Let' see now...all I have to do is be more clever than Pharaoh, more of a magician, more determined, more powerful, and what ever else I can think of to get my people to follow me into a desert where there is no food or water and travel to a place we know nothing about? That's all? These thoughts of Moses make us all wonder, "Why did God pick him?"
Poor Moses! He had no thoughts for himself, except of his inadequacies, which was a lot! But the Lord charged him with this duty. And Moses wanted to do his best, but was afraid his best wouldn't be good enough. In the study portion of my bible, it gives some explanation of why God picked Moses to bring his people out of Egypt. " God needed someone who would obey him. God's plan was to show his people that He was their God. Most of them knew themselves as Egyptians; few had ever heard of God, their very own God! God planned to intervene with his mighty power and perform great miracles to deliver His people that they might believe, once again, in His righteousness."
Now God had spent a lot of time with Moses and Aaron, trying to assure them. "I have made you like me, God, to Pharaoh, you acting in my place. Aaron is to be your prophet. You are to say to him everything I command you and your brother Aaron, to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply many miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with might acts of judgment I will bring out my people, the Israelites. And the Egyptians will also know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. " God even explained to the letter a first step with Pharaoh, "When Pharaoh says to you, "Perform a miracle," then say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down,' If you do this before Pharaoh, it will become a snake."
So Moses and Aaron, probably with their hearts in their throats, did just as the Lord commanded. When Aaron's staff became a snake, Pharaoh called his wise men and magicians who did the same thing by their secret arts. Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
What were they to do? This question, uppermost in their minds, was taken to the Lord, who said, "Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that became a snake. Say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you haven't listened. With the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.'"
The Lord continued to speak to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the Waters of Egypt--over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs--and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars."
Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded. The fish died, the water stank with blood. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became even harder; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not care. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
What a calamity! How not to make friends! But God had determined this was the way to get to Pharaoh and that was important, for the people whom they came to rescue must be let go.
Even the Secretaries of State in the United States would not have been able to move Pharaoh, I'm thinking. And Moses and Aaron were doing their best for their God. Will it ever be enough? More tomorrow.
Whatever "kettle of fish" you might find yourself in, take it to God We should not rely on miracles such as were given to Moses and Aaron, but God will lead us. One sure way God leads us is through the Word of God in the bible. No miracle of God would endorse any message that is contrary to the teachings of HIs Word. That I know!
Loving you on this new February day!
Jo INMN
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