GiGi's Exodus Chapter 11 comment on 2/20/2022, 9:24pm...
Thank God, today was a lovely day.
In this chapter of Exodus, God speaks to Moses, telling him that He will send one more plague upon Egypt, the plague of death. Every firstborn child and animal of the Egyptians will die. God does not say that Pharaoh heart will be further hardened. No, God says that Pharaoh will, indeed, release the Israelites to leave Egypt.
God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors to give them gold and silver articles. God gave the Israelites favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. The Egyptians probably finally realized that Israel's God had brought on all of these terrible plagues, so to appease the Israelites and their God, the Egyptians were willing to part with whatever the Israelites asked of them. I think the term favor here indicates respect and fear rather than congeniality. The Egyptians also held up Moses as one with great authority, perhaps rivaling even the Pharaoh. The people wanted to please Moses even if Pharaoh did not.
Next, Moses addresses the Israelites, telling them that the plague of death will come that night at midnight, but the Israelites will be saved from death. God was going to draw a clear line in the sand between the Egyptians and Israelites, punishing one and blessing the other.
As a result of all of these plagues, but especially the plague of death, the Egyptians will bow down on their knees will beg Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt. Thus, God sets the stage of the Egyptians being convinced that the Israelites must be forced to leave Egypt and the Israelites being convinced that God has a better life for them than in Egypt. The Israelites now knew by the wonders done by God through Moses, that their God was with them, for them, and mighty to bring them out of slavery back into the land promised to their forefathers. It was probably likely that the Israelites had forgotten God through the years of slavery or given up on Him being able to deliver them. they needed convincing.
Chris's Exodus Chapter 11 comment on 7/30/2021, 11:44pm...
Josiah, the Bible is both an historical book & a spiritual book. It gives us the history of God's creation of the first humans & also His dealing with mankind because of the intrusion of sin in each of our lives (i.e. acts that we do that go against the Will & Holiness of God). No other religion, philosophy, or history book gives us such details with a continuous thread running from beginning to end. Man ultimately must turn to the Bible to learn of his past, present & the future.
So, if the Bible declares some uncomfortable disturbing facts in our minds (as in Exodus chapter 11 & many other Scriptures), we can rest assured that it was given for both an historical purpose & for our learning. From the example you gave, I learn how wicked man can be (as seen in Pharaoh & his henchmen). I also learn of God's Power to overrule the stubbornness of man & bring to nought the high-mindedness of Pharaoh (they were considered as supreme rulers or even gods). And I see the Mercy of God to save His people out of cruel bondage as He promised & that it took the death of all the firstborn in Egypt for the Pharaoh to finally let God's people leave.
Many folk, might only see the needless death of so many children & cattle, & that is tragic indeed. But many had to die, as they do today, because of the hard-heartedness & ineptness of their leaders. Many innocent people & children die because of wars, famines & diseases: & all these come upon us because we are sinners & we have raised our fists against the Almighty One instead of falling prostrate before Him in humbleness & repentance. If the Bible didn't relate the whole Truth of the matter, then we might be deluded to think that all is well with our souls & in the world, when in fact we need to know that there are repercussions for our sins & the wicked acts we do to others. Even as in 2 Peter 3:9 we read that the Lord is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
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GiGi's Exodus Chapter 11 comment on 2/20/2022, 9:24pm...
Thank God, today was a lovely day.
In this chapter of Exodus, God speaks to Moses, telling him that He will send one more plague upon Egypt, the plague of death. Every firstborn child and animal of the Egyptians will die. God does not say that Pharaoh heart will be further hardened. No, God says that Pharaoh will, indeed, release the Israelites to leave Egypt.
God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors to give them gold and silver articles. God gave the Israelites favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. The Egyptians probably finally realized that Israel's God had brought on all of these terrible plagues, so to appease the Israelites and their God, the Egyptians were willing to part with whatever the Israelites asked of them. I think the term favor here indicates respect and fear rather than congeniality. The Egyptians also held up Moses as one with great authority, perhaps rivaling even the Pharaoh. The people wanted to please Moses even if Pharaoh did not.
Next, Moses addresses the Israelites, telling them that the plague of death will come that night at midnight, but the Israelites will be saved from death. God was going to draw a clear line in the sand between the Egyptians and Israelites, punishing one and blessing the other.
As a result of all of these plagues, but especially the plague of death, the Egyptians will bow down on their knees will beg Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt. Thus, God sets the stage of the Egyptians being convinced that the Israelites must be forced to leave Egypt and the Israelites being convinced that God has a better life for them than in Egypt. The Israelites now knew by the wonders done by God through Moses, that their God was with them, for them, and mighty to bring them out of slavery back into the land promised to their forefathers. It was probably likely that the Israelites had forgotten God through the years of slavery or given up on Him being able to deliver them. they needed convincing.
Chris's Exodus Chapter 11 comment on 7/30/2021, 11:44pm...
Josiah, the Bible is both an historical book & a spiritual book. It gives us the history of God's creation of the first humans & also His dealing with mankind because of the intrusion of sin in each of our lives (i.e. acts that we do that go against the Will & Holiness of God). No other religion, philosophy, or history book gives us such details with a continuous thread running from beginning to end. Man ultimately must turn to the Bible to learn of his past, present & the future.
So, if the Bible declares some uncomfortable disturbing facts in our minds (as in Exodus chapter 11 & many other Scriptures), we can rest assured that it was given for both an historical purpose & for our learning. From the example you gave, I learn how wicked man can be (as seen in Pharaoh & his henchmen). I also learn of God's Power to overrule the stubbornness of man & bring to nought the high-mindedness of Pharaoh (they were considered as supreme rulers or even gods). And I see the Mercy of God to save His people out of cruel bondage as He promised & that it took the death of all the firstborn in Egypt for the Pharaoh to finally let God's people leave.
Many folk, might only see the needless death of so many children & cattle, & that is tragic indeed. But many had to die, as they do today, because of the hard-heartedness & ineptness of their leaders. Many innocent people & children die because of wars, famines & diseases: & all these come upon us because we are sinners & we have raised our fists against the Almighty One instead of falling prostrate before Him in humbleness & repentance. If the Bible didn't relate the whole Truth of the matter, then we might be deluded to think that all is well with our souls & in the world, when in fact we need to know that there are repercussions for our sins & the wicked acts we do to others. Even as in 2 Peter 3:9 we read that the Lord is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
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