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Exodus 9:1-12, Yet Two *More* Plagues

Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today

But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
— Exodus 9:12

NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 2, 2019

by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff

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God certainly seems to be the meanie in these past readings we’ve had in the last couple of days. I mean, how many plagues and weird ailments were really necessary for Pharaoh to get with the program and simply let God’s people go?

It’s times like these to remind myself not to think too deeply with texts like these in the Bible. I’m not saying that you have to leave behind all rational thinking or debate why these things happened. It’s that, originally, this was a story. That doesn’t make it fake or not true to what actually happened in the past. It means it’s a story. And like any good story, the writer back then used literary tools to drive the point that much harder.

And what was the point of all this long-standing suffering? To show that God was (and is) God, and that no matter how stubborn Pharaoh became, God was willing to go the extra mile to assure the freedom of the people.

What’s your take on all the plagues in the Exodus story?


 
Earlier Event: October 1
Exodus 8:16-32, Two More Plagues