Exodus 7:8-7:25
Notes
Transcript
Exodus 7:8-25
Exodus 7:8-25
Last week in Exodus 6, we got a big contradiction in the Bible, didn’t we? We looked at the fact that God said:
2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew the name Yahweh. That’s what Moses said his name was back in Genesis when the Lord talked to them. Is it a contradiction though? Did they know the name? Yes. Remember, I said you might know my name, but you don’t know me until I’m revealed to you, and you’re revealed to me. Who you are is more than your name. The phrase here used in the Hebrew is that THE HEBREW PEOPLE didn’t know the Lord.
It was coming time that the people of Israel know their God. He had to make sure though, that everyone was ready to behold Him. Even the Egyptians, right? And do you remember the promise?
6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ”
How many times did God say “I will?” 7 times. Over and over and over again, the Lord reminding Moses. You do your part. You stand and speak. Then, watch ME work. I will do the work. That’s who He is, isn’t it? We can’t earn our salvation, no good works we can do will get us there. He made US. He forgave US. He so loved US that He made a way for US. All of the work is done by Him. All he asks is that we believe. He calls us out, WE must walk.
Yahweh, this fake God to Pharaoh, who thinks he’s god, doesn’t mean anything to him yet. He knows the gods of Egypt are empty superstitions. He’s about to be touched by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So God tells Moses to do it again. Moses reminds the Lord “I have uncircumcised lips” meaning anyone else could speak better...Lord, you’d better not send me again. So what happens? God tells him: You’re going to go again and tell Pharaoh. You be God to him, and Aaron will be your prophet.
Then, Moses lists a genealogy. Why? To bolster that Aaron, along with Moses were worthy to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. More than that though, it was important because, where we came from, and where our future lies is important to the Lord. It’s a part of our story, isn’t it?
Hate them or love them, who your parents are, your brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, they play a major role in who you are now. Aaron and Moses’ family tree started with Abraham, but more than that, it started with the Lord and His relationship with him. That’s where the real family tree starts. That’s what flows down generations. Everything else is in vain. Your life begins with Christ. It may have been generations for your family, like mine. You could be the beginning. Where you’ve come from is important, where you’re going is important. Who these men are, their past, and their future are important to the Hebrew people. This story was interrupted in our eyes, but it tells a greater narrative, and sets the stage for what’s coming.
Chapter 7 starts out with the Lord, for a 3rd time, telling Aaron and Moses, Go do what I’ve asked you to do. He says: “I have a lesson to teach everyone, and it culminates with the fact that those who want to be in My place have a space awaiting them filled with pain and anguish for those wanting My job. He won’t be mocked.
What comes next, is the first of the 10 plagues of Egypt. It’s actually 9 plagues, and a judgement. Which begs the question: what does 9 mean in the Bible? Numbers are meaningful, what do you think it means? It means judgement, and also fruitfulness, a time to end, and preparation for a new beginning. These events plague Egypt, but also deconstruct the Egyptian gods. This begins 40 days of a testing of Pharaoh. A public trial of sorts. Pharaoh and Aaron enter the courts for a second time for the beginning of the greatest showdown in the Bible, and possibly in all history until the final Judgement in Revelation.
We’re staring today in verse 8, but we’re going to reread 7:1-7 to set up our context:
1 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
A few chapters back, God tells Moses to cast down his own rod and it turns into a serpent. It’s the one he has with him right here too. The Lord will keep referring to this rod over and over again, not because the rod holds power, but as a reminder: this is what I can do with something that’s already dead. He’s saying He has power over EVERYTHING. He reminds Moses: let me show you what I can do with something that’s ALIVE!
God isn’t using the same rod, instead, He’s using Aaron’s now. He’s giving Aaron a rod with the same symbolism. Later on, we’ll see that God will bring life FROM death when he allows Aaron’s staff to bud, proving he is to lead the people of Israel according to God’s plan.
This is NOT the 1st plague, why? It’s a symbol of God’s power over the deceiver of man. The king of this world, our enemy, the serpent of old, though, has power too, doesn’t he? It is then put on display here too.
11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.
Two of these wise men have names, in case you didn’t know it. Did you know we know their names? 2 Tim 3:8
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
Jannes means “he vexed,” Jambres means “foamy healer.” They aren’t named in the Bible, but Jewish scholars have identified them thru some ancient writings.
Some legends say that these men were snake charmers. They could charm these snakes to be stiff and move on command. I don’t know if that’s true or not for sure, I just know that there were men who could duplicate that feat when Aaron cast his down. But we see the might of God here too. Not only did Aaron’s rod become a serpent, BUT his swallowed up all of the other serpents.
Now, we remember, Moses’ staff turned to a serpent also, but the Hebrew word is different for Moses’ change and Aaron’s, which makes the “swallowed up the other serpents” that more interesting. Especially in light of the “snake charmers” idea. Do you want to know why I think this legend is ridiculous?
In Exodus 4 the word is: na-has which means snake. Here, the word used for both Aaron’s rod, and the magicians’ conjuring is the word: tan-nin which describes a crocodile or a sea dragon. It’s actually used for both what Aaron’s rod turns into, along with the magicians that come too. How you would tame something like that and carry it in I couldn’t tell you. Maybe in a pant leg? The crocodile is a symbol of the Nile river also, of it’s power and lends respect to the water as well.
What I can tell you is this: evil exists in this world and has dominion and power. What does dominion mean? It means it has control. So much of this world dabbles in evil. It permiates from everything. I have 2 teenage kids, about to have 3 more her soon. Looking forward to setting my house on fire each morning with them.
Isn’t that what it’s like? Nothing makes sense! Everything is confusing! All emotion, no logic, and the logic gets lost and you, as a parent start thinking...did I get that wrong? Why does God allow this with us? He reminds us A) to train our kids to handle these emotions, but B) that this world wants us all confused. This is not the power of the devil coming out in your kids, as much as you want to think it is. It’s reorganizing their minds and allowing them to make it their own.
It’s chaos FOR A REASON for them. That’s why training is so important. Why do first responders and our military train and train and train? So they react appropriately, when? THRU THE CHAOS. The chaos is scary, it’s overwhelming. We need to teach our kids to run to the tools in their toolbox...we need to remind them most times they have a tool box, and where it was the last time we saw them with it too...right?
The only reassurance we, and they have is if Jesus is in your heart, that evil can’t touch you. Remind yourself, and them as well, you’re untouchable until the Lord calls you home. There’s no reason to be afraid of evil, but you must respect it. Never let your guard down around it, don’t tempt it, don’t challenge it because you’re not strong enough. Don’t believe me, just ask that secret sin that keeps it’s grip on you. The one that took hold of you last night when nobody was watching.
These men threw down crocodiles, and there wasn’t a fight even. Aaron’s rod, Aaron’s crocodile just gulped these weak creatures that man created. God demonstrated his power over evil, over nature, over the weak tricks of these dark magicians. This is a sign to Pharaoh: let my people go, or this will get bad and you won’t stand a chance.
Pharaoh isn’t impressed, however, which I totally don’t get. That would be a “woah” moment, and he dismissed it. Verse 13 says his heart grew hard...that doesn’t mean that the Lord hardened it. Pharaoh’s heart under his own command here. He dismisses this threat outright as nothing.
14 So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
The Lord says “See, it’s hard...just like I told you it would be. Go command him again, this time I’m going to turn the pressure up on him if he doesn’t listen, and turn the eyes of Egypt to this crisis.
This plague was against the lifeblood of Egypt. It is said that the god Osiris’ blood is the Nile river. Apis was god of the Nile, Isis was the goddess, and Khnum was the guardian of the river. This was a direct threat against the livelihood of Egypt, and would establish dominion before the Hebrew and Egyptian people alike.
I wonder how long the pause was. I wonder what Pharaoh’s response was...whatever happened, Pharaoh’s confidence in himself and the underworld powers that he had seen didn’t give him any pause.
19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ”
What’s the Lord saying here? One last time: Not only is the Nile going to be made into blood, so will all of the water in Egypt. Imagine that...sitting with a cool glass of ice water, and suddenly it’s blood in your hand. All of the life in the waters will be consumed. Fish can’t breathe in thick water. Photosynthesis can’t occur in that dense, dark liquid.
This would be a huge boon for Pharaoh if it came to pass, but Pharaoh would not heed and Moses and Aaron did what was commanded of them:
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Naturalists try to explain it away because the banks of the Nile have a red dirt, and it could have been a red tide situation, which happens there every once in a great while...but what about the buckets and pitchers? They would only be red if they were freshly dipped into the water to draw it out.
Pharaoh called his sorcerers again:
22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.
How would these guys do this? All the water is already blood, and they couldn’t undo it. They didn’t even try to undo it...they tried to duplicate it. Isn’t that like human nature? Take a problem and make it worse? If they were truly powerful, they would have undone the issue.
Again, Pharaoh hardened his heart. That’s 3 times he refused the the Lord. Now, 7 days of no water.
Did you catch verse 24? Read that again...Who couldn’t drink of the river? It doesn’t say the Hebrews couldn’t. They lived in the land of Goshen, in the heart of the Nile delta, where these plagues were being performed. I am reading into scripture here for what it doesn’t say, but I think it’s safe to imply that it was ONLY the Egyptians that were effected by this. God is drawing a distinct line between His people and the Egyptians.
Just like in our world today, the Lord draws the line. There are those who are His, and those that belong to the World. Not all of us are a child of God. Only those who choose Jesus are. Those aren’t my words, take it up with the Bible:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
If anyone tells you we’re all a child of God, they’re wrong. We are all loved by Him, we are all precious in His sight, but being a child of God is a choice. Whom will you serve? Who is your king? Jesus? Or you? What rules your life? What has the authority? What calls you? Can you resist?
The King of Kings was presented before the people before too:
14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
When the time comes, and it will come, whom do you serve? We cannot serve 2 masters. Do you serve your fleshly desires? Or do you deny them and take up the mantle of righteousness? Do you stand up to Pharaoh and defy him? Or do you work for him, making every affliction worse?
That’s often how it works. We call it throwing fuel on the fire. Kids, have any of you ever heard of that before? Stop throwing fuel on the fire, you’re making it worse. The enemy doesn’t want our lives to get better. He wants to prove to us: if we don’t follow him, it’s going to continue to get worse and worse.
He doesn’t care about your growth, he’s waiting on your death to drag you down with him. He wants nothing more than to destroy what God loves most, and that’s us. It’s hard to stand up to bulleys. It doesn’t say that these magicians worked hard to make their staffs into these monsters. Obviously Pharaoh had confidence they could do it, or he’d have been amazed.
God will continue to show each of us who holds the true power. Ultimately, the strongest dog in the fight is the one you feed the most. Either this book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book. The more you consume, the more you know, the more you understand about the Bible, the better equipped you’ll be to defend yourself against the enemy.
More than what anyone says, the Word of God has power. Just reading it has more power than I ever will have, and it’s better than anything I would ever say.
The devil wants us ignorant. He knows all he has to do is keep us distracted until our time comes to a close. CS Lewis says in The Screwtape Letters, which is a masterclass on how the enemy tries to ensnare us. I highly recommend reading it to your kids as a story night exercise. Great discussions will come out of it. I need to do it again with my family. It’s written from a master demon Screwtape to his apprentice and nephew Wormwood who has just been given his first human to deceive.
“But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extend to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are, provided the cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.” - CS Lewis
Last week, we talked about the slow fade that leads us away. We don’t fall in a day. It’s the result of numerous choices that separate us. It puts us in a constant state of shame and regret, but those are graveclothes we don’t need to stay in. They are for a time, then we’re supposed to put on new clothes and step back out into the light. Don’t stay in the grave, you aren’t the sum of your mistakes, Christ made a way, accept the gift, turn from your habitual sin and walk. It’ll always be there, but it doesn’t have to own you anymore.
