Monday, January 23, 2012

Today the plagues begin.  Exodus 5-8 covers the first of the plagues.  My chronological Bible has an excellent commentary for each day's reading. It is The Daily Bible, by Harvest House Publishers.  Today I would just like to quote a part of it:

"The struggle between God and Pharoah is classic because it demonstrates how all men and women tend to struggle with God.  Pharoah will first reject God altogether, then respond to the initial demonstrations of God's power by believing in the artificial manifestations of power which human trickery can devise.  When even the tricks of his magicians cannot duplicate the plagues brought against his people and property, Pharoah will try to avoid God through procrastination, compromise, and insincere repentance.  With each attempt of resisting God, Pharoah's heart gets harder, until he is unmoved by even the threat of death to his people."