August 6, 2025 Morning Devotional

Morning Devotion: Read Exodus - The Seventh Plague: Hail

Exodus 9:13  And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14  For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15  For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17  As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18  Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 19  Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20  He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21  And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

Can you imagine the scene, Moses is standing before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt early in the morning. Obviously Moses had an audience at any time with this king. Imagine trying that today with the Prime Minister of Canada or the President of the Untied States or the Pope in the Vatican or the King of England.

“This plague was directed against Isis (sometimes represented as cow–headed), goddess of fertility and considered the goddess of the air. She is the mythical daughter of Set and Nut, the sister and wife of Osiris, and the mother of Horus. It is said that the tears of Isis falling into the Nile River caused it to overflow its banks and bring nourishment to the land. Isis was a prominent goddess in Egypt, and the plague of hail was directed against her.”

More importantly this plague and the rest to follow are directed at the heart of Pharaoh so he and the people may know that there is none like the LORD.

Exodus 9:14  For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

What does the word of God say about the heart?

From the beginning the LORD speaks of the heart and its evil tendencies.

Genesis 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Yet, many both young and old are taught to trust seek their heart and trust their heart.

What does God say? Proverbs 18:2  A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

Romans 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13  Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14  Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15  Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16  Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17  And the way of peace have they not known: 18  There is no fear of God before their eyes.

There was no fear of God in Pharaoh’s eyes. He was about to find out that God was truly in control. What God was going to do in Egypt would reach the very heart of Pharaoh and all of Egypt. Twenty two times from chapter three to chapter fifteen, we find God speaking about Pharaoh’s heart and what God would do with it.

What about your heart; have you given your heart to Jesus? Is your heart ready and willing to seek the Lord? Is your heart hardened against the Lord?

Christian, what does the Lord say about your heart?

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

The choice is still yours,

Pastor Cook