HaShem said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And HaShem gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people (11:1-3).
After all this time, plague after plague after plague, God tells Moses that He is about to unleash the last plague. Not only will Pharaoh let the Israelites go, but he will drive them away completely.
The last plague is the death of every firstborn in the land: from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the slave girl, to the firstborn of the cattle. But not the Israelites.
God also instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to ask their neighbours for gold and silver jewelry – I’m not sure if that was normal in that culture, but God gave His people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.
Isn’t that wonderful that God can “give people favour” – that is that He can make people be favourably disposed to us if He chooses to do so?
We don’t have to strive to be popular or to be liked. We just need to strive to live lives pleasing to God. He can give us the favour if He in His wisdom thinks that is best. But if not, pleasing Him is reward enough.
God gave Nehemiah favour with the Babylonian king so that the king permitted him to go to rebuild Jerusalem.
I know some people who seem to live with the favor of God upon them – they are well-regarded and admired by all. Interestingly, the people whom I am thinking of manifest the fruit of God’s Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those are rather attractive attributes, and it makes sense that they would evoke a positive response in people.
Prayer: God, I desire to be the kind of attractive that is based on the fruit of Your Holy Spirit. May You please fill me and empower me to intentionally cultivate those fruit in order to ultimately bring glory to You.
