From Beginning to EndSample

Plagues five, six and seven are in this chapter. One question that comes out of this chapter is, if all the livestock died in one plague, where did the livestock come from that were killed by the hail? We don’t know for sure. We don’t know the timing between the plagues, so they could have had time to replenish their livestock, perhaps even taking them from the people of Israel. The plagues are clearly increasing in intensity. Those in chapter 8 seem to be inconvenient. Those in chapter 9 are threatening the livelihood of the Egyptians.

In Hebrews 12, we are told God disciplines us like a loving father. When we go in directions that are dangerous to us, he is going to try to get our attention. Like a loving father, he will probably begin with gentle discipline, but it could become harsher if we continue to ignore him. We don’t need to view every bad thing that happens to us as discipline from God, but if you know you are ignoring God on some issue, don’t be surprised by God’s loving discipline in your life. It may not feel loving, but it is for your best.