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The Plagues, Part 4
The Plagues, part 4
Exodus 10:1-20
Introduction:
Long ago Charles Spurgeon wrote the following words, “Every believer thirsts for God, and longs to climb the hill of the Lord, seeing him face to face. We ought not rest content in the mists of the valley when the summits await us. Our soul thirsts to drink deep of this cup, yet, many saints are content to live like men in coal mines, who see not the sun; they are content to wear the miner’s garb when they might put on king’s robes; tears mar their faces when they might anoint them with heavenly oil. Rouse yourself, O believer, from your low condition! Cast away your sloth, your lethargy, your coldness, or whatever interferes with Christ. Make him the source and center of all thy soul’s delight. What has enchanted you into such folly as to remain in the mines when you may climb the heights? Live not in the lowlands of bondage but press forward to things more sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, a fuller life. It is ours in Christ, O believer, reach out for it!”
Pray with me.
Meat:
Well good morning Church, open your Bibles to Exodus 10. Four headings of bright beauty to behold today, see first…
Visit 1 (v1-6)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.”
As we have seen before now a few times, this eighth plague begins just as the second and fifth plague begin, with Moses coming straight into Pharaoh’s presence in his palace court with a command and a warning. In this way the eighth plague is like what we’ve seen before. But there are new things to see here as well.
First, notice the reasons God gives to Moses in v1-2. We’ve heard God say He has hardened Pharaoh’s heart before and that He’s bringing about the plagues so that Egypt may know He’s the Lord, God has said that a few times now. But see the beginning of v2? There we learn God is bringing about the plagues not just for the sake of Egypt, but for the sake of Israel. Why? So that Moses can tell his son and grandson about it. In other words, God is doing a work He wants His people to remember, so He commands Moses to tell his sons and grandsons about this. Now, we all know kids love stories, and I think adults do too if their honest enough. If you think about what makes a good story, the Exodus has all of it. An evil villain, an unlikely hero, a bitter conflict, miraculous twists and turns, a daring rescue, the triumph of good over evil, which ultimately, brings about a happy ending. The Exodus all of this. As much as kids would’ve loved this story, God’s writing this story here not just to entertain the kids but to teach them.
That’s what Exodus teaches us. It is the story of Israel’s salvation. It is a story that explains everything they needed to know. It explains who God is: that He’s the LORD, the God over all, the God of their fathers, the true King of power and glory. It explains who they are: the people of God, enslaved by Pharaoh. It explains how God rescued them: by His strong and mighty outstretched arm. It explains where they came from: out of Egypt. It explains where they’re going: into the promise land. And it explains why God rescued them: to glorify Him!
This story answers all the big questions, doesn’t it? Who is God? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life? This story is important, so important that it must not stop with Moses’ generation, it must reverberate down through the ages.
Church, I don’t want to wait till the end of the sermon to get the gospel, it’s right here at the start today, in this point! As God gave Moses and Israel a story, He’s given us a story to tell our descendants! And the story He gave us is greater than the Exodus, and in it God tells us everything we need to know! It explains who God is: our Father in heaven, full of grace and truth. It explains who we are: made by Him, in His image, but fallen in sin. It explains how God rescued us: by the Work of His beloved Son. It explains how the Son’s work is applied to us: by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It explains where we’ve come from: sin’s cruel death and slavery. It explains where we’re going: to be with God in glory forever. And it explains why God rescued us: to glorify Him.
This story answers all the big questions too! And this story, ancient as it is, remains the story we repeat and rehearse as we gather together to worship, as it also remains the story we scatter together to spread abroad! May our children hear it from us, may their children hear it from them, and on and on and on until the dawn of the last day!
Let’s get back to Moses. He and Aaron go into Pharaoh’s court, and notice what they first say in v3? “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” This is a good question. Seven plagues have come and gone; how much longer will Pharaoh stubbornly dig in his heels? God is clear in this question, either Pharaoh humble himself now, or God will humiliate him further. After this comes the plague announcement. If Pharaoh refuses to let the people go, locusts will come. So many locusts that they won’t even be able to see the ground. They will eat everything in the land left over from the hailstorm, and they will fill every house, from Pharaoh’s palace to the servants huts. Such a thing, Moses adds, has never happened nor will ever happen again in Egypt. Then notice it, directly after this Moses turns and leaves Pharaoh’s court, without allowing him a chance to respond.
This left an impression. See now v7-11…
Visit 2 (v7-11)
“Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.”
Pharaoh, remember, had already heard a question in v3 beginning with the words “How long…” and now he gets another one, this time from his own servants in v7. And what a question this is! It’s not only a call from Pharaoh’s own people to give in to Moses, but it also shows us how bad things have gotten in Egypt. They say in the end of v7 that Egypt itself is ruined. For this reason they tell Pharaoh to let Israel go, so that Moses would no longer be a snare to them. How ironic is that? The very ones who enslaved the Israelites, keeping them trapped and denying them their freedom, they’re now getting a taste of their own medicine, as they feel like Moses is holding them captive!
So Pharaoh quickly brings Moses and Aaron back in and in v8 says that he’ll let them go…but he adds a question to it, “Which ones are to go?” Moses responds in v9 saying all of them will go, their young, their old, their sons, their daughters, even their herds are to go. Pharaoh sarcastically bursts out in v10 when he hears this saying, ‘HA! The Lord would indeed be with you if I let all of you go, you clearly are up to some evil here. No, you all cannot go, only take your men.’ Apparently, Pharaoh had a very low view of women and children. To him, only men seem to matter when it comes to worship, so why should they all go? What Pharaoh doesn’t know is that all God’s people matter to God, from the least to the greatest. So Moses tells him this, that they all must go: the young, the old, the sons, the daughters, the men, and the women. Implied in Moses’ response to Pharaoh is a clear reminder that the commands of God are not open for discussion, for debate, or for negotiation. Moses rejects any conditions or limitations added to God’s Word. When God calls, commands, or declares, what He says stands, with no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Yet, Moses doesn’t get a chance to respond to this because, very quickly, Pharaoh kicks them out of his presence without allowing any more discussion. So, we’ve seen two visits with Pharaoh so far, I think we know what’s coming next. See it in v12-15…
Lots of Locusts (v12-15)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.”
It's astonishing to me how fast the scene unfolds for us. The command comes in v12, Moses obeys in v13, and we see the results in v14-15. This eighth plague is simply devastating in scope. We know something of locusts don’t we? Each year our own locusts begin small and black, but after a few weeks they’re bigger and yellow and prehistoric looking…but they don’t really bother. They seem more scared of us than we are of them. There have been reports of locust hordes sweeping across the world throughout history. In the 1920’s locusts swept across Africa consuming everything over five million square miles, which, is a space double the size of the United States. Another report came in 2001 of a locust horde sweeping across central Asia, which was so vast the New York Times reported the infestation reached ten thousand locusts per ten square feet. Can you even imagine that?
This gives us some kind of idea what was occurring in Egypt in this plague. Perhaps that first night the Egyptians thought they’d be fine as they just heard and felt this great wind that God stirred, a strong east wind. This phrase east wind occurs a few other times in Scripture, mainly in the Psalms and the Prophets, and it’s always referring to judgment and dark and dreadful things (see Ps. 48:7, Jer. 18:17, Ezek. 19:12, Hos. 13:15, Jonah 4:8). So that night the east wind came, and in the morning the dawn brought a different story. That wind brought hordes upon hordes of locusts. v15 says they were so numerous they covered all the ground, nearly blotted out the sun, and consumed all the vegetation left alive from the hailstorm. Nothing green remained. Notice also that the phrase in v14 “such a dense swarm” in the original Hebrew is again the phrase we’ve heard before, kabed m’od, or very heavy. The locusts laid heavy on Egypt. Lesson? God has brought another plague to Egypt as heavy as Pharaoh’s hard heart.
But God was up to more than this, wasn’t He? This time the Lord set His sights on their god Senehem (the divine protector against pests) and their god Anubis (the guardian of the fields). These idols failed to do what they were supposed to do, as the God of Israel proves Himself the stronger.
This is the eighth plague.
The Same Sad Story (v16-20)
“Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.”
As the passage concludes we see more of the same. Pharaoh quickly gets Moses and Aaron back in front of him, and begs for relief. The words he uses are good, he even calls this eighth plague “this death” certainly shows more urgency on Pharaoh’s part as he’s recognizing more of the gravity of the situation. But while these words would seem to give the impression of sincerity, we know Pharaoh is after redemption, only rest from a God who’s afflicting him. But Moses prays and God removes the locusts, blowing them with a west wind into the Red Sea, perhaps foreshadowing what will come of Pharaoh in the end. And Pharaoh did what Pharaoh has done each time, he didn’t let the people go.
Conclusion:
Come back to v3 with me. There we heard the question, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” It was a good question for Pharaoh, it remains a good question for us. Peter tells us “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:5-6). Of course the question can be put in other terms. ‘How long will you continue living in your sin?’ ‘How long will you destroy yourself and those nearest you?’ ‘How long will you put off the day of repentance?’
Think of how you’d answer the question for yourself. Think of Jesus Himself, thorn crowned head and pierced hands, think of Him coming close to you, looking you in the eyes, and in His thunderous loving voice asking you, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?”
Church our passage today confronts us. You may not see it today and you may not see it tomorrow, but you can count on this: everyone will either humble themselves or be humiliated before God. Maybe you’ve seen it, in your own life, or in a family member, or a close friend. It’s always tragic…the devastation of sin. The tragic thing about sin is that, sometimes, when people hit rock bottom, they keep digging. This is what sin does. It keeps persisting in folly even when the wreckage it produces is clear. Church, sin ruins you. This is how our passage confronts us.
But Church, our passage can comfort us as well, if, we humble ourselves. So hear it again. Hear God ask you today, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” As I stated at the beginning, we were made to soar on the heights of heaven, yet we are far too willing to settle for the mines below. God promises terrible things to those who refuse to humble themselves like Pharaoh. We see that here. But Church, He promises heaven to those who come to His Son. Forsake your many sins, flee to the Savior, and find shelter and rest for your soul.
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By SonRise Community ChurchThe Plagues, part 4
Exodus 10:1-20
Introduction:
Long ago Charles Spurgeon wrote the following words, “Every believer thirsts for God, and longs to climb the hill of the Lord, seeing him face to face. We ought not rest content in the mists of the valley when the summits await us. Our soul thirsts to drink deep of this cup, yet, many saints are content to live like men in coal mines, who see not the sun; they are content to wear the miner’s garb when they might put on king’s robes; tears mar their faces when they might anoint them with heavenly oil. Rouse yourself, O believer, from your low condition! Cast away your sloth, your lethargy, your coldness, or whatever interferes with Christ. Make him the source and center of all thy soul’s delight. What has enchanted you into such folly as to remain in the mines when you may climb the heights? Live not in the lowlands of bondage but press forward to things more sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, a fuller life. It is ours in Christ, O believer, reach out for it!”
Pray with me.
Meat:
Well good morning Church, open your Bibles to Exodus 10. Four headings of bright beauty to behold today, see first…
Visit 1 (v1-6)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.”
As we have seen before now a few times, this eighth plague begins just as the second and fifth plague begin, with Moses coming straight into Pharaoh’s presence in his palace court with a command and a warning. In this way the eighth plague is like what we’ve seen before. But there are new things to see here as well.
First, notice the reasons God gives to Moses in v1-2. We’ve heard God say He has hardened Pharaoh’s heart before and that He’s bringing about the plagues so that Egypt may know He’s the Lord, God has said that a few times now. But see the beginning of v2? There we learn God is bringing about the plagues not just for the sake of Egypt, but for the sake of Israel. Why? So that Moses can tell his son and grandson about it. In other words, God is doing a work He wants His people to remember, so He commands Moses to tell his sons and grandsons about this. Now, we all know kids love stories, and I think adults do too if their honest enough. If you think about what makes a good story, the Exodus has all of it. An evil villain, an unlikely hero, a bitter conflict, miraculous twists and turns, a daring rescue, the triumph of good over evil, which ultimately, brings about a happy ending. The Exodus all of this. As much as kids would’ve loved this story, God’s writing this story here not just to entertain the kids but to teach them.
That’s what Exodus teaches us. It is the story of Israel’s salvation. It is a story that explains everything they needed to know. It explains who God is: that He’s the LORD, the God over all, the God of their fathers, the true King of power and glory. It explains who they are: the people of God, enslaved by Pharaoh. It explains how God rescued them: by His strong and mighty outstretched arm. It explains where they came from: out of Egypt. It explains where they’re going: into the promise land. And it explains why God rescued them: to glorify Him!
This story answers all the big questions, doesn’t it? Who is God? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life? This story is important, so important that it must not stop with Moses’ generation, it must reverberate down through the ages.
Church, I don’t want to wait till the end of the sermon to get the gospel, it’s right here at the start today, in this point! As God gave Moses and Israel a story, He’s given us a story to tell our descendants! And the story He gave us is greater than the Exodus, and in it God tells us everything we need to know! It explains who God is: our Father in heaven, full of grace and truth. It explains who we are: made by Him, in His image, but fallen in sin. It explains how God rescued us: by the Work of His beloved Son. It explains how the Son’s work is applied to us: by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It explains where we’ve come from: sin’s cruel death and slavery. It explains where we’re going: to be with God in glory forever. And it explains why God rescued us: to glorify Him.
This story answers all the big questions too! And this story, ancient as it is, remains the story we repeat and rehearse as we gather together to worship, as it also remains the story we scatter together to spread abroad! May our children hear it from us, may their children hear it from them, and on and on and on until the dawn of the last day!
Let’s get back to Moses. He and Aaron go into Pharaoh’s court, and notice what they first say in v3? “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” This is a good question. Seven plagues have come and gone; how much longer will Pharaoh stubbornly dig in his heels? God is clear in this question, either Pharaoh humble himself now, or God will humiliate him further. After this comes the plague announcement. If Pharaoh refuses to let the people go, locusts will come. So many locusts that they won’t even be able to see the ground. They will eat everything in the land left over from the hailstorm, and they will fill every house, from Pharaoh’s palace to the servants huts. Such a thing, Moses adds, has never happened nor will ever happen again in Egypt. Then notice it, directly after this Moses turns and leaves Pharaoh’s court, without allowing him a chance to respond.
This left an impression. See now v7-11…
Visit 2 (v7-11)
“Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.”
Pharaoh, remember, had already heard a question in v3 beginning with the words “How long…” and now he gets another one, this time from his own servants in v7. And what a question this is! It’s not only a call from Pharaoh’s own people to give in to Moses, but it also shows us how bad things have gotten in Egypt. They say in the end of v7 that Egypt itself is ruined. For this reason they tell Pharaoh to let Israel go, so that Moses would no longer be a snare to them. How ironic is that? The very ones who enslaved the Israelites, keeping them trapped and denying them their freedom, they’re now getting a taste of their own medicine, as they feel like Moses is holding them captive!
So Pharaoh quickly brings Moses and Aaron back in and in v8 says that he’ll let them go…but he adds a question to it, “Which ones are to go?” Moses responds in v9 saying all of them will go, their young, their old, their sons, their daughters, even their herds are to go. Pharaoh sarcastically bursts out in v10 when he hears this saying, ‘HA! The Lord would indeed be with you if I let all of you go, you clearly are up to some evil here. No, you all cannot go, only take your men.’ Apparently, Pharaoh had a very low view of women and children. To him, only men seem to matter when it comes to worship, so why should they all go? What Pharaoh doesn’t know is that all God’s people matter to God, from the least to the greatest. So Moses tells him this, that they all must go: the young, the old, the sons, the daughters, the men, and the women. Implied in Moses’ response to Pharaoh is a clear reminder that the commands of God are not open for discussion, for debate, or for negotiation. Moses rejects any conditions or limitations added to God’s Word. When God calls, commands, or declares, what He says stands, with no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Yet, Moses doesn’t get a chance to respond to this because, very quickly, Pharaoh kicks them out of his presence without allowing any more discussion. So, we’ve seen two visits with Pharaoh so far, I think we know what’s coming next. See it in v12-15…
Lots of Locusts (v12-15)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.”
It's astonishing to me how fast the scene unfolds for us. The command comes in v12, Moses obeys in v13, and we see the results in v14-15. This eighth plague is simply devastating in scope. We know something of locusts don’t we? Each year our own locusts begin small and black, but after a few weeks they’re bigger and yellow and prehistoric looking…but they don’t really bother. They seem more scared of us than we are of them. There have been reports of locust hordes sweeping across the world throughout history. In the 1920’s locusts swept across Africa consuming everything over five million square miles, which, is a space double the size of the United States. Another report came in 2001 of a locust horde sweeping across central Asia, which was so vast the New York Times reported the infestation reached ten thousand locusts per ten square feet. Can you even imagine that?
This gives us some kind of idea what was occurring in Egypt in this plague. Perhaps that first night the Egyptians thought they’d be fine as they just heard and felt this great wind that God stirred, a strong east wind. This phrase east wind occurs a few other times in Scripture, mainly in the Psalms and the Prophets, and it’s always referring to judgment and dark and dreadful things (see Ps. 48:7, Jer. 18:17, Ezek. 19:12, Hos. 13:15, Jonah 4:8). So that night the east wind came, and in the morning the dawn brought a different story. That wind brought hordes upon hordes of locusts. v15 says they were so numerous they covered all the ground, nearly blotted out the sun, and consumed all the vegetation left alive from the hailstorm. Nothing green remained. Notice also that the phrase in v14 “such a dense swarm” in the original Hebrew is again the phrase we’ve heard before, kabed m’od, or very heavy. The locusts laid heavy on Egypt. Lesson? God has brought another plague to Egypt as heavy as Pharaoh’s hard heart.
But God was up to more than this, wasn’t He? This time the Lord set His sights on their god Senehem (the divine protector against pests) and their god Anubis (the guardian of the fields). These idols failed to do what they were supposed to do, as the God of Israel proves Himself the stronger.
This is the eighth plague.
The Same Sad Story (v16-20)
“Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.”
As the passage concludes we see more of the same. Pharaoh quickly gets Moses and Aaron back in front of him, and begs for relief. The words he uses are good, he even calls this eighth plague “this death” certainly shows more urgency on Pharaoh’s part as he’s recognizing more of the gravity of the situation. But while these words would seem to give the impression of sincerity, we know Pharaoh is after redemption, only rest from a God who’s afflicting him. But Moses prays and God removes the locusts, blowing them with a west wind into the Red Sea, perhaps foreshadowing what will come of Pharaoh in the end. And Pharaoh did what Pharaoh has done each time, he didn’t let the people go.
Conclusion:
Come back to v3 with me. There we heard the question, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” It was a good question for Pharaoh, it remains a good question for us. Peter tells us “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:5-6). Of course the question can be put in other terms. ‘How long will you continue living in your sin?’ ‘How long will you destroy yourself and those nearest you?’ ‘How long will you put off the day of repentance?’
Think of how you’d answer the question for yourself. Think of Jesus Himself, thorn crowned head and pierced hands, think of Him coming close to you, looking you in the eyes, and in His thunderous loving voice asking you, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?”
Church our passage today confronts us. You may not see it today and you may not see it tomorrow, but you can count on this: everyone will either humble themselves or be humiliated before God. Maybe you’ve seen it, in your own life, or in a family member, or a close friend. It’s always tragic…the devastation of sin. The tragic thing about sin is that, sometimes, when people hit rock bottom, they keep digging. This is what sin does. It keeps persisting in folly even when the wreckage it produces is clear. Church, sin ruins you. This is how our passage confronts us.
But Church, our passage can comfort us as well, if, we humble ourselves. So hear it again. Hear God ask you today, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” As I stated at the beginning, we were made to soar on the heights of heaven, yet we are far too willing to settle for the mines below. God promises terrible things to those who refuse to humble themselves like Pharaoh. We see that here. But Church, He promises heaven to those who come to His Son. Forsake your many sins, flee to the Savior, and find shelter and rest for your soul.