This is not my favorite reading I must admit. I am not a fan of blood or needles. I can’t even imagine not having water to drink. I drink a lot of water. If I had seen this up close and personal I would have been amazed at the miracle, even if I was totally woozy from seeing that much blood.
I understand that God was hardening Pharoah’s heart, he said he would. But what about these magicians. Who gave them permission to do the same thing. Talk about stealing God’s thunder. But then I stopped and thought, God may have used them to solidify the hardening.
One thing is for sure, this mission is going to strengthen Moses’ resolve. Moses is also going to draw nearer to God through the whole experience, isn’t he? After all, he is in communication with God regularly on how this mission is playing out. Just when he thinks that this might be the day, God hardens Pharoah’s heart yet again. Talk about a roller coaster.
Have you had times in your life like that? An emotional roller coaster can take its toll on us. Here, however, the very God who we seek for comfort and rescue is the one who is putting gasoline on the fire, so to speak. He is stirring up emotions to make a point. We may not understand God’s intentions, but we accept them knowing God’s wisdom is higher than ours. We’ll have to see how Moses handles the continued “defeat.” I don’t think God is seeing these actions as being defeated, do you?
So when we face challenges in our lives, problems in relationships, roadblocks, adversity, etc., we shouldn’t stop trusting in God. He may be allowing some of these experiences to happen, but he’ll never let us be tempted without an escape route in place. That’s a great comfort. But this doesn’t mean we should live recklessly or without any boundaries. I’m sure God isn’t in the business of wanting to rescue his disobedient children.
God is using the circumstances in our reading to make himself known. So far, his display of grandeur is being matched by the magicians. Yet people are talking. God can use the “bad press,” too. He is not an invisible God. He wants to be recognized. When we acknowledge him and talk about him, share how he is working in our lives, etc., he is made known to the world. Our little corner of it anyway. That’s our job. Make God known.
How are you doing at making God known?
Let’s pray. Lord, I want my life to reflect you. I want people to see me and wonder what’s different. It’s you, God. You are shining through me. Help me be careful to give credit where credit is due. Use me God to touch lives for you. The world needs to know you, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
