Moments With God

Exodus 10

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." (Psalm 103:12-13) These verses from Psalm 103 are a wonderful promise to those who are truly repentant and sorry for their sins. Those who continue in sin, however, who deliberately harden their hearts and deliberately continue in habitual sins, do not truly know the Lord. (I John 3:6, 9-10) In fact unrepented, deliberate, and habitual sin coming from a heart that has grown hard and cold toward God will reap destruction. Galatians 6:8a says, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction." Such was the case in the life of Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, and in the nation of which he was the leader.

Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt had already suffered through seven horrendous plagues when God sent the eighth plague, the plague of the locusts. During the seventh plague, the plague of hail every person, animal, and plant that was out in the field had been destroyed. When the Lord announced the onset of the plague of locusts to Pharaoh, God said this about the locusts, "They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians-something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now." (Exodus 10:5b-6a) Pharaoh’s officials tried to persuade him from his stubborn and rebellious ways saying, "Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" (Exodus 10:7b)

The plague of the locusts is a picture of the total destruction of sin. As the locusts "devoured all that was left after the hail" and left nothing alive (Exodus 10:15), so unrepented sin destroys and ruins people’s lives. Sin destroys people emotionally and spiritually and sometimes physically. Unrepented sin removes joy, security, and peace from people’s lives. Unrepented sin destroys the possibility for an eternal and personal relationship with the Lord. Unrepented sin destroys purpose in life, because we were created for the purpose of serving the Lord. Unrepented sin makes people hard in their hearts. Over and over Exodus tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart until it appears there was a point of no return. After the sixth plague, the plague of boils, Exodus 9:12 says "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses." Although this is a difficult verse to understand, it first of all it shows God’s sovereignty. (Exodus 10:1-2) Also this writer believes Pharaoh had hardened his heart for so long that at last the Lord let Pharaoh’s heart go in its natural inclination against God. As the cement mixture which is laid for a new sidewalk eventually hardens, so the Lord allowed Pharaoh’s heart to harden in his sinful rebellion.

The eighth plague on Pharaoh and the Egyptian people was the plague of darkness. There was total darkness over Egypt for three days. This is a picture of the darkness of sin. Exodus 10:23b says this of God’s Old Testament people, however, "Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived." Although the world around God’s people may be very dark, God’s children have the light of Jesus shining in their lives directing their paths even when they walk through deep trials. This is true because Jesus has died on the cross and taken their punishment for sin on Himself. As it was dark three days in Egypt, so Jesus was three days in the grave before His glorious resurrection. Jesus Christ not only saves us from our sins and gives us an eternal relationship with Him, but He daily directs our steps with the light of His presence and guidance. The psalmist says this to the Lord in prayer in Psalm 89:15, "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord." Praise God for His light and freedom from sin’s destruction in the lives of His children!