Exodus Ch.7

Abba Father, we thank you for this new day and for this new month of April. We thank you that you are doing a new thing in our lives, in our nations, in our communities and the lives of our loved ones In the Name of Jesus. We thank you LORD that You are making ways where they were no ways, that You are opening doors that no man can shut In the Name of Jesus. We thank you LORD for the revelation of Your Word that You are providing with Your sons and daughters as they seek You deeper and deeper In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Chapter 7 begins with the LORD appointing Aaron, as Moses' mouth piece to Pharaoh. As previously seen, Moses was uncertain whether he would do a good job of communication with Pharaoh. "So the LORD said to Moses, "See I have made you as God to Pharaoh and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet." (Exodus 7:1). God then proceeded to inform Moses to speak all that He commands him to Aaron who would then tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel depart from Egypt (Exodus 7:2).

This chapter is interesting as it shows us one of the character traits of God. Not only is He all knowing, but He is also the God of detail. We see that God literally breaks down exactly how they would respond to Pharaoh when he asked particular questions for example, proving to Pharaoh that God had truly sent them through miracles. In Exodus 7:9 NKJV, the LORD said to them, "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, "show a miracle for yourselves, then you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh and let it become a serpent.'"

In the story of Exodus, may I submit to you that Pharaoh is a representation of an enemy of God and His people. Not only did he not believe in the LORD God, but he also oppressed the children of God with hard labour. As we may see from this chapter and the upcoming chapters, Pharaoh required Moses and Aaron to prove themselves and justify their reasons to leave Egypt.

On the other hand, it is important to remember that God will never require you as His child to prove yourself concerning anything because He is Your Maker who knows all things concerning your entire life.

Ephesians 1:6 reminds us that as children of God, "to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the beloved." God's love and grace for us through Christ, tell us that we are already accepted and loved as His children. God's love and acceptance for you is settled. However, the enemy will usually tempt you to prove yourself either through various situations or people.

In the New Testament, when Jesus Christ came on the scene, two of the temptations that Satan tempted Him with had to do with proving His identity as the Son of God. He asked Jesus to turn stones to bread (Luke 4:3) and to also jump from a high building because the Scripture says that the angels would catch him (Luke 4:9-11). Of course, the Christ did not yield to any of the temptations of the evil one.

Friend, in the Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ is the only proof that we have. On that note, resist the temptation and the pressure to prove yourself to anyone especially concerning your faith. Interestingly, after Jesus Christ left the wilderness, the temptation to prove himself again presented itself through the religious leaders and some of the people who demanded a sign from him that He was the Son of God (Matthew 16:1) but thankfully He had already passed this test in the wilderness.

Back to the story of Exodus. Despite the miracles and signs that Moses and Aaron performed before Pharaoh, his heart was still un receptive to the Word of God (Exodus 7:14).

Exodus 7 is the beginning of the ten plagues which the LORD God brought onto Egypt because of Pharaoh's disobedience to release His children from bondage.

Exodus 7:16-18 reads, "And you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness"; but indeed until now you would not hear! Thus says the LORD: " By this you shall know that I am the LORD, Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river."

However, this plague still did not move Pharaoh's heart. He had magicians as well who with their enchantments imitated the same miracles that Moses and Aaron performed (Exodus 7:22). In fact, we also see that the Egyptians were not terribly affected by this plague, as they were able to dig around the well to get water to drink (Exodus 7:24).

As always, I pray you are encouraged to dig deeper into the book of Exodus for more revelation and insight on all the chapters. I believe you will be blessed as you read.

TO BE CONTINUED...