A pressure cooker is a pot that has a seal around it that closes very tightly. As you turn up the heat on the pressure cooker, steam is created inside. The steam builds up, creating pressure (about 30 psi) and, because it cannot completely escape, it drives the boiling point of water past 212 degrees. The higher temperature and pressure shortens the cooking time. The valve is designed to let a certain amount of the pressure escape so that the pressure cooker doesn’t blow up.
Pharaoh has God’s people in slavery and Pharaoh will not let them go. God knows Pharaoh’s heart and God knows that He’s got to get Pharaoh’s “psi” to the 30 psi point; He has to get the temperature of Pharaoh’s heart to 212 degrees before Pharaoh will let God’s people go. God could have jumped directly to the death of the firstborn, which we’ll study in two weeks, but then God would not have had the opportunity to show His power over all those gods of Egypt. It could also be true that God knew it would take the first nine plagues to increase the pressure on Pharaoh so that the last plague would make Pharaoh reach the proper point and let Israel go free.
SUN WORSHIPERS – 10:21-23:
The ninth plague engulfed Egypt in total darkness. For three whole days no one could see anything. As we have pointed out in every lesson, these plagues were directed in part against the gods of Egypt (Exo. 12:12; Num. 33:4). What if your god went totally dark on you? You see, the Egyptians worshiped the sun in the “person” of: Horus, Aten, Atum, and Amon-Re.
Who is our ultimate object of devotion and service? Who do we delight to serve above all else? If I really desire to make one person happy, who is that one person? That’s the person I worship.
THE SHADOW OF DARKNESS – 10:24:
Verse 24 shows us that Pharaoh knew in his mind what God wanted from him. God wanted him to let Israel go. Pharaoh knew God’s name – Jehovah. He knew the purpose for their departure: worship God; even sacrifice to God. He knew all that in his mind, but not in his heart. There’s the problem.
Pharaoh had been offering some compromises here and there: 8:25; 8:28; 10:10-11. Pharaoh had the arrogance that a lot of people today have – he thought that he could dictate his terms to God. People today in churches all across the land think that they can dictate to God what He should be accepting from them in worship. They think they can dictate to God the type of “plan of salvation” which sounds good to their ears. Just like Pharaoh, they want to stay in control of their theology.
DOWN TO THE LAST HOOF – 10:25-26:
I wonder if any of the Hebrews ever thought Moses was making a mistake by refusing to compromise with Pharaoh…? I wonder if it was ever tempting to the Hebrews to question Moses and suggest they negotiate. But Moses, for the fourth time, refused to compromise with Pharaoh, using one of my favorite expressions from Exodus: 10:25-26 – “not a hoof shall be left behind!”
When you give your heart to God, you don’t hold anything back. You don’t set your hand to the plow and then look back (Luke 9:62). When you give your heart to God and then learn that something else is required of you that you did not realize, then you do that too. That’s what it means to give your heart to God. It means that your highest ambition in life is to please God: 1 Thess. 2:4.
COME INTO THE LIGHT – 10:27-29:
There comes an end to God’s grace and mercy, as we see in verses 27-29. There is no fellowship between light and darkness. So Pharaoh threatened Moses with death if he ever set foot in front of Pharaoh again.
Based on John 3:36, those who do not obey Jesus Christ have the wrath of God remaining on them. If I could see spiritually, could see with God’s eyes, would I see the wrath of God resting on your shoulders? Or would I see the blood of Christ washing over you?
God is calling you to leave the land of darkness and follow Christ into the light. Walk in His light.
Paul Holland
