Today’s Reading: Exodus 7:1–13:16; Psalm 78
“I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.” — Exodus 6:6
The people of God were too discouraged by their circumstances to find hope in God’s promises, too consumed by their own pain to see the capacity of God to rescue them and too stubborn to wait on God’s perfect timing and plan. They refused to listen. But God was about to get their attention in a grand display of His mighty power:
1. A plague of blood turned the water of the Nile River into a stinky river of dead fish, taking away the Egyptians’ source of drinking water.
2. A plague of frogs invaded their river, their bedrooms, their kitchens, their lives.
3. A plague of gnats covered everyone and everything, causing the Egyptian magicians to shout out “This is the finger of God!” – Exodus 8:19
4. A plague of flies filled their homes and the palace, covering the ground and throwing the land of Egypt into chaos.
5. A plague killing all the livestock owned by the Egyptians still did not move Pharoah’s stubborn heart.
6. A plague of festering boils broke out on all the Egyptian people.
7. A plague of hail fell on all the people, livestock and plants throughout the land of Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning (9:24).
8. A plague of locusts covered the land, devouring any plant that had survived the hailstorm.
9. A plague of darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days.
10. It was finally the plague of the firstborn that caused Pharoah and the Egyptians to urge the Israelites to leave.
The Israelites became the audience to God’s grand display of judgment. During all of these plagues, God’s people were protected. The Israelites were given specific instructions to follow so that the angel of death would pass over their house, sparing their firstborn. God’s people had experienced His power firsthand and now had a story to pass on to their children and grandchildren — from one generation to the next for the remainder of time.
“This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord.” – Exodus 12:14a
“Then your children will ask, ‘What does this mean?’ And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” – Exodus 12:26-27a
“This is a day to remember forever – the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand…This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: ‘With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.’” – Exodus 13:3,9
TELL THE STORY OF THE GOD WHO DID SOMETHING!
The story of God rescuing the Israelites from their Egyptian captivity is a story I grew up learning and a story I have taught to my daughters. They know God is powerful because they know of the plagues. They know God provides “dry land” when all we see is “the Red Sea” in front of us and the “Egyptian army” behind us (Exodus 14).
But we have more than just the stories of those who have gone on before us to tell the next generation. We also have our own stories — stories of difficulty, pain and discouragement. We can tell of times when God has stepped into our situation with a mighty hand. We have stories that provide proof that God provides and that God heals. We can share our stories of God’s grace and mercy when we did not deserve it. These faith-building stories are gifts for our children and our children’s children.
Let’s use this season of Lent to tell our first-hand stories of the God who did something in our lives. Let’s show our faith and expectation of what God is going to do next.
We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders…
So the next generation might know them —
Even the children not yet born —
and they in turn will teach their own children.
So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
Not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. – Psalm 78:4-7
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. – Psalm 105:1-2