The God of all Creation

Introduction:

So, our focus for the year as a church is prayer. From beginning to end of this year, we desire to see our love for prayer, our knowledge of prayer, and our passion for prayer all grow. But I think this happens primarily when our confidence in prayer grows!

How can we pray confidently? How can we ask God for earth-shaking things and trust Him to do what is right and good? How can we ask God for things that don’t seem to make rational sense, believing that if it glorifies Him and is best for us, He will do it? What is the believer’s source of confidence in prayer? There may be several answers to this, but one has to be providence.

I believe God’s providence is the source of confidence for the Christian. And that confidence will manifest itself most often in not just that we pray, but HOW we pray.

Today, God is going to demonstrate His power over the things He created: heaven, or the sky; water, and earth. God will use all the resources of the world around Israel to redeem them. I want us to spend this chapter studying what we see about God’s providence, and then let’s spend some time at the end thinking about how God’s providence is the believer’s confidence.

Providence and sovereignty over all creation, even the tiniest creatures.

1. God controls and directs all creation (8:1-15)

Exodus 8:1–6 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” ’ ” And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs 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.

Last week, we saw God exercise sovereignty over the nation of Egypt by turning it’s primary source of life, the Nile, into a place of death. The blood has subsided, but God will once again exert His sovereign control over the Nile. This time, however, it isn’t so much with the Nile, as with what the Nile produces: frogs.

Remember last week we talked about what Pharaoh’s job was supposed to be as a god-man: to keep order in the world, to ensure that things happened in harmony and as they should. Most of that revolved around the rising and falling of the Nile, as we said. But the frogs had a unique part to play here. You see, as the Nile rose, the frogs would become plentiful. The Egyptians came to see the frogs, and to hear their croaking sound, as a picture of the fruitfulness that the Nile provided, and that picture extended to all fruitfulness.

When a young woman got married and wanted to have children, she would wear a pendant of a frog around her neck because they believed it would increase her chances. In the Egyptian religion, the goddess Heket, who was the goddess of fruitfulness and fertility, had the head of a frog, and often appeared as a frog. For all these reasons, the frog was a carefully protected species in Egypt. For a long time in its history, it was illegal to kill a frog because they were so precious to them! The frog was a symbol of life, of fruitfulness, and of hope.

So, God is very intentional, as He always is, in administering this plague. Moses once again comes with the same phrase that we have come to know: let my people go! And again, a warning: if you don’t, there will be frogs.

Moses says that Egypt will swarm with frogs. I’ve never really seen a swarm of frogs, and especially like this one! They will be everywhere!

Even in the ovens and the kneading bowls. The Egyptians are going to see frogs everywhere, to the point that when they bake bread, it will be bread garnished with frog.

And Aaron did so, and the frogs came. Moses’ writing here doesn’t just say that the frogs “covered” the land of Egypt; the literal rendering here is that the frogs “clothed” the land of Egypt. Why?

Remember, the frog is a picture of fruitfulness. What was the purpose of throwing the firstborn of Israel into the Nile? Right; to keep them from being fruitful and multiplying. God is essentially saying “I give fruitfulness, not some frog-headed god. And I will not stand by as you rob my people of their fruitfulness. So here you go. You want frogs? I got frogs.”

So, God directs the frogs to cover the land of Egypt, and in come the magicians again. And again, they do the same thing! Exodus 8:7

Exodus 8:7 ESV

But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

All they can do is make the last thing that Pharaoh needs right now: more frogs! So, Pharaoh is left with no other option but to call Moses and Aaron and ask them to do something! Exodus 8:8-15

Exodus 8:8–15 ESV

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

For the first time, Pharaoh acknowledges God, calling Him by name and asking Moses to plead with The Lord and take the frogs away. Pharaoh is getting a progressive answer to his question “who is the Lord?”

And you also see here that Moses’ confidence in God is growing. He doesn’t let Aaron answer this one, he takes care of it. And he asks a confident question: say when? He totally trusts that God will hear Him, and will make the frogs stop at just that time. Why? Because God desires to make Himself known.

God, in His providence, is building Moses to be the man He wants him to be. “God, like a father, takes Moses by the hand at first and says ‘OK, OK, don’t worry. I’ll have Aaron help you.’ But like a father who knows his own son’s abilities better than the son himself, God nudges Moses into the very situation he fears most.” IF TIME: dads, you are building the man your son will be, whether you want to or not.

So, Moses lets Pharaoh set the time for the frogs to stop, and Pharaoh says “tomorrow,” which makes no sense to me, because I would have said “right now,” but ok.

The Egyptians protected animal, their little symbols of fruitfulness, are piled into mountains of dead and rotting carcasses, and again God is waging war against the Egyptian sensibilities. And Moses gives us the understatement of the century: “and the land stank.”

But what does Pharaoh do, as soon as the frogs die? He hardens his own heart, just as God would say would happen.

But through this second plague, we see that our God is in control of all creation. There are no rogue frogs in the universe; God orchestrates all of them. God exercises control over even the smallest of creation - it’s all His! And He can direct even the smallest and most significant of things to cripple the biggest empires and the most powerful kings. Every frog declares the glory of God to Egypt. God will providentially move, alter and manipulate His creation to accomplish His purpose of redemption

2. God uses creation to bring glory to Himself (16-19)

It seems obvious to say, but God doesn’t like being lied to. Pharaoh said that he would let the people go to sacrifice, and as soon as things got easier for him, he changed his mind again. So, God acts again, this time with something that seems small and insignificant: gnats.

Exodus 8:16–17 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’ ” And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.

The gnats proclaim His handiwork

Several years ago now, we went to the Great Salt Lake while on a mission trip to SLC. It didn’t take long for us to learn why no one goes to the Great Salt Lake: it’s gross! But even worse than gross, as we were getting ready to go, scores of people warned us about the gnats. And they were not kidding! The gnats were so bad, and so aggressive, that they were literally dive bombing the car. I remember thinking to myself back then “this must have been what it was like in Egypt!” In reality, it was much worse than that!

But notice God’s command here “strike the dust of the earth.” God has used the waters of the Nile to war against Egypt, and now He is using the very dust itself. And the gnats became as the dust of the earth. Now, check this out: Genesis 13 16 is God’s promise to Abraham. The people of Abraham were to be as the dust of the earth. But what was Egypt doing? They were working against this promise! So, God literally raises up the dust of the earth, and turned dust into gnats to afflict the enemies of God who have worked against His promises.

Genesis 13:16 ESV

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

and so far, God has seen fit in His providence to use the wicked magicians to make things worse for Egypt. But not this time. This time, He doesn’t allow them to replicate His work. And in their failure, from the lips of wicked men, the name of God is glorified. Exodus 8:18-19

Exodus 8:18–19 ESV

The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

“Finger of God” - the pagan sorcerers must acknowledge the power of God. With this expression, they are saying:

This is out of our control

The God of Moses is personally involved here

This God is special, and cannot be manipulated.

But, lest we think that these magicians became God fearers, they never call God by His covenant name. You see how v. 19 says the finger of God? That means they used the generic name of God, not the covenant name. This is a general acknowledgement of God, but it isn’t a special revelation that leads to salvation.

These pagan magicians are bringing glory to God, and they don’t even want to!

But providence tells us that there will be a day when every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! All creation WILL bring God glory, even those who do not want to! It is far better, friend, to submit now, than it is to submit later.

So, providence here shows us that God controls everything, and that everything will one day bring glory to Him. But here is the most marvelous thing, I think, about the Christian life and providence: prayer matters.

This is one of the only plagues that doesn’t subside, meaning that it’s pretty much gnats from here on out. That would be horrible if you ask me.

3. God hears the prayers of the righteous (20-32)

One more plague for today, as the pressure on Pharoah continues to increase: Exodus 8:20-21

Exodus 8:20–21 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.

one more showdown at the Nile. Pharaoh is going to worship his false god once again, probably still trying to manipulate things that are out of his control. Moses speaks the same line, but this time a different promise: swarms of flies. So, we have rotting frogs, swarms of gnats, and now an army of flies. But why flies?

Interestingly enough, the fly was a symbol of military strength for Egypt. Fly pendants were given to military leaders to wear on bracelets and necklaces as a sign of military accomplishment. The fly was a picture of the persistence of the Egyptian warrior, who refused to give up, who persistently chipped away at his enemies until victory was guaranteed. They utilized chariots and bows. In their chariots, they would run ahead to an advance position, then shower their opponent with arrows and, just as the enemy got close, they would run their chariots to another position. Over and over, they were likened to a swarm of flies.

So, God is doing a couple of different things here with flies. First, God is making a statement here: this war will be unrelenting until you surrender. But the people of Israel were not affected, because God was not at war with them! Second, God has extended His war to a third front. First, the Egyptians were attacked with the water from the Nile. Second, they were attacked by the very ground they stood on. Now, they are being attacked from the air. There is nothing over which God is not in control, and He is showing His dominion over all creation by using all creation to war against Pharaoh.

But something different happens here: Exodus 8:22-23

Exodus 8:22–23 ESV

But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.” ’ ”

up until this point, everyone has endured the plagues, even the Israelites. But now, God is separating out His people. Verse 23 is so powerful, but it’s even more powerful when you read it in the language it was written. Moses literally writes God saying “I will put a REDEMPTION between my people and your people.” Remember, God showed Moses many chapters ago where the line in the sand was. Now, He is showing that line and saying “I can redeem my people, all you can do, Pharaoh, is make their misery worse by your stubbornness.”

- Sometimes, God spares His people from suffering here, no doubt. God does not always spare His people from suffering, but here is our hope: He always looks over them in providence. History is working itself out to God’s glory and for our good. And we are spared from God’s judgment. How? It was applied to Christ, as God put a redemption between us. Look at what God does here, Exodus 8:24

Exodus 8:24 ESV

And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

- “The land was ruined” by flies. This is the same word Moses uses when he writes Genesis 6 to describe the wickedness of the earth in the times of Noah.

- The Hebrew scholars from Jesus’ time associated this plague with two different species of fly: the sand fly, and the dog fly. Both are bad. The sand fly is about 2-3 mm long, and they always exist in droves. The bite from a sand fly is a thing to be feared, because the female sand flies carry a parasitic disease called Leishmaniasis, which leads to parts of the skin rotting at best, and internal organ breakdown at worst. The dogfly isn’t much better. The dogfly was an enormous fly, think like our horseflies, where you hear them coming long before you see them. They usually only bite mammals, and when they do, they do two things. First, they consume their blood. Second, they deposit their larvae under the flesh, and they grow and later burrow from the inside out to escape. Their preferred area? To catch a sleeping mammal, and bite the eyelids. As the larvae grew the victim eventually became blind. The dog fly was a source of fear for all Egyptians. And God has, as Moses said “ruined the land” with them. This is more than Pharoah can bear. Exodus 8:25-32

Exodus 8:25–32 ESV

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

Pharaoh gives a concession, but it isn’t good enough, because God is not interested in conceding anything. He is God; He does not have to! Moses words to Pharaoh are our words even today: “we must do as God tells us.” Moses didn’t have the right to concede, and so he wasn’t about to!God tells Pharaoh that He has the power to spare the people from plagues, but Pharaoh does not.

So, Pharaoh tells them that they can go, “only you must not go very far away.” Then he ends with this very powerful little phrase: “plead for me.” What is Pharaoh asking Moses to do? He is asking him to pray! so, Exodus 8:30-32

Exodus 8:30–32 ESV

So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

A very different outcome than the frogs, becase God wants to make a very different thing clear: God hears His people! And He is the one who controls all nature, and all creation. God makes it clear that He will be the one to free His people, not Pharaoh.

Friends, have you ever stopped to consider that God will move all creation to answer the prayers of the saints? That somehow, prayer is an integral part of how God’s providence works, so that He doesn’t just tell us to pray, He planned ahead all of history to be moved and shaped by the prayers of the saints! This is why we should make bold prayers. We should be praying for God to do both big and small things. We should pray expectantly! But that also means that we should pray, period.

The text ends exactly where the last one did - with Pharaoh hardening his own heart, and the people still in bondage. But God is doing something. He is working in amazing ways, that will only get more amazing. He is also working in Moses’ heart, moving him from doubt and questions to faith and confidence in His power. Which is what our take home for today is.

What is Exodus 8 telling me to do?

Be confident in God! We talked just a few weeks ago about Moses, and how his greatest problem was that he thought what he needed was more confidence in himself. The reality of the fact is that what Moses needed was more confidence in God! This week, we have seen God’s providence as He controls all of creation, and keeps His people in the palm of His hand. And in seeing that, we can see why we should be confident - God’s providence is our source of confidence! So, we go boldly before the throne of grace, we go confidently into the world with the Gospel, we face suffering with hope, because we know the One who orchestrates all of creation to accomplish His purposes!

Because we trust God’s providence, we can be confident in your salvation. God has set a redemption between His people and the world, and that redemption is accomplished and certain! Friends, trust in God’s providence, in God’s sovereignty, and in God’s goodness is the lifeblood of our confidence in our own salvation. Our salvation doesn’t depend on our ability any more than Israel’s did. And yet, God has orchestrated all the events of your life, Christian, to be how He revealed His goodness and His salvation to you! So, in those moments of doubt? We look into providence.

Because of providence, we can be confident in His power - What are you praying for right now that, if God answered it, the only explanation would be God? Friends, God has the story set, and part of that story is using the prayers of the saints to do unbelievable things. Moses prays for the plagues to cease, and they do. We are going to see Moses pray for incredible things, and God is going to be pleased to do those for the sake of His name and for the good of His people. So, pray bold prayers! Pray for God to do incredible things! He answers prayer!

Gospel - now, to pray like that, you can’t just have knowledge of God; you must have a relationship with the Father. So, let me ask you a question: do you truly know God? (Gospel)

Friends, let’s end this way today: would you take this time right now, and silently pray for something so amazing that, if it came to pass, the only possible answer would be God? Let’s take a moment and bring our petitions before the Father, and I will close us in prayer.

Benediction: Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.