The Third Plague
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.
Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.
Gnats. We have arrived at the third plague, which marks the end of the first series of plagues against Egypt and its king.
What makes this plague special compared to the first two plagues is the fact that YHWH does not warn Pharaoh, but acts in silence.
Why does God act without warning?
Because Pharaoh was stubborn and God had no choice but to execute His judgment:
Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
The problem is not when God says no to us, when the Lord rebukes us, when God corrects us. Infact:
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
The real problem is when God stops speaking to our heart.
The problem arises when the Holy Spirit is silent, and He is silent because of our stubbornness against the will of God.
Lord we want to ask you to speak to us on this day!
Do not remain silent in this assembly:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
YHWH vs Geb. Although the meaning of the word gnats is unclear (perhaps a pesky insect like lice), what is clear is where these insects come from: from the dust of the earth.
For the Egyptians, the god of the Earth was Geb, closely related to the earth in all of its states.
It is interesting to note that plagues 2, 3, and 4 are pets that come from the water, dust, and air, respectively.
In other words, the plagues come from the three sectors of the ecosystem: water, land, and air.
One more time we declear: our God is sovereign!
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Sermon's outline. Through this third plague we note that the Egyptian Magi are no longer able to reproduce the prodigious acts of YHWH.
In this plague, therefore, God not only defeats Pharaoh and the entire kingdom of Egypt, but also the Magi, experts in the occult arts.
God is the victorious one and we are more than conquerors with Him:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Remember: you are not fighting for victory, but from victory, for Jesus Christ has already defeated Satan!
Warren W. Wiersbe
There is an expression that decrees the victory of God over the Egyptian Magi: “they were not able” (Exodus 8:18).
The Egyptians were rendered incapable for three reasons:
God’s plague;
God’s finger;
God’s truth.
N.1 - God’s plague
N.1 - God’s plague
But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.
Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere,
Divine Power. When the third plague strikes the land of Egypt, the magicians try to reassure Pharaoh with their secret arts, but in the end they had to admit defeat.
About the inability of the magicians in the face of God’s plague, I would like to consider two aspects:
A. The attempt despite the power of God’s plague. The magicians do their work, they try.
The term “tried” means to fabricate, to produce by labor.
Commitment and dedication, work and sweat are used by the magicians despite being defeated!
Application. The enemy of our souls, even if he is defeated and knows that there is no match against the omnipotence of God, he tries, working against the children of God.
Job’s remarks. On two occasions the book of Job reminds us that the devil is on the move against the children of God (Job 1: 7; 2: 2).
Peter mentions the same thing:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
This means that we cannot let our guard down.
In fact, the Devil, even if defeated, works against us, trying to destroy your faith in God, to remove your love for the Word of God.
The adversary tries to set traps against your family, tries to destroy your marriage, is busy demolishing your house.
While you are sleeping, Satan will be sowing.
The Sluggard’s Farm, Volume 34, Sermon #2027 - Proverbs 23:30-32
Charles Spurgeon
This is why the Holy Spirit invites us to never let our guard down, but to be vigilant against the enemy’s strategies.
B. The limits revealed by the plague of God. The power of the secret arts has a limit, the Egyptian magicians have limits, the devil has limits.
Application. Sometimes we give too much credit to the enemy’s abilities.
When we consider our problems, the difficulties we are experiencing, we often have the impression that the challenges we are experiencing have unlimited resources!
Yet everyone has limits, even our enemy.
Joseph and Pharaoh. This is not the first time that the Egyptian magicians have revealed their limitations and incapacity before a prophet of the Lord.
The story of Joseph in Genesis tells us that a Pharaoh had a strange dream:
In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
The Egyptian Magi demonstrated all their limitations, until Joseph arrived:
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
The enemy has limits, not our God.
N.2 - God’s finger
N.2 - God’s finger
the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.
God’s finger. The Egyptians in general, and the priests in particular, were fanatical about cleanliness, and the priests frequently washed and shoved their bodies in order to be acceptable to their gods.
Because of the plague the Egyptian priests and magicians could not approach their gods, revealing all the limits of their false religion.
The expression contained in verse 19 reveals how the Egyptian magi claimed to be aware of the fact that they were dealing with the true religion, with the “finger of God.”
Because of this plague their worship offered to their false gods had to stop.
At the end of the plagues of Egypt, the Jewish people will be free to glorify the name of the Lord, full of joy, celebrating the liberation received.
But the Egyptian worship, the songs, the offerings, the perfumes and the prayers addressed to false gods will end here.
Application. Even today we have to deal with many false religions: with rites and dogmas to follow, with sterile ceremonies that do not satisfy the need that is in each of us.
Empty, false religions, because they do not have the touch of God, who liberates, who changes and transforms the lives of people.
By the grace of God, today we are gathered around Him who has the authority to free those who are in chains: Christ Jesus the Lord.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus operated with authority and power.
He did not bring an empty religion, distant from people, incapable of touching lives, but through His ministry He revealed the touch of God:
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
If you are tired of living a sterile religious life and want the touch of God to be realized in your life, accept Jesus in your heart.
Even in our Church we want the touch of God, the finger of the Lord, to touch, baptize, heal.
When God visits his church according to his promises, effects follow that make people shout, ‘This is the finger of God!’
John Elias (Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Preacher)
N.3 - God’s truth
N.3 - God’s truth
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Divine Truth. According to some non-biblical historical sources, Jannes and Jambres were two brothers, religious leaders of Egypt, who practiced occult arts such as necromancy.
One surviving story, dated to the late Second Temple period, describes Jambres practicing necromancy to bring back his deceased brother Jannes, who warns about the consequences of evil behavior in the afterlife.
Paul states that these two individuals opposed the truth presented by Moses and Aaron.
Their opposition was simple: there are multiple gods, multiple ways, multiple truths.
The danger. In this day of “pluralism,” when society contains people of opposing beliefs and lifestyles, it’s easy to get confused and start thinking that tolerance is the same as approval.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Application. This is the challenge that the Church of Jesus is called to support: to stand firm on the solid foundation that is the Word of God, the only truth.
Jannes and Jambres, tried to obscure the truth, but Paul states that with their lies they did not get very far.
The truth of God will sooner or later stop the lies of the adversary.
Satan is an acute theologian.
John Calvin (French Reformer)
Paul and Elymes. The book of Acts offers us an epic clash between a man of God who lives in the truth and a son of the devil who lives in lies and falsehoods.
Here is the result of this clash:
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Lies, oppositions against the Word of God do not get you far, because in the end the truth will prevail.
The best protection against Satan’s lies is to know God’s truth.
Unknown
Be not ashamed of your faith; remember it is the ancient gospel of martyrs, confessors, reformers and saints. Above all, it is “the truth of God”, against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail.
Charles Spurgeon
Conclusion
Conclusion
God can! In this passage I learned two important things:
The first thing I learned is that everyone, sooner or later, must confess that they are not able, but God is more than able:
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
The second thing is that Pharaoh, despite the magi not being able to reproduce the plague of God, obstinates his heart even more against the Lord.
Lord help us to open our hearts completely to you.
