LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL By Pastor Mensa Otabil
 
Monday 27th April 2026

STRETCH OUT YOUR ROD

Scripture Reading: Exodus 8
 
So the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ Exodus 8:16
 
After Pharaoh refused to honour his promise to Moses, the Lord gave Moses fresh instructions. This instruction would lead to the third plague in Egypt. The process for this plague was slightly different from the first two plagues.
 
In the earlier plagues, the Lord instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh with a message that had a demand, a warning, and an intention.
 
This time, the Lord spoke to Moses to act without any reference to Pharaoh. Probably, the second and third plagues were meant to go together. The second plague brought frogs from the waters of Egypt. This third plague would affect the ‘dust of the land’.

Dust of the land.

Dust is plentiful. The dust referred to in the passage is the loose topsoil on the land. It is part of the land that gets blown into the air when there is a sandstorm. In the Middle East, a sandstorm can hang so thickly in the air that people are not able to open their eyes. It was this sand that God was about to touch through the rod of Aaron.

That it may become.

Like the earlier plagues, this plague was transformational. This followed the pattern of miracles that the Lord had shown Moses on Mount Horeb. There, the rod of Moses and the hand of Moses were transformed back and forth. Similarly, this third plague would be transformational.
 
The Lord would take something as natural as dust and turn it against Pharaoh. It shows God’s control over His creation. The Lord can use what He has created in accordance with His pleasure.
 
The God we serve can take anything and use it for His purposes. He can cause His creation to either favour us or fight us. Pharaoh was just about to see the limits of his magicians’ powers.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are God over your creation. Cause your creation to work out your purposes in our world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.