Moses: The Battle of the Stubborn King

Aaron Abel Abigail Abihail Abner Abraham Abram Adam Ahinoam Amos Andrew Anna Asa Athaliah Azubah Barak Barnabas Bartholomew Bathsheba Benjamin Berenice Bilhah Cain Caleb Chloe Claudia Dan Daniel David Deborah Delilah Dinah Drusilla Eleazar Eli Elijah Elisabeth Elisha Enoch Ephraim Esau Esther Eve Ezekiel Gabriel Gideon Hannah Hezekiah Hosea Isaac Isaiah Jacob Jael James Japheth Jason Jedidah Jemimah Jeremiah Jesse Jesus Jethro Joanna Joel John Jonah Jonathan Joseph Joshua Judith Keturah Leah Levi Luke Lydia Magdalene Mahalath Malachi Mara Mark Martha Mary Matthew Matthias Meshach Micah Michael Michal Miriam Mordecai Moses Naomi Nathan Nathanael Noah Orpah Paul Peter Philip Priscilla Rachel Rebecca Rueben Ruth Salome Samson Samuel Sarah Saul Seth Shem Silas Simeon Simon Solomon Stephen Tabitha Tamar Thomas Timothy Uriah Zachariah Zebedee Zechariah Zedekiah Zephaniah Zilpah Zipporah

When Moses left the burning bush on Mount Sinai, he carried more than a shepherd’s staff — he carried a mission. God had told him, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let My people go.”

Moses’ heart thudded as he neared Egypt. The hot wind whipped his cloak as memories returned — the palace, the river, the face of Pharaoh. He wasn’t just returning to the land he’d fled; he was walking straight into danger.

But this time, he wasn’t alone. His brother Aaron walked beside him, and the power of God went before him.

Inside Pharaoh’s grand hall, the air shimmered with gold and incense. Pharaoh sat on his throne, his crown gleaming. Servants bowed as Moses and Aaron entered.

“Who dares to stand before Pharaoh?” a guard barked.

Aaron lifted his voice. “We come with a message from the Lord, the God of Israel. He says: Let My people go, so they may worship Me in the desert.”

The hall grew quiet. Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. “The God of Israel? I don’t know Him,” he said with a smirk. “Why should I obey His voice? The Israelites belong to me!”

Moses stepped forward. “You may be king of Egypt, but God is the King over all. If you refuse, He will show you His power.”

Pharaoh’s laugh echoed off the marble walls. “Power? We’ll see whose power is greater!”

He waved his hand. “Guards, throw them out! And make the Israelites work even harder — no more straw for their bricks!”

The people groaned under the heavier load. Some even blamed Moses. “You’ve only made things worse!” they cried.

Moses bowed his head in sorrow. “Lord,” he prayed, “why did You send me? Pharaoh won’t listen!”

And God answered, “Now you will see what I will do. Pharaoh’s heart is proud, but through My power, all Egypt will know that I am the Lord.”

Moses and Aaron returned to Pharaoh’s court. This time, Aaron threw down his staff — and it turned into a snake!

Pharaoh’s magicians smiled and did the same. But Aaron’s snake swallowed theirs whole. Pharaoh’s face went pale, but still he refused to listen.

Then God told Moses, “Go to the river in the morning.” Moses touched his staff to the Nile — and suddenly the blue water turned red as blood. The fish died, and the river stank. People dug along the banks for clean water.

But Pharaoh’s heart stayed hard. “No,” he said. “I will not let them go.”

Then came the frogs. They hopped into beds, ovens, and even Pharaoh’s golden palace. “Make them stop!” Pharaoh begged. “I will let your people go!” But as soon as the frogs were gone, he broke his promise.

Then came the gnats — tiny biting insects that covered the land.Then flies, buzzing and swarming everywhere except in the Israelites’ homes. Then the livestock died, the boils came upon the people, and hail crashed from the sky, breaking trees and destroying crops.

Each time, Pharaoh promised, “I’ll let them go,” and each time, he changed his mind.

Moses sighed, “His heart is still hard, Lord.”

And God said, “Do not fear. My purpose will stand.”

The ninth plague was like no other — darkness fell over Egypt for three days. No torches could pierce it; it was a darkness that could be felt. People stayed in their homes, afraid to move.

But in the homes of the Israelites, there was light.

Even then, Pharaoh shouted, “Leave! But you must leave your animals here!”

Moses shook his head. “Not one hoof will be left behind.”

Pharaoh’s rage burned like fire. “Get out of my sight!” he shouted. “If I see your face again, you will die!”

Moses looked at him steadily. “You have spoken truly. I will not see your face again.”

That night, God gave Moses one last message — the tenth plague. “This time,” said God, “Pharaoh will let My people go.”

Each Israelite family was to take a lamb, share a meal, and mark their doorposts with the lamb’s blood. God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. But in every Egyptian home, the firstborn will die.”

At midnight, cries filled the land — the sound of grief rising from Pharaoh’s palace to the poorest house. But among the Israelites, all was still.

Pharaoh called for Moses. His face was pale, his crown crooked. “Go!” he shouted. “Take your people and leave Egypt. Take everything — just go!”

And at last, after four hundred years of slavery, the Israelites were free.

As the sun rose, thousands of men, women, and children hurried out of Egypt, carrying bread, belongings, and hope. At their head walked Moses, once a runaway shepherd — now the leader of a nation.

Behind them, the Nile flowed quietly again, the frogs gone, the skies clear. Pharaoh’s pride had been no match for the God who made heaven and earth.

God’s power is stronger than any king’s pride. Pharaoh thought he ruled everything; but God showed that His power reaches everywhere. God is patient but powerful, and that when He says “Go,” even the greatest rulers of earth can’t stand in His way.

No matter how dark things seem, God always makes a way for His people to be free. The Israelites waited hundreds of years, but freedom finally came.