God Almighty

 

    God is the Almighty.  That means He is perfect that is worthy of worship.  When a person has a hard heart, then He works to make Himself known to him for his own good.  The Pharoah had a hard heart which kept the Hebrew nation away from God.  God decided to deal with his hard heart in a severe manner to get His point across.  No one will keep Him away from His people.

    The plagues were hard on everyone, but especially the Egyptians.  God's people had divided hearts because they were not happy, but they didn't want to be going through the plagues either.  They felt like they had been forgotten by God a long time ago.  Many did not hold faith.  Some had even embraced other gods.

    God was using the plagues to judge Egypt and show His people that He had not forgotten about Him.  It was a message for them to follow Him.  He was liberating His people, but the real liberation was still to come.  Jesus is the real liberation.  Have you ever noticed that things get real uncomfortable to worse before they get better?  They had to be ready to take their liberation.  We have to be ready to accept Jesus.

    The final plague was the most devasting plague.  It was the death of the first born son in every household that had not prepared and obeyed God's commands.  It was devasting, but it ended all the plagues.  Even the Pharoah lost his son.  No matter how powerful a person thinks they are, they are not more powerful than God.  

    The night the angel of death came to Egypt would never be forgotten.  Death is an angel.  It is also referenced in Revelations.  He comes after the warning.  Egypt had weeks to allow God's people to go make sacrifices to Him.  The pharaoh ignored all the other plagues as inconveniences, but losing his own son could not be ignored.

    The Hebrews were spared because they took the warning seriously and obeyed God's commands.  The plan was simple, but never easy.  They were given very specific directions to have the angel of death not enter their homes.  They were told to prepare to leave and given orders on their last meal as a slave.  Anyone who did not obey would have the angel of death take the first born son, young and old.

    God's people were commanded to be ready in a moments notice to leave and never return.  God made an unforgettable statement and that is that He is the God Almighty.  No one could deny it.  I am sure some did, but it only made them look like fools.  People may still deny what He did as they deny who He is, but it doesn't change the fact that He is God Almighty.

    All the plagues lived up to the name, but the last plague was the most devasting by far.  The people already had their spirits crushed.  They were at their lowest point in life, but to loose their beloved children was horrible.  It was a statement that hold impact across time and in all cultures.

    The Hebrews were slaves, but some were friends with some of the Egyptians.  The Hebrews may not have been impacted like the Egyptians, but it does not mean that it did not affect them.  Some may have been happy, but most were sad, scared, and just wanted it over.  Some of the Egyptians did come to believe and would be considered converted from the experience.  The two nations lived together, so it was impossible that they did not influence each other.

    God's plan was laid out.  It was specific, detailed, and had a dead line.  He was also preparing them for what would come next, even though they could not imagine past this moment.  The people obeyed or ignored.  We still have a specific and detailed plan that has a time limit.  The question you have to answer for yourself is will I obey or ignore?

Exodus 11, Joshua 24:16-18, Psalm 91, John 17:1-5, & Revelations 4