God's Superior Power • Exodus 6:28-8

Review & Overview

1. Previous Study’s Review

Last time we were together we looked at Moses’ 1st Encounter with Pharaoh…       it didn’t go very well…   

Moses marched right up to Pharaoh and said let my people go…      Pharaoh said, I don’t think so…

And apparently you have too much time on your hands…     so, more brick less straw…    this didn’t go over very well with the people…           so they start to complain against Moses…  

So Moses starts to complain against God:    why God…   why this trouble…   why me…   why now…

But God comforts him:   I am the Lord… I will deliver My people…  I will bring you into the Land… I, I, I…

Moses you don’t have to worry about it…     I am the Lord…    I will take care of it…

2. Currents Study’s Overview

Now as we pick up in chp.6:28 we’re going to be looking at 6 things…

1. Finish the 1st Encounter with Pharaoh Ch. 6:28 - Ch. 7:1-7

1.1 Moses’ Excuse Uncircumcised Lips Vs. 28-30

So the Lord tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh again…   &  Moses answers the Lord with the same answer as he did back in chp.6:12…     I can’t speak very well…

Exodus 6:12 NKJV

12 And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

Pharaoh didn’t listen to me the first time…  what makes You think he’ll listen to me the next time…

1.2 It’s All About God’s Will Ch. 7:1-5

Moses you will eventually be like God in the eyes of Pharaoh…  but before you are I’m going to harden his heart so he won’t listen to you…

But don’t worry, I’m going to multiply My signs and wonders…  &   I’m going to do all of this, vs.5 so the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord…

APPLICATION: In other words Moses it’s not about you…    It’s about Me…   I think we, like Moses get confused in looking at our situation and thinking it’s all about us…   our abilities, our strength, our plan…

Its all about the Lord…     its all about His Plan…  His Purpose…     His Will…  His Wants…

1.3 Turning Point for Moses Vs. 6-7

And it looks like Moses got it, (read)…    So Moses was 80 years old when he finally got it…      

40 years in Egypt…  40 years in Median…    &     now we see a turning point in Moses’ life… 

Moses no longer begs or pleads with Pharaoh…    he stands up boldly & powerfully to Pharaoh…   

APPLICATION: If we have faith in the Lord…  & are empowered by the Lord…  we too can be bold and powerful for the Lord…  

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2.  Second Encounter with Pharaoh Vs. 8-13

2.1 vs.8-12a

back in Ex.4: God told Moses that his rod would become a serpent and it did…

But what’s interesting is that Pharaoh’s magicians turned their rods into serpents as well…             in 2 Tim.3:8   two of them were named Jannes & Jambres…  

2 Timothy 3:8 NKJV

8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;

The question tho is, how did they do it? Some say it was slight of hand…       an optical illusion…       but       in vs.11 it says they did it in like manner, as Moses…  

In other words it wasn’t natural…     it was supernatural…    it was demonic….

2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV

14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 NKJV

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

That is why we need to be very careful…  don’t believe a word anybody tells you…  we are to be like the Bereans,

Acts 17:11 NKJV

11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

1 John 4:1 NKJV

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 NKJV

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

how by the WORD…

2.2 God’s Superiority Over Demonic Powers Vs. 12b-13

Aaron’s staff-snake consumed those of the magicians, demonstrating God’s superior power.

Moses and Aaron, ambassadors of God, confronted the ambassadors of Satan, the gods of Egypt, and their magicians.

Each of the judgments to follow smashed some aspect of Egypt’s religious life (i.e., Satan’s domain), culminating in the death of their false gods.

The God of Israel triumphed over the powers of darkness. As God had predicted (4:21; 7:3; cf. v. 22; 8:15, 19)

Exodus 4:23 NKJV

23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

Exodus 7:3 NKJV

3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 8:19 NKJV

19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.

Pharaoh’s heart was not enabled to heed the message and demonstrate repentance by releasing the people (7:13).

God demonstrates His absolute sovereignty over mankind by using them as He pleases; some, like Moses, to honor Him and others, like Amenhotep II, to dishonor Him.

Both kinds of people bring glory to God though it is beyond man’s finite ability to understand how this can be.

1 John 4:4 NKJV

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Now as we come to vs.14 we’ll begin the section that deals with the 10 Plagues thru chp.12:...

3.  The First Plague against Pharaoh Vs. 14-25   (Water to Blood)

3.1 God Explains to Moses the Plague Vs.14-18

So God explains to Moses exactly what the 1st plague is to be, turning water into blood…     and the result of the plague:       all the fish will die, its going to stink & no drinking water…

3.2 They Could Duplicate But Not Reverse It Vs. 19-24

Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated the miracle just as before… but  they couldn’t stop it or reverse it.

Talk about the Jesus Christ copy cats:

Horus, Krishna, Dionysus...

So while it points out the power of Satan…       it points out that God’s power is Greater…

Yes the attacks of the enemy are real and can be powerful…   we know that God’s power is greater…    

1 John 4:4 NKJV

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

3.3 God is Long Suffering Vs. 25

God waited 7 days before He sent the 2nd plague of frogs…     &     they still didn’t repent…

God is so patient and longsuffering isn’t He…         

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

4.  The Second Plague against Pharaoh Ch. 8: 1-15  (Frogs)

4.1 Vs. Pharoah Not Thinking Straight 1-7

Frogs were worshipped by the Egyptians… so God says, so you want to worship frogs, here ya go…

You’d think at this point Pharaoh would tell the magicians, ok you don’t have to duplicate any more plagues…             we have enough frogs without you adding to it…

But he didn’t…        his heart was so hard against God he wasn’t thinking straight…

4.2 Pharoah Not Thinking Straight Vs. 8-10

Pharaoh, you choose when you want me to destroy the frogs…   ok, tomorrow…   not today?

Talk about not thinking straight…     talk about stubborn…      talk about a hard heart…

4.3 Pharoah Changes his MindVs. 11-15

this is the typical response of Pharaoh…     when times are tough, Cry out to the Lord…    when things smooth out Forget about the Lord…

APPLICATION: Unfortunately this is a very similar response from many today…  when things go south in our lives we turn to the Lord & cry out for the Lord to intervene…      &      rightly we should…

But what happens when things smooth out, when there is no major calamity…  

do we forget about the Lord, stop crying out to the Lord……    do we neglect church…    reading…   praying…   

We need God on our best days just as much as we need Him on our worst days.

5.  The Third Plague against Pharaoh Vs. 16-19 (Lice)

5.1 No More Magicians Vs. 16-19

This plague came without warning as will the 6th & 9th plague…

This plague could have been focused toward the Priest of Egypt…  because they shaved and washed daily to be ceremonially clean…     they also cleaned the animals…

Interestingly enough the magicians could not duplicate this miracle & confess that it was the finger of God. 

It will be the last we hear from the magicians…   

In effect God said ok that’s enough, your done…      &     stripped them of their power…

APPLICATION: Satan’s powers are determined by God…  read Job…  &  what great comfort that should be for all…

Whatever is happening in our lives is being filtered through the fingers of God… allowing or making it.

6.  The Fourth Plague against Pharaoh Vs. 20-32   Swarms, Flies

6.1 Vs. 20-21

Notice the word flies is in italics…  its not in the text…       just swarms: mixture.

So this was probably a mixture of different types of insects and bugs…   the thought is that they were being eaten alive by these insects…    

6.2 Vs. 22-23

So the swarm of flies will only come upon the Egyptians…     not the Hebrews…

God’s people were to be set apart…     there was to be a distinction between them & the Egyptians…

APPLICATION: So too it should be with us: we are to be set apart for the Lord… consecrated…  different from the world 

James 4:4 NKJV

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1 John 2:15 NKJV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

6.3 Compromise Vs. 24-27

Here Pharaoh tries to get Moses to Compromise…   you can sacrifice, just stay in the land…

But Moses has no part of it…   he wasn’t willing to compromise…   he wasn’t willing to give in…

APPLICATION: What a great example for us…  because the world (Egypt) is telling us a little compromise isn’t so bad, everybody’s doing it…        its widely accepted…        its even legal in 36 states…

No, Moses said we’re going to do what God commands us, vs.27…     so should we…

6.4 Vs. 28-32

3 times Pharaoh said he would let them go…       3 times he reneged…

His heart became harder and harder toward the Lord…

Pharaoh no doubt came to a place in his life where his heart was so hard toward the Lord there was no hope…       

Genesis 6:3 NKJV

3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Romans 1:28 NKJV

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

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