Exodus 9 - What Does It Take For The Lord To Get Your Attention? Series

Exodus 9 - What does it take for the Lord to get your attention?

In Exodus 9, Moses goes to Pharaoh again and says "Thus says the Lord, let My people go!" Pharaoh says "no!" and three more plagues come to Egypt, just as Moses predicts. Even though Egypt’s livestock die, and the people develop horrible boils and a monstrous hailstorm occurs, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. What does it take to get through to this man? Imagine the arrogance of standing against God after such demonstrations of His power through the plagues. How arrogant can we be in the face of Almighty God?

It wasn’t long ago in Australia we saw race horses being put down because of a disease that spread through the racing industry, threatening the lives of people also. Whatever the plague was in Egypt, it was severe, contagious and fatal. The only animals under the Lord’s quarantine were those in the land of Goshen. It reminds me that when I am under the umbrella of God’s grace, there is great peace, security and protection, despite all the horrible things that may happen around me.

Then came an outbreak of sores on man and beast. I remember a boil on my son’s back some years ago. We pierced it, and it’s contents burst forth with a fowl smelling odour. All the accumulated toxins spilled out over the next half hour. It was gross. Pharaoh’s heart was like that boil and that boil is like our hearts when we deliberately disobey God - full of the venom that comes from pride and arrogance and it renders us helpless to function. Sores broke out on the bodies of people everywhere in Egypt that day and the whole of Egypt. Even the magicians of Pharaoh had to take sick leave. Still Pharaoh persisted with his arrogant rejection of God’s command.

God gives people time to respond to Him. And that’s why we are still here. He doesn’t just zap us out of existence. Even the plagues showed God’s patience in giving Pharaoh opportunity to change his mind.

The next plague is a severe electrical thunderstorm with hail. I remember as a kid looking out over the field near our house and seeing a brown cloud of what looked like dust billowing it’s way towards me. The sky took on a brown tinge that seemed to paint the whole atmosphere and everything was swallowed up in this strange light. When the storm hit the house, hailstones the size of golf balls began to pound against our front windows with such velocity that the glass thundered a chorus in response, and the house felt like it would explode with the avalanche of sound. It was a frightening experience and the damage to property was immense, but in Egypt the hailstorm was even more immense and only Goshen survived it’s onslaught. God’s umbrella can withstand the worse of storms.

What will it take for God to get my attention! I am open to obey You Father today. Soften the hardened areas of my heart that I might respond to your Spirit today. Let me see the consequences of life without you - toxic and devastating for me and to others. Let me see the difference as You fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Fill me today.

God bless you Church as God gets your attention and you respond to His Spirit today.