Exodus 9:13-Exodus 11
"7,8,9" • 10.28.10 • Thursday Night Bible Study, Colton Christian Fellowship
Intro
- We left off in our study of Exodus on the 6th plague plague of boils. These plagues represent God's defeat of Egyptian deities and His war against the Pharaoh.
- The plagues come in sets of three. The pattern has followed in this manner: The first is announced, the second comes shortly after, and the third is a surprise.
- Pharaoh has been hardening his heart, strengthening his resolve against the Lord. The Lord finally began to firm up his convictions at the 6th plague.
- We'll be examining the last of these sets tonight, beginning with the plague of hail.
Text
• Exodus 9:13-19 : "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. " : God wants Moses to make sure that he is the first of Pharaoh's appointments. Each time, God has kept His demands high.
- He is in no mood to negotiate. He will have Pharaoh see that this is a decree.
- This prelude is interesting, in that God is most forthcoming with the Pharaoh about His purpose. These next plagues would work on the very heart, the psyche of the Egyptians.
- God was going to do some core work on the Egyptians. He was going to have His place in their minds, to show them that there was no comparison between Him and their gods.
- God is breaking the children of Israel free, but is also breaking the bonds of Egyptian idolatry!
- He is revealing Himself to these pagans, that they might turn to Him as well.
• Exodus 9:15-19 : "Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.'" : The sense here is that God has been measuring His judgments. He has been using 'kid gloves.'
- He could have just wiped them off the face of the planet, but that would not have accomplished His goals, the first being to show His power to the Pharaoh.
- The Pharaoh was thought to be divine. He represented massive world dominating power. Egypt's advancements and politcal dominance was attributed to their gods.
- God is bringing them to their knees, revealing their impotence and His omnipotence!
- Second, these episodes would enhance God's reputation in the world. What God did in Egypt did not stay in Egypt. From there, God's reputation would precede Him.
- The nations which surrounded Egypt would be aware that the God of the Hebrews was worthy of their respect. Pharaoh would not willingly respect the Lord and Egypt would continue to pay.
- In spite of this, God continually extends mercy over and above His obstinance.
- God assumes that He will continue to ignore His warnings, so He warns Him to bring in His cattle because the hail will be deadly! God’s mercy still prevails over His judgment.
• Exodus 9:20,21 : "He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field." : This is exactly how the world is divided up today: Those who fear God and those who do not! Those who fear the Lord and show this in their actions.
- Some Egyptians took the opportunity to barn their animals. You have to visualize how this must have looked. "Oh, I always barn Betsy" as they snuck in their cows!
- At the same time, there are those who do not regard the word of the Lord and continue on as if nothing will affect their lives.
- These left their animals right out in the open, not thinking that God would make good on His word. It's sad, but it shows you just how foolish people can be.
• Exodus 9:22-26 : "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.' And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail." : God had said that this hail would be unique and it was! It was hail, mixed with fire. This was a strange sight indeed.
- The Egyptian sky goddess Nut, was powerless against this hailstorm and the Lord.
- Hail alone can be the cause of tremendous damage. Here in SoCal, we have little to worry about. As a matter of fact, hail is sort of fun. But to our East, hail is a tremendous problem.
- In 2004, damages from hail cost the state of Colorado $200 million dollars![i] In 1990, one hailstorm was so severe that it cost Denver $625 million dollars![ii]
- The largest hailstone ever recorded fell in Nebraska in 2003. It was 7 inches in diameter. The heaviest hailstone fell in Kansas and weighed 2 pounds![iii]
- One is tempted to think, "Big deal!" Yeah, until that 2 pound monster comes at you at the speed of 100 miles per hour!
- Now, this hail in Exodus was of a special, miraculous variety. It was mingled with fire and exceptionally heavy. It came over all the land of Egyptians, but not in the land of Goshen.
- God has set up a line of demarcation and His people are spared from this entirely.
• Exodus 9:27-30 : "And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, 'I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.'
So Moses said to him, 'As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.'" : Pharaoh says all the right things. Moses knows better. "I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God."
So Moses said to him, 'As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.'" : Pharaoh says all the right things. Moses knows better. "I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God."
- Pharaoh represents a heart that wants to be relieved, but does not want to repent! There is a big difference. One heart deals with the consequences, the other deals with the causes.
- Pharaoh's words are so shallow, Moses doesn't even need to think about what will happen!
- He can hear in Pharaoh's voice a ceremony that is divorced from a right heart.
• Exodus 9:31-35 : "Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses." : Verse 31 is a beautiful picture of God’s grace. Much of their cash crop was destroyed.
- The barley was gone, but the wheat was untouched. God had picked the perfect time to allow this hail to fall. His judgment fell upon the Egyptians, but still they had hope. Wheat was coming!
- God could have left them with nothing, destroying their hopes outright. He did not!
- The Pharaoh on the other hand played his part as written. He kept on fulfilling prophecy!
• Exodus 10:1,2 : "Now the Lord said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.'" : The sad part about this passage is the truth of one's effect upon another.
- Pharaoh had hardened his heart. Many of his servants followed suit. They followed their leader, valiantly, into a hardened position before the Lord.
- What God had done for Pharaoh, He had done for many of His servants as well.
- On the other hand, the belief that was being built in Moses and the children of Israel was being built up day by day. God was giving them acts of power to tell their children about.
- How vitally important is it to testify to our children of God's works in our lives? What has He delivered you from? How has He saved you? Our heritage is incredibly important!
• Exodus 10:3-6 : "So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ And he turned and went out from Pharaoh." : These men have grown increasingly bold over this period of time. There was a time when they stuttered and dreaded being in the Pharaoh's presence.
- Now, they are openly challenging Him and pleading with him to change his ways. They began with no experience in diplomacy. They started with no experience in God's work.
- They have gone in and said what God told them to say and then God worked. With every new experience, their confidence grew. That is the only way it happens folks!
- This new plague would be locusts who would feed on all that had been left from the hail.
- Locusts are just as much a problem today as back then. Today, Africa is fighting it's largest swarm in over a decade. The rain has produced great crops and a great breeding season for locusts.
- What is so bad about locust swarms? One locust can eat it's own body weight in 24 hours time. Big deal right?
˚ "A ton of locusts, which is a tiny part of the average swarm, eats the same amount of food in a single day as 10 elephants, 25 camels or 2,500 people."[iv]
- God was going to make sure that this locust swarm would be profound.
• Exodus 10:7-11 : "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 know that Egypt is destroyed?' So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, 'Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?' And Moses said, 'We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.' Then he said to them, 'The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence." : Some of the servants of Pharaoh have seen enough. They are frustrated and scared enough to question the Pharaoh.
- They say, "Do you not know that Egypt is destroyed?" I don't know how it is in the palace, but the people in the streets know what kind of damage they have on their hands.
- Pharaoh listened to his servants and offered Moses this compromise: Let the men go. It's interesting that Pharaoh still believes that he has some bargaining power.
- Here again, this illustrates the compromise that the world and enemy want us to embrace. Go and worship God. Just don’t involve your kids!
- Pharaoh wants an insurance policy that they will return. If they have something of value left in the land, they won’t leave it far behind.
- The principle here though is simple: The enemy and the world will always want you to settle! Settle for less than God's best and you'll find yourself in a miserable place!
- In the end, Pharaoh resorted to threats and physically sent them out from his presence.
• Exodus 10:12-15 : "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.' So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt." : This was nothing short of devastation. "All that was left." There remained nothing green on the trees. A swarm that darkens the entire sky would have no problem creating this type of havoc.
- The Egyptian god Seth, god of storms and disorder, was obviously sleeping on this one!
• Exodus 10:16-20 : "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, 'I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.' So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go." : Pharaoh was panicked. The locusts devastated what was left and he sees that there was little time to act. He impetuously calls for Moses and Aaron.
- Pharaoh says, "Forgive me just once more! Take away this devastation."
- Each time that he has been asked, Moses does this for him. Each time, God responds to the prayers of Moses. God is showing the Pharaoh His power in turning it on and off.
- He is in complete control and Moses is His man. In this instance, God allows the wind to blow the locusts out of the area, just as He had to bring them in.
- Not one locust remained! The land was emptied of them. But the Lord again hardened Pharaoh's heart and he held his ground.
• Exodus 10:21-23 : "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick 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 children of Israel had light in their dwellings." : As per policy, this 9th plague comes with no warning. This darkness lasted for three days.
- The important factors were that it could be "felt," and "it was thick." This represents the physical and mental aspects of this judgment.
- The word "felt" comes from a word that means "to grope." They had to feel their way around. If you have ever been in a cave and the lights are turned off, it’s that feeling.
- I have been in a few caves, but once with a minute of silence. It was disturbing!
- The word "thick" points to the feeling of calamity that came from the darkness. Three days of darkness, nobody to share it with and nobody left their homes.
- The light was fine though in Goshen. Go figure! The sun god Ra had no power either.
• Exodus 10:24-26 : "Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, 'Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.' But Moses said, 'You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.'" : This is Pharaoh's final compromise. Go, but leave the animals here. What did animals represent? Their livelihood. Their riches!
- The enemy's final compromise in our lives is to separate our worship from our finances. "Go worship the Lord, but leave your finances out of it!"
- Moses knew, something we should also know, that worshipping God is an "all or nothing" prospect. He explains that the animals were necessary for sacrifice to the Lord.
- He did not know how man would be necessary for that purpose. He just knew that it required everything. Moses holds firm to his conviction and will not budge any longer.
- This series of engagements has made him a great leader by virtue of practice!
• Exodus 10:27-29 : "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, 'Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!' So Moses said, 'You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.'" : Pharaoh's thin veil of disgust is finally ripped away, as he shows his true hatred for Moses and ultimately God. He finally threatens to kill Moses! Moses knows that the time is ticking away.
- Pharaoh's days are numbered. God is going to end this His way.
• Exodus 11:1-3 : "And the Lord said to Moses, 'I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.' And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people." : The common Egyptians have much more sense than the Pharaoah. They see Moses with great admiration. In their eyes, he was a great man.
- His relationship with the Lord, the one who has brought all of this calamity upon Egypt, has given him certain credibility.
- The people are beginning to bless the people of Israel with their gifts, which will give the people their backwages, as well as a healthy start as they leave the nation of Egypt.
• Exodus 11:4-8 : "Then Moses said, 'Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.' Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger." : God announces the final plague, which will be the most severe of them all. It will be the back breaker. From here, Moses left the presence of Pharaoh.
- It will be indiscriminate, as the Pharaoah and the pauper will share in this misery.
- God has given grace upon grace and when that wears out, justice will be served. Pharaoh had enslaved God's firstborn, Israel. Now God will require that in return.
• Exodus 11:9,10 : "But the Lord said to Moses, 'Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.' So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land." : Pharaoh, even upon threat of death, holds his hardened course.
Conclusion
- In summary, we want to note that God's demands have remained the same from the beginning. He has fought for complete deliverance for His people.
- He has done the same for us today. He has redeemed us, having given all to do so.
- The world has resisted God, even unto death. God's graces are wasted, as the world stubbornly refuses His warnings.
- Along the way, the enemy attempts to get us to settle for less by offering compromise: worship here in the land, go out but not far, go without your family, and go without your money.
- God's deliverance was an all out proposition for Him. It's an all out proposition for us as well!
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