“And the Lord hardened the heart of
Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of
Israel were going out defiantly.” Exodus 14:8
Good morning, let’s first look at where
we are so far in the story of Moses. At this point the 10 plagues have already
taken place, and Pharaoh has just given the Israelites their freedom. Now, God
has decided to harden Pharaoh’s heart and have him attack the Israelites. It is
interesting to look at, why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? I personally
believe there are two reasons, and both these reasons go together. The first
reason I would like to mention is God was punishing the Egyptians for keeping
the Israelites in slavery. The second reason I believe this happened was so
that God could give His people a deeper look into who He is. God showed His
people that not only will He deliver them from captivity but He will punish
those who held them in captivity.
Let us look on how we can relate this to
our lives today. Often it seems like we are in a constant battle. I am always
in counsel with young Christian men who want to take matters into their own
hands and want to take revenge on those who wronged them instead of forgiving
and letting God take control.
“Vengeance
is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day
of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
Deuteronomy
32:25
We must remember that vengeance is God’s. We didn’t see the Israelites
after being freed go and attack the Egyptians. No, they moved on and followed
where God led them. It is time to stop letting our anger control us. It’s time
to show love and let God take control. I believe if we do that, if we start
showing love and allow God to take over, we will see His love for us more. We
will see and understand God more.
Let us pray, dear father allow me to show
your love to everyone even those who wrong me. Allow me to put all my trust in
You, and learn to follow You further.
David Wiggins
Youth Pastor
www.nbcornerstone.com
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