The 8th Plague (Locusts)--Proof that the Lord is the Savior of Mankind
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Exodus 10:1-20
Exodus 10:1-20
L/W—
Thank you to Jonathan Hanson (Connection Lead) for filling in last week on Mother’s Day and speaking The Great Commission
L/W—(See pictures)
Group of folks went to work with Chad Roberson and The Grove Baptist Church in Coldwater, MS
Saturday and Sunday were spent in fellowship with their church and church family
Monday—traveled to a town called “Arka-butler” where we helped with some much needed repairs on a recently widowed woman ( ). Missy, Michelle, and JP helped paint and were able to witness, encourage, and love on her and her niece (Sara) on both days, while Derrick, Chad, Judd, JP, and myself helped repair the roof, paint the outside and fix some siding
Tuesday—traveled back to the house to finish and then spent time canvassing a local neighborhood, where we met
Wayne Hopper
“John” single dad of two boys
Several others
Wednesday—we helped Chad with painting and some exterior repair at the church and then spent time in Bible study
Thursday evening—we went to downtown Memphis and handed out chicken/sandwiches/hygiene bags/water to the homeless and had some very good gospel conversations
T/W—Pick back up at our look at the 10 plagues of judgment God levied against Pharaoh and Egypt, as He worked to deliver the people of Israel from their bondage
(READ EXODUS 10:1-20)
Of the numerous Biblical and doctrinal truths we learn about in God’s plagues against Pharaoh and Egypt, two stand out:
(First) The Biblical and doctrinal truth of God’s justice/judgment against sin & evil:
Pharaoh and the Egyptians were guilty of the worst kinds of sin and evil
Injustice/Idolatry
Slavery/Brutality
Savagery/Murder
Greed/Worldliness
Immorality/Skepticism
Agnosticism/Rebellion against God
Rejection of God/Hardness of heart
God was going to act (to judge) them for their sins—He was going to act on His nature of justice
This is pictured in the ten plagues of His judgment which fell upon Egypt
(Second)The Biblical and doctrinal truth of God’s longsuffering (patience) so that He might bestow His mercy
Pharaoh and his people were worthy of God’s judgment—so He was execution His justice upon them
God was, through the plagues, rectifying all the wrongs committed against Him, others, and especially His people (Israel)
***NOTE*** God is not only just—He is merciful—in each of these 8 plagues (and the two we have remaining), God who is at the same time judging sin/evil—is offering His mercy and grace to those who might repent
It can be tempting at times to read the account of Exodus—about the sinfulness and evil of Pharaoh and his people and think to ourselves, “Wow, look at all the evil they committed,” or “I could never do or would never be as they were.”
The reality is, man today (we) are guilty of all forms of sin and evil
Idolatry, immorality, greed, and more continue to plague our hearts today
The reality is, one humble, honest look in the mirror, would reveal hearts that are just as prone to sin/evil
The reality is, just as God brought judgment against Pharaoh for these things, so to does God judge and bring justice for the sins and evil of man today
The Biblical doctrine and truth that God is just—is as much a reality today as it was thousands of years ago
It can be tempting at times to read about the plight of the Israelites—about the bondage they were under/the oppression they were weighed down by and think, “There’s just no hope for me,” or “There’s no way out of the bondage I’m in,”
The reality is, man today (we) are worthy of God’s judgment, on His justice for our sins/evil
The reality is, God (today) still offers us His grace and mercy—He is still acting upon His nature of longsuffering and patience to see man turn from our sin and turn towards Him
The reality is, God does judge us, but God also redeems us
This is the lesson we can take away from today’s message: Proof that God is the Great Savior of Mankind
I (v.1-2) The Purpose for God’s Judgments
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.””
***A reminder as we get into this, b/c again we see God state, “…for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants...”
What does this mean?
Let’s start with what this doesn’t mean—it does NOT mean
God doomed Pharaoh to hell
God interfered with Pharaoh’s soul
God destroyed Pharaoh’s will, his ability to choose God
God kept Pharaoh from living a righteous life
What this DOES mean--
Pharaoh’s heart was hard b/c he made it hard through the years—made it hard by the decisions he had made
Pharaoh’s heart was hard b/c time and again he made decisions to do wrong—as he did, a law of human nature set in—the law of conditioning, which states a person chooses wrong—the more a person’s heart is conditioned to do wrong; the more a person chooses wrong, the more easier it becomes to choose wrong
Pharaoh chose to do more and more wrong; therefore, his heart became encrusted and rock-like
Pharaoh chose to do more and more wrong; and he found it easier and easier to reject God and give in to his flesh.
Pharaoh’s heart was made hard by the law of human nature (conditioning), so thus it can be said God made Pharaoh’s heart hard, b/c God established this law at the inception of creation
Pharaoh made his own heart hard by choosing to do wrong time and again
He conditioned himself—his mind/his flesh to do the wrong thing—over and over again
He conditioned himself—his mind/his flesh to reject and rebel against God
He conditioned himself—his mind/his flesh to that is inner knowledge of righteousness became hardened and encrusted/rock-like
What does this teach us?
Scripture declares that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart—but remember, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart b/c his heart deserved to be hardened:
Choosing idolatry/false gods
Choosing to live an ungodly/unrighteous life
Choosing to treat other unjustly and unfairly
Choosing to reject the message and urgings of God over and over again
(CONTEXT) Why was God chastening and judging Egypt, launching plague after plague? God tells us Himself in these verses
God wanted to demonstrate His judgment—He clearly judges the sin and evil of hard hearts—Pharaoh needed to (man needs to) grasp this fact—it needs to be forever written on our minds: God judges sin and evil.
The ancient Egyptians were terrible sinners (go back to the list above)
God had no choice—He had to chastise and judge the king and his people—He had to correct them
God wanted believers to teach the judgment of God as well (within the doctrines of the Bible, mercy is one of those that we preach and teach all the time—and rightfully so, b/c it is ONLY through God’s mercy that we experience His grace, yet we must caution ourselves to not neglect the necessity and truth of His judgment and justice against sin/evil
God desired both the necessity of and truth of His judgment against sin/evil be taught to succeeding generations—that He is going to judge the world for sin/evil; as seen and studied God clearly possessed the power to execute judgment against sin/evil (7 plagues up to this point),
Why? In order for us to rightly understand and grasp the immense mercy of God, we must rightly understand and grasp our need of it--God must execute justice for sin/evil—for our sin/evil—for my sin/evil: in rightly be brought to our knees over God’s mercy—we must rightly be brought to our knees over our sin and God’s necessity to judge it and have justice over it
God is perfectly just—He wills that every one of us be treated justly…that
Every injustice we have suffered by made right
Every injustice we have committed against others be made right
Every injustice we have committed against God be made right
It is b/c of this God must execute justice—that He must judge the world in righteousness—and He desires all believers to teach the truth of His judgment to their children—as well as to the unbelievers of this world.
This was one of the very reasons God sent His plagues, His judgments, upon Egypt
The plagues stand as a picture before the world—
A picture declaring the truth that God judges sin/evil
A picture that the terrible day of God’s judgment is coming—where each one of us must give an account
God also wanted believers to learn another fact from His judgment---God is the Lord—the great Savior and Redeemer (Jehovah/Yahweh)
Going back to Exodus 8:22-23 and 9:4, we see where God had delivered His people from the terrible judgments falling upon Egypt and He was going to deliver His people from their slavery/bondage—and deliver them to the promised land
(CONNECTION-You and Me)
Connecting point #1—that God clearly judges sin and evil
Many people deny this fact/ignore this fact/reject this fact—but denial doesn’t stop the truth that God is going to judge the world—the sin and evil of people—the plagues themselves prove this and was one of the purposes of them:
Psalm 14:1-4 “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord?”
Jeremiah 1:16 “I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness, Because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands.”
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.””
Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
Hebrews 3:12 “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;”
The Biblical doctrine and truth that God is just—is as much a reality today as it was thousands of years ago
Connection to point #2—God desires we teach our children and succeeding generations of His judgment/justice
God does not desire our children to suffer the coming judgment upon sin and evil
God does desire our children to escape the coming judgment against sin/evil
Therefore, it’s our God given commandment/duty to tell them and teach them
Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,”
Deuteronomy 6:7 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
John 21:15 “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.””
Connection to point #3—Woven into the message of the necessity of God’s judgment/justice is the promise of God’s mercy, to those who might heed His Word/warning
Note the end of verse 2, “…that you may know that I am the Lord.”
Salvation is found in the Lord and the Lord alone—not a single person or man-made god/idol
Can save us from the bondages of this world, which lead to death
Can lead us to the believer’s promised land of heaven, eternal life, and God’s presence
Only the Lord Himself can do this; only He can save us; only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our Biblical surrender to Him, can we be restored and be born again
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 37:39 “But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.”
Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ””
Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Acts 5:31 “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”
The Biblical doctrine and truth that God is merciful and He alone is our Redeemer/Deliverer/Savior, is as much a reality today as it was thousands of years ago
II (v.3) The Declaration of God’s Word
Exodus 10:3 “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.”
(CONTEXT)—Two things here
Moses and Aaron asked a key question, “…How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?” Why?
Note what Pharaoh stated:
Pharaoh professed his sin and promised to obey God
Pharaoh had promised to repent of his hardness against God and to free God’s people
Note what Pharaoh did:
Once judgment passed—he forgot his confession and promises
Once judgment passed—he turned away from God—hardening his heart even more
Once judgment passed—he became stiff-necked, stubborn, obstinate, and unyielding to God
Moses and Aaron presented God’s demand
Free God’s people
(CONNECTION—You and Me)
Connection to point #1—
God’s Word asks us (you and me) the same question,
“How long will we continue to refuse to humble ourselves before God?”
“How long will we (you and I) resist and push against the Holy Spirit’s conviction of our
Sins/idolatry?
Pride/Selfishness?
Self-sufficiency?
Hunger for money/power/fame?
Greed/false worship?
Why? Why does man, why do you and I often find ourselves refusing humility?
Because God demands our life--He demands all of who we are and have—He demands the actual sacrifice of EVERYTHING—and our sinful nature, our flesh—strives against us surrendering EVERYTHING,
Because of our pride--congenitally (from birth), we are plagued with a nature to handle/hold/control every aspect of our lives—and this goes against the Biblical narrative that God is a jealous (Exodus 20:5) to be Lord of EVERY area of our lives.
In our pride, we say we can handle/fix/overcome
Our sin
Our anxieties/worries/fears
Our finances
The struggles our relationships:
Spouses
The wayward child
Family members
Friends
Our plans/desires/wants
Psalm 10:2 “The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.”
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 17:19 “He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.”
No matter what excuse/justification/accusation we make—pride is what plagues our hearts and what is the root of all our sin—but we have a choice:
We can become stubborn/stiff-necked/obstinate, or
We can fall to our knees—humble ourselves—and be restored
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
III (v.4-6) The Warning and Proclamation of Judgment
Exodus 10:4-6 “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.”
(CONTEXT)—Two things here:
God gave Pharaoh and his people an opportunity to repent and obey Him (v.4)
Note again, this is a warning of the coming judgment—it was not to fall until the next day (tomorrow)
Pharaoh was given time—time to think about God’s message, his sin, and make a decision to repent—plenty of time
God described the devastating judgment that was to fall upon Egypt (v.4-6)
The locusts would cover the whole face of the earth (v.5)
The locusts would devour what little vegetation was not destroyed by the hail storm (v.5)
The locusts would fill all Egyptian houses, even the houses of Egyptian officials (v.6)
The locusts would bring the most severe locust plague in all Egyptian history (v.6)
The plague of locusts has always struck terror in people—so much so, it has become a terrifying symbol of God’s judgment
(CONNECTION-You and Me)
Connection to point #1--God continues to give time and opportunity for people to repent and obey Him
God’s Word provides the absolute truth that God will bring judgment on those who reject and refuse His Son and continue to live with hardened hearts, yet at the same time, in this warning
God is also providing man (each of us) time and opportunity to repent and obey Him
Connection to point #2--God doesn’t leave us blind/in the dark about the judgment which awaits them if they fail to repent
God and His Word leave no doubt that terrible judgment is coming, and the statistics are absolute and accurate:
There is not even 1% error—everyONE of us will die—we cannot escape death---and after death comes judgment, note what the Bible teaches
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”
Jeremiah 11:11 “Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.”
1 Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”
Hebrews 2:3 “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,”
God and His Word tell us exactly what awaits those who reject/rebel/refuse His Son—refuse confession and repentance, contrary to what this world/man conceives:
What man conceives?
God wouldn’t really send me to hell for refusing His Son
If God is love, then He just couldn’t sent folks to hell
I will just face the punishment here in this world, but in the end God will see how good I am and let me in
What the Bible teaches?
Matthew 7:21-22 ““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’”
1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”
Romans 3:10 “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;”
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 10:9-10 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
IV (v.7-11) The Attempt to Compromise with God
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.”
(CONTEXT)—What happened here is quite interesting and dramatic
Pharaoh’s advisors suggest he compromise—that he let the Israelites go and worship their God (v.7)***Note—up until now the advisors had been silent—but now they recognized just how desperate the situation was** (Two reasons for their counsel:)
Moses was a dangerous snare—they blamed Moses for the judgments falling upon them and Egypt; the suggested Moses was setting a snare/a dangerous trap to destroy them
Egypt was almost ruined—Pharaoh was obvious blinded by pride and rage to see the catastrophic destruction that was befalling Egypt, and his advisors were pointing it out
Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and offered compromise; Pharaoh would free the people to go and worship the Lord, but he wanted to know who would be going (v.8)
Moses replied all the people (everyone)—and all the livestock would be going (v.9)
Pharaoh’s reply—he compromised: only the men could go (v.11)
Moses and Aaron were then escorted out, angrily (v.11)
(CONNECTION—You and Me)—When it comes to our sin and obedience:
God does not and will not compromise:
He cannot accept half-hearted surrender/confession of sin (giving up of some sin, but holding on to others; nor does He forgive some and excuse others
Not one iota of sin’s stain can remain on a person’s heart and that person still be accepted by Him—that’s why our acceptance isn’t based on me & you---it’s based on the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ
He cannot accept half-hearted obedience (obeying some parts of His Word, but not the whole)
Half-hearted obedience is ZERO obedience
Jesus Christ has no business with hypocrites and no place for half-hearted commitment. He and HE ALONE, can look at our lives and tell whether we love Him or not, whether we are sincere or not.
He can watch and see our struggle against sin and tell if we really desire to follow Him or not. The genuine believer struggles against sin: he fights, wrestles, and wars against sin with every ounce of energy he has
Yes sometimes the believer will fail and fall—but it’s painfully convicting when they do
What so many people desire and believe today is this:
They desire salvation w/out sanctification—they are hearers and not doers.
James 1:22-25—“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
This person is ok to be taught by Jesus—but not ok to be convicted by Jesus. They always want the good parts of the Word, but want nothing to do with the hard stuff, the convicting stuff, the stuff that produces real heart change.
What so many of us today (including myself) need to hear and be reminded of is this:
J.I. Packer states, “Misunderstanding what the Bible means it says that God is love, they (we) think that God intends a trouble-free life for all; irrespective of there moral spiritual state, and hence they conclude that anything painful and upsetting indicates either God’s wisdom or power, or both, have broken down, or that God, after all, does not exist.” (J.I. Packer)
Please hear me church. God is love, it’s His character, His nature, (“agape”), it’s never ending and it’s far reaching…but love is not what wins out in the end…it is holiness. And the only way to approach God is to be holy, perfect, sinless, without blemish. His love provides the way for holiness, for us to be counted as holy, for us to be seen as holy, for us to pursue His holiness. Without His love—without Him sending Jesus Christ in our place, to be your sacrifice and Advocate, you could never approach God—you could never possess the holiness to live eternally in His presence.
This is the gospel, the wonderful love and provision of God. Because God provided this Man for us, He provided the Way out. He provided and sent Jesus Christ to be the perfect sacrifice for my sin, your sin, our sin, so that you could have access to Him for eternity.
V (v.12-15) The Day of Judgment Arrived
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.”
(CONTEXT)—Three things
God charged His servant (v.12)
God’s servant obeyed (v.13)
Immediately, God’s judgment fell (v.13-15)—note the mercy of God here though
The signs of judgment appeared—but the judgment did not actually fall—not yet
The east wind blew all day and night---Egypt had time to repent
God was extending His mercy to the very people who had committed so many terrible sins against His people for so long
Yet, repentance failed to come and morning came and locusts
Invaded all of Egypt (v.14)
Settled in every area (v.14)
Were unbelievably numerous (v.14)
Covered the entire ground (v.15)
Were so numerous that darkness covered all Egypt (v.15)
Devoured and destroyed all vegetation and food supply (v.15)
Left nothing green—absolutely nothing on the trees and nothing on the plants (v.15)
(CONNECTION-You and Me)
No matter what we do, the day of judgment will come:
Rejecting God will not stop God’s judgment
Denying God will not stop God’s judgment
Denying/rejecting something will not stop it from happening, if it’s true
The Lord is, He does exist; He is true and living—and He is a rewarder to those who diligently serve Him
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Ignoring God will not stop God’s judgment
Skepticism will not stop God’s judgment
Atheism will not stop God’s judgment
Thinking that God’s judgment won’t come—will not stop God’s judgment
Believing there is no such thing as God’s judgment will not stop God’s judgment
God’s mercy, again is woven into His warning of coming judgment
We are given a precious and most vital “goad” in our fall into sin--in the vital moments when sin occurs, we are given God’s conviction—we are given the opportunity to repent, confess, and turn to God or back to God, but note this about conviction
Conviction attacks our sin of pride—reminding and telling us that we’ve stepped into thinking “We can” rather than God can
Conviction hurts, b/c again it attacks our pride—it’s goal is do drag what we’ve placed into the dark—into the light
Conviction the more we fight against it—becomes hard
Acts 9:5 “And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.””
We are given conviction b/c of God’s mercy—His mercy not to see us enslaved to sin/our pride/selfishness, so that in facing conviction we can experience the fullness of His grace
The fullness of His mercy is the opportunity for a person to experience the fullness of His grace
VI (v.16-17) The Response to the Judgment: A Cry for Deliverance
Exodus 10:16-17 “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.””
(CONTEXT)—Pharaoh’s cry for deliverance was one of desperation… “in haste...”
Pharaoh asked for forgiveness—note the wording, “this one more time.” He was saying
“This is it. “I will accept God and His Word, obey Him and follow through with my promise.” (v.17)
Pharaoh then asked for prayer—that God remove the deadly plague (v.17)
(CONNECTION—YOU and ME)
There are times, in our sin, we may be just as diligent in seeking deliverance—we want a haste resolution and absolution of the bondage/weight/consequences of our sinful decisions: here’s what must be understood in light of what we know about Pharaoh:
The sincerity of our confession can only be authentic if we are on the right road; here’s what we mean by this:
We can take a trip to New York, Japan, or any other place and be as sincere as we can about reaching the destination
But if we are on the wrong road—we will miss the city; the sincerity and traveling toward a specific destination does not help us if we are on the wrong road
What does this mean?
The only way to reach God—to reach forgiveness of our sin—to be restored/reconciled/redeemed is the narrow road that goes through God’s only Son—Jesus Christ
So many people desire the “destination” of God, but fail to get on the right road---the narrow road—which again is through God’s only begotten Son
VII (v.18-19) The Deliverance from Judgment
Exodus 10:18-19 “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.”
(CONTEXT) Again we see a repetitive and necessary act of Moses—that of getting alone with God; to pray to Him and Him alone
Moses recognized that the Lord and the Lord alone had the power/authority/means to stop the judgment
Moses sought after God and God heard him—the east wind became the west wind and the locusts were sent into the “Sea of Reeds””
***Note God’s sovereignty over creation***
(CONNECTION—YOU and ME)
Each of us (believer and non-believer alike) must recognize that God and God alone is our Redeemer—He and He alone has the power/sovereignty/authority to deliver us—He and He alone can remove the chastisement and judgment which are due us
Deuteronomy 4:29-31 “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”
Psalm 34:6 “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.”
VIII (v.20) The Sin of Turning Back
Exodus 10:20 “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.”
(CONTEXT)—This sin is a terrible tragedy that effects so many people
Pharaoh, once again—hardened his heart
God, once again—had to act upon Pharaoh’s heart
God let Pharaoh’s heart run the course of human nature—He let the law of conditioning have it’s effect
God allowed Pharaoh’s rejection harden his heart even more & more
OUR CLOSING IS IN OUR CONNECTION
Turning back from God is a dangerous thing
Turning back from God reminds me of the 1st two soils Jesus speaks of in the Parable of the Sower
Mark 4:15 “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.”
Mark 4:16 “These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;”
What is worth reminding ourselves is that God acts upon our heart condition:
Either in our sin and disobedience, our continual decisions to do wrong—we are subjected to the law of conditioning, meaning it will become easier to do wrong and our hearts will become calloused…and we risk God turning us over to this heart condition, or
We can embrace conviction for what it’s purpose is:
To draw us to our knees—for our need of God
To draw us away from sinful/wilderness living—and towards the things of Christ
To draw us to the realization that God’s conviction is an act of His mercy towards us—so that we might take the opportunity to choose Him, so that we might come to realize the fullness of His grace