ExodUS: Lessons from Israel's Journey for Our lives
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INTRO: GOOD MORNING CHURCH! GOD HAS BLESSED US TO BE HERE TOGETHER I’M SO THANKFUL THAT YOU ARE HERE!
Possible structure:
INTRO: GOOD MORNING CHURCH! GOD HAS BLESSED US TO BE HERE TOGETHER I’M SO THANKFUL THAT YOU ARE HERE!
GOOD MORNING CHURCH! GOD HAS BLESSED US TO BE HERE TOGETHER I’M SO THANKFUL FOR THAT!
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE HERE YESTERDAY FOR THE VALENTINE BANQUET PLEASE PUT THAT OUT OF YOUR MINDS so that you can take me seriously during this lesson. (For the record I was pressured, nay, almost forced to be do that.)
I told Meg ya’ll better know I love you, a lot. Because love is the only thing strong enough to make me go that far.
Needless to say, I was not extremely excited to embarrass myself in that way.But I did have fun. But I am excited about our lesson this morning.
TWO WEEKS AGO WE STARTED A SERIES ON EXODUS to seek to gain lessons for our lives from their Journey and experiences with GOD.
We looked at MOSES call from God to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites go and lead the people out of slavery. We talk about the many excuses Moses made to God and how the LORD ACCEPTED NONE OF THEM.
We talked about the excuses we sometimes make to GOD and learned that we need to stop making excuses and go and do what God has called us to do.
TODAY we are going to study what God accomplished through the plagues that He inflicted on Egypt and Pharaoh. Spoiler alert; what GOD was doing through the plagues was much more than just freeing Israel.
EXCITEMENT OVER GOD’S WORD (WHAT IS IN IT, ITS POWER)
GROWING UP I did not see the big picture of what God was doing through the 10 plagues. As I learned in Sunday school I thought it was a simply equation. God was doing the plagues so that Pharaoh would let the God’s people go. He kept doing plagues until Pharoah said “uncle” so to speak and he would change his mind and God would have to do more.
GOD HAD MANY PURPOSES BEHIND THE PLAGUES: But when you really study the plagues you see that God’s purposes went far beyond just setting the people free.
In fact God in chapter 9 and verses 15-16 God tells Pharaoh that He could have wiped Him and the Egyptians off the face of the Earth but He had a greater purpose.
We will get to that a little later. Let’s look at the plagues with the exception of the last one which will be saved for Perry’s lesson next week with the Passover.
Every time I study the account of the plagues I am amazed at God’s power and genius. EXCITEMENT OVER GOD’S WORD (WHAT IS IN IT, ITS POWER).
EXCITEMENT OVER GOD’S WORD (WHAT IS IN IT, ITS POWER) Every time I study the account of the plagues I am amazed at God’s power and genius.
Because we know the story we can make the mistake of reading over it too quickly and miss the severity of them and what it would have been like to be there.
GETTING US UP TO SPEED: to get us from the place we were two week ago to when the plagues start let me remind you of what happens in between.
After Moses runs out of excuses and God will not take “no” for an answer Moses (1) goes to Egypt, (2) tells the Elders of Israel God’s word with the miracles (as at the burning bush) and they believe, then they address Pharaoh, but as God said he would, he refuses.
But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
Ex 5:
He does not recognize God at this point but soon he will be asking for Moses to pray to the God he did not recognize to relieve him of the plagues.
Instead of letting the people go Pharaoh makes the word harder for them which breaks the spirit of the Israelites and causes them to be bitter. But God repeats His promise to take them out from under the slavery and give them the land He promise Abraham.
In chapter 7 Moses and Aaron prove that they are from God by Moses staff turning into a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians do the same but Moses snake swallows up the others. When Pharoah ignores this, then the plagues start.
THE PLAGUES AND THE DEVASTATION THEY CAUSED
We often read over these plagues quickly and do not consider just how devastating each and every one of them would have been to Egypt not to mention when you combine them one after the other.
(1) The Nile and other water sources in Egypt are turned to Blood. (slide)
Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.” ’ ”
The Nile River was so vital to Egypt and was a huge part of its survival. For the reasons mentioned here, the fish would die which was a staple in the Egyptians diet and of course water was need as much as today and more. The Nile was what gave life to this desert region. The people lived around it, off it and by it. Because of all this the Egyptians worshipped it as a god.
To get just how this would have been. Have you ever turned on your water and it came out brown and dirty. (They didn’t have facets) but it would have been more dangerous. Like a water shortage, fish shortage and would have affected food supplies.
At this point Pharaoh’s magicians did something that looked like the same thing and Pharaoh didn’t pay attention.
(2) Frogs come from the Nile and overrun Egypt.
The second plague is one of my favorites. Frogs! Are any of you scared of frogs? slide
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.
Those of you who are not afraid of frogs might think this is would not be a big deal. But think of the results of having frogs everywhere. (Funny, when you wife calls you to kill bug)
They would have been annoying, dirty and carry germs. The fact that they would be in the places where the food was in kneading bowls and ovens would have been bad. Think of how we react when we find a bug or hair in our food.
Think of how it would have been to find frogs in your bed. I’m sure you would be surprised in a bad way… (Probably never had a frog in your bed…unless someone played a bad prank…) Here is the funny part!
Here is the funny part! The frog a symbol of a goddess.
- “In the Egyptian pantheon the goddess Heqet had the form of a woman with a frog’s head. From her nostrils, it was believed, came the breath of life that animated the bodies of those created by her husband, the great god Khnum, from the dust of the earth. Therefore frogs were not to be killed.” [1]
“In the Egyptian pantheon the goddess Heqet had the form of a woman with a frog’s head. From her nostrils, it was believed, came the breath of life that animated the bodies of those created by her husband, the great god Khnum, from the dust of the earth. Therefore frogs were not to be killed.”
“In the Egyptian pantheon the goddess Heqet had the form of a woman with a frog’s head. From her nostrils, it was believed, came the breath of life that animated the bodies of those created by her husband, the great god Khnum, from the dust of the earth. Therefore frogs were not to be killed.”
- God took another of Egypt’s gods and showed it to be of no help to them.
Did you catch that last part! So imagine having a certain bug in your house (or even a frog) and you could not kill it. HAHAHA!
This was so bad that Pharoah calls Moses and Aaron and ask them to plead with God (the one who He did not recognize) and ask to take it away.
(3) Gnats all over the land of Egypt (Magicians cannot reproduce but admit it is the “Finger of God.”)
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.’ ”
Can you imagine just on the level of annoyance how bad this would have been? When one is flying around your head it is very frustrating. Imagine them in swarms. Carrying...
V18This is a awesome part of the story. The magicians cannot fake this one and are forced to admit it. V19 This is a great verse that is very telling. They admit that this is God’s doing or the “finger of God.”
A. Vv18-19 Pharaoh’s magicians cannot duplicate it and admit it is from God
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.
The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.
1. V18This is a awesome part of the story. The magicians cannot fake this one and are forced to admit it.
2. V19 This is a great verse that is very telling. They admit that this is God’s doing or the “finger of God.”
(4) Swarms of flies overwhelm the Egyptians only (as God makes a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians) (In ancient times those who won in battle were considered to have the more powerful god)
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.
Ex 8:
We know how annoying the regular housefly is. They drive me crazy and they carry germs. But this was not your average housefly. Get pic pf marchfly
- The Septuagint suggests that this was “the modern gadfly or Marchfly” which has a painful bite. Reminds us of a horsefly… Could you imagine swarms of horseflies?
The Septuagint suggests that this was “the modern gadfly or Marchfly” which has a painful bite. Reminds us of a horsefly… Could you imagine swarms of horseflies?
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.” ’ ”
Ex 8:22-
God would ma
Notice that God does two things here. One, He puts a time stamp (tomorrow) on when this will happen so that there can be no mistake and also makes a distinction by making sure the Israelites are not bothered by the flies. God would do this over and over...
Again Pharaoh asks for Moses to plead to God for relief by saying He will obey God but after the plague is removed goes back on His word.
(5) The Egyptians livestock die (but not the Israelites as God continues to make a distinction). (Not just the cattle but horses, donkeys, camels, herds, etc.) pic of dead...
Getting into chapter 9 the fifth plagues is told about. As with some of the other plagues God gives Pharoah the chance to do the right thing.
Again with this plague God gives a start time and sets the Israelites apart. This time Pharaoh checks it out to see if any of Israel’s livestock have died and he found that not one of them had died. (Can you imagine…)
(6) Boils breaking out into sores on the Egyptians and their beasts
The sixth plague was severe as it was boils on the skin of all the Egyptians but still Pharaoh hardened his heart. (Imagine how hard this would have been one after another)
(7) SEVERE DEADLY HAIL falls that kills many Egyptians and their livestock. (slide pic)
Next, the seventh plague God sends the worst Hailstorm Egypt would ever see and many people and livestock would die.
There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.
We might think, how could hail do all of this but this would not have been little bitty hail but that which would be much bigger. PIC OF BASEBALL SIZE HAIL...
Pharaoh again pleads for help but when the plague goes away he goes back on his word.
But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
Ex 9:
(8) LOCUST SWARMS that cover the land so thick that you could not see the land. They would eat up every bit of produce and plants that are left.
Chapter 10 begins with the eighth plague of Locust swarms that are so thick they could not see the ground. They locust would eat up everything that was left.
They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
Ex 10:15
Pharaoh’s people have already said “Egypt is ruined” because of the plagues.
(9) DARKNESS complete darkness for three days (interesting that it was for three days, there was darkness for three hours before Jesus’ death and this is the final plague before…)
Imagine how scary this would have been. (Again God makes a distinction because there was light in Goshen)
Trans: Now the final and most devastating plague we will leave for next week for Perry. But at his point lets consider a few things…First of all think outside of the box and ask...
THE PLAGUES AND THE DEMONSTRATION OF POWER OVER false gods.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED “Why these specific things?” God could have done so many different things. And did do other things in scripture such as…pestilence, drought, invading armies, fire from heaven. (Was God like “I think frogs…that would be interesting…)
“Egypt had one of the largest and most complex pantheons of gods of any civilization in the ancient world. Over the course of Egyptian history hundreds of gods and goddesses were worshipped” -britannica
It is very likely that God chose these specific plagues to magnify the message that He was the One true and powerful God. And that the Egyptians false gods were powerless.
The plagues have a connection to the false gods of the Egyptian pantheon. So for example: The Nile as we said was so important that it was considered to be a god.
“The Egyptians, fearfully aware of epidemics, worshiped Sekhmet, a lion-headed goddess with alleged power over disease; Sunu, the pestilence god; and Isis, goddess of healing. Yet these deities could not deliver the people and animals from their torments.” (PICS)
Some scholars suggest that Moses’ “symbolic sprinkling of ashes in the air demonstrated the helplessness of the Egyptian air-deity (Shu) in the face of coming events.”
[1]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:123
The frog a symbol of a goddess. God was most likely making a very strong point as well. In Ancient Egypt, “frogs” were used as a symbol of the goddess Heket (or Hequet) who supposedly aided women in childbirth.”
During the HAILSTORM: Egypt’s god of the sky (Nut) nor the god of the crops (Seth) could help. Or the storm god; Seti.
- God took another of Egypt’s gods and showed it to be of no help to them.
[1]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:121
God could have done any number of things…as in other places in scripture such as...
GOD DEMONSTRATING HOW POWERLESS AND EMPTY FALSE GOD’S WERE. THAT HE IS THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD. SO FOR OUR SAKE LET’S ASK WHAT WERE GOD’S REASONS?
THE BIGGER REASON FOR THE PLAGUES
WHEN YOU LOOK AT REPEATED MESSAGE THAT GOD SAYS OVER AND OVER THROUGH THE PLAGUES: LETS LOOK AT THESE PASSAGES…7:4-5, 17; 8:10, 22; 9:14, 15-16; 10:1-2
THE VERSES ABOUT GOD WANTING THEM TO KNOW...
LET’S GET RIGHT INTO THE ACCOUNT…FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF…REMINDERS...
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.”
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. 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.”
Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.
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.
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.
For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
Ex 9:22
For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
SEE, THIS IS INCREDIBLE, GOD WASN’T BEING HELD BACK BY PHARAOH. GOD SAYS I COULD HAVE WIPED ALL THEM OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH BUT GOD WAS USING ALL OF THIS TO SHOW HIS POWER AND ABSOLUTE CONTROL SO HIS NAME WOULD...
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”
The big message here is that that God did these things so that Pharoah, the Egyptians, the Israelites, THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN and EVERYONE, including you and me would know the HE IS GOD!
WE recognize that God did not do all of this because He was on an ego trip, He did this so that THE EGYPTIANS and ISRAEL AND WE WOULD NOT ONLY KNOW THAT HE IS GOD BUT COME TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY AND BE OUR GOD AND FATHER.
IT IS THE SAME PURPOSE THAT JESUS HAD TO COME AND SHOW US THE FATHER, HIS POWER, HIS LOVE, HIS SALVATION. AS JESUS SAID, “IF YOU HAVE SEEN ME YOU HAVE SEEN THE FATHER.
APPLICATIONS:
AGAIN; WE find God’s reasons for His actions towards Egypt were two fold; (1) So they would “know” who God is… (2) To judge Egypt and Pharaoh for his disobedience. (II.) Was it so they would believe? (12:38 says they left with “mixed company.” Egyptians? Aliens lived among them…some of which Egyptians… (Was it so the Egyptian would believe and serve God?)
Many years later Rahab and other people knew about God and what He did to bring the ISraelites out of Egypt.
IF YOU DIDN’T CATCH JUST HOW OVERWHELMINGLY INCREDIBLE ALL THIS IS JUST CONSIDER WHAT GOD DOES: (this about it for a second, God was going to send Moses to one of the greatest world powers of the time and not send an army to rescue but of His own power cause the people to not only let the people go, but force them to go, and not just force them to leave but give them their riches when they do.) (And Moses was worried!)
BUT THAT WASN’T EVEN THE INCREDIBLE THING HE WAS GOING TO DO! GOD WOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY SHOW THE EGYPTIAN, ISRAELITES AND THE WORLD AND US HIS POWER SO THAT MANY WOULD BE SAVED. (HERE WE ARE TODAY STILL STUDYING IT. )
GOD WAS JUDGING THE EGYPTIANS AND AT THE SAME TIME GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO TURN TO HIM AND LEAVE WITH ISRAEL.
The big message here is that that God did these things so that Pharoah, the Egyptians, the Israelites and EVERYONE, including you and me would know the HE IS GOD!
So when we read this we should be reminded of God’s awesome unlimited power that only He has. As whether we read this for the first time or the 5000th time we should stand in absolute astonishment.
(BUT WE SHOULD NOT SIMPLY BE ASTONISHED. Pharoah went from saying “I don’t know this God” to asking Moses over and over to pray to the God…after seeing all that GOD did HE should have wanted to serve the only God who had any power and reality.)
But we should not be able to read this and be amazed without considering whether we are truly following God with everything we are, out of, and away from our old lives of slavery to sin and daily closer to the promise land.
(WE SHOULD READ THROUGH THESE INCREDIBLE THINGS (with full faith that they happened as real as the rain that we have experienced last week) and be built up in FAITH AND BE INSPIRED TO PRAY AS GOD HAS CALLED US TO PRAY, BOLDLY, FOR CHANGE BELIEVING GOD CAN DO MORE THAN ALL WE ASK OR IMAGINE.)
GOD IS GOD and what He says do we obey out of love and ultimate reverence for the who not only rules our lives but the ONE who rules the UNIVERSE, JESUS CHRIST.
WE recognize that God did not do all of this because He was on an ego trip, He did this so that THE EGYPTIANS and ISRAEL AND WE WOULD NOT ONLY KNOW THAT HE IS GOD BUT COME TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY AND BE OUR GOD AND FATHER.
IT IS THE SAME PURPOSE THAT JESUS HAD TO COME AND SHOW US THE FATHER, HIS POWER, HIS LOVE, HIS SALVATION. AS JESUS SAID, “IF YOU HAVE SEEN ME YOU HAVE SEEN THE FATHER.
WE SHOULD READ THIS AND BELIEVE IN HIM AND REALIZE THAT HE IS THE ONLY ONE TO WORSHIP. WE DO NOT NEED TO KEEP RUNNING AFTER AND RELYING ON THINGS OVER HIM THAT CANNOT SAVE US OR FULFILL US OR DEFINE US.
HE CREATED US, SAVED US, DEFINES US AND GIVES US THE PURPOSES AND WORK WE WERE CREATED TO DO. (LIFE CAN ONLY COME THROUGH HIM.)
TURNING BACK ONLY LEADS BACK INTO SLAVERY.
DESK NOTES:
GOD BECAUSE OF WHO HE SHOULD RECEIVE OUR DEVOTION AND OBEDIENCE
[LET US NOT BE LIKE PHARAOH AND ONLY TURN TO GOD WHEN WE ARE IN A TERRIBLE PLACE (EMOTIONALLY, FINANCIALLY, ETC) AND THEN IGNORE HIM AT ALL OTHER TIMES]
Pharaoh over and over admits that he “sinned” but then goes right back to his pride.
Pharaoh over and over admits that he “sinned” but then goes right back to his pride.
[TRUE FAITH AND REPENTANCE AFTER SIN MEAN THAT WE will do what we said we would for God and LET GO OF WHAT GOD SAYS LET GO OF!
DN: THE EGYPTIANS HAD MANY gods s that they would call on to meet different needs and bring false security. WHILE PEOPLE DO NOT CALL THEM gods, our culture has many gods as well. Idols we put in place of GOD that we run after to bring more immediate false security and temporary fulfillment (or escape.)
THE EGYPTIANS HAD MANY gods s that they would call on to meet different needs and bring false security. WHILE PEOPLE DO NOT CALL THEM gods, our culture has many gods as well. Idols we put in place of GOD that we run after to bring more immediate false security and temporary fulfillment (or escape.)
There is no substitute for God, His power and His ways in life. ([1] When we try to substitute trust in God’s power for things we can see in front of us or our own power we come up short, [2] when we try to find true happiness in the ways of the world instead of the ways of God we are disappointed, [3] when we leave God our lives are without purpose or direction…no imitations will do God and his ways are always better. “Israel tried to substitute God for idols were useless and powerless.”
DOES HOW