The Plagues Continue
Open Your Bible
Exodus 8:1-32, Exodus 9:1-12, Psalm 104:24-30
BY Bailey Gillespie
I love how conversational the book of Exodus is. The Israelites’ whole journey of deliverance is marked by God’s steady presence and clear words of instruction spoken to His people through Moses. Or directly to Pharoah, through Moses. It never ceases to amaze me. As I’m sure you’ve experienced, there are so many times in life when God’s presence feels like more of a mystery. But in today’s passage, we know exactly what God is thinking—or at least what He wants to communicate to Pharaoh—because He says it.
“No flies will be there,” says God. “This way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land” (Exodus 8:22). This statement makes me chuckle. It’s such a practical thing to say, isn’t it? There’s nothing that feels mysterious or mystical about flies. It’s just the way God chooses to reveal His presence to Pharaoh and assure him that His people are set apart from the others. The story continues, and so does this pattern. “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land,” says God yet again to the Egyptian leader as the plagues continue to unfold (Exodus 9:5). And it comes to pass. Over and over and over.
This phrase “the LORD [is] in the land” got me thinking: When do I know the Lord is near and present in my surroundings? Is there evidence? Some sign that I, and others, can see or hear? An indescribable deep knowing? Is it different every time, or are there patterns? Are there ways that God consistently reveals Himself to me?
I think there are. Even though the Holy Spirit is always with believers, there still seem to be moments that strike us or when we have an intimate sense of God’s presence and active movement in our lives. For me, it has to do with places full of green pastures and water—or certain words that get repeated often. It’s probably different for you. What we do know from Scripture is that God is with us and always at work, and He wants us to know it. He’ll even make sure our enemies know it, as we see through God’s exchanges with Pharaoh.
How can you tell when God’s “in the land?” Are there patterns to the ways He reminds you of His presence and redeeming work in your life?
65 thoughts on "The Plagues Continue"
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I have often wondered the same thing. I haven’t read a lot of commentary on Exodus yet and I always get a lot out of David Pawson’s teachings (you can search Unlocking the Bible Exodus on You Tube). I do wonder if Pharoh’s hard heart was a catalyst to strengthen Moses’ and Aaron’s trust and faith in what God was asking them to do. Moses did tell God in chapter 4 that he didn’t think he would be listened to or believed. God seems to call us into so many seemingly impossible situations sometimes, and it is easy to want to give up early, but this is a picture of persistence and faith. It had to feel like Pharoh was never going to relent, but Moses never stopped asking or obeying God. It may have been more about setting the groundwork for a deeper faith and persevering spirit in the wilderness. I also wonder if it was a way to show the Egyptian people (as well as the Hebrew slaves) the power of the God of the Hebrews over and over (especially since the Egyptians believed in many gods). I have also read that each plague represented one of the main Egyptian gods at the time. It would have definitely been a different account had Pharoh Initially let them go.
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I have a question. I’ve asked God for wisdom on this. Why did God harden pharaohs heart? It says it twice that God did it. Anyone have any theories on why? I know we don’t always understand God’s ways but this has always been interesting to me.
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❤️
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God will remind me sometimes through others. They will say something to me to remind me that God is in control of my life, or He will speak to me through the scriptures or in still small voice.
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I feel God most frequently through music. I think that is how He speaks with me. Although I’ve had other signs from time to time.
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When I have faced my most extreme circumstances and there is absolute peace in the midst of chaos and what , by earthly standards, should be filled with fear, I know He is with me.
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My app is crashing frequently too. I’ve been doing SRT plans for years on the app, and this is the first time I’ve had issues. I contacted SRT. They seemed to think the issue is with my device.
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My app has been crashing too. I’ve been doing SRT plans for years, and this is the first time I’ve had these issues with the app. I notified them, but they seemed to think that it was an issue with my device.
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