Exodus 7:1-25

There are usually two ways of doing or learning most things; the easy way and the hard way.  Most of the time God is not all that concerned with which way we end up learning and growing. His goal is to build character in our lives.  The point is that God’s will is not negotiable.  When He chooses to accomplish something, it will be done.  However, how it will be done is often left up to the choices of men.  Pharaoh could have chosen the easy path of listening to and obeying God.  Instead He chose the hard path of stubbornness and pride.  Both paths lead to the same place: the glory of God and the freedom of Israel.  The only difference is the consequences along the way.  We too, usually can choose between these same paths.  We can reflect the glory of God through the blessings of obedience or we can demonstrate the glory of God through the judgment of disobedience.  God is glorified either way, but the consequences in our lives are far different.
GOD STATES HIS WILL: God makes it clear to Moses that he is to be His mouthpiece before Pharaoh and that He was going to demonstrate His power through signs to the people of Egypt.  God knows that Pharaoh is full of pride and will not listen to God’s words alone so He chooses to use Pharaoh’s hard heart to give an everlasting demonstration of the consequences of disobedience and God’s willingness and ability to judge.  God has determined that He will set the children of Israel free.  This was a clear part of the plan of God as revealed to Abraham.  Four hundred years have passed and the nation has multiplied so God is ready to move on to the next part of His promise.  God’s will is sovereign and He will see it come about for His glory and the good of His people.  God is not surprised by our actions or our disobedience but His is always wise in His dealings with us and is able to use our responses to Him is a way that ends up bringing honor to Him and revealing His glory.
GOD STARTS HIS WORK: The first thing that God does is demonstrates His superiority to Pharaoh.  The staff turning into a snake illustration is meant to confirm the authority of God’s spokesmen.  God allows Satan to empower Pharaoh’s magicians to accomplish the same thing.  However, God makes it very clear to Pharaoh that He is superior as God’s snake promptly eats Satan’s snake.  I would have loved to have seen the look on Pharaoh’s face change from delight to dread when this takes place.  God is not interested in competing for the affections and worship of men.  He demands to be worshiped by all without doubt or division.
GOD STRIKES THE WATERS: Since Pharaoh will not respond or submit to God’s sovereignty; God strikes the waters of Egypt with blood.  The river and all of the existing wells turn to blood for a period of seven days.  I find it interesting and funny that Pharaoh has his magicians complicate the problem even more by turning more water into blood.  If Pharaoh truly wanted to demonstrate His powers, he should have had his magicians turn the blood back into water.  Sin seems to blind our reason and our rebellion against God always only complicates our lives even further.  God’s discipline and punishment of sin is severe and not at all enjoyable.  He is always willing to illustrate His hatred of disobedience through judgment, but I believe that the true desire of His heart is to demonstrate His glory through the rewards of obedience.  He allows us the opportunity to choose how He will be glorified through us.  Either way, the glory of God is non-negotiable.

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