Try Digging Holes

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 5
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Why are those men digging big holes near the river? Have they lost something?
Yes, they certainly have. They have lost fresh water, and there is no water to drink or to bathe in or to use for cooking. What has happened in the land of Egypt?
Moses told Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let God’s people leave Egypt, and Pharaoh said, “NO!” But Pharaoh did not know that you can’t say “No” to God and get away with it. God doesn’t take “No” from anybody — not then, not today and not ever! God could have killed all those wicked people in Egypt easier than we kill mosquitoes, but our God is merciful and gracious and slow to get angry.
God sent the Egyptians warnings first, and the first warning was turning the water of the Nile River into blood. The fish died and the whole land smelled awful! The pools and ponds were full of blood, and the buckets of water in their homes had turned to blood too. No wonder they dug holes to try to find water. What else could they do for a drink? There were no soda pop or coffee machines back then.
It was a whole week before the sparkling river water flowed again, and then they were busy cleaning up the mess. Even so, God had not forgotten about Pharaoh’s “No.”
Then God sent frogs, millions of them! Frogs in the fields, in the houses, in the beds, in the cupboards and in the mixing bowls. “That’s nothing,” said Pharaoh’s magicians. “We can do that too.” And they did, BUT  ...  they couldn’t make the frogs go away!
Pharaoh had his share of frogs too, and he begged Moses to take them away. “When?” asked Moses. “Tomorrow,” said Pharaoh.
Don’t you wonder why he didn’t say, “Today”? And we wonder, Why not come to the Saviour of sinners right now, today? There was a tomorrow for Pharaoh, but there might not be one for you. The Bible warns, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).
Moses let Pharaoh’s answer stand, and the frogs returned to the river the next day, except the ones that had already died. So Egypt had another smelly, clean-up job. But God was not finished.
And since you are reading this story, God is not finished with you either. If you have troubles today, you may also have more tomorrow. He is speaking to you, because He loves you and wants you! That’s why He sent His beloved Son Jesus to die for you. He wants you to come to Jesus right now to be washed clean of your sins. Will you say, “Yes”?
The next trouble God sent to Egypt was lice, tiny, biting lice — in their hair and on their bodies and everywhere. “This is the finger of God,” said the magicians. “We can’t copy this!” Lice are very tiny, but the wisest man in the world cannot make a live one. “This is truly the finger of God. What shall we do?”
In the morning, Moses had the same message from God for Pharaoh: “Let My people go!” Maybe Pharaoh was tired of hearing that same message, but he still wasn’t ready to obey.
Are you ready to obey God? Will you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour today? “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
You may read about Pharaoh not wanting to obey God. As you read, remember that God has said, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).
Think About God’s Word!
1. Why did the Egyptians need to dig holes to look for water?
2. God patiently gave the Egyptians one chance to repent after another. How did the Lord Jesus do that one last time with Judas in John 13?
Project: Find as many different examples as you can of the Lord waiting patiently before He judges. Here’s a place to start: Genesis 6:3.