Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 11 before reading the devotional below.
Moses has shifted from the reluctant messenger with a stutter to a bold and fierce leader for the people of God. These plagues have served a purpose besides teaching Pharaoh who’s boss. Walking through this process has changed Moses, too. He has seen God do what he said he would do, and he has been a vessel of God’s power multiple times now. He’s not messing around anymore. And even though Pharaoh has been unrelenting, the Egyptian people and even Pharaoh’s own officials have a great respect for Moses as they have endured these plagues. There is no doubt in their minds that Moses has a significant, God-given power.
The death of a firstborn son changes everything. Here we see the connection between Pharaoh and God. What is about to be forced on Pharaoh and his people is what God will later voluntarily take on in order to rescue the world. The oldest son of a king is a loss beyond ordinary losses. It is a disruption in world history. God is about to demonstrate his kingship over the whole world as he shows Pharaoh just how little power he actually has over his own life and future.
Here’s your freedom for today: we are changed in the process of walking by faith. If God had given Moses victory immediately with Pharaoh, how might this story have been different? Would Moses have been ready to lead the people through the desert? The trials are only going to get harder from here. Moses needed the plagues as much as Pharaoh did to see the truth. He was a leader, born for a purpose and equipped with the power of God. No one needed to be convinced of that more than Moses himself. What is God showing you about yourself through your trials right now?