Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:7-8

7 And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

In yesterday’s verses we discussed how the noose was growing ever tighter on Egypt. The Lord was taking away all of their food sources, one at a time, with little remaining now for them to rely upon, and today we see something new come as a result. Previously, both Pharaoh and his servants had hardened their hearts, but now the servants stubbornness had been broken. They had become desperate, and they urged Pharaoh to let the people go.

Thus, Pharaoh was now being pressured from both sides: without and within. His kingdom had been being whittled away by the Lord, made more meager day-by-day, yet he had remained its undisputed leader. Now, though, dissent in the court could be the first signs of losing that control.

As a result, we see something else that is new in verse 8. For the first time, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron back after they had prophesied of the new curse, but before they had actually summoned it. Pharaoh had interrupted his previously-established pattern and he told them to “Go, serve the Lord your God.” This is a very good sign. Pharaoh’s perpetual committing to let Israel go and then changing his mind reminds me of the behavior of an addict. Addicts are always swearing off their evil behavior, even thinking in their heart that they really mean it, but perpetually going back on their word. Breaking the pattern is the first sign that true repentance might finally be at hand.

However, even as Pharaoh was trying to change his old script…he could not leave well enough alone. We can see how Pharaoh’s mind and heart begins to turn back in the last sentence of verse 8. His reservations cannot help but make themselves manifest. “Go, serve the Lord your God…but…who are they that shall go?” As we will see in the following verses, this question of who will go is Pharaoh already looking for a way to impose a restriction on Israel’s departure.

This venomous question speaks deeply to me because it reflects the pride in my own heart. I see in it the desire to only partially comply with the word of the Lord, to look for some sliver of rebellion that can be held onto, even while ostensibly giving in to His will. Sometimes we are beaten and defeated, we have no alternative but to surrender, but we still try to hold something back, just so that we can tell ourselves that we are still our own true master. We will see how this plays out for Pharaoh tomorrow.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Spiritual Analysis- Genesis 18:16-21

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

I’m not sure if there are any other passages in the Bible that give as clear a picture into the mind of the Lord as this one does. We see how He weighs the quality of Abraham before telling Him that He will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

And this marks an important shift in the relationship between Abraham and God. This is God opening up to Abraham about His private plans, plans that deal with other people and not just Abraham. He is inviting Abraham to give Him his opinion, to counsel with Him, to be a partner and not just a servant. Jesus called out this exact sort of shift in relationship in John 15:15: “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends.”

And, as we will see tomorrow, Abraham does have counsel to offer. He will make a case to God, and God will take it very seriously because He respects Abraham’s opinion.