DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 19
WORD OF WISDOM
When we are pressed down by the trials of life we can always look up to the
promise of Heaven.
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DAILY DEVOTION
Mighty Hero
The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is
with you!"
(Judges 6:12, NLT)
Gideon was hiding in the winepress, afraid of his enemies, when God
said he was to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites. He was
feeling inadequate, weak, and intimidated, yet God called him a mighty hero.
Gideon said, "God, not me. I come from the poorest family, and I am the
least one in my father's house." He was saying, "My gift is too small." Yet
God gave Gideon favor, and he went out with three hundred men and defeated
an army of over a hundred thousand. Gideon became a great leader and is now
listed as one of the heroes of faith.
Your gift may seem small, you may feel unqualified, the obstacles may look
too big, but God is saying to you what He said to Gideon, "Hello, you mighty
hero." God sees what you can become. Stir up what's in your heart and come
out of hiding. God wouldn't have put it there if He weren't going to bring
it to pass.
A Prayer for Today
"Father, thank You that You know me and what I am capable of becoming. Thank
You that You have equipped m and are empowering me to be strong where I feel
weak and less than. I believe that You are transforming me into a mighty
warrior. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Exodus 7-9 New King James Version
Moses Before Pharaoh
7 So the Lord said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and
Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I
command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children
of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply
My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not heed
you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My [a]armies and My
people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My
hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them."
6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did.
7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they
spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron's Miraculous Rod
8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 "When Pharaoh speaks to
you, saying, 'Show a miracle for yourselves,' then you shall say to Aaron,
'Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.' "
10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord
commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his
servants, and it became a serpent.
11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the [b]sorcerers; so the
magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their [c]enchantments.
12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's
rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did
not heed them, as the Lord had said.
The First Plague: Waters Become Blood
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 [d]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[e] 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 [f]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 Second Plague: Frogs
8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the
Lord: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let
them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. 3 So the river
shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your
house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on
your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 And the frogs
shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants." ' "
5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with
your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause
frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.' " 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand
over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of
Egypt. 7 And the magicians did so with their [g]enchantments, and brought up
frogs on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat[h] the Lord
that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let
the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord."
9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Accept the honor of saying when I shall
intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the
frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only."
10 So he said, "Tomorrow." And he said, "Let it be according to your word,
that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 And the
frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from
your people. They shall remain in the river only."
12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the
Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. 13 So the
Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the
houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. 14 They gathered them
together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there
was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had
said.
The Third Plague: Lice
16 So the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod, and
strike the dust of the land, so that it may become [i]lice throughout all
the land of Egypt.' " 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand
with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and
beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of
Egypt.
18 Now the magicians so worked with their [j]enchantments to bring forth
lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the
magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the[k] finger of God." But Pharaoh's
heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.
The Fourth Plague: Flies
20 And the Lord said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before
Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, 'Thus says the Lord:
"Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21 Or else, if you will not let
My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants,
on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be
full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 And in
that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that
no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the
Lord in the midst of the land. 23 I will [l]make a difference between My
people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be." ' " 24 And the Lord
did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his
servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted
because of the swarms of flies.
25 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your
God in the land."
26 And Moses said, "It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing
the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the
abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not [m]stone
us? 27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to
the Lord our God as He will command us."
28 So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord
your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede
for me."
29 Then Moses said, "Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the
Lord, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his
servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore
in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord."
30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. 31 And the Lord
did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from
Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. 32 But
Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the
people go.
The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says
the Lord God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2
For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of
the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys,
on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep-a very severe pestilence. 4 And
the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the
livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children
of Israel." ' " 5 Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the
Lord will do this thing in the land."
6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt
died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7 Then
Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites
was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the
people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of
ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the
sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt,
and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout
all the land of Egypt." 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood
before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused
boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could
not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the
magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of
Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
The Seventh Plague: Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before
Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: "Let My
people go, that they may serve Me, 14 for at this time I will send all My
plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that
you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had
stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then
you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for this purpose I
have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be
declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in
that you will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will
cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its
founding until now. 19 Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all
that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and
every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they
shall die." ' "
20 He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his
servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard
the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that
there may be hail in all the land of Egypt-on man, on beast, and on every
herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt." 23 And Moses stretched out
his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted
to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there
was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none
like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail
struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both
man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every
tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of
Israel were, there was no hail.
27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I
have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are
wicked. 28 Entreat[n] the Lord, that there may be no more [o]mighty
thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay
no longer."
29 So Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will
spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be
no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord's. 30 But as for
you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God."
31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head
and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for
they are [p]late crops.
33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to
the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured
on the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the
thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and
his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the
children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.
Footnotes
Exodus 7:4 hosts
Exodus 7:11 soothsayers
Exodus 7:11 secret arts
Exodus 7:16 worship
Exodus 7:18 be weary of drinking
Exodus 7:22 secret arts
Exodus 8:7 secret arts
Exodus 8:8 Pray to, Make supplication to
Exodus 8:16 gnats
Exodus 8:18 secret arts
Exodus 8:19 An act of God
Exodus 8:23 Lit. set a ransom, Ex. 9:4; 11:7
Exodus 8:26 Put us to death by stoning
Exodus 9:28 Pray to, Make supplication to
Exodus 9:28 Lit. voices of God or sounds of God
Exodus 9:32 Lit. darkened
