Blog Posts
If You Knew the Hail Was Going to Fall Tomorrow
What would you do if you heard about the hail to come?
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me... Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” (Exo 9:13-19)
Moses was foretelling the seventh plague. Water had already turned to blood. The land had already been infested with frogs, gnats, and flies. Egyptian livestock had died and Egyptian bodies had been afflicted with boils. Tomorrow, very heavy hail was going to fall. Fully aware of what had already come to pass, what would you do if you heard how devastating the hail was going to be the day before it fell?
Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. (Exo 9:20-21)
Simple as that. Those who respected the LORD enough to fearfully listen to his gracious warning did what was necessary to seek shelter from the impending demonstration of his wrath. Those who did not pay attention to the warning went about their lives without any preparation. What would you have done?
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. (Exo 9:22-25)
It's one thing to read the Exodus account of the hail and shake your head at the stubbornness of those who failed to heed the warning.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! (2 Pet 3:8-12)
Moses isn't warning you today that the most devastating hail imaginable is going to fall about this time tomorrow. But the same God who warned Pharaoh through Moses has graciously warned you. The end is coming. Those who respect him enough to fearfully listen to his gracious warning will seek shelter in Jesus from the impending demonstration of God's holy wrath. Those who do not pay attention to the warning will go about their lives without any preparation at all. Either way, the day of the Lord is coming. What would you have done if you heard about the hail to come in Egypt? What are you doing "to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Pet 3:14)?
