April 1, 2009

The hard, hard ice

This is one beautiful picture!! I really enjoy the lights reflecting off the ice, but when I took a second look it made me think a little. The reflections in this scene are a little different from those on the lake scene I have on my desktop; they do not give as distinct image and there is some blurring. Why? Well, probably something about the way a crystal water molecule reflects light compared to liquid water. As I thought some more about it, it reminded me of this passage from the book of Exodus.



Exo 7:9 "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Perform a miracle!' then you shall tell Aaron, 'Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.' "
Exo 7:10 Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Exo 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments.
Exo 7:12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
Exo 7:13 Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he didn't listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.
World English Bible



Pharaoh's hard heart saw things a little differently after his people imitated God's miracle. I wonder how Pharaoh felt When Aaron's rod swallowed the sorcerers' serpents? I would guess that by this time, he had reduced this episode to just a battle of tricksters, so perhaps in his mind God was just a better magician. How could this be? Look again at the picture; the hard, hard ice changes an accurate reflection to a distorted one.......... just like the hardness of Pharaoh's heart. Stubbornness and pride freeze a normal heart into one that changes the perception of everything. So, where do you go from here? A good place to start would be to pray for an early spring thaw. In the meantime, anyone have an extra pair of skates?