A Test of Wills

Exodus Chapters 8 and 9

The story of the plagues of Egypt is one of the most dramatic and impressive in the entire Bible.  Nine times God brought plagues on the land of Egypt in order to liberate His people from bondage under Pharoah.  It is an amazing story of frogs, lice, flies, water turning to blood, and much more.  Each plague was worse than the one before it.

The problem standing in the way of God's purposes was an extremely prideful and hard-headed Pharoah.  Have you ever wondered WHY God did what He did in this story?  He could have zapped Pharoah on the first day if He wanted, and raised up a new Pharoah that would have been agreeable. 

There are two underlying themes in the story of the plague:

1.  God seeks our agreement.  There was a test of wills between God/Moses and Pharoah.  Ultimately God won.  But, rather than bull-doze Pharoah, God sought to persuade him.  God does the same with us.  He will set up all kinds of circumstances to influence us, but in the final analysis, He wants us to DECIDE.  That's His way.

2.  The signs and wonders were for Israel.  God wasn't trying to show the Egyptians how powerful He was.  He wanted to show Israel the lengths to which He would go to deliver them.  The demonstration of His power should lead to worship, and that was aimed at Israel.  As they left Egypt, they should have been deeply aware of how much God loved them and wanted them as His people.

How much are you toay agreeing with God or resisting God?

How much are you aware of how much He loves you and how He moves heaven and earth in your behalf?