Exodus 4

From Exodus 4–11, Moses keeps going back to Pharaoh with the same message from God: “Let my people go.” And Pharaoh keeps saying no.But every time Pharaoh refuses, God gives another sign showing both the Egyptians and the Israelites who is really in control.It starts with the signs God gives Moses: his staff turns into a snake, his hand becomes diseased and then healed, and water from the Nile can be turned to blood.Then come the plagues.The Nile turns to blood. Frogs cover the land. Gnats fill the air. Flies swarm Egypt. Livestock die. People break out in boils. Hail destroys crops. Locusts eat what is left. Then darkness covers Egypt for three days.And through several of these plagues, God makes a clear difference between Egypt and His people. The Egyptians are suffering while the Israelites living in Goshen are protected.At one point, even Pharaoh’s own magicians say, “This is the finger of God.”But Pharaoh still refuses to listen.By Exodus 11, God announces one final judgment: the death of the firstborn in Egypt.The point of all these signs is bigger than just getting Pharaoh to change his mind. God is showing His people who He is. They had spent generations under Egypt’s power, and now God is showing them that Pharaoh is not in control.God is.He sees His people, He keeps His promises, and He is powerful enough to rescue them.