Exodus 9:13-21

For This Very Purpose

Read the passage

13Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

14Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

15For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth.

16But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

17Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.

18Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now.

19So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’”

20Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and livestock to shelter,

21but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

The LORD tells Moses to rise early and command Pharaoh to release His people for worship. God warns that He will send His plagues against Pharaoh, his officials, and his people so that the king will know there is no one like the LORD in all the earth.

God says that he could have stretched out his hand and struck Pharaoh and his people so that they would have been cut off from the earth. God says He has raised Pharaoh up for this purpose: to display His power and have His name proclaimed throughout the earth. The king who exalts himself over Israel will not determine the meaning or outcome of this conflict.

God warns Pharaoh that he is still exalting himself against God's people and tells him to send for his livestock and everything in the field into a safe place. Every person or animal left in the field will die when the hail comes.

Some of Pharaoh's servants fear the word of the LORD and bring their servants and livestock into houses. Others do not pay attention to the word of the LORD and leave them in the field.

The warning reveals mercy even inside judgment. God gives people an opportunity to respond before the hail falls, and the response of Pharaoh's servants shows that fear of the LORD can lead to protective action.

Questions

1 Why does God say He has raised Pharaoh up?

AnswerTo display His power and have His name proclaimed throughout the earth. Pharaoh's resistance will serve a purpose beyond the king's own intentions.

2 What does God say He could already have done?

AnswerStruck Pharaoh and his people with a plague that wiped them from the earth. Their continued survival is not proof that God lacks power to judge.

3 What protection does the warning offer?

AnswerPeople and livestock can be brought inside before the hail comes the next day. Those left in the field will die.

4 How do Pharaoh's officials respond differently?

AnswerThose who fear the LORD's word hurry to shelter their servants and animals. Those who disregard it leave them in the field. Their response to God's word affects others in their care.

What This Means for Us

Pharaoh has great power, but he cannot make himself the final authority over history. God declares what He will accomplish through this conflict. We can take human evil seriously without believing it has escaped the Lord's rule.

The warning also gives people a real way to protect those in their care. Some officials respond; others ignore it. Hearing God's word should change what we do. When a responsibility is clear, do not leave the action to someone with fewer choices. Make the needed arrangements, offer help, and take seriously the lives entrusted to you.

Prayer

LORD, make us humble before your power and attentive to warnings. Give us wisdom to protect people and creatures in our care, and keep us from claiming simple answers for suffering we do not understand. Amen.

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