Life Lessons Learned from the Bible - Exodus 7-8

There are many lessons you can learn about God’s role in your life by reading the Bible. You will see that He did not intend for you to go through life aimlessly or alone.

Although in life we are dealt with trials, setbacks, obstacles, disappointments, and more; you will learn that they are all part of the process of making us stronger, wiser, and more dependent on God and eventually you will have and become what is yours and what you are supposed to be.

Exodus 7:1-2

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.

This act of God is common today where we see God's Spirit, speak through men and women to tell something to someone else. Even today they are call prophets or prophetess.

In Moses case because Moses showed fear, God had to use Moses's brother Aaron to be the mouthpiece of God putting Moses in a God like position because it was Moses God was speaking to directly. But for the people that needed to hear what God was saying, Aaron was used to communicate what God was telling Moses.

Exodus 7:3-5

But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

Many times in our lives we experience hardship, setbacks or disappointments, but how many of us know God is aware them? When you accept God into your life and He now resides within you, nothing can just happen to you. You now have a hedge of protection over your life. So, when things happen it for a greater purpose.

With Moses God was the source behind Pharaoh to no longer have feelings or care about the Israelite people. And when you read the following chapters, you will see God orchestrated what He did to show the Egyptians who He is.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped so many Gods that it became complicated. They had a God for almost everything. For the God of the Israelites and our God today, to show Pharaoh that He is the most powerful, He instigated Pharaoh to not care so He can show the Egyptians that He is the Supreme God.

Throughout the Bible you will see God doing this with opposing nations so they will understand they are no match for Him.

When we read Job Chapter 38-42 you see an exchange between God and Job where God gave a great detailed description of who He is. And so it is with the Egyptians, this is the start of God showing them who He is.

Exodus 7:8-13

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts. Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. et Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

This is the type of people God had to deal with. The Egyptians practice magic so they assumed what Moses and Aaron were doing was some sort of magic trick. But Egyptians magic had a human or demonic source. God shuns this kind of performance because of its origin (see Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Acts 8:9-11, Acts 13:6-7, Acts 19:19). Nevertheless, Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs showing supremacy.

Exodus 7:14-19; 22-24

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.

The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water." The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.”

But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.

How powerful is God.

By the stretching of a stick commanded by God, all the water reservoirs were turned into blood. Everything in the land of Egypt even peoples personal water supplies was turned into blood.

Imagine one day looking at your pool, toilet, drinking supply, and your hose outside your house turned into blood. Then you go out to rivers or lakes, and it too is filled with blood. What would you do?

God needed the Egyptians to know who He was. However, the Egyptians and Pharaoh was not impressed because their magicians mimic what God did and found an avenue to solve their problem. It did not change Pharaoh, he was still cold towards the Israelites.

Exodus 8:8-15

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.

The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

One thing you may have notice from the preceding chapters and this chapter is although the magicians were able to mimic God, they were not able to reverse what God did.

When we look at our adversary Satan he does the same thing. He mimics but he is not able to be original, stop, or prevent what God has done because he is no match for God. He is not even on the same level as God. He comes nowhere close and not even worth talking about.

We are more at an advantage with God because God loves us, and we have a chance to have a relationship with Him where we get the desires of our hearts (see Psalm 37:4). We have access to Him, and we are His friend, loved ones, children, and heart's desire.

Exodus 8:16-18

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.

Now we are starting to see God's Supremacy become evident. Here was a sign and wonder or miracle that God performed and where the magicians could not mimic. Even they started to realize they were up against a bigger, higher, mightier force.

God can allow or disallow. He can cause and He can stop. He is in full control of everything. He allowed the magicians to do what He wanted and caused them to not be able to do what He did not want them to do.

This should give us assurance and faith that no matter what is happening, God is in full control. And things will only go the way He wants it to go, whether good or bad. However, for someone who has a relationship with God, all things work together for good to those who love Him (see Romans 8:28).

When fearful situations present itself, we should know there is no need to be afraid. God is working on something. He is doing something and, in the end, if we hang on, don't quit or sway we will see the evidence of His awesome work.

Exodus 8:20-25

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’” And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”

Even during disease, sickness, epidemic and plagues you are protected. And God will make a distinction for all to see.

This is how our lives should be. We should live a life where others will see how different those of us who have an authentic relationship with God is. We should not think or operate like everyone else. We should live in a more excellent, loving, fearless, faithful, and peaceful way. We should cause others to want to have a relationship with God based on our lifestyle.

God talks to us so we can have faith in Him in our life's.

God is in control and why you should not live life in fear no matter what is happening or what you are hearing. Don’t worry God will show who needs to know who He is in your life if you will trust Him.

God is all powerful, meaning nothing is more powerful than He is, has ever been more powerful, and will never be more powerful. He is the most powerful being ever to exist.

When you have a relationship with God and you trust Him, your life will be full of signs, wonders, and miracles. It will be the norm because this is Kingdom living.

To live a fearless life, it first starts with trust in God. So read His Word and keep what He says close to your heart and understanding so when you are face with your own Pharaohs you will know in the end the Pharaohs in your life will be defeated.

Remember there is nothing God cannot do and there is nothing too hard for God (see Jeremiah 32:27)

From Series: Life Lessons Learned from the Bible - Exodus 7-8

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