EXODUS 11 WHEN WARNINGS ARE REJECTED After nine plagues had nearly decimated Egypt, God had to act in righteous judgment. Unanswered warnings, in time lead to the necessity of divine retribution. The tenth plague of the death of the firstborn of every family member from Pharaoh's household to the first born of all the cattle- was really a judgment. Judgment is God's strange (not often used) work." God is full of grace, full of mercy, full of compassion and is limitless in His love. But none of this negates His righteousness, His holiness and His judgment. The first nine plagues really answered the question Pharaoh had asked the first time Moses and Aaron spoke to him to let the people of God go. By the time those nine plagues had happened Pharaoh knew who the Lord was. His question, "Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?" brought to ruin his whole nation, and yet he would not respond to the request to let God's people go. When this attitude is in the leaders of a nation, it affects the whole nation. When this happens to a society that is persistent in refusing the ultimate authority of God, in order to stop the breakdown of all moral order, God sends judgment. When a crisis is reached in a smaller group like a church or even a family, and the warnings are rejected, there is no alternative but judgment.
Judgment compresses into a short time what normally what would take months or years of wrong-doing. It happened to Sodom as a result of immoral living. It happened in Babylon because of their treatment of God's people. It happened in Jerusalem as a consequence to trying to mix holy things with ungodly idolatry. It happened to Egypt because of their refusal to acknowledge God in spite of all the supernatural events that came from nature let out of control. It happened at the cross - when God's righteous, holy judgment fell on the Lord Jesus Christ when "He was made sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
One wrote: On Him almighty vengeance fell Enough to sink a world to hell He bore it for a sinful race And thus, became my hiding place.
We really have no conception of the judgment Christ bore when "The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Infinite holiness demanded infinite justice. Infinite justice demanded infinite satisfaction. The perfection of the Lamb of God made possible the complete satisfaction of a Righteous God. When the Lord suffered as "a green tree", as an absolutely perfect substitutionary sacrifice for sin, God could accept the declaration of a finished work - "It is finished." If that was done in "the green tree, what should be done in the dry." There will never be satisfaction by God from the "dry tree" of human effort.
Who would have thought a human heart could ever be so hard. That God would not be even thought of nor worshipped and not feared. The terrible malaise of unbelief is no longer just far away. It seemingly has crossed all barriers and is found everywhere today.
In spite of all that dark unbelief there is shining in this place, The light of God's presence and saving power shining in some people's face. Religious and moral darkness cannot stop the work God intends to do. His testimony is evident and more will be seen before the day of grace is through.
It is necessary to face the fact that times will get increasingly worse. Yet among these who fear God and love His name there is a real thirst For His Word and His ways to be lived out in the life of each one who loves His name. And the grace of God is not hard to see in those who believe the same.
I know many will never believe what we say or accept the truths we teach. But warnings have to be given, and solutions too in order for people to reach The place where they realize there is a real God in whom they must believe. Hopefully, they will repent and turn from their sin and Jesus Christ receive.
"Father, I knew this morning my thoughts are somewhat disjointed and hard to be put together in a sensible way. But here in these Himalayan Mountains with these people of Thine, I can see the contrast of light and darkness very clearly. Bless Thy Word here I pray. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."