THE PATIENT GOD

TEXT: EXODUS 7:14-25.

KEY VERSE “And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go” (EXODUS 7:14).

God has limitless ways of bringing a man into subjection. That He allows the wicked to ply his trade and carry on as if the whole world is under his control is to prove His attributes of being a long-suffering Father.

If He had wanted to crush all Egypt to liberate Israel He would have done so. It is not difficult for Him to strike all the Egyptians with blindness to free the Israelites. But He knew what He was doing by bargaining with Pharaoh. Even before Moses opened his mouth to tell Him that Pharaoh had remained adamant, He knew. He was being patient and wanted him to exhaust his period of grace. God is a righteous judge. He will not destroy Egypt without sufficient reason. Eventually, Pharaoh refused and rejected all the entreaties to release the people.

There are Pharaohs all over the place who carry out their wicked and rebellious activities on a day-to-day basis, thinking it is in their power to do so. These Pharaohs oppress, intimidate and hinder the progress of God’s people. Sometimes, believers would wish for instant judgement against them. Far from it! We must see the pattern of God’s dealings with man. He gives man long time to repent. It is after he must have exhausted all avenues of bringing Pharaoh to his senses that He allows him to stew in his own juice. Believers must have the mind of God by suffering long and waiting on him to dispense judgement.

Wait on God and wait for Him. Do not run ahead of Him. He will surely deliver you.

Despite Pharaoh’s headiness and high-handedness against Israel, at the end, he bit the dust. By the same token, all those who have elevated themselves to the status of Pharaoh against your progress will bow and you will laugh last.

✍THOUGHT FOR THE DAY In His time, God makes all things beautiful.

MEDITATION

“The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart”

BIBLE IN A YEAR: MARK 14-16.

1. The problem of Pharaoh was no other thing other than his heart. He did nothing about it and it caused his destruction. The heart is the seat and fountain of all characters v14.
   Q What kind of heart do you have?
   O Lord, expose my heart condition and give me a sincere heart to humbly come to you for transformation
   You should pray to God to deal with any evil in your heart and character.
2. Pharaoh did not have a reflective or thoughtful heart on spiritual things. He saw successive strange miracles and he was not moved vv22,23.
3. The purpose of the successive miracles was to reveal God to him as greater than all idols. He missed the purpose v17.
   Pray that you will not at any time miss the purpose of God’s word in your life
   Lord remove every form of foolishness from my heart and give me a wise heart in the things of God
   Lord, teach me how to be meditative on your word and give me the spirit of revelation and understanding
4. Moses rose up in the morning. The work of God (follow up, soul winning, prayer etc) must be done instantly as a matter of priority v15