“God Gets Pharaoh’s Attention - Plagues!”

Bible Bits & Bites
Devotions for Families 

Season 2: Heroes of the Bible
Episode 28: “God Gets Pharaoh’s Attention - Plagues!”
Today’s Bible Bite: Exodus 7-10

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzcYLCYItuc (Saddleback Kids – 2.50 to 4.30)
“Get out of here!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses. “I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die!” (Exodus 10:28)

God instructed Moses to go back to Pharaoh and demand that he let the people of Israel go. But Pharaoh kept refusing. God began to inflict plagues on the Egyptians to help change Pharaoh’s mind. Pharaoh needed a lot of convincing and the people of Egypt suffered because of it.
• Plague 1 – The Nile River’s water turned to blood and all the fish die, but Pharaoh ignored the problem
• Plague 2 – Frogs infested the land—they were everywhere! Pharaoh promised to let the people go, but then changed his mind.
• Plague 3 – Gnats covered the land of Egypt – Pharaoh wouldn’t listen
• Plague 4 – Flies then filled the whole land – Pharaoh promised to do what God said, but then changed his mind
• Plague 5 – The livestock of the Egyptians died – Pharaoh wouldn’t listen
• Plague 6 – Painful boils affected all the Egyptians – Pharaoh wouldn’t listen
• Plague 7 – A hail and lightning storm devastated Egypt – Pharaoh apologized to God and promised to let the people go, but again changed his mind when the storm stopped
• Plague 8 – Locusts invaded the land and ate everything that hadn’t already been lost in the storm – Again Pharaoh asks to be forgiven and promises to let the people go, then changes his mind
• Plague 9 – Darkness covers the land of Egypt so that daytime becomes like midnight – This time Pharaoh is so mad at Moses that he tells him if he ever sees him again he will kill him! And still the people cannot go…
God has one more plague that He knows will cause Pharaoh to finally let the Israelites go…what do you think it could be? None of the other plagues was enough to convince Pharaoh, what was there left for God to do?

Think about it...
• Pharaoh saw himself as equal to God and wasn’t about to take orders from Moses and Aaron. Is anyone equal to God?
• God could have forced Pharaoh to let the people go, but instead gave him opportunities to do the right thing. Why did Pharaoh need so much convincing?
• Pharaoh was stubborn! Are you ever stubborn?
• Even though Pharaoh wouldn’t willingly do what God told him, God was still the one in control. Can anything stop God from doing what He decides to do?
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Prayer: Thank you, God, for showing us that trying to fight you is never a good idea. Pharaoh’s pride kept getting in the way; he didn’t think he needed to take orders from anyone. Help us not to be like him. Help us not to become so full of ourselves that we refuse to listen to you!