Emergency brake!
Sis Bala Samson 
Daily Delight Devotion
Sunday, August 16, 2026

Genesis 12:17 "17 But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. "

Devotion today is pretty deep, only people who care to read my devotion despite its lengthiness would be blessed. Something we should all know today. 

Let me break up the above scripture and explain certain main points which you might have over looked while reading: 

A) Lord afflicted serious diseases( name not given but it was intense)
B) On Pharaoh and
C) his entire household 

Sudden catastrophe should have shattered and shaken the king's palace, suddenly it turned out to be a place of mourning.

Why did this sudden sickness come on me and my family? Why did this unbearable loss happen ? Why is my business not prospering? Ask...ask...God!

 God’s Intervention sometimes comes in the form of plague! God can use completely unexpected troubles to stop us in our tracks.

Why did the plagues strike?  

When Trouble Has No Name: "The Bible does not give us the specific medical name of the disease or the plagues that hit Pharaoh’s household; nevertheless, it was intense. If the Bible had given a name like leprosy, cancer etc..the focus would go on the disease, by keeping the illness nameless, God forces us to look past the physical problem and look directly at the spiritual cause. Glory! 

When you know it is cancer, now you go searching for a " cancer specialist, you would get recommendations and inputs on the disease" focus on God is LOST. Did I not tell you it is deep? 

When disaster strikes, we often waste time asking, "What exactly is happening to me?" Why me?  instead of asking, "What is God trying to show me through this?" Hallelujah! 

In ancient Egypt, magicians and doctors had specific spells and medicines for known diseases. If this had been a normal, recognizable sickness, Pharaoh would have just called his royal doctors. Because these "great plagues" were unusual, sudden, and hit his entire household at once, Pharaoh was humbled and he had to summon Abram and ask "What have you done to me?” Glory!

Plagues didn't come because God wanted to ruin Pharaoh's life. The plagues came as an emergency brake, have you experienced a sudden brutal break the driver had to take in order to avoid a terrible accident that could have killed everyone? God had to save Sarah! 

Key thoughts: God stepped in with affliction to stop the sin from going any further and to protect Sarai.

Coveting what does not belong to you—even in ignorance—creates a breeding ground for disaster.

The Breakthrough: The moment Pharaoh identified the source (his coveting of Sarai), he returned her to Abram, and the affliction stopped.