Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Exodus 7-9.
There is so much for us to learn here, in these 10 plagues of God, that we could likely halt our journey and feast our souls here for six months.
But, alas, our journey is to read God's sacred Scriptures in a year.
Out of the myriads of things that we could discuss in this encounter between God, and this evil man (created by God) named for us as Pharaoh, I suppose we should look to the primary reason for this episode. Although, there are many significant secondary reasons.
That His Holy Name might be known:
- But for this purpose I have raised you up [evil Pharaoh], to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. (Exodus 9:16)
- that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:18)
- who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, (Isaiah 63:12)
So far in our journey, God has declared himself creator, sovereign, and here we are witness to another significant declaration of God: He has chosen a people, and he will make it crystal clear that He alone is God, and easily stands against, and defeats all other gods.
Surely we must not miss the many things that God has for us to understand in these 10 plagues, but we must also bear in mind that there exists a spiritual realm of good, and evil angels. Certainly Satan has witnessed God's choosing of a people, and it is certainly appropriate to think that Satan understands that these elect of God are the establishing of a Kingdom, right in the middle of Satan's kingdom, that God will call his own. Further, God has made this crystal clear to Satan in the defeat of his sorcerers, and further still with the testimony of these sorcerers that this is indeed "the finger of God".
God even forces demons to cry uncle under his almighty hand.
Abba, teach us all that we need to know from these Scriptures. You alone are God, you will uphold your elect with your mighty hand, and here we see another page in your redemption story. How merciful you are to save us, who from our father Adam, have sought to become our own gods.
