Daily Manna 15 February 2022
KEY VERSE: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.” – (Exodus 7:14)
TEXT: Exodus 7:14-25
14 So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may [a]serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe[b] to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their [c]enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.
“The farthest place on earth”, so goes an adage, “is the heart of man”. If it were possible to dissect the heart so that everyone can see what is hidden therein, they will be shocked to see unimaginable things. The heart is the most vital part of the human body. As several commentators have noted, “When we go to heaven, we will go heart-first and not head-first”. This saying underscores the importance of the heart in our relationship with God. Today’s passage illustrates that God knows all hearts. Before the Lord sent Moses to request that Pharaoh let Israel go, He knew the state of Pharaoh’s heart; that it was hardened. The first plague of turning the waters of Egypt into blood did not soften his heart; instead, he turned and went into his house and refused to let Israel go (Exodus 7:23).
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
These days, people seem to engage more in outward show of religion, but their hearts are far from God than ever. A heart set on a multiplicity of pursuit and goals, drawn apart by diverse issues of earthly cares cannot find the peace to offer a consecrated and committed service to God. Neither will that heart be able to find the needed time for the old time religion that leads to real salvation.
God desires that our hearts be filled with sacred affection and love. Our emotions, purposes, thoughts and mind should unite in surrendered devotion to God. He will reward those who sincerely seek Him with all their hearts. However, He is far from mere professors of religion who keep their hearts away from Him.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A hardened heart attracts affliction.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : A hardened heart attracts affliction.
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Heart First – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 15 February 2022
