Knocked Down by a Thunderstorm
This is an audio recording of Knocked Down by a Thunderstorm the Day 14 entry in the Today for Seafarers Volume 3 devotional by Dr. Jason Zuidema and David Rozeboom.
Listen to the audio by Sheila Margerrison or read the text below:
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning,
confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the
God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they
may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my
plagues against you and against your officials and your people,
so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck
you and your people with a plague that would have wiped
you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very
purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name
might be proclaimed in all the earth. You still set yourself
against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at
this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has
ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.
Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you
have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall
on every person and animal that has not been brought in and
is still out in the field, and they will die.’”
Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord
hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. But
those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and
livestock in the field.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.”
When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the
Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to
the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt;
hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst
storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.
Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both
people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the
fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail
was the land of Goshen where the Israelites were.
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”
Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”
(The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.”
Seated on the banks of the Nile River, Egyptian society prospered with abundance and sophistication. It was the envy of all its neighbors. The climate was mild. Water came not so much from rainfall, but by the regular flooding of the Nile, refreshing the whole delta with moisture and nutrients. All the land was owned by the Pharaoh, and his priests and officials governed the whole society.
In the story of the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12) we see a Pharaoh who refused to recognize the God of Israel as the one true God of heaven and earth. So God sent more thunder and lightning, rain and hail on Egypt than it had ever seen before.
This is sometimes another purpose of storms. How often in the Bible do we see the proud and mighty being overwhelmed before the power of God? They cannot stand before him. Humans may appear to be strong (at least to each other), but in any storm our weakness is quickly evident.
Rather than standing before God in our own strength, we should bow and pray.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways. . . . Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
For Further Thought
What warning does God give us today (Isaiah 55:6-7)?
What is your response to God's call?
Prayer
Lord God of heaven and earth, teach us humility. Forgive us for our pride. Thank you for looking on us in grace and mercy and for redeeming us in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
