Exodus 6:28-7:13 - Pharaoh’s Heart and Sorcerers
Notes
Transcript
The Word Read
The Word Read
Please remain standing for the reading of the Holy Scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord from 1 Peter 4:3-6:
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Behold, brothers and sisters, this is the Word of the Lord. Please be seated.
Exordium
Exordium
Dear Church,
I invite you to open Holy Scripture to Exodus 6:28-7:13. The book of Exodus is about God's promised presence with His children as He fulfills His covenant to the patriarchs, saving Israel for His glory. The pages of this book scream the glory of God, the glory of God. Yahweh has heard the cries of His people and He is coming to deliver them from their oppressive bondage. Moses has told the people that Yahweh will free them, but their harsh slavery has broken their spirits. The brutality of Pharaoh’s punishments have left the people of Israel without hope.
One can just imagine the weight of hopelessness they sat under. You might call to mind the poem the “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” It was the poem written by Francis Scott Key that eventually became the USA’s national anthem. You can imagine the hopelessness as American soldiers endured 25 hours of bombing. Yet, the night passed and the morning sun revealed that the battle had not been lost. Now, that victory doesn’t even compare to the victory Yahweh gets over Egypt. Yahweh will lead His covenant people to the promised land into freedom.
The title of the sermon this morning is, “Pharaoh’s Heart and Sorcerers.” There will be two portions to the sermon, 1) Exodus 6:28-7:7 - Glory and Judgment, and 2) Exodus 7:8-13 - First Sovereign Sign.
Exodus 6:28-7:7 - Glory and Judgment
Exodus 6:28-7:7 - Glory and Judgment
28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”
1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
I love how this passage begins. The Lord says to Moses, “I am Yahweh.” These words have been uttered 5 times now in chapter 6. The Exodus hinges on the reality that God is Yahweh. The Exodus does not depend on whether or not Moses is a good orator. The Exodus will not be established on whether or not the people believe Moses any more. The Exodus is grounded in the statement, “I am Yahweh.” At it’s core, this means Yahweh’s very presence is with them.
As the presence of Yahweh dwelled with the Israelites in Egypt, so the presence of God dwells with us today. We just celebrated Christmas. For many around the world this is a time of giving presents to one another. For us, part of Christmas is remembering the birth of Christ. As Matthew 1:23 states:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Humanity is able to experience the redemptive presence of God in and only in Jesus Christ. The begin of the Holy Scriptures begin with the very presence of God dwelling with Adam and Eve. The end of the Bible reveals God dwelling with His people for all eternity. One might even say a key theme of the entire Bible is God’s desire to dwell with His people. Think about this for a moment, God is dwelling with us, as the church, this very minute. Furthermore, He desires to speak to us through His Word. The gathering of the saints on the Lord’s day is incredibly special to Him. This is why He says that believers should not forsake the gathering of the assembly (Hebrews 10:24-25). We worship Him through the signing of songs, spiritual songs, and hymns. We worship Him through our prayers. We worship Him as the Word of God is preached. We worship Him as the sacraments are administered. The presence of God will rest heavy on a congregation that seeks to glorify Him.
Yet His presence is not limited to the gathering of the saints. We enjoy His presence throughout the day. We enjoy His presence as we load the dishwasher. We bask in His presence when we make a meal for our family. We relish His presence as we care for loved ones who are sick. We savor His presence as we watch snow fall to the ground as we remember Isaiah 1:18. Since we experience His presence throughout the day the Christian should be the ones least prone to grumbling, complaining, and gossiping. Instead, absolute joy should fill our hearts because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Out of all of the seven dwarves, we should not be grumpy! Instead of walking in the ways of the world, we walk in Christlikeness. Seeking to imitate Christ in all areas of our lives knowing God’s presence is with us.
For Israel here, the presence of Yahweh will go with them despite Moses’ inability to speak clearly, and despite Pharaoh’s hard heart.
The beginning of chapter seven reveals that Moses will be made like a God to Pharaoh and Aaron as a prophet. Today, we sit in comfortable chairs inside this facility. It is also 2025. We read this and we might not have a second thought about those words. We might view the statement as a fact. However, this is what happens when we simply view Scripture as a American living in 2025. We need to immerse ourselves in the story of Scripture.
Imagine you sit on the banks of the Chebar canal with the prophet Ezekiel. Your prayers are centered on whether or not you’ll return to the promised land that has been ransacked by Babylon. Or, imagine you sit with Daniel in Babylon. You’re wondering what is happening as the news comes in that Babylon has decimated Jerusalem. You read these verses in Exodus and you remember the story of God redeeming His people out from Egypt. You recall Yahweh’s intense and ferocious love for His people. No one will stop the Exodus from happening. It will come by the mighty, outstretched hand of the Lord.
It may be confusing to read that Moses will be like a God to Pharaoh and Aaron a prophet, but it merely speaks to the reality that Moses will give the divine revelation, which was given to him by Yahweh, to Aaron to speak to Pharaoh. Do you notice what Aaron is to speak? The words that Yahweh has commanded. This is also a truth for all pastors, Sunday School teachers, Bible Study and Small Group Leaders. We don’t get to teach whatever we feel like teaching. We are called to teach the sacred Scriptures as God has commanded.
Likewise, Aaron will speak what he is commanded to speak. As we have already seen, the words are “Let my people go.” However, the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart. The Lord will then bring about a multiplication of signs, which we call the 10 Plagues. Now, in Exodus 7:4-5 we see the reason as to why Yahweh will harden Pharaoh’s heart - the judgment of Pharaoh and Egypt and the glorification of His own name. Over the past few decades, the evangelical church has lost her moorings. Some might attribute this to the theological liberalism that we see rampant in both the local church and numerous seminaries. Some might say the drifting from her moorings is a result of the cultural upheaval we are currently living through - we are seeing righteousness being declared as unrighteous, and we see evil declared as good. Everything appears to be on it’s head. However, renewal can be found as we meditate on the glory of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 3-4). In the glory of God in Christ Jesus we find an incredible truth that is also seen in these two verses, to quote James Hamilton,
This glory of God is a saving and judging glory—an aroma of life to those being saved and death to those perishing (2 Cor. 2:15–16), and this saving and judging glory is at the center of biblical theology.
In the Exodus, God’s glory will be on incredible display. His glory will simultaneously save His people and issue judgment upon Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt. This is the glory of the Exodus and the glory of our own salvation. God will issue judgment on the Day of Judgment. We will be saved by and for His glory. The unrepentant will be given divine judgment by and for God’s glory. The people of Israel cannot see this yet. They cannot see that they will be radically saved by God for His glory. This is on the horizon. The glory of God will be on display as the waves of the Red Sea pummel the Egyptian army. Revival in the local church can be had once again, but it will take an intense focus on the glory of God in Christ Jesus.
I love the last verse of this passage - Moses is 80 and Aaron is 83. How often our cultural says those who are this age are not of value to society. It’s even sadder when these things are said within the local church! For those who are retired, have you ever thought that the years you have left might just be your most impactful for the kingdom of God? Culture says, “sit back and enjoy the spoils of your career,” but God has intentionally crafted all the years of your life so that you might have incredible Kingdom impact as you live in retirement. Don’t conform to the thought of this world. Instead think of how God would use the life He’s blessed you with in eternal matters.
Exodus 7:8-13 - First Sovereign Sign
Exodus 7:8-13 - First Sovereign Sign
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
We often speak of the 10 Plagues or “blows/strikes.” However, here we find the first sovereign sign given to Pharaoh. Don’t you love Pharaoh’s statement in verse 9, “Prove yourselves by working a miracle.” Isn’t it interesting that this statement really hasn’t disappeared thousands of years later? The statement has changed a little, “Prove to me there is a God.” How many of us have gotten this from family members or friends? “You want me to believe in God, well prove to me there is a God.” How many of us have felt inadequate to answer that statement. We might stumble around looking for an answer, or we might blankly stare back at our friend hoping the awkward pause will end.
As I was applying for Seminary, I really thought I would major in apologetics. I loved the thought of studying other religions and learning what they believed. I wanted to be able to craft arguments that would answer their false beliefs. However, the Lord put on my heart to pursue a major in Church Planting instead. Now, I still enjoy keeping up with apologetics as I have time. A few weeks ago, I watched an hour long video as two theologians discussed and disagreed on the starting point of apologetics. Why did I spend an hour watching this? Simply put, I’m a nerd and a dork.
We saw in the previous passage that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but as we will see later Pharaoh also hardens his own heart. Romans 1:18-23 is true for Pharaoh and for our unbelieving family and friends.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
No human being has an excuse before God. The knew the true and they knew God, but they suppressed that truth. God even showed it to them in His creation, but they suppressed it. On one hand we should study to give meaningful, thoughtful, and honest answers to their questions about God and Jesus. As questions arise, we go back to the Word of God, study, and then give answers. On the other hand, we must understand that our unbelieving family and friends have suppressed what God has shown them. So what can we do about this? We pray. We pray that their suppression of the truth ends. We pray they clearly see God as their Creator to whom they are accountable. We pray that they then see they’ve committed offensive and treasonous sin against the great God of Heaven. Then we pray for their eyes to be opened to the wonderful Savior Jesus, that they would repent of sin, and that they would have everlasting life given in the Good News that is the Gospel of God.
The older I get, the more I find myself thinking about the Gospel. I think about the Good News of Christ because I’m reminded of my sinful thoughts, passions, desires, actions, behaviors, and words. As I sit in despair and darkness, I can look to Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of my faith, and bask in the glory of the Gospel of God. The compassionate love of the triune God overwhelms my soul as I’m reminded of the rugged cross, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus. I think this is why Paul told the church in Rome he was coming to preach the Gospel to them. We need to be reminded of the glorious Gospel often! In those moments of mediating on the Gospel, we find ourselves giving thanks to God because the Spirit of God has caused our minds and hearts to no longer suppress the truth about God, but to see our need for Jesus clearly.
Pharaoh makes his demand, and proof is given. Aaron threw his staff onto the ground before Pharaoh and it became a serpent. The serpent was a symbol of power and was on the crown of Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s sorcerers conjure up their occultic secret arts and their staffs become serpents as well. However, there is a twist, Aaron’s staff gulps up their staffs. This is prophetic in nature. The day is coming when Yahweh will swallow up Egypt. Exodus 15:12:
12 You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
The script has been written, God is going to be victorious over Egypt. What is an enemy that all humanity cannot escape? Death. All people are subject to death. As Paul writes in Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Death is an enemy we all face. One day we will breathe our last breath and give up our mortal bodies. There are men, women, children, and infants who sit in hospitals who face death this very moment. There are a handful of folks who sit at the hospital less than a mile from us who are staring this enemy face-to-face. Some will not escape death’s grasp today. For many death is a source of tremendous fear. They do not know what lies in store for them when their heart beats for the last time. “Am I going to Heaven? Will I go to Hell? Will I lose conscientiousness are cease to exist? Did I do enough good works to see Saint Peter at the pearly gates?” For many, the thought of death evokes fear and trembling.
For the believer, we know death is a very real enemy. I often joke that most Christians are not afraid of what occurs after death, but we aren’t too fond of thinking about how our death will occur. Death is foreign to us because it was never a part of the original design in the Garden of Eden. Yet, we need not fear death. As Psalm 116:15 declares:
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
The day of our death is an incredible homecoming. We will be at home with the Lord.
Currently, we sit in the age of the already, but not yet. Death has already been defeated in Christ, but it has not yet been permanently defeated. Christ’s resurrection proves that He holds power over the nasty enemy of death. Those who are in Christ have no need to fear the power of death. However, people are still dying today. On average, approximately 170,800 people die every day or almost 2 people every second. Yet, we take comfort in the words of Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15:53-57:
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Yahweh swallowed Pharaoh and Egypt, so Christ will permanently swallow up death one day. There is a glorious day coming when all is made right. Do you fear death today? I once sat with a person who said they were terrified of what would happen to them after they died. They weren’t sure what would happen to their soul. Then one day, the truth that they had suppressed became a clear reality for them. They repented of sin and came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Death was no longer an enemy to be feared, but merely an event that led them to the arms of Christ. God has swallowed up death. Death where is your victory and where is your sting? In Christ, the power and sting of death has been cancelled.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Living as a Christian is living with a heavenly perspective. We know that Jesus sits enthroned in glory ruling over His church in His heavenly session. We know that there is a glorious future that awaits us. Yet, sometimes living on earth is like a child going to the grocery story with their parents to shop for groceries. The child knows that eventually the torment of shopping will eventually end. They have this promise. They know Dad and Mom will lead them out of the store and they will get to go home, but it’s taking a long time. Mom seems really interested in inspecting every fruit and vegetable she puts in the cart. Dad is taking a long time carefully looking at the chicken and meat. Then the parents commit the unforgivable sin, they walk through the candy aisle and say “no” to the child’s pleas for Reeses, Twizzlers, and other candies. Patience is already in the rearview mirror, and what happens? An eruption. The child, in no uncertain terms, declares her parents don’t love her. The child has lost sight that the trip is only temporary. Soon she’ll be back home, enjoying hot chocolate with her stuffed animal.
We can do the exact same, can’t we? We are like the child traveling through this world that is not our home. Yet, we can get attached to things of the world, even good things. As the stresses of life build, we reach our boiling point and an eruption occurs. We’ve forgotten that this world is not our home. We’ve acted like the Israelites forgetting that our identity is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. We’ve forgotten that the Lord is at work in this world working all things for our good and His glory just as He did in Exodus 7:4-5. We have failed to live with a heavenly perspective. Trials, tribulations, and afflictions will come, but the goodness of the Lord endures forever. Let us look to our eternal home this week knowing that we are called to imitate Christ in this world. Let us, with confidence, know the Lord is still mighty to save. He’s currently saving millions with His strong hand bringing many sons and daughters to glory.
