𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵 𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭, 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵.
The seventh plague of hail God brought upon Egypt through Moses was a focal point I think most of us who are familiar with the story miss. When God announced this plague, He explained why He had chosen to bring ten plagues, and then we see something amazing. With the seventh plague of hail, we see a microcosm of God offering His grace to sinful men.
Most of us have heard about the Ten Plagues. These plagues devastated the land of Egypt and the most powerful people on earth at that time. They showed God’s power over all the Egyptian gods as well as demonstrating God’s sovereignty as the one true God. The plagues were all planned out by God for a purpose and worked in unity to achieve two goals for God.
The first goal was to free the Israelites from bondage, and the
second goal was to spread God’s glory throughout the world. God told Pharaoh that He easily could have achieved the first goal with one act of His mighty hand, but He brought all ten plagues upon this powerful nation so His name would be proclaimed over all the earth.
“For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:15-16 ESV).
And that is exactly what happened. Decades later, when the Israelites invaded the land of Canaan, a local woman told the Israeli spies,
“I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.” (Joshua 2:9b ESV).
But it is when Moses announced the plague of hail that we see God’s grace offered to the Egyptians, even in light of the tremendous devastation God was raining down upon the nation. Up until now, the land of Egypt was filled with Egyptians who did not fear God. Among them was Pharaoh. But God changed this with the coming of the seventh plague.
In this plague, Moses tells the Egyptians exactly what is going to happen and gives each Egyptian the chance to avoid the devastation that is about to come. Notice the grace and warning Moses extends to his enemy:
“Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” (Exodus 9:19 ESV).
Apparently, the previous six plagues had an effect on many of the Egyptians, not all, but many. Many Egyptians began to fear the God of the Israelites because of the plagues, but others remained defiant and showed no respect for the one true God. Those who heeded Moses’ warning when the hail came were spared and given grace from God. Those who despised the word of God were given judgment through the plague of hail:
“Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field.” (Exodus 9:20-21 ESV).
This was the turning point for the Egyptians. After the seventh plague, the people who did not fear the Lord were killed. Those who were left had a healthy respect for the God of Israel. All but Pharaoh. That explains why the people became more vocal in trying to persuade Pharaoh to heed Moses as the remaining three plagues came:
“Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” (Exodus 10:7 ESV).
This is also why the people were eager to give the Israelites gold, silver, and clothing when asked as they left Egypt:
“The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:35-36 ESV).
The seventh plague of hail stands as a wonderful example, not only of God’s might and power but of His mercy and grace. The seventh plague is a reminder that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways and that we can always put our full trust in Him. And the seventh plague reminds us that even when God is bringing judgment upon sinful man, He gives us every opportunity to avoid judgment by repenting and turning to Him.
The plague of hail is a reminder of God’s mighty strength as well as His loving kindness to all men, including you and me, if we but turn to Him with our whole heart.
Here is a tip to add another element to your Bible study, especially when you read the Old Testament books.
Do a Google search to find out when the book you are reading was written. Then, do a Google search for that year. Read about all the things that happened in the world when the prophet wrote the book you are reading.
This can help set the context of world events when you read the book you are studying. For example, I read Malachi this morning. It was written around 430 B.C.
If you are a history buff, you will find out that 430 B.C. was the beginning of the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens. It was also the year that a plague struck Athens, killing upwards of 100,000 people, about 25% of the city's population.
While this may not add any new understanding of Truth in the book you are reading, finding out what was going on in the world when the book you are reading was written can help make it more real in your mind.
I have started to do this and it helps me weave the story of God's people with the story of civilization, helping me paint a picture in my mind where the things I read fit into world events.
In the book of, Malachi, God talks about the heart of the people who act disdainfully toward Him. Listen to what God says about the people in chapter one, and then let us think about our own commitment to God:
“But you say, 'What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD.
Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.” (Malachi 1:13-14 ESV).
God asks His people how they can justify giving Him leftovers and things of little value while keeping the best for themselves. All the while, they commit their best to God through their vows, but when it's time to give and sacrifice, they give Him what is of little value and keep the best for themselves.
This is a heart issue. What we give to God tells much about the honor we bestow upon Him. Do we give God the leftovers of our time and possessions? Do we spend upon ourselves and then give to God what is left? Do we plan elaborate vacations, sporting events, theater, and recreational visits and then give God a few minutes we can scrape up from our “busy” schedule?
Do we look at our budget to see how we can enhance our family's quality of life through entertainment and gadgets and then see what we have left to offer to the poor and those in need?
Do we spend the day pursuing all kinds of pleasures for ourselves and our family only to scrounge up a few moments to read a verse or two in the Bible or offer a quick prayer with little thought to the fact that we are about to go before the Creator of the universe in reverence and fear?
How much are we like the people to whom Malachi wrote? Do we take God's blessings for ourselves, give Him the leftovers, and treat Him as an afterthought, thinking how much He should appreciate the “generosity” we bestow upon Him?
This is a heart issue. It was for the people to whom Malachi wrote, and it is for us as well. May we all take a long, hard look at what we are offering God in our time, possessions, and service and see if it is a fitting tribute to the Almighty God of Heaven. And if it isn't, may we make changes to give Him the honor due Him.
When Caligula became emperor of Rome, he sent Pilate into exile in Gaul (modern France). In exile, Pilate took his own life.
At that moment, he fully understood what Jesus meant when He told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
The tables were turned and it is now Pilate who will stand before Jesus for judgement.
He should have listened to his wife on that fateful day.
“Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” (Matthew 27:19 ESV).
When we are suffering, it is easy for us to throw our good works in God's face and say, “This isn't fair! I have been living a good life for you. I don't deserve this.”
All the while we forget our gift of salvation and that we are not getting what we deserve, which is eternal punishment for our sins.
The only person who could look at God and say, “I don't deserve what I am getting,” is Jesus.
Only our Savior deserved to get a good outcome from God, but Jesus didn't get what He deserved so that we could get what we don't deserve- eternal life.
I am in Acts in my daily Bible reading. Jesus had been raised from the dead and ascended into heaven to take His throne at our Father's right hand.
The church was growing, and after Peter and John healed a lame beggar and people turned to the Lord, the Jewish leaders arrested the two apostles. Acts 4 tells us,
“with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:6-7 ESV).
Put yourself into Annas and Caiaphas' sandals. They had thought they had squashed this movement when they crucified Jesus, yet the movement still grew. With their leader gone, the leaders wanted to know in whose name they did these things.
Notice Peter's response. It is not what the leaders expected or wanted to hear:
“let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man is standing before you well.” (Acts 4:10 ESV).
If Peter's proclamation was false, all Annas and Caiaphas had to do was produce the body of Jesus. But as the church grew and people worldwide turned to Jesus as Lord, King, and God, no one could produce His body.
They couldn't produce a body because Jesus' body was risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven just like ours will do one day.
So they threatened them and let them go, warning them to never speak in the name of Jesus again.
“But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 ESV).
And so the church, with the power of the Holy Spirit, followed the dictates of the only power that mattered, and the Lord's church grew in a most hostile world because Jesus was who He claimed to be.
2000 years later, we worship Jesus as God and King because there is still no body left on earth.
But the world will see it one day when He returns to bring us home.
I am in the book of Acts in my daily Bible reading. In Acts 9, the man who had just consented to Stephen's stoning was himself baptized and converted to the Lord Jesus.
What does it look like when someone gives his or her allegiance to the King?
“And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”“ (Acts 9:20 ESV).
Unlike what most people will tell us, simply accepting the Lord into our hearts is not what will save us. We must be wholly converted to Jesus and then live a life of repentance.
If we are truly converted to Jesus, our lives will show that by our repentance. We will live the way the Spirit instructs us through His word, and our new allegiance to Jesus will be seen by all.
“And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” (Acts 9:21 ESV).
I am in the book of Acts in my daily Bible reading. Paul goes from city to city preaching the Gospel. For his trouble, he was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and suffered much. Why?
He did it because of the charge that was laid at his feet by Jesus. He did it because Jews and Gentiles alike were walking a road toward destruction, and he had a message that could save them.
And though he knew he could not be saved through his own works, he worked like someone who was trying to make up for the terrible things he did before he was saved. He worked as though he was trying to pay off the terrible debt that he accrued as the “chief of sinners.”
What would our life be like if we worked for Jesus as though we were trying to do the impossible of paying off an unpayable debt? I imagine it would look a lot like Paul's life.
We would work and never stop. We would endure any hardship for Jesus. We would only rest when Jesus called us home. Though we can never earn our salvation, we would still spend our lives working because our debt to Jesus is too huge to work off in this life, or even if we had an eternity to try.