S5: Day 20: Exodus 7–10

Summary

Podcast Summary: "A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace"

S5: Day 20: Exodus 7–10

Hosts: Shelby & Paul
Date: January 20, 2026

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Overview

This episode focuses on Exodus chapters 7 through 10, exploring the iconic story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the plagues of Egypt. Shelby and Paul guide listeners through the theological and narrative significance of these passages, emphasizing the story's enduring relevance, the nature of God's power, and the complexities surrounding Pharaoh’s hardened heart. The hosts also offer practical Bible reading principles for listeners grappling with challenging texts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Importance of the Exodus Story

• Paul notes that Exodus is “one of the biggest and most important redemptive stories in the whole of the Old Testament.” (00:52)
• Exodus is foundational to Israel's identity, akin to how pivotal moments in a nation's history become part of their collective memory.
• Paul draws special attention to Exodus 10:2:
  “Tell your son and your grandson”— underscoring the obligation to pass down stories of God's faithfulness (00:52).

2. The Plagues and the Superiority of God

• Shelby raises the point that Pharaoh’s magicians replicate some of the early miracles, prompting questions about God’s uniqueness (02:16).
• Paul responds that even as magicians perform similar wonders, God surpasses them—Aaron's staff swallows theirs.
  “Even though they're able to do it, what God is doing is even greater... after the third plague, they can't do that anymore.” (02:42–03:54)
• The narrative highlights the limitations of Egypt’s magicians and the unrivaled power of Israel’s God.

3. Bible Study Principle: Asking the Right Questions

• Shelby:
  “I think often in scripture we might want to ask why or how when maybe the question we should be asking is, what does this tell me about who God is?” (03:54)

4. The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

• The text both says Pharaoh hardens his heart, and that God hardens Pharaoh’s heart—a difficult concept for many readers.
• Paul connects this tension with New Testament reflection (Romans 9) and larger doctrinal debates like predestination, but brings the focus back to God’s sovereignty:
  “God explicitly says here that Pharaoh's going to resist so that God's glory can be made known... his sovereignty is really the thing to take away from this... his purposes will come to pass.” (04:27–05:26)
• The significance: God is ultimately in control—even over powerful rulers.

5. God’s Sovereignty Throughout Scripture

• Shelby shares a recent reading from Proverbs:
  “The leader's heart is like a river in the Lord's hands, and he just moves it where he wants it to go.” (05:26)
• This motif is present in both wisdom literature and the Exodus narrative, confirming a consistent biblical theme of God’s authority over human decisions and leaders.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Paul (on the significance of the Exodus):
  “Of all the stories in the Old Testament, the Exodus is the one that marks Israel as God’s people, that he’s going to deliver them out of slavery … these are important to Israel because it’s about God.” (01:24)
• Paul (on the magicians):
  “They even tell Pharaoh to his face, they’re like, this must be God. Like, we can’t replicate this.” (03:30)
• Shelby (on Bible interpretation):
  “You bring a really great, just like, Bible reading and study principle to light there.” (04:02)
• Paul (on Pharaoh’s heart):
  “God doesn't just have power over these plagues, but also the hearts of people, even world leaders.” (04:44)
• Shelby (Proverbs connection):
  “The leader’s heart is like a river in the Lord’s hands, and he just moves it where he wants it to go." (05:26)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05 — Introduction, context, and “Prince of Egypt” allusion
• 00:52 — The enduring importance of Exodus for Israel’s faith
• 02:16 — Magicians replicate some plagues; God’s power outshines theirs
• 03:54 — Bible study principle: Shift from “why/how” to “who is God?”
• 04:02 — Wrestling with the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
• 04:27 — Theological implications and the focus on God’s sovereignty
• 05:26 — Proverbs parallel: God’s control over rulers

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Tone & Style

Shelby and Paul maintain a conversational, thoughtful, and encouraging tone. They gently acknowledge the complexities of the text and invite listeners to reflect on God’s character, rather than become bogged down by tough questions. Their approach is both accessible for beginners and insightful for seasoned readers—always aimed at discovering truth and beauty in Scripture.

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Summary Takeaways

• The Exodus story is central to biblical identity, meant to be remembered and retold.
• The miracles serve to reveal God’s unmatched power—not just in dramatic acts, but over human hearts and history itself.
• Wrestling with difficult passages is part of faithful Bible reading, but the ultimate question is always: What does this teach me about God?
• God’s sovereignty over leaders and events provides both reassurance and awe for believers today.

Transcript

[Paul]

Foreign.

[Shelby]

Hey, it's Shelby and Paul here. And today we are talking through Exodus 7 through 10. Okay, Paul, before we get started, I have a question. Have you seen the DreamWorks animated movie the Prince of Egypt?

[Paul]

I actually have not.

[Shelby]

You have not? Okay. Because as I was reading these chapters, the scenes from that movie were playing through my head and I feel like.

[Paul]

That I've heard good things about it. I've heard good things. Okay.

[Shelby]

Yeah, it's. It is a. It is a good movie to watch. If you want to know, you know, what this might have looked like. I think they take some liberties at some certain places. But we're going to be talking through these really well known chapters about Moses coming to Pharaoh and the plagues in Egypt. Let's jump right in. What did you notice in these chapters?

[Paul]

Yeah, so I think one of the biggest things I see that I think especially has to do with the future of Israel, right. Is that God is already telling them how important this story is going to be. Right. We talked at the beginning about how Exodus is one of the biggest and most important redemptive stories in the whole of the Old Testament. And so we're going to see God return back to the story and refer back to the story throughout the rest of the Old Testament. And so, for example, like in 10:2, chapter 10, verse 2, he says, tell your son and your grandson. And I think this is just a reminder that we have to remember the ways that God has shown up for us in the past. Right. And we have to pass down these stories of how God has shown up for us. Right. And I think, you know, it's kind of like how most students in America learn about, you know, things like the Boston Tea Party or the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Right? Like these are significant stories in our history that kind of form our identity, and that's what the Exodus is. Of all the stories in the Old Testament, the Exodus is the one that marks Israel as God's people, that he's going to deliver them out of slavery. And, you know, even more than Those stories about U.S. history are to us, even more important than they are to us, these are important to Israel because it's about God. Right? It's about their God specifically. And so it's just God intentionally saying, hey, tell your future generations about this.

[Shelby]

I love that in the midst of that, we also have some things that might cause us to, like, pause and ask questions in today's reading. And so one of those things is that as God is bringing these plagues on Egypt through Moses and Aaron. We also see the Pharaoh's magicians are able to perform some of these wonders as well. What do we make of that, Paul?

[Paul]

Yeah, yeah, it is kind of interesting, right? Like, you know, Aaron throws his staff down and turns it into a snake, and then they do the exact same thing. But we see, you know, Aaron's snake eats the other snakes. Right. So it's a sign, I think, that even though they're able to do it, what God is doing is even greater. And I think, you know, most scholars kind of don't, you know, they have guesses about how the magicians might have been able to do these things. But I think the thing that we can take away from it and that, you know, when we're reading this, can remember, even though we may not know exactly how they did it, is that it is in the text to show us that God is greater than them. Right. And so, you know, it's. It's not that scripture is trying to withhold information from us. Rather, it's trying to show us something about God, that he's greater than them. Right. And I think the question to ask is, you know, how does the fact that they can't do it after the third plague. Right. They can't do that anymore. And so that's showing that God truly is greater. And they even tell Pharaoh to his face, they're like, this must be God. Like, we can't replicate this. Right. And so it's really just elevating who God is above Pharaoh and his people.

[Shelby]

Yeah. I think often in scripture we might want to ask why or how when maybe the question we should be asking is, what does this tell me about who God is?

[Paul]

Exactly.

[Shelby]

And so I think you bring a really great, just like, Bible reading and study principle to light there. You know, also in chapters nine and ten, we have a path passage that I think a lot of people have wrestled with, and it's the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. We see Pharaoh harden his heart, but the text also says that God hardens Pharaoh's heart. Can you. Can you shed any light on us about what this means and how we might understand that?

[Paul]

Yeah, so this is, you know, something that Paul actually explicitly references in Romans 9. And so it often brings up questions and conversations about predestination and election and things like that. And, you know, these passages are very relevant to those kind of doctrinal conversations. But, you know, I want to really focus on the relevance to the story here. Right. And the story is about God. Right. And so God explicitly says here that Pharaoh's going to resist so that God's glory can be made known, Right? And so it shows, you know, God doesn't just have power over these plagues, but also the hearts of, of people, even world leaders. And so his sovereignty is really the thing to take away from this, you know, whatever it means about predestination and election. You know, those conversations will go on. But something that you can certainly take to the bank is that God is sovereign and his purposes will come to pass.

[Shelby]

Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's so funny. Just this morning I was reading in Proverbs and I read the verse, it said, like, the leader's heart is like a river in the Lord's hands, and he just moves it where he wants it to go. And so we see that continuity across Scripture of God talking about his sovereignty over people, and I think we just see it played out in a narrative here in, in Exodus 9 and 10. So thanks for walking us through these chapters. We'll be back tomorrow to continue our journey through Exodus.