In 2003, the Xinjiang region in northwestern China experienced a devastating plague of gerbils. The “great gerbil” of Central Asia can grow up to 16 inches long and is basically a large rat. Hordes of them devoured eleven million acres of grassland, an area about the size of Switzerland. Plagues can do a huge damage in a very short period of time. That was certainly the case in today’s reading. The fifth plague killed livestock all over Egypt— except for Goshen. Pharaoh verified this fact, but it didn’t alter his response. The sixth plague of boils affected people and the remaining animals. The seventh plague of hail wiped out most crops and animals left from the previous plagues. In that instance, the Egyptians were given a merciful warning to take shelter. Some heeded it, some didn’t. Similar to the pattern described yesterday, note several developments. First, while somehow the Egyptian magicians had been able to replicate the first two plagues, they’d been unable to end or reverse any of them. In fact, they themselves got a bad case of the boils (v. 11)! God’s power was clearly greater. Second, the faith of the Israelites grew stronger as they witnessed God act on their behalf, protecting the land of Goshen starting with the fourth plague. Third, Moses was learning about the power of intercession. His prayers and obedience often played a role in God’s timing for starting and stopping the plagues. What was the larger purpose behind these wonders? As God told Pharaoh, “that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (v. 16; see Rom. 9:16–18). His intention was to make known His name and power to all, whether Israelite slaves or a proud Egyptian king.

One of the most popular attractions at the Bronx Zoo is its one-of-a-kind Bug Carousel. Instead of mounting horses or other animals, children climb aboard 64 different types of insects, such as fireflies, grasshoppers, and ladybugs. They can even ride a monarch butterfly and a dung beetle! Each insect has been realistically hand-carved and painted. The carousel’s music includes actual insect sounds recorded by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The bugs featured in today’s reading, however, were no fun at all. Moses had again confronted Pharaoh, and although he worked the miraculous signs, his request was again denied. So God began to send plagues on the land, and a basic pattern emerged: The plague would physically and spiritually damage Egypt, then Pharaoh would relent somewhat, then the plague would be lifted, and the ruler would change his mind. This was essentially what happened through the first four plagues, as the Nile River water turned to blood, and frogs, gnats, and flies swarmed throughout the land. Pharaoh’s hard heart reflected pride, stubbornness, and a refusal to acknowledge the Lord. He was arrogantly sure the gods of Egypt, or at least his own royal power, would prevail. How can both be true: God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (9:12) and Pharaoh hardened his own heart (8:15)? The answer is “compatibilism.” The Moody Bible Commentary explains: “[E]ven though God determined . . . that Pharaoh would exhibit a hardened heart, since there were no constraining causes (that is, Pharaoh was not forced to act against what he wanted to do anyway) he was free and thus he is responsible for his own hard heart. Pharaoh freely chose to do exactly what God determined he would do.”

Despite a discouraging start, the Israelites would be liberated exactly as God had said. And even though he initially wavered, Moses would end up in Hebrew 11’s Faith Hall of Fame: “By faith . . .[he] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:24–28). God had promised to free His people through Moses, and in today’s reading, when things looked bleakest, He renewed that promise. Yesterday we saw how easily liberation can “fail” and how powerless Moses was compared to Pharaoh. Moses’ irritated question sounds only natural: “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all” (5:22–23). How did the Lord answer? “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go” (6:1). This response only makes sense if God is who He says He is, the great “I am” against whom none can stand. God had chosen Moses for this task and this moment. He had a plan for the entire timeline! Not only would He free the people from their oppressors, but He would also make them His special covenant people and bring them safely to a new land, just as He’d promised (6:6–8). Both the Israelites (6:9) and Moses (6:12, 30) nonetheless faced discouragement. To encourage Moses, God graciously appointed Aaron to share some of the load (7:1–2) and again provided a bird’s-eye view of what was about to happen (7:3–5).

According to The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird, failure is a key to effectiveness. The authors explain that we learn from our missteps. “Failure is a critical element of effective learning, teaching, and creative problem solving. Mistakes teach us to focus on the specific task of determining why the attempt at hand failed. Effective failure is an important, positive . . . step toward success.” In today’s reading, we see that Moses obediently did what God called him to do. And the Israelites’ initial response had been positive: They believed and worshiped (4:29–31). But Pharaoh apparently hadn’t gotten the memo. He refused to grant Moses’ request and responded by accusing the Israelites of laziness and doubling down on their harsh treatment (5:6–9). His intent was to crush their spirits and turn them against Moses and Aaron (5:21; 6:9). Had Moses failed? Yes, from a human perspective, this outcome appeared to be a total face plant. But God had already said this was how Pharaoh would respond, so (from God’s perspective) events were proceeding precisely according to His plan (4:21–23). Perhaps God’s purpose in this seeming misstep was to impress upon Moses the enormity of the task, giving him all the more reason to depend on the Lord. It would not simply be a matter of marching into the palace and demanding, “Let my people go!” It seems that God also wanted Moses to see the fickleness of the Israelites and how difficult his job of leading them would be. Ultimately, in the course of these confrontations Moses’ faith and bold trust in the Lord would grow, leading to even more glory for God when all was said and done.

The words of the well-known spiritual, “Go Down, Moses,” describe the emotional anguish of the Israelites as they waited for deliverance: “When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let my people go, Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go. Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land, Tell old Pharaoh: Let my people go.” But when God first asked, Moses did not appear eager for the task. One day, while Moses was taking care of his sheep on Mount Horeb (also called Sinai), he saw a bush that burned but was not consumed. How could this be? What did it mean? This was God’s way of getting Moses’ attention (3:3). Moses removed his shoes, a gesture of respect and humility that was only proper before the God of his ancestors (v. 6). He also hid his face in fear and reverence. God then announced His plan: to rescue His people and bring them from Egypt to the promised land of Canaan (vv. 7–10). Moses didn’t exactly rise to the occasion. His first response was doubt, asking, “Don’t you know I’m just a shepherd? Don’t you know how spectacularly I failed 40 years ago?” God assured him, “I will be with you” (vv. 11–12). Then Moses asked God’s name, to which the Lord responded, “I AM WHO I AM”—the uncaused Cause, the unmoved Mover, the very ground of all existence and reality (v. 14). Despite reminders of God’s promises to the patriarchs, and despite powerful signs, Moses continued to stall, eventually blurting out, “Please send someone else” (4:13). What an unlikely hero! Had God picked the wrong man for the job? Of course not! By choosing a person like Moses, God shows us that He alone would get the credit and glory for what’s about to happen.

Poet Emily Dickinson compared hope to a bird:  “Hope is the thing with feathers  That perches in the soul,  And sings the tune without the words,  And never stops at all,  And sweetest in the gale is heard;  And sore must be the storm  That could abash the little bird  That kept so many warm.”  Even in the midst of great hardship, Dickinson suggests, hope will provide warmth and comfort. Exodus 2 marks the birth of hope for the Israelites, and it begins with a tiny baby hidden in a basket. Baby Moses would grow up to become God’s chosen deliverer. If Pharaoh had had his way, Moses would not have lived much past birth. But he survived thanks to the courage of his parents and sister, Miriam, who hid him in the small basket and sent him down the Nile River. God guided the basket into the hands of an Egyptian princess who not only adopted Moses but, ironically, hired his real mother to take care of him (vv. 8–10). The deliverance of the deliverer sets the tone for the rest of the book! Then the narrative takes an unexpected turn. Moses, age 40, murdered an Egyptian overseer. As the news spread, Moses fled for his life and ended up in Midian, living as a desert shepherd with a wife and family. Interestingly, his extended family included a father-in-law named Reuel, meaning “friend of God.” (Jethro was apparently a title, not a personal name.) Moses’ sense of exile is seen in the naming of his son, Gershom, when he commented, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land” (v. 22). When would God’s people be free? The time of deliverance had nearly arrived. The chosen deliverer was alive and safe. “God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob” (v. 24). The stage was set.

The book of Exodus is one of the most important historical narratives in Scripture. It includes adventure, rescue, supernatural confrontations between good and evil, and the mass liberation of a people from slavery. In these pages, you’ll meet a hero (Moses) and a villain (Pharaoh). You’ll see God work miracles and wonders as we witness the birth of a nation. Key themes of Exodus include God’s love and faithfulness, the Law and covenant, obedience, holiness, redemption, and worship. Exodus is the second book in the Old Testament, following Genesis where a dying Joseph made this prophetic promise: “God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Gen. 50:24; see also Gen. 15:13–14). Here we see that promise fulfilled! The book’s author was probably Moses (see Ex. 24:4). While the exact date of writing is uncertain, the date of the Exodus itself is often placed at 1446 b.c. Between Joseph’s death and the first chapter of Exodus, much had changed. When Jacob and his extended family first arrived, the group numbered just 70 people (Ex. 1:5). Four centuries later, the Israelites had exploded in population to about two million people—603,550 men counted in a later census (Ex. 38:26), plus women and children. Their status had also changed. They had come at Pharaoh’s invitation, now they were in slavery (vv. 12–14). But God was present, even in this hard situation. When a fearful Egyptian king ordered newborn Israelite males to be killed, the Lord raised up two women of faith, Shiphrah and Puah. Knowledge of the promises to Abraham had clearly been passed down, for these women “feared God” and saved lives (v. 17). And the Lord blessed them (vv. 20–21).

In February, Ryan Osmun went for a hike at Zion National Park in Utah. While freeing a fellow hiker trapped in quicksand, Ryan’s own leg became stuck. It took twelve hours before park rangers could get to the scene and rescue him. In yesterday’s passage, Psalms 38–39, David described in vivid detail a difficult situation he had faced. This experience led to his internal struggle, reflected in Psalm 39. In the first ten verses of Psalm 40, David gave thanks for answered prayer. We can feel his relief in verse 2 as he declared, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet upon a rock.” Like a man who has been rescued from quicksand, David finally felt free. Notice that he does not hesitate to give God the praise for what He has done: “I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord​” (v. 9). David’s experience helped him recognize that God is not primarily pleased by external obedience, but by obedience that comes from the heart (vv. 6–8). When we give sacrifices and offerings to God, our motives matter. It is the combination of sacrifice with the right attitude that makes it valuable (see Jer. 6:20; Amos 5:22). David also recognized that the sacrifices outlined in the Mosaic Law pointed beyond themselves to the sacrificial work that would be done by Israel’s Messiah, Jesus (Heb. 10:5–10). At the end of the psalm, David’s celebration over his rescue turns back to a plea for help. Once again, he has found himself in another difficult situation. He prays, “You are my help and my deliverer, you are my God, do not delay” (40:17).

Would it be better to win a silver medal or a bronze? In 1995, psychologists from Cornell University studied the reaction of Olympic silver and bronze medalists. They found that bronze medalists were significantly happier with their achievement than silver medalists. The reason is that silver medalists compared themselves with those who won gold, while the bronze medalists were happy to have medals at all. In Psalm 39, David is desperately trying to find the right perspective on life. He was in the middle of a challenging situation. He was suffering because of sin (vv. 8, 11). In addition, he was surrounded by wicked people (v. 1). So, after a sustained period of silence, David embraced two realizations that helped him gain a glimmer of hope. First, David realizes life is short. He says “You have made my days a mere handbreadth” (v. 5). A handbreadth in ancient Israel was the width of four fingers, the smallest measurement available. He then shifts the image to compare life to a vapor, or breath (v. 5). In language foreshadowing Ecclesiastes, he describes how the pursuit of wealth and brevity of life are meaningless (v. 6). David realizes what matters most is his relationship to the Lord, “But now, Lord​, what do I look for? My hope is in you” (v. 7). Second, David realizes that his sin has estranged him from God. “I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were” (v. 12). He mourns deeply over his sin and longs for God to hear his cry (v. 12). While this psalm does not come to a full resolution of these difficulties, David is well on his way toward restoration.

After experiencing a crushing political defeat and breaking off an engagement to be married in 1841, Abraham Lincoln was in a dark place. He later talked about how he had contemplated suicide, but refrained because he “had done nothing to make any human being remember that he had lived.” His desire to do something of lasting significance gave him the motivation he needed to persevere through difficult times. In Psalm 37, David instructs us on how to have a life of lasting significance. He encourages the reader to “Trust in the Lord​ and do good . . . Take delight in the Lord​ . . . Be still before the Lord​ and wait patiently for him” (vv. 3, 4, 7). Trusting in the Lord means knowing and obeying the word of God. As David puts it, “The law of their God is in their hearts” (v. 31). We are to embrace a life of obedience (v. 27). If we do, the Lord​ will “uphold” us and our “inheritance will endure forever” (vv. 24, 18). By contrast, the wicked are in a perilous position. It may look like they are flourishing and succeeding in life, but “like the grass they will soon wither” (v. 2). The wicked plot against those who follow God and oppress the poor and vulnerable (vv. 12, 14). They will not escape justice: “the Lord​ laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” (v. 13). David is very honest about the struggle we feel when what we see in the world around us doesn’t match up with what we believe. It may look to us like the wicked are winning. However, David tells us not to be anxious about their momentary success. We are to wait patiently for God to act at the right time and in the right way.