Proof that God has No Equal/There is no one like our God

Exodus 8:1-15

In as much as we will learn of and discuss each of the 10 plagues of God’s judgment of Pharaoh and Egypt—amid all the history and events that surround them—what I desire for myself and each us to grasp how God

(1) Used them to free the Israelites from their bondage,

(2) Used each of these to establish and prove Himself as the one true and living God---and

(3) That these paint a foretaste and foreshadowing of the liberty and judgment of the cross

Yet, as we slow scripture down and examine each of these 10 plagues—we will also see for every plague—there is a proof about God, His divine character, and His divine nature.

It’s vital we understand and meditate on these “proofs” if you will, b/c as we encounter hardships in life, when we are confronted with our own sin and shortcomings, when we experience sufferings/afflictions as a result of the sinful nature of the world, we will need to rely on God—in Who He is, His character, and His Nature in order to endure and overcome our brokenness

For example; in our look at the 1st plague, we learned of our 1st proof about God: God is the Lord, the God of redemption, deliverance, and of salvation.

This week, in our look at the 2nd plague, we are presented with the 2nd proof about God: The proof that God has no equal; there is no one like our God

(READ VERSES FOR TODAY)

Sadly, like Pharaoh, who was considered a god by the Egyptians, as he himself thought of himself, so many people today—within every generation—make and fashion for themselves idols and “gods” in order to take the place of God in an attempt to find paradise on their own terms:

Exalting the spirit of man

Man is good enough

Man is moral enough

Man’s own spirit can overcome all the brokenness, lostness, immorality in the world

Other religions that teach our “spirit” will in some way reach “nirvana,” or be “reincarnated” into some other form—developing and progressing more and more into a perfect person.

There’s an extensive list of humanistic and man-made theologies/philosophies that, when you strip away all layers, does nothing more than exalt man as “god;” the focus is ultimately placed on man himself and over the course of history since the fall, man has developed his own ideas, thoughts, and determinations to exalt himself—to “be like God,” and find their own way to “heaven.” But the singular truth of the Bible speaks boldly against this and proclaims the truth there is no person, no spirit, nothing like the Lord our God:

No one but the Lord can truly forgive sins

No one but the Lord can give perfect assurance of living forever in His presence (the Promised Land of heaven)

No one but the Lord can teach us what Paul says in Romans 11:33 “...the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!...”

No one but the Lord could ever die for our sins, could ever pay the perfect price that would cover the punishment/wage of our sin

No one but the Lord could ever arise from the dead, conquering death (man’s greatest fear/enemy)

No one but the Lord could ever give us victory day by day over all the trials and temptations of this life

God’s Word itself contains all the evidence man needs to know that God is God, that He has no equal, and the He alone is avenue and means by which we can have eternal life!

Yet this message was rejected by Pharaoh and the Egyptians---and they had turned themselves over to evil/darkness/idolatry/sin, which then turned to the enslavement, bondage, and oppression of the Israelite people. This was evil and sin does—it enslaves man—it imprisons him and shackles him—and no matter what man does—he cannot free himself. Israel needed and man needs (today) to see and know that there is NO ONE LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD!!

I. (v.1) The Declaration of God’s Word (seven days after the 1st plague); “let God’s people go—free them to serve and worship

Exodus 8:1 “And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.”

(CONTEXT)—What happened now, took place seven (7) days after the 1st plague came against Egypt; this teaches

The 10 plagues:

Most likely took place within a short period of time

Most likely took place one right after the other

The impact of the plagues (rolling one right after the other):

Was forceful

Pharaoh and Egypt would have been shaken to the core

Pharaoh and Egypt would have been forced to reckon with the truth that there was (is) a true living, and ONLY, God (YAHWEH/JEHOVAH)

Moses response/directive:

To again deliver God’s message to “let My people go, that they may serve Me.”

(CONNECTION)

First— It bears reminding:

No person is to be

Enslaved

Oppressed

Second—It bears reminding:

God did not create people to be

Abused, brutalized, and persecuted

God did create people

To live a life of love, work, service, and worship—under His care

To live in the understanding we are made in His image and in His likeness

To live in relationship with Him; in worship of Him (this is our very purpose as people!)

Thirdly—It bears reminding:

This is the message Jesus came with, bore, and proclaimed on the cross: that sin and Satan would no longer enslave and bind man apart from God

II.(v.2-4) The Warning and Pronouncement of Judgment: Frogs everywhere

Exodus 8:2-4 “But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” ’ ””

(CONTEXT): Two truths to see here, but it’s important to note: this was only the warning of judgment to come: “But if you refuse to let them go...”—indicates Pharaoh was given (again) time to repent and obey God; given time to free God’s people

There was one (1) major cause for the judgment—Pharaoh’s rejection of God and refusal to stop the oppression of God’s people:

Pharaoh possessed zero regard whatsoever for morality or human rights whatsoever and therefore continued to enslave and hold God’s people in bondage. Why?

Freeing Israel would have destroyed Egypt’s way of life and economy:

Egypt’s building and agricultural industry would be devastated and they would be forced to restructure everything

Egypt was amassing immense wealth for itself, b/c of the cheap labor of the Israelites

Pharaoh was in fear of what would happen, if Israel was released

Exodus 1:9-10 “And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.””

Pharaoh, therefore, was in no way going to release the Israelites, which leads us to the 2nd truth here:

There was one “target” for the judgment: Egypt,

By means of a swarm of frogs originating from the Nile River; the vast number of frogs were also to

Swarm homes, bedrooms, and even the beds themselves of the people

Swarm people themselves—in their ovens and kneading bowls

Swarm ON ALL the people; not a single person was to escape the swarm of frogs

What was the cause of all of these frogs?

Were they from the contaminated Nile River (this plague fell just 7 days after the waters of the Nile were turned to blood)

Were they from the flooding of the Nile during the rainy season—forcing the frogs to higher ground

Were they due to an immediate, miraculous reproduction or creation by God

What does Scripture teach us? Specifically, Scripture does not tell us, but what we do know is, God was to cause and bring the judgment of frogs upon Egypt—but remember;

This was (at this time) a warning/a prediction/an event that had not yet happened

This was (at the time) the judgment that WOULD FALL on Pharaoh and Egypt, if Pharaoh did not repent and obey God

(CONNECTION—YOU AND ME)

The gem and capstone of all that God has created is man; man is the pinnacle of anything created by God; God holds the image He created man to be of such value that despite man’s rebellion and sin---He sent His mind to send His Son to buy them back;

God sees how people are oppressed and mistreated, how they are bound to enslavement, and He condemns it, b/c it’s against His will for people to held in enslavement, so He sent

So by His very nature, through His Word, God warns those that would act, speak, and reject His will and hold others in bondage—He will act and bring judgment upon those that do.

Ezra 8:22b--“The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.””

Proverbs 1:24-27 “Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.”

Jeremiah 1:16 “I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness, Because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands.”

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”

III.(v.5-6) The Day of Judgment Arrived—God commanded to Moses—to instruct Aaron—to execute this judgment

Exodus 8:5-6 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.”

(CONTEXT)—The context here is what took place--Aaron obeyed and the plague commenced—and it was horrible-frogs were everywhere

Just think, millions and millions of frogs

Swarming the land of Egypt

Swarming homes, hoping on furniture, hoping in the oven and all things in the kithen

Swarming bedrooms and the beds of every person

Swarming even the people themselves

Just think: To many people frogs are

Distasteful, disgusting, filthy, and contemptible---and to see this many would have been grossly offensive, no doubt driving some out of their minds.

(CONNECTION)—The connection here is not a big leap

Those who reject God and oppress others—will face the awful plague of God’s eternal wrath

Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

2 Peter 3:7 “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.””

IV. (v.7-8) The Response to the Judgment: A Cry of Deliverance

Exodus 8:7-8 “And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.””

(CONTEXT)-Two things here:

False messengers (magicians) imitated the miracle. This again was deception. How?

Even though the magicians seemingly caused some of the frogs to flee to higher ground,

If the magicians possessed real godly power, they would have removed the frogs of God’s judgment

Pharaoh cried for deliverance

Pharaoh would have wanted the frogs of God’s judgment removed, not just some to go to higher ground, and certainly not more frogs to invade Egypt--so he wasn’t too impressed with his magicians

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron that God might relent and remove the plague of frogs and “promised” to free God’s people

This poses some questions:

Had Pharaoh recognized his defiance?

Had Pharaoh recognized his rejection of God’s Word?

Had Pharaoh Biblically cried out to God for mercy?

Had Pharaoh come to the point where he was ready to obey God?…WE WILL SEE

(CONNECTION—YOU and ME)

Throughout our lives, terrible and severe trials will show up and cause suffering, whether it be:

An accident

A disease

Some form of suffering/loss

A financial crisis

A broken heart/loneliness

Emptiness

Death

Throughout our lives, we become keenly aware of our:

Failures,

Shortcomings, and

Sins.

In either of these circumstances, there are many times when most of us will cry out for God’s help, because we realize there’s no other way out, no other thing to help us, or no other person to turn towards

Both in the context of what Pharaoh was experiencing here and the connection to what we experience—we must be sure of one thing:

In our turning to God, our profession and confession must be authentic and not false; b/c if you are treating your profession of God and the confession of your sin—to afford you license to sin—you are taking advantage of grace and you are taking advantage of the cross!!

Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

V. (v.9-11) The Purpose of Judgment—

Exodus 8:9-11 “And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.” So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.””

(CONTEXT)-In the context here, there are 2 (two) purposes:

The purpose of challenging Pharaoh to test the power of God

Moses told Pharaoh to set the time of the frog’s removal. Why? So Pharaoh would know the removal was not by chance, but rather by the hand of God

Pharaoh was a quick resolution to his frog infestation

The purpose for the judgment—to prove God has no equal—that no one is like the Lord our God—this was proven in two ways:

First-God executed justice and judgment upon Egypt; He had proven He had the power over the reproduction of life

(This denounced Egypt’s view of frogs as a “god”—Ptha and Hekt were pagan “gods” of the Egyptians and were believed to hold powers of reproduction)

This was a devastating blow and attack against the false worship and false gods of Egypt

Second—God was about to prove

He truly is Yahweh (the Lord God/Jehovah)

He was the God of mercy, deliverance, and salvation

He would (will) save all who cry out for deliverance and salvation

He had the power to both REMOVE as well as LAUNCH

The lessons Pharaoh needed to learn:

God is as merciful as He is just—God has the power to both cause judgment and remove/relent from judgment

(CONNECTION—YOU AND ME)

The Lord God (Yahweh/Jehovah—the immediate and involved living and true God), has NO EQUAL and NO ONE is LIKE HIM

The Lord God is both merciful and just

The Lord God chastens the sinner, but will also show mercy to the sinner who CRIES OUT for deliverance and salvation—authentically

But this must be authentic—b/c far to many people have this “automatic quality of being saved nowadays. A.W. Tozer says it like this:

“It works something like this: simply put a nickel of faith in the slot, pull down the lever and take out the little coin of salvation, tuck it in your pocket and off you go. It is that simple. After that, you say you are saved. When questioned, you simply say, “I put the nickel in; I accepted Jesus and I siged the card.” Very good, there is nothing wrong with signing a card so that we can know who they are. It is the only way we know that some people are Christians. How tragic.”

He goes on to say, “Christianity is not a result of coming to God and becoming an automatic cookie-cutter Christian, stamped out with a die: “One size fits all”; What God has done for others He’ll do for you.” These are marvelous mottos with a grain of truth in them, but they lead us far from the absolute truth. We come to Christ so that we might be individually redeemed and made in the image of Christ—vibrant, personal Christians who love God with all our heart and worship Him in the beauty of holiness.”

VI (v.12-14) The Deliverance from Judgment

Exodus 8:12-14 “Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.”

(CONTEXT)—Note what happened:

Moses got alone and sought to intercede for the people; Moses became an intercessor for the lost of the world—for the unbelieving Egyptians—who were now crying out

God heard Moses and immediately stopped/relented on His judgment

Frogs dropped dead right where they were (homes, villages, beds, cisterns, etc.)

People piled the frogs into heaps

The land stunk; it reeked with the odor of deat

What killed the frogs? Again, Scripture does not say, but again we know

God answered the prayer of Moses and the frogs died

(CONNECTION—YOU and ME)

Jesus Christ is our great Intercessor

Jesus Christ interceded on our behalf in the taking of our cross, the bearing of our sins/shame/guilt/condemnation

Jesus Christ interceded on our behalf so that in His final breath, sin lost it’s hold on us and in His first breath, death lost it’s grip on us

1 Corinthians 15:55 ““O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?””

This is what He does for the person who cries out to Him, believing on and in His Son, believing and trusting in His death and resurrection for the remediation of their sins.

VII. (v.15) The Sin of Turning Back

Exodus 8:15 “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.”

(CONTEXT)--Once judgment was removed—Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to heed the warning

In the relenting of God’s judgment—Pharaoh shamelessly abused God’s mercy (answers our questions from before)

God’s chastisement was forgotten

Convictions wore off

Promises made were unfulfilled

Pain of suffering had faded

Fear of judgment had passed

Heart became hard

In the relenting of God’s judgment—Pharaoh essentially sighed and shrugged his shoulders, turned his back on God and his promises he had made, b/c the cost of following God was too great to pay; to obey God meant the loss of wealth, cheap labor, financial gain, and that he must deny himself

(WORSHIP TEAM)

(CONNECTION—YOU and ME)

How often, in times of suffering, bondage, and affliction; how often in our sin

Do we call out for God to deliver us, to save us, to remove the suffering;

Do we make promises to obey God and do exactly what He says,

Do we truly repent and turn with renewed vitality to a commitment to God?

Yet when He answers,

Do you continue to live the same, or revert back to how you were living?

Do you go back on what you “promised God we would do?”

Do you shamefully abuse and take God’s grace hostage thinking the grace He affords, simply provides the means to live how you choose?

There is a Biblical difference b/t license and liberty—

License is our prideful thinking that salvation is, “the nickel in the slot,” so I can play as I wish, where

Liberty is our humility to know that our redemption came at a cost

The heart that Christ is after?

A heart of authentic confession

Define Biblical confession

Agree with what God says about your sin

Agree with God that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way out

A heart of authentic repentance:

Confession which is void of repentance is corrupt

Contained within a person’s confession, must be the intentionality of repentance—otherwise your confession is void and manipulative

Confession and repentance--Both carry the necessity of denial of self and for most people—

This call if self-denial is the pivot:

To agree with what God says about your sin requires you to deny you don’t have a sin problem

To agree with what God says about Christ—that He’s the ONLY WAY-requires that you deny that

God has no EQUAL and there is NO ONE LIKE OUR GOD, B/C only God can

Truly forgive sins

Give perfect assurance of living forever in His presence (the Promised Land of heaven)

Teach us what Paul says in Romans 11:33 “...the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!...”

Could ever die for our sins, could ever pay the perfect price that would cover the punishment/wage of our sin

Could ever arise from the dead, conquering death (man’s greatest fear/enemy)

Could ever give us victory day by day over all the trials and temptations of this life