QT 2/17/2026 Exo 7:8–13, Major decisions need to go through God

Exodus 7:8–13 (ESV) —

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

NOTE: This is the second time that Pharaoh is required to respond to God's command (although the full conversation is not given). At this point, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, not by God, but by himself. It is Pharaoh who would not listen.

 

I believe that God's sovereignty and Man's free will coexist in God's universe in a way that I can't understand (because the bible refers to both as true). Pharaoh does have a choice, but God has a purpose. At some point, Pharaoh is judged, and is no longer given a choice. Technically, Egypt deserved no choice when it decided to kill the Jewish male babies. The blood of those babies was on Egypt's hands and it deserved whatever judgment God decided. I suppose my country is not much different. For years we have allowed abortion to reign in our lands. It was not forced, it was a choice of parents, but the blood of 60 million babies is still on our hands. God will judge our nation for our disregard of life. There may be cases where it was justified, but when that decision was made for material reasons, it was wrong.

 

PONDER:

Do I seek God's will in the major decisions of life, or do I do what is most economically beneficial to myself regardless of ethical considerations?

 

PRAYER: Father, I know these are difficult subjects, but they are things that we must wrestle with deeply. I don't pretend to have answers where things are really not as black and white as they sound, but I do pray that we, that I would seek in the major decisions of life.