SEVENTH PLAGUE — HAIL
Behold, tomorrow at about this time, I will cause it to rain a very severe hailstorm, the likes of which has not occurred in Egypt since the day it was founded until now. Send word, shelter your cattle and all that you have in the field. For every person and animal found in the field and not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, they will die. Whoever feared the word of Adonai among the servants of Pharaoh had his own servants and cattle flee into the houses, but whoever disregarded the word of Adonai left his servants and cattle in the field.’”
Exodus 9:18-21, TLV
Some time has passed and the Egyptians have restocked the herds and the flocks and gotten on with life. Now the seventh plague comes, but this time with a warning. HaShem in his mercy gives the people—not just the Hebrews but all of the people of Egypt—a chance to protect their animals and servants from the coming storm of hail. They will still be affecting by the plague. It is not like you can move your crops indoors, but life could be saved IF they “feared the Word of the Lord”.
Today in our society, we have the privilege of having the Word of the Lord readily and easily available to us in print (or I guess for many of us in digital form). In addition, as Believers in Messiah, we have the Word of the Lord being written in our hearts by the Ruach ha-Kodesh. We are a people who have the Word of the Lord available to us individually and corporately in ways not seen before in history. But have you ever noticed that those things that we have readily available often become the things we cease to value as highly?
The Word of the Lord demands a response. There are two choices: fear the Lord or disregard His Word. And the choice does make the difference between life and death. HaShem in His mercy is offering protection for us, but we have to fear the Lord and act on His Word
Questions to Ponder: Are you seeking to hear His Word? What is the Word of the Lord speaking to you right now? What is He seeking to protect you from? What action/response is required from you?