Exodus - Part 10

"Everybody is an atheist in saying that there is a god - from Ra to Shiva - in which he does not believe. All that the serious and objective atheist does is to take the next step and to say that there is just one more god to disbelieve in." Richard Dawkins

Only 3% of the US population are atheists, talk about a loud minority, right?

Another 4% are agnostic, meaning they are unsure about any god’s existence.

We live in a time, pretty much just like every other time in human history, where people are open to and eagerly accepting spirituality, worship, and religion

Richard Dawkins “gods” are:

science

humanity

human intellect generally

and likely his own intellect...

Our gods are the things we bow down to, we put our trust and hope in, we esteem as being most supreme and having the most value.

And when our gods are anything but the true and living God, the LORD, we are in the sin of idolatry.

Exodus 5:2 ESV

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.”

Why should I listen to you? Who are you to tell me what to do?

It’s fine to believe in God as long as he doesn’t tell me what to do… Fundamentally, I think I’d make a better god than God....

I read this in a commentary in preparation for this sermon. The 10 plagues are referred to using many words, not just the word “plague”

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Wonders (mopheth)

Wonders (pala’)

Signs (‘oth)

Plagues (maggephah)

Stroke (nega’)

Blow (negeph)

The Pentateuch A. Nature of the Plagues

1. Wonders (mopheth). Used four times in Exodus and eleven other places. Basic idea: something that draws attention; a miracle.

2. Wonders (pala’). Used once in Exodus and once elsewhere. Basic idea: something extraordinary or wonderful.

3. Signs (’oth). Used six times in Exodus and thirteen times elsewhere. Basic idea: that which points to the power of God.

4. Plagues (maggephah). Used once in Exodus and once elsewhere. Basic idea: blows or smitings.

5. Stroke (nega‘). Used once. Basic idea: a touch or smiting.

6. Blow (negeph). Used once. Closely related in meaning to the word for “plagues.”

All ultimately God’s revelation to Israel, Egypt, and Pharaoh

Look for variations of “that you may know that I am the Lord”

Summarize Plague 1-3

Plague 1: Water to blood (attack on god Hapi and others, prosperity does not come for the Nile gods)

Plague 2: Frogs (attack on god Heqet, birth and fruitfulness.)

Plague 3: Gnats (attack on desert god, attack on comfort, only God can provide comfort)

Plague 4: Flys

Exodus 8:20–21 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 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.

This 4th plague starts the second cycle of three...

See the words “rise up early in the morning...”

Exodus 8:22–24 ESV

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.” ’ ” And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

See the “that you may know… IN THE MIDST OF THE EARTH”

He is present and aware

This is the first plague where there is a distinction...

Make the demonstration of power more significant

Shows that God is in our “midst” and knows his people

The distinction is not based on the righteousness of the Hebrews

They have already acted in disbelief, they will continue to act in disbelief

Notice the order of when the law is given...

The flies may have also represented another Egyptian deity, but we will more or less skip over those references in this sermon.

Exodus 8:25–28 ESV

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.”

The demand on Pharaoh is to let the people go, but Pharaoh does a counter offer, God doesn’t negotiate concerning his worship. He does not share his worship. (lesson for us…)

Again, we want to worship God on our terms in our way. This is not right.

Exodus 8:29–32 ESV

Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

Let not Pharaoh cheat again, this is making Pharaoh look bad… his integrity, word, and authority is challenged.

Pharaoh hardened his heart again...

(Boxing match analogy)

Plague 5: Livestock die

Exodus 9:1–4 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.” ’ ”

Again, God calls and names a people, he frees them for service.

He doesn’t make them serve to be freed.

Such a big difference!

Exodus 9:5–7 ESV

And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

Pharaoh verified and saw clearly the consequences of his hardness of heart.

Plague 6: Boils

Exodus 9:8–12 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

1. This plague was not announced to Pharaoh

2. Even the magicians could not stand before Moses

At the beginning, it almost felt toe to toe, but now it’s starting to become a beatdown.

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A good, old-fashioned butt kickin’

Urban Dictionary

This is the most powerful of human gods going against the true and living God, the LORD.

The LORD establishes himself and makes himself known!

Is this wrathful? Yes, born out of love...

Plague 7: Hail

Exodus 9:13–17 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 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. 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. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.

Again, we see the “Rise up early in the morning” and thus begins the 3rd cycle of plagues.

“For this purpose I have raised you up”

God works his purposes

This is not a negation of Pharaoh’s will or to say that Pharaoh had no “choice”

This is to say that God allowed Pharaoh to become large and powerful.

Romans 13:1 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Proverbs 21:1 ESV

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

I must mention Romans 9 although Romans 9 is a chapter for a different time.

Romans 9:14–16 ESV

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Romans 9:17–18 ESV

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

We can’t say it’s not fair that God built Pharaoh up just to demonstrate his power. Pharaoh is evil and God is good and just.

Back to the text...

Exodus 9:18–21 ESV

Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” ’ ” Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

2 Things we see:

God is giving grace to the Egyptians

How is this grace? These plagues?

Wrong perspective.. people are not generally good. People are evil to the core.

I think this may be pointing out the natural consequences to rebellion against the True and Living God.

Exodus 9:22–26 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 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. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

Exodus 9:27–32 ESV

Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)

So that you may know the earth is the Lords

Everything is being taken away...

Everything belongs to the Lord

Not a real repentance, worldly sorrow..

I’m not sorry, I’m sorry I got caught

My heart is not changed, I just don’t like the consequences of my actions

Exodus 9:33–35 ESV

So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 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. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

Plague 8: Locust

Exodus 10:1–2 ESV

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.”

I referenced this verse last week. These signs are so that Pharaoh would know the Lord, so that the Egyptians would know the Lord, and so Israel would know the Lord.

Exodus 10:3–6 ESV

So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’ ” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

Exodus 10:7–11 ESV

Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

Again, Pharaoh is trying to negotiate with Moses and thus with God.

This demonstrates a wild lack of understanding of the gap between who we are and who God is...

We are called to submit to, obey, and worship God alone. On his terms.

We don’t get to call the shots or modify how we live our life...

Exodus 10:12–15 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 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.

Most scholars believe that these plagues were over a period of 9 months… Some close together, some a little more spread out.

Exodus 10:16–20 ESV

Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

Not true repentance, I got caught repentance...

Remember “boxing match analogy”

God is giving Pharaoh the strength to continue the fight he wanted to fight...

Plague 9: Darkness

Exodus 10:21–24 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.”

1. Again, Pharaoh negotiates with Moses and thus God...

2. This may be just to round off the humiliation of the remaining Egyptian gods, specifically the sun god Re...

Exodus 10:25–29 ESV

But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

If I cannot maintain my power and say over the Lord, I am going to dig my heels in even more and resist the Lord.

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

God saved you, he pulled you from the world

WHY? That you may proclaim HIS excellencies!

We were the ones in darkness, but now we are in the light of the Lord.

We are no better than the Egyptians, but we have received the mercy of God… HUMBLE US...

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