Scripture Daily

Context No. 2293 of 4322 · Exodus

Context · Reflection

Exodus 9:20-26: in context

20Those who feared the LORD’s word among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses. 21Whoever didn’t respect the LORD’s word left his servants and his livestock in the field. 22The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on animal, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and the LORD sent thunder and hail; and lightning flashed down to the earth. The LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24So there was very severe hail, and lightning mixed with the hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; and the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

As the plague of hail approaches Egypt, a division appears among Pharaoh's own officials. Those who feared the word of the LORD, the account says, made their servants and livestock flee into shelter; but whoever did not respect the word of the LORD left them in the field. When the hail came, devastating all that was left outside, those who had heeded the warning were spared their servants and animals, while those who ignored it lost them. The difference lay in whether they took God's word seriously and acted on it.

The account draws a clear line between two responses to God's word. Some among the Egyptians feared the word of the LORD, took the warning seriously, and acted on it, bringing their servants and livestock to safety. Others did not respect the word, ignored the warning, and left everything in the field. And when the hail fell, the difference in response produced a difference in outcome: those who had heeded were spared, those who had ignored suffered loss. The same warning came to all; what differed was whether they took it seriously and acted. This holds a principle that reaches far beyond that plague: the difference that heeding God's word makes. God's word comes to all, with its warnings and its guidance; and the difference lies in whether we take it seriously and act on it. Those who heed God's word, who take his warnings seriously and act on his guidance, are spared much that befalls those who ignore it; while those who disregard his word suffer the consequences the word warned against. The prudent, the proverb says, sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it; heeding the warning makes the difference. This is illustrated in Jesus' parable of the two builders. Everyone who hears his words and does them, Jesus says, is like a wise man who built on rock, and stood; but everyone who hears and does not do them is like a foolish man who built on sand, and fell. The same words came to both; the difference was in whether they heeded and acted. Heeding God's word, not merely hearing it, makes all the difference. This searches whether we merely hear God's word or heed and act on it. God's word comes to us, with its warnings and guidance; and the question is whether we take it seriously and act, like the Egyptians who feared the word and sheltered their livestock, or whether we hear and ignore it, like those who left everything in the field. To this man I will look, God says, to him who trembles at my word. This calls us to heed and act on God's word, not merely hear it. The Egyptians who feared the word of the LORD and acted were spared what befell those who ignored it; and the difference lay in heeding. And we too are called not merely to hear God's word but to take it seriously and act on it, heeding his warnings and following his guidance, so that we are among the wise who hear and do, spared much that befalls those who disregard his word, rather than among those who hear and ignore, and suffer the consequences the word warned against.

Do I merely hear God's word, with its warnings and guidance, or do I take it seriously and act on it, and can the division among the Egyptians, where those who feared the word of the LORD sheltered their livestock and were spared while those who ignored it suffered loss, move me to heed and act on God's word rather than merely hearing it, being among the wise who hear and do, spared much that befalls those who disregard his word, rather than among those who hear and ignore?

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