Judgement and Protection
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Introduction
We are continuing our series on Moses, and Last week, Paul started to look at the plagues of Egypt - today we’re going to finish them off, but we’ll leave the last one until next week, because it’s rich with theology and the last plague needs a sermon in itself to do it justice.
But if you were here last week, you may remember some of the things that Paul touched on.
Paul rightly reminded us that while God is a God of love and mercy and forgiveness, he is also a God of justice - and because he is a God of justice, sin MUST be punished.
Which means that God is also a judge - he is the divine judge who punishes sin and idolatry and he does it through his wrath. God’s wrath is the dishing out of his punishment as an act of judgement.
And woe betide anyone who meets the wrath of God…because that kind of judgement you would not wish on your worst enemy.
And Paul mentioned that last week, and we’re going to look at that in some more detail again tonight.
Pause
Paul also mentioned about the plagues being kind of like a slap in the face of the gods that the Egyptians worshiped - For example, the Egyptians worshiped a god in the form of a frog, they worshiped the life-giving Nile which provided fresh water for them. They worshiped the sun-god Ra and they worshiped Pharaoh as a god too...
And so when God brings these plagues on Egypt he is systematically knocking each of these Egyptian gods off their little pedestals....I AM greater than your Nile-god...I AM greater than your frog-god. I AM greater than each of your other gods…I AM greater than the sun-god…and I AM greater than Pharaoh, whom you think is a god.
And, like I said, Paul touched on that last week too.
And the other thing that Paul pointed out last week is that it is GOD who is the one who hardens Pharaoh’s heart and we see this in various passages in the text, such as chapter 9:12...
12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.
Pause
But I want you to keep all of that in mind as we look at the plagues. We’re going to go through them briefly, picking up on certain things as we go along. But keep in mind the three things that Paul touched on last week...
God is a judge, who punishes sin - he is the God of justice, the divine judge.
God is greater than the Egyptian gods
God is the one who hardens Pharaoh’s heart
So let’s look at the plagues that came upon the land. And notice the level of intensity as the plagues continue. They go from being uncomfortable to being life-threatening, to the treat of extinction…to not only the threat of death, but death itself. Notice this as we go through them.
First of all the Nile turned to blood, which Paul spoke about last week. Then frogs came out of the river and went everywhere and the magicians in Egypt made matters worse by making MORE frogs.
Then came the gnats, which the magicians couldn’t replicate, showing cracks in their belief.
And then we have the flies, but from this plague God puts a division between Egypt and the Israelites - between the judgement on Egypt and his people…in other words, his people are SPARED the wrath of God...
23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ”
Pharaoh gives in - OK, go…but when the flies are removed, his heart is hardened and more plagues come.
Pause
Now things start to get more intense, because the next plague is the death of livestock…And you can see how things are getting worse now…Livestock are their source of living - it’s meat and vegetation. And if the meat is gone then they’ve just the vegetation to rely on. PLUS, they won’t have any livestock to sacrifice to their gods.
So the Egyptian livestock dies, but the division between Egypt and God’s people remains and their livestock are healthy.
God protects his people from the more serious plagues.
And of course Pharaoh doesn’t let God’s people go.
Pause
Up to now Pharaoh could have kinda avoided the effects of the plagues, but then God sends boils which affects ALL the Egyptians - even Pharaoh.
Then comes the hail, which will destroy all vegetation and everything on the trees, drastically reducing the Egyptians food source. Their livestock are dead, and now most of the vegetation is destroyed by hail.
Gone is everything growing in the field and everything on the trees - except for the land of Goshen where the Israelites were. God was protecting his people.
Now at this point it looks like Pharaoh gives in, and Moses asks the Lord to stop the hail.
And of course, when it stops, Pharaoh hardened his heart and wouldn’t let God’s people go.
Pause
But not all vegetation was destroyed by the hail...
31 (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
So then come the locusts - to wipe out any remaining vegetation that is left.
So the livestock is gone, the ripe vegetation is gone, any remaining vegetation is now gone too - the Egyptians are threatened with extinction through starvation.
These plagues are getting worse and worse and are compounding the matter - all because of Pharaoh’s stubborn heart. This is judgement on Pharaoh, because don’t forget, Pharaoh think’s he’s a god.
See, other gods have been quashed - the frog god, the Nile, and now the big hitters in the Egyptian gods are coming down...
Remember Ra, the sun-god. Well he’s about to be pushed aside too...
Pause
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.”
And even the Egyptian sun-god had no power over the darkness - a darkness that could be felt.
And this plague was getting really up-close and personal to Pharaoh, because the Egyptians believed that Pharaoh was the son of Ra.
So Pharaoh’s FATHER was being vanquished. Pharaoh’s own dad, according to Egyptian belief, is being killed off by this plague of darkness.
And Pharaoh doesn’t even relent here…instead he tells Moses to get out of his sight.
28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”
Pause
So Moses is banished and it appears that all hope is lost. What are the Israelite’s to do now?
When studying this, I read this from a commentary, and I think the commentator put it brilliantly. He said this...
Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 3: Exodus Explanation
There is no longer any place to turn, no longer anyone to whom petition can be made, no longer anyone to do the turning and the petitioning. As happens so often in the biblical narrative, every human endeavor stands exhausted, and every apparent alternative has been used without success. What is left? What can even God do? The dream of freedom lies smashed. Yahweh’s deliverer may have difficulty delivering even himself. All Yahweh’s promises remain unfulfilled. He has proved his Presence, but to what avail? The expectations of the Israelites have been brought to nothing.
The moment is like that of the scattering and the confusion of Babel, like the moment of the command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Moriah, like the moment of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., and like the moment of the death of Jesus on the cross. Nothing more can be done, clearly. Yet the promises are promises of God, so how can nothing more be done?
In this stark contradiction, the point of this special section is to be seen, and we are made ready for what is to come.
Pharaoh has just ‘lost his father’ with this plague of darkness. And now he is about to lose his son.
Because the tenth and final plague is the death of every firstborn in Egypt…and Pharaoh is about to feel the full force of his God’s judgement on him for his treatment of God’s people and for his sin by thinking of HIMSELF as a God.
He’s going to feel the pain of losing his son and the rest of his kingdom facing extinction because there are no animals, there’s no grain, there’s nothing to eat…and his kingdom is coming to ruin.
God is punishing Pharaoh by killing his firstborn son because of the way Pharaoh has treated God’s firstborn son....
And Pharaoh knew this was coming. Moses warned him about this in chapter 4...
22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”
But we’ll look at the tenth plague next week.
Pause
But all along, did you notice the plagues growing in intensity? Did you notice the wrath of God coming upon the pagan, anti-God Egyptians?
Did you notice the Israelites being spared the effects of the more critical plagues?
Did you notice God manifesting his presence to Pharaoh - God is the I AM…and God IS there in the plagues.
You see, what is happening here is that God is making himself present in these plagues, but he’s doing it for a reason...
14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
God is doing this to show HIS power to those in the world. And his people are seeing just what THEIR God can do. No wonder they fear God, although they forget so often - but here’s God’s wrath for all to see and it should bring people to their knees in reverence and fear.
And Pharaoh, I think would have given in long before this, but God hardened his heart so that God’s power could be made known - so that ALL would fear him.
Do YOU fear God? I think we’ve lost our fear of the Lord, which isn’t a good thing.
Pause
So what do we make of this?
Were these natural phenomena that God used? Was this a reaction from God at what Pharaoh was doing?
Well, to answer that we go to chapter 3 of Exodus where we remember that this was planned by God from the beginning...
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
So this wasn’t an afterthought or a reaction. God doesn’t react, God plans.
So what then? Is God going a bit too far here? Is he being unjust? What about Joe the Egyptian, who’s just getting along with his life and then his cow drops dead and he is pelted with hail and he eventually starves to death because there’s no grain?
Does he deserve this? I mean, what has HE done?
Pause
Let me tell you what he hasn’t done…he hasn’t believed in the name of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…and so because of his sin and his unbelief, he is facing judgement - a judgement that faces EVERYONE.
Cos what about Joe the man from Lisburn that lives down the road? What about him, just going along with life, harming nobody - what has HE done?
Well, if he hasn’t believed in the name of Jesus Christ and trusted him for the forgiveness of his sins then he is going to be judged for HIS sin too, because judgement faces everyone because ALL have sinned.
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These plagues grew in intensity up to the point of death…and the final judgement is coming for everyone. And all those who haven’t put their trust in Jesus Christ will face the wrath of God which is eternal death - hell, pain and torture forever and ever.
And those who HAVE trusted in Jesus will be spared God’s wrath, like the Israelites were spared the more deadly plagues.
Remember how God’s people were spared those plagues?
This is a picture of the protection that we have in Jesus Christ.
Because for those who trust in Jesus Christ, we are shielded from God’s wrath. We WILL be judged, because judgement is coming to everyone, but we will not be condemned. Jesus has taken the wrath of God on himself - HE has taken the condemnation for us and so we are protected from God’s wrath like the Israelites were protected from the plagues.
God killed his only son so that we would be saved.
But we do go through suffering, like the Israelites in the first few annoying plagues…but our suffering here on earth is nothing compared to the eternal suffering awaiting those who do not trust in Jesus Christ…a suffering which from which we will be spared.
But while the Israelites were spared the more serious plagues, they still endured the annoying plagues....well, when it comes to us today, think of it like this - remember the phrase, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? Any suffering we go through as Christians should make us stronger Christians.
But we have got to remember that while we may suffer on earth, we are spared God’s wrath on the day of judgement - we are spared hell and instead we WILL get eternal life.
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And, like the plagues were planned by God, we also have to remember that suffering here on earth is also planned by God - and that might seem unfair or unloving…
...but what would you rather have - a God who is sitting in heaven helpless to stop our suffering, or a God who is sovereign in everything and who has our best interest at heart and who is working all things in accordance with HIS will for HIS glory and for OUR good?
I know which I’d rather have.
But knowing that should make us do what Pharaoh should have done - fall on our knees and humbly rely on God for EVERYTHING - putting HIM first in our lives. Thanking him for saving us from his wrath and instead giving us grace, giving us himself, giving us protection and blessing and giving us Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
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So is God being unjust? No - for those who sin, there is punishment. There is judgement and people have to pay the price for their sin. It’s as simple as that.
But we are bringing the good news that through faith in Jesus Christ then we can have our sins forgiven and Jesus has paid the price for our sin ON OUR BEHALF - but for those who will not listen or believe, then they have to deal with the consequences themselves…and those consequences are devastating - Hell, eternal torment and torture…separation from God and all that is good, forever and ever.
But we are offering a way out…that’s the GOOD NEWS - but it requires us to humble ourselves and put Jesus as Lord of our lives. And that’s where so many people don’t want to commit…because of pride.
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You see, the world think they are their own gods. They are not much different to Pharaoh.
How many times must God reveal himself to the world and display his power? It might be that this is the last chance for some people. So we preach with urgency.
It’s why time and time again I ask people to examine themselves before God and confess their sin and give their lives to him…because so many people are proud - they are little Pharaoh’s…and they come to church thinking that THEY are a god because they are in control of their lives.
...and sometimes God brings plagues upon people to make them sit up and listen…so often it is in times of crisis that people relent and come to faith, because when the rug is pulled out from under your feet, that’s when you know where you REALLY stand…or fall.
Now, I don’t know your hearts. I don’t know if you’ve truly humbled yourself before God and confessed that you’re a sinner.
But if you haven’t come to Jesus in humility and reverence and fear, then I would urge you to do it now before it is too late.
I think I’m preaching mostly to the converted here, but I don’t want to take a chance in case there is just one person here who can’t honestly say that Jesus is LORD of their lives…and tonight might be the last chance they have. Do not harden your heart.
15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
Give your life to Jesus now. Humble yourself before him so that he can exalt you and lift you higher than you could ever lift yourself.
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But for those who have already done this - let’s thank God that he sent Jesus to take the wrath of God on himself…let’s thank him that we are protected from the wrath that is to come.
Let us take seriously our commitment to Jesus to follow him and serve him and love him…to make him Lord of our lives, and let’s do what we can to tell others so that they too can escape the wrath that’s to come…but not only escape it, but enter into a fullness of life in Jesus Christ and a relationship with God himself.
Let’s pray.