharaoh was very hard, and no one can blame God for the further hardening of the heart of Pharaoh who had both the misfortune and the blessing of seeing the mighty hand of God. It was a blessing because he could have humbled himself before God, and not only let the Hebrews go, but in repentance gain the favor of God.

He came close to the latter as he summoned Moses and Aaron confessing, “This time I have sinned.” At last, he admitted to sinning, but the confession appeared to be confined to “this time”, not mentioning the many sins of infanticide, of slavery and of his repeated revocations of his promises. What’s more, if he really recognized that he sinned against the LORD, he should have gone to Moses instead. If he was willing also to face up to his other sins, he would be making his way towards true repentance.

Facing up to one’s sin is not easy and it takes honesty, it takes courage. We would be fooling ourselves to think that we have owned up to our sins by only confessing the obvious and less hurtful ones. By confessing only to the present sin, Pharaoh thought he could ignore and bury the past. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works with God. However, if we are honest and courageous enough “to confess our sins (plural), He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purity us from all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1:9).

Meditative Reflection
Our Legacy to Future Generations

“(T)hat you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.” (Exod. 10:2)

At first glance, I was skeptical about this instruction from the Lord: “What’s the use of telling future generations? They won’t listen anyway, especially with the lapse of time.”

However, when I went through psalm after psalm and many of the books of the prophets, I have come to understand that the passing of these accounts of God’s miraculous deeds in Egypt and their remembrance had been vital to the faith of future generations of God’s people, especially in their times of trouble, both personal and national.

For example, Psalm 78, 81, 105, 106, 114, 135 and 136 firmly ground the hope and faith of the psalmists in the Lord on these historical events of God’s deliverance, not to mention the remembrance of their annual Passover Feast.

It is a lesson that we should learn as well. We need to remember and recount all of the goodness God has shown us to our children and grandchildren, including times of failure and times of success. Yes, they may find our stories too repetitive, but the gratitude and sincerity with which we share these personal stories will help impress upon their hearts the faithfulness of our God, and help them follow our footsteps in their times of trials. So too will they come to experience the reality of the promises of God in their own lives as well.

Meditative Reflection
Endless Darkness

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt'.” () (Exod. 10:21)

 I am sure you have experienced a sudden darkening of the sky in the daytime and although it was not pitch-dark, you were already quite shaken up. Can you imagine living in complete darkness for three days? It must be a most horrifying experience.

I was only subjected to a few seconds of complete darkness, on purpose, in the Lewis and Clark Cavern in Montana. Even within those few seconds, I lost my orientation!  The tour guide who switched the lights back on told us a story that a volunteer was once left by mistake in the cavern overnight. By the time he or she was found, the person had almost gone crazy, and told of the horrific experience that in complete darkness, no one could survive for any extended period of time.

But the Bible tells us over and over again that the fate of those who do not believe in Christ to be thrown into darkness. Matthew 8:12 is one such passage spoken by our Lord concerning the fate of those Israelites who would not believe in Him, 

“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

If a few seconds of darkness could cause me to lose my orientation, a night in darkness could cause the volunteer to go crazy, and the three days of darkness were so unbearable for Pharaoh, imagine what it will be like in eternal darkness—indeed darkness that can be felt!