Three Plagues and the Stubbornness of Pharaoh's Heart- Ex. 8 (Part 1)

Three Plagues and the Stubbornness of Pharaoh’s Heart- Ex. 8

As we look at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th plagues, we are given yet another glimpse into God’s almighty power of everything, Pharaoh’s hard and stubborn heart, Moses and Aaron’s faith in God, and an opportunity for reflection. You see, we learn from Paul that God has given us His Word (the Bible) for “teaching, reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

These purposes of God’s Word form a wonderful tool for us to consider any passage of Scripture. This is not to say that every passage will offer all four, but many (and I would argue) most will. Paul will give us our outline as we consider Three Plagues and the Stubbornness of Pharaoh’s Heart. We will ask four questions of this passage, and these four questions will provide you an excellent tool to study God’s Word on your own.

As you approach Scripture, there are four questions you can ask of every passage. Of course, not all of these will yield an answer. However, most will. The question you must ask yourself is, “Am I willing to ask these questions?”

I. What does this passage teach?

II. What do I need to repent of?

III. How can I correct it?

IV. What steps can I take to be like Christ (i.e., righteous)?

Let us begin with these questions, and as we do so, we will jump back and forth in this passage. It is structured around the plagues themselves, but we will focus on it from this four-fold question approach.

I. What does this passage teach?

Notice the question because it is vitally important. It does not ask, “What does this passage mean to me?” That is a popular question in many Bible studies and group sessions, but that question is completely irrelevant. What does this passage teach is the question you and I should ask.

This question can be divided into two other questions (or, subquestions). What does this passage teach about God, and what does this passage teach about humans?

A. What does this passage teach about God?

1. God is patient.

This passage teaches us that God is patient (8:1-2, 13, 16, 20, 31). God was patient with Pharaoh. He could have obliterated this defiant king in an instant, and yet He did not. God was patient with Moses and Aaron. They have repeatedly questioned God already, doubting God’s power to move and work in their lives. God was patient with Israel and Egypt as well.

The Lord is slow to anger, 34:6. He is patient. Oh, He is so patient with me! After a thousand sins He still loves me and patiently works with my sinfulness. Charnock says this,

“The frequent consideration of his patience would render God highly amiable to us.”—Stephen Charnock

That is, God is ever more lovely as we consider HIs patience! As we see to know Him we will love Him more and more, and many times this love is provoked and strengthened by His patience!

2. God hears prayer.

Notice how many times we read Moses praying to the LORD. In 8:12 and 30 Moses prays to the LORD. He has already prayed frequently in this book. God is a prayer-hearing God. When you are hurting, pray to God and He will hear you. When you are broken, pray to God. When you are happy, pray to God. Pray, as the apostle Paul tells us, without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17)

Charnock gives us this awesome thought, “Never can we so delight in addressing as he doth in imparting.” That is, God delights more in answering our prayers than we do in praying them.

There is more about God that we could learn: He is holy and demands worship, He is sovereign, He is powerful. But what does this chapter teach us about us?

B. What does this passage teach us about humans?

1. That humans are stubborn- 8:15, 19, 32

Notice Pharaoh’s consistent response to Yahweh’s power: hardness. Consider the plagues: frogs everywhere: bedrooms, ovens, and kneading bowls. Then there are the gnats/lice. They, too, are everywhere. Then there are the flies. These will afflict the Egyptians alone (a point that we will consider in more detail next Sunday, Lord willing). They, too, are everywhere.

God is waging war against the gods and goddesses of Egypt and destroying them. It is a slaughter. Furthermore, God has removed every single aspect of comfort. They could do nothing without a fly, lice, or frog in the way. Pharaoh continues in his stubbornness, though. He does not repent. He does not acknowledge that God alone is Yahweh, the I AM.

Are we not like this as well? Do we not find ourselves stubbornly refusing to obey the LORD?

2. That humans can know God without being saved by God- 8:19

We see this demonstrated in the magicians. After failing to reproduce the miracle, they acknowledge, “This is the finger of God!” But notice the word they use for God. It is capital G and lower case o-d. They did not know the LORD. We see this in passages like Acts 26:28 with King Agrippa. The Reformers of old would refer to this as Historical faith or temporary faith.

Again, there is much more we could examine. But what do we need to repent of?

II. What do I need to repent of?

What do I need to be reproved for? Consider Pharaoh.

Outright Rebellion- 8:15, 19, 32

He stated that he did not know the LORD and would not obey His voice. Outright rebellion is sin against the God of heaven and must be repented. However, we see more than outright rebellion. We see Pharaoh’s stubborn heart under the mighty hand of God.

If you are a Christian, God disciplines you for holiness (Heb. 12: 3-11). In what area are you failing to obey God? Egypt worshipped false gods/goddesses and sought comfort and provision from them. What idols are you worshipping?

Presumption- 8:10

Consider also Pharaoh’s assumption in 8:10. “Tomorrow” is a terrifying word. You may think you can repent later, at another time, but you presume on the grace and patience of God (cf. James 4:13-17).

Half-hearted Worship

Perhaps you need to repent of a middle-ground life. Notice Pharaoh’s desire in 8:25-32. Pharaoh would let the people go, but not too far. “Stay in the land and sacrifice!” says Pharaoh.

Is this not the call to every Christian? Follow Jesus, but just don’t get too serious about it. Follow God, as long as you keep it to yourself. Serve the LORD, as long as it is only on Sunday!

Yahweh is calling for exclusive worship and anything different will be complete disobedience. Jesus, in the gospel of Matthew, teaches this in Matthew 10:34-39 ““Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Perhaps it would be beneficial to put this in to today’s terms.

You cannot worship the LORD on Sunday (near Egypt) and live for Egypt every other day of the week. There is no middle-ground with the LORD. He is either Lord of your life, or He is not Lord at all (Hudson Taylor).

James gives us a similar warning in James 4:4-10 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

We have asked and answered two questions and even with these two questions we have not come close to plunging the depths of this one chapter of Scripture. The question is, what will you do with these questions? Will you draw encouragement and strength, confessing those sins and restoring your fellowship with the LORD (1 John 1:9)? Or, will you be like Pharaoh, always thinking of later, tomorrow, or a middle ground approach?