A Bloody Mess
Today’s Verse:
And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. ~Exodus 7:20
In our devotion this morning, we see two sources of life. We see water, which is a vital necessity for our hydration. We cannot live very long without water. The majority of the world is made up of water contained by oceans, rivers, and lakes. Then, we see blood. Blood is pumped by our hearts and carries oxygen and nutrients throughout our bodies. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” In our reading from Exodus 7, we see the first of the Egyptian plagues. It is when the mighty Nile River was turned into a bloody mess.
We see a callous man.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.” Pharaoh refused to release Israel from bondage. He scorned Moses and Aaron and made light of God’s demand that he should let the people go. A hardened and callous heart is one that is proud and unwilling to do what God says to do. Someone who says “no” to God more than once is a person who is callous to God’s Person. He has no fear of God and stubbornly scorns God’s message. “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
We see the compliant ministers.
“And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded.” We see these two brothers and servants of God obeying God, even though it was the hard thing to do. They were on a critical mission that demanded complete obedience. We must remember that to obey is better than to sacrifice. Peter and the apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” A nonnegotiable requirement of a servant of God is obedience. Obedience requires that we do exactly as the Lord said for us to do. We are to do no more and no less. Obedience is critical to the exercise of faith. In Hebrews 11:8, we read “By faith Abraham… obeyed.”
We see a controlling miracle.
“And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.” The Egyptian god of the Nile River was Hapi. The Nile was symbolic of fertility and the giving of life. The God of Heaven gave a powerful demonstration of His power and control. God transformed the entire Nile River and other bodies of water into literal blood. All of Egypt was covered with blood. The entire water system became undrinkable. The fish in the river died. It wasn’t long until there was an intolerable stench throughout Egypt because of the blood and death. The Egyptians loathed the river, ponds, and lakes. In effect, their god was dead! It got to the point that the Egyptians despised Hapi. God showed with a mighty hand that He was in control. Only God is Life and the Giver of life.
We see a convicting message.
First, our God is a mighty God, Who alone can change things to glorify Him. He turned their river into blood. He turned their contentment into distress and desperation. However, God can also turn our sorrow into joy, and He can turn a sinner into a son of God. Second, God will deal with hardened hearts by turning things in our life into a bloody mess. His chastening hand will mess up our plans and disobedience so that we realize that He is in control. Take heed that a spirit of disobedience does not turn things into a regrettable mess.
Have a circumspect God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Ezekiel 1-4