Some Bad Things for Some Bad People
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Introduction
Introduction
Opening Illustration
Today we’re looking at the 10 plagues of Egypt
Actually, the first 5...
These actually come in threes
1-3
4-6
7-9
10th stands alone
First 2 come with a warning and call for repentance
The third comes without warning
YouVersion: Some Bad Things for Some bad People
In Exodus 7:14-9:7
2 major lessons today and next week
1. God is alive and worthy
1. God is alive and worthy
2. Other god’s are dead and unworthy
2. Other god’s are dead and unworthy
Watch for these as we go
Exodus 7:14–21 (ESV)
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.” ’ ” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”
20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
First plague: Nile turns to blood
This is coming because of Pharaoh’s hardened heart
Moses and Aaron are to meet Pharaoh by the Nile
There will be no doubt why this is happening!
They were there in front of Pharaoh and his servants at the Nile
Don’t know why they were at the Nile, likely worshipping
Potential gods
Perhaps Hapi (happy) - Nile god
He won’t be too happy at the end of this LOL!
Maybe Khnum (Hhhh-noom) - god of water
Created the source of the Nile AND humans on a clay wheel
Or Osiris, the Nile was supposed to be his blood stream
God is going right after those Egyptian gods!
Actually, we see Egyptian gods at the source of EVERY plague!
What’s God’s purpose here?
V17: “By this you will know that I am the Lord!”
Ask yourself, if an Egyptian, what would you do?
Go to your gods to respond to the Hebrew God!
Egyptians believed in many gods, so the Hebrew God was just one more!
Exodus 7:22–25 (ESV)
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
Pharaoh didn’t even respond
So the Nile is polluted… whatever!
My gods did it too! Maybe they did the first part too!
Nothing is new, nothing has changed
Not very different today
Show pool in Jordan - clearly God has sent a sign!
Actually, high levels of Manganese in the water
In 2011, a man made pond turned color because of algae
Some people think this is what happened in Egypt
Maybe, but even so, the timing is suspicious!
Lesson in this? Sometimes the miracle is in the timing, not the action
In the hospital, suddenly someone seems healed after praying
Yeah, but it was the white blood cells blah blah blah
Maybe, but the fact that it was during prayer makes it seem like that’s how God did it!
Divine intervention may be unexplainable
Or we might see God using His universe to do what it was designed by Him to do!
Here, we see the Egyptians do the same miracle - sorta!
There’s no way the Egyptians did the same miracle, the Nile was already changed
So they likely dug up fresh water from little wells
It a lot easier to turn a bucket of water to blood than the Nile river
Notice some powerful significance here
The magicians can only make the problem worse
1. God’s opponents often compete by making things worse
1. God’s opponents often compete by making things worse
They can make more bloody water, but they can’t make the water clean
But, either way, Pharaoh didn’t care…
It was doable and not a picture of God’s power to him
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” ’ ” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’ ” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
Second plague: Frogs
God can kick Pharaoh any time, but He takes His time
He moves on to frogs to show His power - and sense of humor!
Egyptian goddess Heqet (Heck-Ket) had the head of a frog
Frogs were worshipped and could not be killed
So God is challenging the Egyptians
“These are your gods, better not kill them!”
As they hop around in your kitchen, your beds and jump all over you!
If they started killing frogs, they would go against their religion
And so, the magicians show they can make more frogs too!
Again, not fixing the problem, only making it worse
This little annoyance has an impact:
Exodus 8:8–15 (ESV)
8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
For the first time, Pharaoh starts to crack
He asks Moses to intercede
Then makes a promise he does not keep
2. God always keeps His promises, even if we don’t
2. God always keeps His promises, even if we don’t
That’s why our salvation requires nothing from us
We have a long history of messing things up
God, has a perfect record
I’d say leaning on His character is the better idea!
Isaac Watts: “I believe the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them.”
Smart man...
Now, notice the frogs don’t all go hopping back to the Nile - they die
Sadly, repentance from sin can bring freedom from the continuing plagues we earn
But often times the results of our actions are left to stink up our lives
You may repent from being addicted to drugs
But the lost trust and shattered relationships might still remain
You may repent of sleeping around with women or men
But the child you have out of wedlock is still your responsibility
You may repent of robbing a liquor store
But you still have to serve your 5 year sentence
God is merciful, but we still may face repercussions
And in Pharaoh’s case, he wasn’t sincere anyway!
He thought he was in the clear, lets see how he wasn’t!
Exodus 8:16–17 (ESV)
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’ ” 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
Third plague: Gnats, fleas or lice
There is no unique word here, could mean gnat, fleas or lice
Some even suggest mosquitos (or maybe next)!
Scientists suggest the decaying corpses and rotting fish in the nile brought insects
I’m still sticking with miracles here - especially because of the timing
As it’s the third plague, there is no announcement
Likely because Pharaoh isn’t keeping his word, God sends a reminder!
Dust of the earth suggests God is going after the gods of the desert
Gods were split between black land (fertile Nile area) and red land (desert - 90% of Egypt)
Set - god of the deserts
So God is taking that desert and turning it into insects
Bugs that are biting and leaving itchy bumps all over!
Something changes for this plague
As if God is making a strong new point:
Exodus 8:18–19 (ESV)
18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
So far, Egyptians magicians have turned staffs into snakes, water to blood, and manifest frogs
Now that Pharaoh agreed then backed out, God has set a limit
3. All of God’s opponents have limited power
3. All of God’s opponents have limited power
Remember studying Satan, his power is allotted by God
Job 1:12 (ESV)
12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
It seems that these demonic magicians have reached their limit
God is no longer allowing those dark arts to create doubt
The magicians get it!
Hey Pharaoh? Yeah, we can’t do that. This is really God...
Pharaoh’s response? Nah! We’re good! Now get me some itch cream!
So they move onto the next step...
Exodus 8:20–24 (ESV)
20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. 23 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.” ’ ” 24 And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.
Fourth plague: Flies
Actually, Hebrew says this was an arob (aw-robe)
Means swarming - implying flies or maybe mosquitos or something else...
The idea of swarming insects
Next god! He’s going after Uatchit (ooh-wah-chet)
This is the goddess of flies - ie the cobra goddess from last week
She was the “lady of the marshes”
But notice what happened in Goshen: the swarms stayed away!
From the very place the Hebrews lived
4. God shows favor to His people
4. God shows favor to His people
Again, mankind likes to look for explanations
This plague came and did not touch God’s people
It’s obvious why this is happening - it’s God’s power!
For Egypt, their land is ruined!
Their crops, their homes, their livestock
Let’s see what Pharaoh does:
Exodus 8:25–32 (ESV)
25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
Pharaoh begins with a compromise
Fine, worship God but stay here...
5. Sin always wants to compromise
5. Sin always wants to compromise
Israel’s freedom was only going to come one way, on God’s terms
Our freedom works the same way - on God’s terms
Come on God, can’t I be free and just sin a little? Nope!
The word repent is a military term - about face
Turn around - a complete 180 and go the other direction!
Don’t entertain the idea that a little bit of sin is okay!
In this sense, Pharaoh doesn’t even know what he’s asking
Making bull and lamb sacrifices in Egypt was not okay
If they did that in Egypt, Pharaoh would definitely come down on them
God through Moses isn’t giving him a chance
Pharaoh says fine, just stay close
Moses goes to God who honors His agreement
Pharaoh, yet again, does not
Exodus 9:1–7 (ESV)
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.” ’ ” 5 And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Fifth plague: Egyptian livestock dies
With great mercy, God sends Moses yet again
But God is making something clear
They are MY people, they will serve ME
He will help the people of Israel, but God is doing this for His glory!
6. Everything to God’s glory
6. Everything to God’s glory
Let this be a lesson to us
We treat people the way God tells us to
Not for us, not for them, but for the Lord
You may not like His way or His commands, but we exist to serve Him, not the other way around
This is the last time Pharaoh hardens his own heart before God steps in and hardens it further
Pharaoh will harden it again, but God hasn’t yet
Killing the livestock is against the goddess Hathor
Goddess of love, beauty, dancing, music, fertility and pleasure
She was depicted as a cow!
If we call someone a cow, it’s not a referencer to them being beautiful
But cows were sacred to Egyptians! Just like the frogs...
Story of ancient battle - Egyptians lost because advancing troops used a herd of cattle
Would now shoot at sacred cows
Seems ridiculous, but the church has plenty of sacred cows!
How many churches split over:
The color of the carpet, the type of music, the changing of a church name
Worshipping sacred cows is dumb if you lose the war over it
Worshipping sacred cows is dumb if you have access to the one true God
Maybe we should remember that too...
And at the end of todays section, Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened
Remember today’s main points:
God is alive and worthy
Other god’s are dead and unworthy
Conclusion
Conclusion