Biblical reference: Exodus chapters 1-12
During the famine of Joseph’s time, the Israelite clan moved
to Egypt; Genesis 46. They thrived there. That generation died and Joseph with
all he did was forgotten. The Israelites were enslaved by the new Egyptian king
/ Pharaoh. They needed a savior. Moses was sent. But Pharaoh wasn’t going to
give up easily especially since he didn’t believe in God. He thought of himself
a god. He believed the Israelites were being lazy and didn’t want to work. He
employed magicians who can imitate some of the signs and wonders performed by
Moses and Aaron (his brother) by the power of the true God. So Pharaoh’s heart
became hard. God informed Moses of Pharaoh’s heart hardening ahead of time as
an encouragement to stay in the bitter, long battle. After all, why would a
king let a people go who are doing his country a great service at a fraction of
the cost? It would be a terrible business decision. He was obsessed with their
service regardless of the capacity of Egypt’s destruction caused by the plagues.
The first two plagues were reproduced by the magicians. They could not replicate
the rest and proclaimed to Pharaoh that it was the finger of God. He was
unmoved. By the eighth plague, his officials attempted to persuade him to let
them go for Egypt was ruined. Pharaoh did not regard their cry. All throughout
the plagues, the Israelite communities were not affected. After the tenth and
final plague, Pharaoh relented. He ordered them out of the country for his
firstborn was dead. In fact, every first born son was killed whose house was
not covered by the blood of the lamb. After letting them go, Pharaoh pursued
them in the desert and into the Red Sea where he died with all of his fighting
men. With this, the Israelites gained their freedom from Pharaoh once and for
all.
There are many lessons to be learned in this story. 1) Pride
comes before the fall; Proverbs 11:2, 16:18, 29:23. The fall or destruction not
only affects the prideful person, but also those associated with him / her. In
the story above, all of Egypt was affected. 2) God can and does protect those
who take shelter in Him no matter how awful the storm is. He was able to
protect the Israelites from all plagues. 3) God wants to set His people free
from the bondage of Satan. All of us are born with a sinful nature that we
inherited from Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God. Pharaoh symbolize Satan. He won’t let people
in his grip go unless they seek a stronger opponent; Jesus Christ. 4) The lamb
sacrificed to protect the firstborn is symbolic to what Jesus Christ did in the
New Testament. He died so we do not have to. He suffered to pay for our
healing. He resurrected to resurrect us with Him. And in the process, He took
the victory over Satan and death. He bestows this victory on whoever cleaves to
Him.
Dear Reader, please do not harden your heart and cause your
downfall and of those around you. Stop believing Satan’s lies. He does not love
you. He wants you to spend all of eternity with him in hell. He is a cruel
master. If you give him an inch, he thinks he’s a Ruler. Why follow him when
you can choose another who loves you very much? His name is Jesus Christ.
