Some Worse Things for Some Bad People

Introduction

Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese planes attacks Pearl Harbor

Killed 2,400 Americans, sunk 20 vessels and destroyed 300 planes

Doris Goodwin: “America's response to World War II was the most extraordinary mobilization of an idle economy in the history of the world.”

17 million new jobs, industrial productivity up 96%, corporate profits doubled

We think about ships across the Atlantic, D-Day, atomic bombs, VE and VJ days...

These may not have happened without the US entering the war

It was that famous Japanese attack that brought the US into it

The producers of the film Tora! Tora! Tora! claimed to find this quote in writings:

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

I wonder how many Egyptians said similar things when they started to see God’s plagues

So far we’ve seen:

Blood

Frogs

Gnats

Flies

Livestock

YouVersion: Some Bad Things for Some Worse People

In Exodus 9:8 through 10:29

1. God is alive and worthy

2. Other god’s are dead and unworthy

Remember every third plague comes without warning

Begin with 6th plague, so no warning

Exodus 9:8–12 (ESV)

8 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. 9 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.” 10 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. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Sixth plague: Boils

Remember last week - God is going after Egyptians gods

Boils are against several gods

Sekhmet (seck-met) - goddess of several things - including healing and disease

Sunu - god of pestilence and epidemic disease

Isis - goddess of healing and medicine

Delivers boils or sihin (sheh-heen) - Likely from a root word - to burn

Moses throws soot in the air, they can’t get away and they grow painful sores

Illustration: Makes me think of nuclear fallout

When a nuke goes off on the surface, it throws dust into the air

This dust blows around, carrying radiation

If you are near a nuke, they say “get inside, stay inside, stay tuned

Hides you from that dust

It’s almost like Moses is throwing biological fallout into the sky

So bad, magicians can’t stand before Moses

Too much pain? Infirmary? Too embarrassed? Too afraid?

Then we see the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart

I mentioned before that it seems Pharaoh hardened it first...

But make no mistake, God is doing the hardening here!

Personally I think He’s justified

You may disagree… or not understand it or whatever...

Romans 9:17–18 (ESV)

17 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.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

We might say, “That’s not fair!”

We’re obsessed with fair...

Romans 9:22–23 (ESV)

22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

God’s wrath is justified - we deserve His wrath thanks to sin

If we want fair, that’s what we get

But what if God uses what’s fair to some who get what’s more than fair?

1. God is not fair, thankfully!

Trust me church, you don’t want fair...

Fair is God’s wrath...

More than fair (not unfair, more than fair) is Jesus...

Exodus 9:13–21 (ESV)

13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 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. 19 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.” ’ ” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

Important: Today, God affects people for the first time (boils then hail)

God is patient when we are at our worst, but He will keep pushing

What’s God doing?

Why? He wants to go after them directly

He wants to show there’s no one like Him

He wants to show His power

Let’s look at His kindness/patience first

He could have gone after people sooner, but didn’t

He could have cut them off from the earth, but hasn’t

And He’s sending hail, but giving them a chance to survive!

He warns them to get inside!

So the Egyptians have a chance to be okay, but there’s a catch!

You have to fear the word of the Lord

2. The Word of the Lord brings life

Exodus 9:22–26 (ESV)

22 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.” 23 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. 24 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. 25 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. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

Seventh plague: Hail

Against several gods

Nut - goddess of the sky

Osiris - god of crops

Set - god of storms (also god of deserts from last week)

This is one of the scariest plagues

Illustration: Lionel hitting the ball at my head

That could have killed me!

Hail forms when water is forced up by thunderstorm updrafts

Rises to colder air and freezes

Other moisture sticks to it and freezes, making it grow

Eventually, the updraft weakens or it gets too heavy and falls

Most hail falls at 25mph

4+ inch hail falls at closer to 100mph!

Like an MLB pitcher throwing an icy fastball at your head!

But God’s not done!

Hail AND fire!

Exodus 9:27–35 (ESV)

27 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. 28 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.” 29 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. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” 31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 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. 34 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. 35 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.

What do 20% of all criminal exonerations have in common?

They include a false confession!

We used to think no one would ever confess to a murder they didn’t commit

But they do because they are pressed, coerced, lied to, led and stressed

Do you think Pharaoh is feeling pressure to cave?

There are ball of ice and fire slamming into his house!

People are screaming and dying

The sounds must have been overwhelming

He’d say anything to stop the hail!

Including that he was wrong and he’d let God’s people go...

Moses knows that - he says, “I know you do not yet fear the Lord.”

So when Moses leaves and the hail stops...

Pharaoh goes back to his original plan

Exodus 10:1–6 (ESV)

1 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, 2 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.”

3 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. 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, 5 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, 6 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.

I love that God gives us a special clue for His purpose here:

He wants Moses to tell this story later - to whom?

His kids and his grandkids!

What does that tell us?

3. God’s past actions are also for people in the future

This is always God’s plan for us

Psalm 78:2–4 (ESV)

2 I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

3 things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

This idea of telling the story to Moses and his kids and grandkids...

Is still happening - even right now in this room!

So we have a responsibility to share our with our kids and grandkids too!

So Moses is sent in to tell Pharaoh that locusts are up next!

Then Moses leaves, and look at everyone else’s reaction to this:

Exodus 10:7–11 (ESV)

7 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?” 8 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?” 9 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.” 10 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. 11 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.

Come on Pharaoh… how long are you going to do this

Look around! Egypt is ruined! And God is saying it’s going to get worse!

Quit being so stubborn and send them away!

What are they going to do, build more brick buildings? For what?

So God can hit us with hail? Light us on fire? Make us watch Adam Sandler movies on repeat?

Dude, let them go already!

And Pharaoh finally gives in - and reveals a sad truth about mankind

We are so much more likely to give in when people say things than when God does...

We fear people’s criticism over God’s judgment

That’s why culture ends up dictating what the church does more than Scripture

Culture wants to consistently tell us to do things against what Scripture teaches

We say, “That was a different culture.”

Culture does not nullify Scripture!

That’s essentially saying, “If most humans agree against God, we go with the humans.”

What did God do in Noah’s day when culture went against God?

How about against Sodom and Gomorrah when their culture was against God?

The Canaanites? The Ninevites? The Midianites?

Believe me, mankind and any culture we create is not more powerful than God

Speaking of power, God wants the Israelites to worship Him because of the power He’s showing

Pharaoh’s like “Fine, who’s going?”

God says, “The men! They’re the only ones that matter!”

“God wants young families, the old people don’t matter!”

“The rich! They tithe more!”

Actually, the answer is, “All of us.”

4. Everyone is welcome to worship God

Today it’s the same

God doesn’t choose people based on what we do

romans

Social status, financial status, gender, age, race or nationality

When it comes to being children of God, there’s nothing about us that restricts us!

It all comes down to Christ who gives us reason and permission to approach the Father

And so we worship, all together!

Exodus 10:12–15 (ESV)

12 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.” 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.

Eighth plague: Locusts

Again against Osiris - god of crops

Nut - Again, sky goddess

Also, Shu - goddess of wind

God sent these locusts, and it looked like November around here

You know, when all that tall corn turns into dark earth...

God has slowly been taking the livelihood of Egypt

Think of their food supply:

Blood killed their fish

Flies ruined their land

Livestock was decimated by disease

Hail ruined their crops and whatever livestock was left

Locusts ate whatever crops were left

All thats left is whatever livestock they tucked away in barns before the hail

Exodus 10:16–20 (ESV)

16 Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 19 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. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

For a second time, Pharaoh confesses his sins

Confession is good, but confession alone does not equal repentance - why?

5. Repentance is a heart issue

Anyone can offer lip service to God

What matters is if you need it

Bart Simpson: “I figure I’ll go for the life of sin, followed by the presto-change-o deathbed repentance.”

The problem is Bart is already showing his heart

I’ll wait until the last minute and I’ll “repent” - that is, when I “can’t” prove a changed heart

It won’t trick God though...

Here, Pharaoh has a chance to show his repentance, and he keeps the Hebrews

There is no real repentance there

And so...

Exodus 10:21–29 (ESV)

21 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.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 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. 24 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.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 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.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 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.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

Ninth plague: Darkness

Against Ra - the god of the sun

Again, no warning

You guys have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD)

Turns out when people from Texas, Arizona and California move north they tend to struggle

About 3% of the population struggles with it

I wonder if I do

Both the last two years have been hard about February

Then the sun shines a couple of days and I’m good!

Alaska - wild that there was no darkness

Black our shades and no sense of time

But Winter sounds scary!

Darkness can be poisonous

This plague seems different than the sun not coming out

This is a darkness you could feel

Perhaps an absence of God’s presence

1 John 1:5 (ESV)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Imagine being in pitch black for 3 days

Adam Bloom - total darkness for 48 hours

At first, talking, singing, making jokes

Then he started worrying about his family

After a few hours, he fell asleep

Woke up with no sense of time - was unnerving

Eating meals didn’t reset his clock

18 hours in, he became extremely paranoid

Afraid he’d be trapped forever

30 hours in, he was desperate for stimulation

Pacing around endlessly

40 hours in, he began to hallucinate

He saw a shiny pile of oysters clear as day

He felt the room starting to move under him

Then he felt nothing but numbness

When he was released, there was significant impairment in processing info

However, he couldn’t help but love the color of the grass

He noticed the beauty of every flower

Even tap water became a wonder to him

Imagine all of Egypt experiencing this

While the Hebrews enjoyed the wonders of light

At the end, of course, Pharaoh did not give in

Let’s look at the gods we have seen

Hapi, Khnum, Osiris, Heqet, Set, Uatchit, Hathor, Sekhmet, Sunu, Isis, Nut, Shu, Ra...

But there’s one more… Who? Pharaoh!

6. Humans make lousy gods

Don’t we all think we’re gods?

If Scripture doesn’t line up with our idea of morality it must be wrong

If God doesn’t reveal Himself on our terms He must be wrong

If our will isn’t done we assume God doesn’t have the power

Doesn’t Good want me to be happy?

Doesn’t God want to give me blessings?

Doesn’t God want to remove everything I don’t like?

Let’s remember why God did this:

He wants to answer Pharaoh’s question, “Who is the Lord?”

To show His power through Moses

To show who He is to future generations

To defeat false gods/demons

To show His favor towards Israel

To warn future nations - 1 Samuel 4:8

Remember, there’s one more plague to go, and that’s the big one!

1. God is alive and worthy

2. Other god’s are dead and unworthy

Let us not make the mistake of missing the power of God!