I’d like to meditate on this passages based on three main themes: 

1. God’s choosing:

God sends Moses and Aaron again to Pharaoh saying that he has made Moses like God to Pharaoh and Aaron his prophet. As such, Aaron would be the messenger, the spokesperson before Pharaoh. God works through people, even though he has the power to work directly, so that those chosen might have the grace to witness and experience his power in a deeper way. Jesus chose Twelve ordinary men to be changed by the gospel and bring the gospel to the entire world. He also chose servants at the wedding banquet in Cana to fill the jars and witness his power to turn them into wine. In the same way, he has chosen someone so ordinary and small like me to be a mother of prayer and a gospel worker for his kingdom. It’s hard to pray, it’s hard to preach the gospel, it’s hard to live in a foreign country and for all of these I need faith in God’s word. I pray to really believe each word that comes from the mouth of God and boldly live as his servant where I am. 

2. God’s power: 

Moses and Aaron used God’s sign of turning the staff of God into a snake. Pharaoh’s officials were able to replicate it. But interestingly, it is written that the staff of God swallowed up the officials’ staff. This shows that God’s power is greater than any power that Satan tries to replicate. Satan can only mimic God but he in fact can never be God because he is a created being that is incapable of loving mankind. Pharaoh’s officials were able to mimic the plagues as well but only until the plague of the gnats. That is when they confessed, “This is the finger of God”. The bible says that when Jesus comes again, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is the Lord (Philippians 2: 10-11). It is wise to confess now that Jesus is the Lord and live a life serving and worshiping the one true Lord, God, and King. 

3. God’s mercy:

It was God’s mercy that he did not just send upon Egypt one plague, like a worldwide flood, but ten plagues. He always forewarned Pharaoh every time so that he would have time to repent and confess that God is Lord before the judgment came. But each time, Pharaoh chose to harden his heart. God always sends his messengers ahead of judgment. We saw that when the angels went ahead of the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, and so many prophets ahead of the exile to Babylon. God has also warned us of the end time through the book of Revelation, that we might repent and prepare. God does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to salvation (2 Peter 3: 9). He is waiting, but he does not wait forever. It all became too much for Pharaoh at the plague of the flies. He could’ve and should’ve repented then, but he didn’t. He went so far as asking Moses to pray on his behalf, that the flies might go away. But when Moses asked when he should pray for him, Pharaoh responded “Tomorrow”. This is the heart of sinful man. We want to repent but we want to repent tomorrow. There is a riddle, “What is coming but never comes? Tomorrow.” To swear to repent tomorrow is to swear never to repent at all. But Hebrews 3: 15 says, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” The urgency of repentance and salvation is today, not tomorrow. We have to fight against the temptation to put off repentance to tomorrow and do it today today. I have been putting off praying in the morning to sleep more because in my mind, it seems more important to be well-rested than to pray. But I know the Holy Spirit wants me to pray as of first importance as my seeking of him, because without him I cannot do anything. By his grace and power alone I can move and breathe and do all things. May God help me not to harden my heart but repent today, coming to him and confessing that he is the Lord. 

The judgment of God begins to fall on Pharaoh and Egypt because of Pharaoh’s refusal to let his people go. At the same time, His mercy is evident from first to last and on someone so hard and unyielding as Pharaoh. It shows that no one is too strong for God to judge; at the same time, no one is too far from his mercy to receive grace. Today, may I heed to the holy mercy of my God and choose not to harden my heart but to yield to his mercy. And may I have hope to pray that all those around me, no matter how hard or difficult, enter into the same abounding mercy of God, to the glory of God alone. Amen.