The parable of the drowning man, also known as Two Boats and a Helicopter, is a short story, often told as a joke, most often about a devoutly Christian man, who refuses several rescue attempts in the face of approaching floodwaters, each time telling the would-be rescuers that his God will save him. After turning down the last, he drowns in the flood. After his death, the man meets God and asks why he did not intervene. God responds that he sent all the would-be rescuers to the man’s aid, two boats and a helicopter according to the story, on the expectation he would accept the help, highlighting the proverb that God acts through humans and other earthly entities. Nothing is too hard for God. God acts on our behalf in many ways.

As we ponder the plagues designed, pronounced, and delivered by God to bring Pharoah, a powerful ruler, to full knowledge of the power of God; we pause to wonder.  I wonder how many opportunities did God put before me before I committedly believed and fully realized who God is and trusted that what He says will happen—happens?  God knows the hearts of all He has created.  God knows what every person needs to see to know Him more clearly.  We may have to tread a few frogs, swat away numerous gnats, endure physical suffering and experience possible financial loss until we realize the full power of God.  “It’s not God’s desire that anyone should perish but brought to repentance” echoes Peter, a disciple of the Son of God, Jesus. (2 Peter 3:9) So, God provides opportunities for us to turn to Him as our Lord as well as our Savior.

God desire is for each one of us to love Him back and worship Him. Only God is God.  He wants us to know who He is; the One and Only God who created all and is in all. Nothing escapes God’s notice.  God is everywhere and knows all that is happening to us as well as what is growing within us. God knows our hearts.

God knows the heart of Pharaoh.  God provides many opportunities to lead Pharoah’s hard, stubborn, obstinate heart to repentance.  God shows His hand many times “so they will know” who God is with knowledge of God’s wonder-working power to do what He says He will do.  Will Pharoah repent, and give in to God’s demands?  Will we repent and let go of the control we think we have—but don’t?

Exodus 9

The Plague on Livestock

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” ² If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, ³ the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. ⁴ But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”

⁵ The Lord set a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.” ⁶ And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. ⁷ Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. ⁹ It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”

¹⁰ So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. ¹² But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

The Plague of Hail

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, ¹⁴ or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. ¹⁶ But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. ¹⁷ You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. ¹⁸ Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. ¹⁹ Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”

²⁰ Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. ²¹ But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” ²³ When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; ²⁴ hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. ²⁵ Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. ²⁶ The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. ²⁸ Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”

²⁹ Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”

³¹ (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. ³² The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

³³ Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. ³⁴ When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Hardened hearts of leaders make life miserable not only for themselves but for everyone who surrounds them!  The fear of losing, holding on tightfisted to all we currently have, causes us to lose everything we hold dear in the end—unless we turn to God who owns it all. 

Pride makes us stubborn. Not only is pride unattractive, but it also can be ruinous (like it was to Pharaoh). Pride builds in a hard heart and produces arrogance toward all within close proximity.  And “pride leads to a great fall”, says the wisdom of Proverbs. 

 “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” Proverb 16:18 MSG).

Pride promotes the slippery slop of thinking we are in complete control of our lives.  Our pastor brought home this point last Sunday: “we all think we are in control of our lives—until we aren’t!”  Only God knows and is in complete control of His created and His creation.  Only God moves on our behalf in power when we ask for His help, receive it and trust Him. 

God is the One and Only in control who provides opportunities for us to come to know the truth of who He really is so we will trust Him. God knows what we need before we know we need it. God knows how to minister to us as we go through the process of losing all we think we have securely held in life to gain all the Life eternal that is waiting for the repentant soul on the other side—God’s side.  Be a loser (to all in this temporary world) who gains all that is eternal! 

• “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”—Jesus, Matthew 10:39
• “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” –Jesus Matthew 16:25
• “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”—Jesus, Mark 8:35
• “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” –Jesus, Luke 9:24
• “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”—Jesus, John 12:25

What is repeated in God’s Word is of most importance to us!  God knows us, well.

The story of God displayed through Moses is not over, yet.  There is much more to learn with repentant ways for us to respond to our living and active God! 

Oh Lord,

Hallowed be your Name.  May Your Kingdom come and reign in our hearts, minds, and souls.  May Your will be done in every detail of our lives.  Help us to see and hear you more clearly as we lay down and let go of all we think we “own and control” on any given day—on this day, right now—as we yield to your will and plan. Give us this day all you know we will need to please you as we follow you.  Lead us not into temptations to pick it back up from the altar on which we laid it all down.  Deliver us from evil and evil’s attempts to distract and deceive us.  For you have all power.  May your power lead us.  To you be all the glory, honor, and praise!  Forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen