Exodus 11

The same sun that hardens clay, melts butter.

Exodus 11  

TUESDAY  Reflections

There is a lot of great material about the Passover and the picture of Jesus being the Passover lamb in the coming chapters. However, there is a key here is chapter 11 that I really want us to notice. God uses man's sin and stubbornness to show His power.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land." Exodus 11:9-10

Often people look at this and comment that it wasn't fair of God to harden Pharaoh's heart and then punish him for it, but the question may be first why was God able to harden his heart? My answer is God didn't change Pharaoh's heart but his power caused it to do what it did. Like the old saying goes, "the same sun that melts butter hardens bricks." The difference wasn't the sun it was the material exposed to the sun.

When Pharaoh's heart was faced with God's power it hardened. He had before believed he was a god. The plagues one after another attacked and showed the powerlessness of the Egyptian gods one by one.

There were two "gods" left and both powers that took human life, the Egyptian god of death and Pharaoh’s army. Soon God would show his power over them as well, however, the entirety of the Exodus plagues were to show that God was God and there was no other. Unfortunately, the Israelites didn't learn their lesson very well, but that is a later conversation.

 

What I want to point out here is that God can and does use the stupidity of mankind to demonstrate his power and wonder. The greatest example of this is found in the cross of Jesus. Truly this was a demonstration of man's evil and stupidity, yet God knew all along this was going to be the way of salvation for all of man, the exodus from the life of sin to God's new life. 

Exo 11:1-10

(1)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

(2)  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

(3)  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

(4)  And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:

(5)  And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

(6)  And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

(7)  But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

(8)  And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

(9)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.

(10)  And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

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