5:22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."
7:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt,4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it."6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them.7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
10:3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
11:1 Now the Lord had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold."3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.)
12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lambt for his family, one for each household. ...6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover. 12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. .......... 17 "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. ....... 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me." ..... 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing.36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. 37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. ......... 40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egyptt was 430 years.41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt.42 Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.
43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the regulations for the Passover meal: "No foreigner may eat it.44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him,45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it. 46 "It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. 48 "A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it.49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you."50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
Observations - I put in the part about the Passover because I really like it. What a miracle! And they had been in Egypt 430 years. Wow. I also thought some of the text alluded to the fact that the plagues probably weren't one right after the other. Maybe one every other week or so. When the Passover was going to happen, God told the Israelites that this would be their beginning month. (12:2) And the Passover didn't happen until the 14th day. I never picked up on that before. I guess I always assumed it had all happened really quickly, but maybe not.
However, the verse that really jumped out at me & had me thinking through the entire reading was 8:15 "But when Pharaoh saw that there was temporary relief, he made his heart stubborn and hard and would not listen or heed them, just as the Lord had said." (AMP) How often do we harden our hearts to God when things are going well? We cry out to Him when we are needy, but we should praise Him when we are not. Or maybe our hearts are hard when things aren't going our way. We blame God for our struggles & refuse to talk to Him about them.
Application - This seems to be coming up again & again to me. God is trying to tell me something!!! I'd better soften my heart & listen. I am so blessed to be a child of God! I need to appreciate that fact above all worldly concerns.
Prayer - Dear Lord, please soften my heart that I would cry out to You, praise You, and worship You always. I want to be Your servant. Use me!! Amen.
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