Thursday Night Bible Study

Exodus 8-Exodus 9:12

"The Heat Is On!" • 10.14.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- The God of the Hebrews has risen up and begun to show His mighty acts against the gods of Egypt. The Pharaoh, the representative of Egypt, stands in opposition to God's agenda.

- In that way, Pharaoh becomes a type of every person who has ever resisted God.

- God allows him to stand there and makes the most of the opportunity, both to make Himself known, and to deal with the Satanic delusions of false religion.

- We'll continue tonight through the 6th plague, looking first at the plague of the frogs.

Text

• Exodus 8:1-8 : "And the Lord spoke to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.' Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.' So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.'" : This plague begins Pharaoh taking a stonewall approach. "I'll just ignore them."

- Frogs represented the goddess Heqet, who was believed to be the goddess of fertility. As a result, frogs were considered sacred and could not be killed.

˚ "Egyptians worshipped the frog as a female goddess because frogs were common around the Nile, because they reproduced rapidly, and because being amphibians they are part of two worlds, creatures of both land and water." Guzik

- In Egyptian mythology, Heqet was the wife of Khnum, the protector of the Nile. God, in these first two plagues, dealt with an entire family of gods!

- The plague of blood had affected the people of Egypt, but not quite like this. These frogs went directly into their homes, their bedrooms, their kitchens.

- Notice that God says that these frogs would come upon them. Generally, animals have an instinct built within them that causes them to retreat from humans.

- During this time, that instinct was blocked and the frogs would come in with no fear.

- Aaron stretched out his rod and they came up in droves, all over the land of Egypt. Once again, in a great show of ineptitude, the magicians did the same thing, bringing up even more frogs!

- The magicians are employing occultic, satanic power. Satan's power never makes things better. He can only make things worse.

- The Pharaoh asks Moses to ask the Lord to take away the frogs. Pharaoh, a powerful man, has to ask a Shepherd to come to God for him!

- God had told Moses that the Pharaoh would look at Moses as if he were god.

- Pharaoh admits that he is dealing with a god and cannot come to this god himself. His petition comes with the promise of letting the people go. He thinks that he has seen enough.

• Exodus 8:9-15 : "And Moses said to Pharaoh, 'Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.' So he said, 'Tomorrow.' And he said, 'Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.' Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said." : Moses says, "Call it!" He holds the keys to ending this plague, but not until he says!

- You have to wonder about Pharaoh here, as he says, "Take care of this tomorrow!" If I had been him, I would have asked Moses to do it that very moment! Moses listened and did it.

- Moses came before the Lord and prayed. God responded to Moses prayer and the frogs died. They died all over the place, all at once. Their rotting flesh produced a smell that lingered.

- The people of Egypt still dealt with the sin of Pharaoh, as they now have to clean up his mess! They filled their shovels full of dead frogs from every corner.

- The reminder of God's power affected every sense, but once the crisis had passed, Pharaoh again hardened his heart.

- There are many who have followed this same course over the years. The crisis has led them to call out to God. There is mess everywhere. The frogs cannot be avoided.

- They pray and ask the Lord to change things with a ready promise. In the course of time, when the mess is cleaned up, and there is relief, all that was promised is now denied.

- Pharaoh refuses to submit to God as He is, but still wants the benefits of His help.

- This is the essence of idolatry. I want God to serve me and my interests.

• Exodus 8:16,17 : "So the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.' And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt." : The third plague of lice, came from the dust of the earth. Just as the previous plague, this was comprehensive.

- God brought it upon them with no warning. This came up as an unwelcome surprise.

- It's unclear as to whether this is lice as we know it or gnats that when swarming, look like dust. We'll employ the word lice, but understand it may not be lice as we know it.

- There are no gods represented by lice per se. However, because this struck both man and beast, the heart of the religious system was being attacked.

- Priests were no longer clean to open the temples for worship. The shop was closed!

• Exodus 8:18,19 : "Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.' But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said." : The magicians found that they were unable to reproduce this miracle.

- Up to this time, God has allowed the magicians and Pharaoh the luxury of an illusion. They had believed that they were on a level playing field. This shattered that illusion.

- The magicians admitted that this was way out of their league. It was the very finger of God.

- Pharaoh again strengthened His heart against God. He did not heed the works of God. It was so strong, that even words from his own magicians could not sway him.

- It really is something to see a person who has become this way, ignore both the work of God in their life, as well as the warnings of men. It is as if they are immune to any sort of reason.

- You can talk with them, even plead with them to see reason, simple logic, but their eyes betray that your words are going in one ear and out the other.

- Pharaoh heard his magician's report, but it had no affect upon him at all.

• Exodus 8:20,21 : "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then 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, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand." : This will be the fourth plague, and preceding it, there is an arranged meeting, similar to the first plague.

- Moses was to warn Pharaoh that files would come to infest their land. The word “flies” is a transliterated idea. This swarm was more than the household variety mosquito.

- Psalm 78:45 tells us that these pests consumed them. They were the devouring kind and they were everwhere.

- One source wrote that these were what are called "dog flies." They are blood suckers whose painful bites left one at least temporarily disfigured.

- Being fairly aggressive, they attached themselves to the eyelids and other parts of the body.

• Exodus 8:22-24 : "And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.' And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies." : This second set of three plagues begins with God making a distinction, or "setting a ransom" over the people of Israel.

- Previous to this, it seems that the people of God had to deal with the plagues the same way that the Egyptians did. Here, God separates the two. The flies came upon Egyptian houses only.

- This plague ruined the land. There were gods of the Nile and there were gods of the land. They were supposed to protect the land from such things. God is breaking it all down.

- Every spiritual entity that they believed in was failing miserably.

• Exodus 8:25-28 : "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.' And Moses said, 'It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us.' So Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.'" : Pharoah offers a compromise. "Go and do what you will here."

- Sacrifice here. Be worldly and godly in the same place! Enjoy the world and enjoy God!

- The Apostle John tells us that friendship with the world is hostility with God!

- Note two things about Moses here. First, he is being strengthened. His convictions are holding. Moses might have given in earlier, but here, he wisely holds his ground.

- Second, Moses knew that a sacrifice to the Lord would include the slaying of animals and the shedding of blood. The Egyptians would have risen up against them with violence!

- The next compromise offer is just as bad. "Go ahead, just don't go too far!"

- This is exactly the tact of the enemy in our lives. "Explore things of God. Just don't get extreme about it!" Don't be fanatical!"

- The enemy is fine with a little religion. He doesn't mind a little worship. Just don't give yourself totally to God! That's when he minds!

• Exodus 8:29-32 : "Then Moses said, 'Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the Lord, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.' So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go." : Moses promises to pray, Pharaoh pretends to acquiesce, the Lord acts, the Pharaoh shows that he had crossed his fingers!

- Pharaoh believes that he is able to manipulate the Lord, but is simply putting himself into a darker corner.

• Exodus 9:1-3 : "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the Lord 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 be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence." : The Lord has come against the Nile. He has come against the earth. Now, he comes against the cattle.

- This was a virus that affected the cattle. Cows were also sacred to the Egyptians. They represented the goddesses Hathor, Isis and Nut.

- There are depictions of battles which the Egyptians lost because their enemies put cows in front of them! "Don't kill those cows!"

• Exodus 9:4-7 : "And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.' Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, 'Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.' So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go." : You have to see this picture. You see a group of cows or donkeys and in one moment, they fall to the ground dead.

- It was not all of their cattle that died. But all the cattle that DID die, were Egyptian owned!

- When all is taken into account it's uncovered that not one single animal was dead from the children of Israel. They were all fine. Pharaoh again allowed his heart to be hardened.

• Exodus 9:8-12 : "So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.' Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses." : Finally, the 6th plague. That dust from the ashes came out over the wind and it cause boils to come up on their skin.

- Boils look like bruises, but eventually open up into sores and blisters. Think of it like a cold sore, but all over the body!

- There are a few who commented that the dust from the furnace was actually cremains! These commentators believed that this was indicative of human sacrifice.

- Whatever the case, these boils immobalized the magicians, as they are unable even to stand. These boils must have been exceptionally painful.

- With every plague, God has moved closer and closer to where the Egyptians lived. These boils came upon their very bodies.

- Now comes the climax: Verse 12 tells us that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. He said that He would do this. He declared the end from the beginning.

- Pharaoh had hardened his heart 6 times, in Exodus 7:13, 22, 8:15, 19, 32 and 9:7. It's interesting that in biblical numerology, 6 is the number of man.

- Here, this man has shown the capacity to harden himself against the Lord time and again. On the 7th occasion, God hardens, strengthens, His heart.

- It's as if Pharaoh was pouring mud over the revelation that He had received, but then, all of a sudden, God poured cement in. Pharaoh is now permanently lost.

- God is saying to those who would live in rebellion, "If you don't want me, I won't make you take me!" That is a scary proposition.

Conclusion

- God is going to great lengths to reveal Himself to the Pharaoh and his people. God is tearing down every imagination, every pillar of religion, just so that they might know Him.

- At the same time, He is showing His people that He is a mighty God, capable of vindicating their belief in Him. They will soon say, there is no one like our God!

- The same is true for us. God in short time, will again pour out judgment upon this earth. He will give men the chance to come to Him and show us that we have been right to believe Him