Day 32: Exodus 10-13

These 4 chapters start with the last 3 plagues...By this time, I would think that Egypt was pretty much a wasteland. In fact, even before these last 3 plagues begin Pharaoh's "cabinet" said as much to him:

Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” (10:7)

But apparently it wasn't enough. Next up:
    The plague of locusts - 10:1-20
    The plague of darkness - 10:21-29
    Then the final plague of the death of the firstborn - 11:1-10

But the Israelites are protected by God if they follow His instructions to put the blood from a sacrificial lamb on their doorposts. (12:1-13) It's the Passover which Jewish people celebrate to this day.

When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (12:23)

I am so glad that when the final judgment comes and God "goes through the land" that when He looks down on me he will see the blood of the Perfect Lamb covering me.

Once again I'm struck with the fact that God keeps His promises...in His time, not mine.

Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. (12:40)

Four hundred and thirty years ago God made a promise to Abraham that his descendants would multiply exponentially...that the land of Canaan would be given to them as a possession. Well, so far only the first part has come true, and not in the way anyone would really choose. Now they are just beginning to leave Egypt for the second part of that promise.

Four - hundred - and - thirty - years. The Roman Empire lasted 500 years give or take. The British ruled their empire for around 400 years depending on who you ask. The United States has existed for about 235 years. For God these are all just the blink of an eye.

I get impatient when God doesn't answer my prayer in a week.

Well, at least one person had confidence that God was going to do what He said He would do:

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place." (13:19)

430 years...and they still knew where to find Joseph's bones.