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Daily Devotion: Exodus 11:4-10

Exodus 11:4-10    "And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land." 

In the close of chapter ten, we hear Pharaoh threaten Moses’ life if he ever sees Moses again. Moses tells Pharaoh that he will surely not see his face again. The declaration of God in the eleventh chapter takes place during this same meeting with Pharaoh and is a continuation of Moses’ speaking. This is his final time that Moses would declare unto Pharaoh the will of the LORD.

After all that they had seen, there must have been some in Pharaoh’s court who trembled when Moses said, “Thus saith the LORD.” Although he was not yet moved to release them, Moses’ words must have troubled Pharaoh. Even though his heart was hardened, his mind had to acknowledge that everything else that Moses had said had come to pass. The LORD of the Hebrews had never failed to perform what He had declared by Moses and Aaron.

It was not Moses who was going out into the midst of Egypt at midnight. As in all the other plagues, this was the LORD’s doing. The fear of it and the glory of it belonged to God alone. All the firstborn of the land of Egypt, both man and beast, were going to die. This was going to befall everyone from the king of Egypt to the maidservant that ground the corn. 

Even as this great calamity was going to befall the Egyptians, there was to be a great quiet among the children of Israel. The land of Goshen and the dwellings of the Israelites were filled with solemnity. Not even a dog would bark at the Israelites or their cattle and flocks. The God of heaven and earth was moving, and He intended for Pharaoh to see again that the LORD put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. 

As we look at the plagues that the LORD sent upon the Egyptians, we might be tempted to read through them hastily. After all, even though the plagues differed from one another, the lesson was basically the same. God sent a plague, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, Israel was still in bondage, and God sent another plague. Dear ones, as you read God’s word, read it all. If God repeats a lesson numerous times, there is something for us to learn in each instance. There is a reminder there that our souls need to see and understand.

It is the LORD that has put a difference between the natural man and the spiritual man. The seal of that difference is in the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We live the reality of that difference every day as God moves through our lives and displays His mighty power. Rest assured that if God has commanded that you go out from bondage, He will surely bring it to pass.

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