the Long Road from Pride to Humility

Exodus 8:1-24 

1  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘this is what the LORD says:  Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

6  So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land.

8  Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.”

15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

16  Then the LRD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.

18  but when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.  Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere,

19  the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”  But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.

22 “But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies, will be there, so that you will know that I , the LORD, am in this land.

23  I will make a distinction between My people and your people.  This sign will occur tomorrow.”

The beginning of Exodus sets the stage for a climatic showdown between the LORD God and Pharaoh the king of Egypt.  After 430 years of slavery with not a word from the LORD and Pharaoh’s power reigned supreme, the LORD decided that now is the time.  Chapter 8 brings us to the middle of this battle, after turning staffs into snakes and water into blood.  Pharaoh’s wise men, sorcerers, and magicians came up short when trying to make little creatures called gnats; they are no match for the living God.  Earlier, they were able to produce frogs (v.7), but they could not make them disappear, and Pharaoh had to summon Moses and Aaron for the job.  But Pharaoh refused to give up his pride and his hunger for power again and again.

I think earthly rulers get cocky and proud too if no one is contesting them and their reigns.  We are going through some of the worse crises of our time—dire famine, extreme poverty, strained international relations, economies buoyed by borrowed money, increased natural disasters, prolonged wars, unemployment, etc.  with no real end in sight, yet our rulers refused to turn to the LORD. Instead, they either shut out the LORD completely, or they blame God for their problems.  They refused to believe that their sin and unrepentant hearts are the cause of all their troubles. 

America was great because the LORD’s hand of protection and blessing was on her:  keeping relations with other nations peaceful, making wars short and decisive, increasing crops and harvests, limiting natural disasters to a minimum. 

We are also to blame, because we often failed to call on God about all calamities happening around us.  O LORD, awaken us! Open our eyes and our hearts to see what You see and feel what You feel.  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.