Good Morning.
Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!” So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.” (Exodus 10:28-29)
Though the darkness caused him to bend, it did not provoke Pharaoh to break when it came to repentance. Once again he consented to let them go but with a different condition — leave your livestock behind. When Moses remained adamant that “not a hoof shall be left behind,” Pharaoh flew into a rage and ejected Moses from his court, promising to kill him if he returned. And in a very subtle, almost cryptic way, Moses pronounced the last plague — the one that would fulfill what God had told Moses at Mount Sinai:
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me.’ If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22-23).
Out of his own evil mouth, Pharaoh determined his own fate and that of so many others. It was almost as if he prophesied his own demise by threatening the demise of his nemesis, Moses. Again we see — measure for measure; the thing he determined to do to God’s people returned upon his own head and that of his own son. The final plague would break him, humiliate him and expose his wickedness for all to see.
There are other similar situations described for us in Scripture where evil men with wicked intentions for God’s people suffered that which they had determined for the servants of the Almighty. Haman the Agagite comes to mind; hung upon the gallows he intended for the Jews (Esther 7:10). David’s trouble with Nabal also ends similarly; Nabal’s wickedness toward David was returned upon his own head (1 Samuel 25). In fact, it was David who wrote:
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. (Psalm 7:14-16)
Never should we take these matters into our own hands because we have ample evidence, from Scripture, that God takes care of His people in a way that we never could. Furthermore, He alone is just and will recompense evil in a righteous manner — something that would prove very difficult for us to do. Thus, we should always consider that the battle we are engaged in is truly His if it is for the sake of righteousness and His kingdom. The wicked will threaten and try to intimidate us but, in the end, our Father will have the final say. Our duty is to act with integrity and faithfulness to His Word and Will.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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