In the book of Exodus, we learn about the ten plagues God sent to Pharaoh to encourage him to let his people go. “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.” Exodus 7:14
The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. Pharaoh was not interested in letting the Israelites leave. He wanted to keep them enslaved. But God had different plans.
“Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:7-8
Because Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, he refused to listen to Moses and the commands God spoke through him. So God sent ten plagues – one by one – to Egypt to convince Pharoah to let His people go. The plagues included:
- the Nile river became blood,
- frogs covered the land and homes,
- all the dust of Egypt became gnats,
- swarms of flies covered the land,
- all the livestock of the Egyptians died,
- boils broke out on all Egyptians and their beasts,
- hail came down on all of the Egyptians,
- locusts covered the land,
- pitch darkness came over the land for three days
- and the last plague, the death of the firstborn.
To avoid the death of the firstborn, the Israelites were told to use the blood of a lamb on the door frame so the angel of death would passover and spare their lives. God had a plan for saving his people and He also used the wickedness in Pharaoh and his followers to prove his faithfulness and goodness to His people.
It made me wonder if God is doing something similar today with the evil around our world and using the hardened hearts of some to cause all of the calamities, suffering and famines to show us He, and only He, is our rescuer, our provider but most importantly – our Savior. The Savior sent to save us from our own sins. The One who offers salvation and eternal life through Him.
If you want to know Jesus as your Savior, here is a simple 3-step process to accepting Jesus.
A—Admit that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23).
B—Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He died for you, and that His death can save your soul (John 3:16, Romans 5:8-10).
C—Confess that He is your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-13).
He is for you. He loves you and yearns for a relationship with you.
May you know the love of the Father and experience His life-changing love.
