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The Boil Advisory

By June 11, 2015August 30th, 2022Devotional

It’s been another whirlwind week and I have been back and forth between Carmel and Evansville, IN – twice. I headed down Monday afternoon, came home Tuesday evening, returned last night and headed back to Carmel this evening. But a funny thing happened as I arrived in Evansville last evening.

It was getting late, too late to really do any shopping, and I wasn’t quite ready to arrive at the hotel where I usually stay, so I went past the local Starbuck’s to pick up a cup of coffee. Oddly, the drive-through was closed, blocked with a small sign that looked a little strange but I couldn’t read it from my car. So I went around to the front door and saw another notice posted there – Starbuck’s was closed due to a “Boil Advisory.”

Now, on hindsight, I realize how much biblical training I have had because the first thing that crossed my mind was that boils aren’t contagious – I wasn’t even thinking about water… But God sure made sure the Egyptians suffered with boils back in the plagues section of Genesis before Pharaoh released the people to God to leave for the Promised Land.

I almost chuckled out loud as I read the warning, but then got back in my car and drove to the hotel. As soon as I walked in, people were moving throughout the first floor with bottles of water and there was a warning with my room key about not drinking or using any water from the tap – without boiling it first. Now I understood the advisory! It seems that a water main in town broke and there was a concern about contaminated water throughout the city. So… you aren’t to use any water until the advisory is lifted – and who knows when that will be. In fact, this morning the hotel had to boil all the water for coffee in the restaurant. And when I arrived at the office, there were measures in place to ensure that people didn’t drink out of the tap in the kitchen.

What kind of disturbed me was that I really didn’t think about the water issue, although to most people it would have been painfully obvious – I was focused on the Old Testament and thinking about how horrible it must have been for all the Egyptians to deal with the various plagues sent by God. If Pharaoh would have listened to Moses, he could have avoided so many problems for his people. From the boils to all the animal plagues and finally the instructions of God to His people for the first Passover led the Jews on their journey to the Promised Land.

So, of course, I have chosen a verse for this evening that recounts one of these events. From Exodus 9:8-11, “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. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land. 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. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.”

Wow! That must have been really painful and so much more inconvenient that my having to drink water from a bottle on my most recent trip! My encouragement this evening is that God protects His people and makes sure that our enemies are dealt with in God’s perfect timing. My prayer is that you will take a moment and acknowledge the awesome power of our Creator and that you will be obedient – not because you have to but because you want to out of unequalled love for God. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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