Thursday, June 4, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Exodus 8-9
Key Verse
Exodus 9:2 — “For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,”
Devotional Thought
It is early June, the season when gardens are planted and the long green days of summer stretch ahead. Most of us begin this season with plans—vacations, projects, harvests we hope to reap. But Exodus 8–9 confronts us with a sobering reality: we are not the masters of our own little kingdoms. Pharaoh learned this the hard way, and his story asks each of us a searching question. When God interrupts our plans, do we soften or harden?
Consider the frogs. They filled the river, the houses, the bedchambers, even the kneading troughs. Pharaoh begged Moses to intercede, and Moses did something remarkable—he let Pharaoh name the hour of deliverance. “To morrow,” Pharaoh said, and it was so. The frogs died, gathered into heaps until the land stank. Yet the moment relief came, Pharaoh hardened his heart. The same pattern repeats with the lice, the flies, the murrain on the cattle, the boils, and the hail mingled with fire. Each time mercy arrived, Pharaoh’s resolve stiffened rather than softened. He treated deliverance as permission to return to his old grip on God’s people.
Notice, too, that God made a division. In Goshen there were no flies, no hail, no dying cattle. The Lord marked out His people, not because they were flawless, but because they were His. And notice the mercy even within judgment: before the hail fell, God warned that any who feared His word could bring their servants and livestock indoors. Some among Pharaoh’s own officials did exactly that. Even in wrath, the Lord offered a door of escape to anyone who would take Him seriously.
What does this ask of us today? It asks whether we treat God’s patience as permission to keep our grip on whatever He is asking us to release. Perhaps it is a grudge, a habit, a refusal to forgive, a life ordered around our own comfort. The plagues were never merely about Egypt’s discomfort; they were about who would be acknowledged as Lord. This June, as ordinary days unfold, the same question stands before us. When God’s word presses in, do we bow, or do we merely wait for the discomfort to pass?
Reflection
- Pharaoh repeatedly asked for prayer but never surrendered his will. Is there an area of your life where you want relief from conviction without actually releasing what God is asking you to give up?
- God made a visible division between Egypt and Goshen. Where have you seen His distinct faithfulness in your own life, and has it softened your heart toward Him?
Prayer
Lord God of the Hebrews, You alone are righteous, and we are often like Pharaoh—quick to ask for relief, slow to repent. Thank You for the mercy You showed even in judgment, warning those who would listen and shielding Your people in Goshen. Soften our hearts this day. Do not let us mistake Your patience for permission to keep our grip on what You have asked us to release. Teach us to fear Your word, to bow before Your authority, and to serve You freely, as Your people were meant to do. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.