READING: EXODUS 10
The pattern of the plagues shows a gradual increase in intensity and severity as they progress. As they grew more devastating, Pharaoh’s own servants urgently exhorted him to relent and accede to Moses’s repeated request (“Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?” [10:7]). But Pharaoh wanted to determine the terms of departure. The destructive plague of locusts that came upon Egypt brought him to the point of acknowledging his sin, but not to the point of letting the Israelites go. The ninth plague carried a palpable darkness to the land followed by a final hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.
Lord, no one is able to stand against You, though we often try to resist Your purposes. Help me remember the fleeting and limited nature of human power and wealth in contrast to the permanent and infinite nature of Your power and greatness.
Meditation passage: verses 20, 27
