Day 42
Exodus 9:1-10:29
(9 | 10)
Aaron and Moses put a simple request to Pharaoh: let the Israelites go out into the desert to worship the LORD their God. God hardens Pharaoh's heart, and he refuses, and continues to refuse the request. So God brings a succession of plagues against Egypt. Four of the plagues were in yesterday's passage; the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats and flies.
Aaron and Moses go back and ask again that Pharaoh allows the Israelites to go and worship the LORD, with the threat of a plague on the Egyptians' livestock - this would be a smart plague; one that differentiates between the livestock of Egypt and Israel. When Pharaoh refuses, the plague comes the next day.
Next, a plague of boils is brought against the Egyptians. Pharaoh's heart is still hardened, so he doesn't relent. This is followed by a plague of hail. Everyone is given fair warning. Those Egyptians who fear the LORD bring their livestock and people inside. When the hail comes, it destroys a good portion of their crops, as well as killing anyone unfortunate enough to be outside. Pharaoh says he'll let the Israelites go if Moses prays for the hail to stop. To prove that it is the LORD in control, and not pure chance, Moses prescribes exactly how he will pray for the hail to stop. When he does, the hail stops, and Pharaoh changes his mind again.
Pharaoh asks who will be going out into the desert. The answer is, of course, everyone in the nation of Israel; men, women, children and livestock. Pharaoh says only the men may go. So a plague of locusts is sent. They devour anything and everything that hadn't been destroyed by the hail. Pharaoh again requests that Moses pray for the plague to go away. He does, the plague goes, and Pharaoh still doesn't let the Israelites go.
Next, a plague of darkness is sent. The whole of Egypt is plunged into darkness for three days. Meanwhile in Goshen, the land assigned to the Israelites by Joseph and his Pharaoh, the Israelites have the normal levels of light. Pharaoh seems to relent, telling Moses that the men, women and children may all go, eventually agreeing to let the livestock go as well.
Matthew 26:69-27:10
(26:69-75 | 27:1-10)
Peter, while waiting to see what happens to Jesus, denies even knowing him three times, becoming more agitated each time. When the cock crows, Peter realises that Jesus' prediction had come true; he realises what he's done, and runs outside crying.
Another man realising the impact of what he's done is Judas Iscariot. He sees Jesus bound and being taken away, and feels guilty for betraying him. Judas tries to give the money he received back to the priests, but they don't want it. Judas throws it into the temple anyway, so the priests decide to buy a field for burying foreigners with the money. Judas then goes off and hangs himself.
Judas is an odd one. Yes he betrayed Jesus. Yes he handed over his friend, leader and teacher to be arrested, beaten and executed for thirty silver coins. But at the same time, Jesus has to be betrayed; in order to be the sacrifice of atonement, he needs to be killed, and in order to defeat death, he has to be dead. Neither event can happen unless he is betrayed. So Judas plays a vital but unenviable role in the whole thing. It doesn't change what he actually did, but it certainly changes the way I view him.
Psalm 20
(20)
Now that David knows beyond a shadow of doubt that the LORD saves his people, David prays for that for everybody. Up until now, David has prayed for deliverance for himself. This psalm is to remind us that we too can experience deliverance. It is a prayer that the reader of the psalm can cry out for the things they need and that God will grant it.
Exodus 9:1-10:29
(9 | 10)
Aaron and Moses put a simple request to Pharaoh: let the Israelites go out into the desert to worship the LORD their God. God hardens Pharaoh's heart, and he refuses, and continues to refuse the request. So God brings a succession of plagues against Egypt. Four of the plagues were in yesterday's passage; the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats and flies.
Aaron and Moses go back and ask again that Pharaoh allows the Israelites to go and worship the LORD, with the threat of a plague on the Egyptians' livestock - this would be a smart plague; one that differentiates between the livestock of Egypt and Israel. When Pharaoh refuses, the plague comes the next day.
Next, a plague of boils is brought against the Egyptians. Pharaoh's heart is still hardened, so he doesn't relent. This is followed by a plague of hail. Everyone is given fair warning. Those Egyptians who fear the LORD bring their livestock and people inside. When the hail comes, it destroys a good portion of their crops, as well as killing anyone unfortunate enough to be outside. Pharaoh says he'll let the Israelites go if Moses prays for the hail to stop. To prove that it is the LORD in control, and not pure chance, Moses prescribes exactly how he will pray for the hail to stop. When he does, the hail stops, and Pharaoh changes his mind again.
Pharaoh asks who will be going out into the desert. The answer is, of course, everyone in the nation of Israel; men, women, children and livestock. Pharaoh says only the men may go. So a plague of locusts is sent. They devour anything and everything that hadn't been destroyed by the hail. Pharaoh again requests that Moses pray for the plague to go away. He does, the plague goes, and Pharaoh still doesn't let the Israelites go.
Next, a plague of darkness is sent. The whole of Egypt is plunged into darkness for three days. Meanwhile in Goshen, the land assigned to the Israelites by Joseph and his Pharaoh, the Israelites have the normal levels of light. Pharaoh seems to relent, telling Moses that the men, women and children may all go, eventually agreeing to let the livestock go as well.
Matthew 26:69-27:10
(26:69-75 | 27:1-10)
Peter, while waiting to see what happens to Jesus, denies even knowing him three times, becoming more agitated each time. When the cock crows, Peter realises that Jesus' prediction had come true; he realises what he's done, and runs outside crying.
Another man realising the impact of what he's done is Judas Iscariot. He sees Jesus bound and being taken away, and feels guilty for betraying him. Judas tries to give the money he received back to the priests, but they don't want it. Judas throws it into the temple anyway, so the priests decide to buy a field for burying foreigners with the money. Judas then goes off and hangs himself.
Judas is an odd one. Yes he betrayed Jesus. Yes he handed over his friend, leader and teacher to be arrested, beaten and executed for thirty silver coins. But at the same time, Jesus has to be betrayed; in order to be the sacrifice of atonement, he needs to be killed, and in order to defeat death, he has to be dead. Neither event can happen unless he is betrayed. So Judas plays a vital but unenviable role in the whole thing. It doesn't change what he actually did, but it certainly changes the way I view him.
Psalm 20
(20)
Now that David knows beyond a shadow of doubt that the LORD saves his people, David prays for that for everybody. Up until now, David has prayed for deliverance for himself. This psalm is to remind us that we too can experience deliverance. It is a prayer that the reader of the psalm can cry out for the things they need and that God will grant it.
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