The Thread: Part IIPrøve

Let My People Go! God told Moses and Aaron to approach Pharaoh and demand that he let God's people go. Before they went, God told Moses and Aaron that Pharaoh would refuse, and God would harden Pharaoh's heart [allow it to harden or set] to bring about his purposes. Pharaoh's heart was already hard. He thought he was a god, and he was prideful and rebellious. In his Bible Commentary , Tony Evans tells us, "When Pharaoh repeatedly refused to listen, God told him, in a sense, 'Have it your way.'" Dr. Evans further states, "Since Pharaoh refused to listen, God stretched out his hand against Egypt in judgment and put his hand into Egypt to deliver his people. All people will experience the hand of God one way or another—either its hardness or its mercy." We have the opportunity to know God—to experience his goodness and mercy. However, we also have the choice to be led by our selfish ways and, through our pride, bring about the consequences of our own choices, affecting our lives and others around us. Question: Where does pride get in your way as you walk with God and love others? Prayer: Ask God to teach you how to respond with humility, the opposite spirit of pride. Pray also for your nation's leaders to humbly follow and submit to God's desires.