FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

4. Appealing – Continued

Please read Exodus 10:1-20 for the background to this section.

In Pharoah’s angry response to Moses’ and Aaron’s rejection of the leaders third demand, Pharaoh blasphemed the name of God. Literally, he said, “May the Lord be with you if I ever let you and your children go!” The New Living Translation (NLT) renders it, “The LORD will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones!” (Exodus 10:10). Pharaoh interpreted their request as an evil plot to secure their freedom from Egyptian bondage. If all the Jewish men left with their families and livestock, they’d never have to return!

That was the end of the interview, and Pharaoh commanded his officers to drive Moses and Aaron out of the palace. As far as he was concerned, he was finished with Moses and Aaron and would never again listen to their messages from the Lord. However, God had other plans, and before long, Pharaoh would again be appealing for deliverance and relief.

Invasion (verses 12-15). God had seen and heard the entire interview and was prepared to respond to Pharaoh’s blasphemy and disobedience. When Moses lifted his rod toward heaven, God sent an east wind that blew for the rest of that day and all through the night. It brought vast swarms of locusts into the land, and they began to devour all the vegetation that had survived the previous plague. Since the creatures attacked “all the Egyptians,” the inference is that Israel escaped this devastating plague.

If vocabulary is any indication of significance, then the locust was a significant creature in the Old Testament world, for there are at least eleven different Hebrew words in Scripture referring to it. The Jews were permitted to eat certain species of locusts (Leviticus 11:20-23; Deuteronomy 14:19-20; see also Matthew 3:1-4), but for the most part, they hated the creatures because of their ability to strip the vegetation from an area with incredible speed. The Israelites used the locust swarm to describe anything that quickly invaded and devastated their land (Judges 6:5; 7:12; Isaiah 33:4; Jeremiah 46:23; 51:14, 27), and the Prophet Joel compared the locusts to an invading army (Joel 1-2; see also Amos 7:1-3).

Intercession (verses 16-19). If Pharaoh’s officers thought that Egypt was already ruined through the previous plagues, then what was their opinion of the situation after the locusts arrived? Within a brief time, no vegetation was left anywhere in the land, and the creatures were invading the houses as well as the fields. It was the most devastating natural calamity to hit the land of Egypt in all Egyptian history. In destroying the vegetation, God not only left the land bankrupt, but He triumphed over Osiris, the Egyptian god of fertility and crops. He also proved that He had control over the wind.

Once again Pharaoh sought for relief without repentance, and God mercifully granted his request. God proved His greatness by reversing the winds and carrying all the locusts into the Red Sea. Within a short time, He would put Pharaoh’s army into the Red Sea, and then the Israelites would be free to march to their Promised Land.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

4. Appealing

Please read Exodus 10:1-20 for the background to this section.

When God gave Moses the instructions for his next meeting with Pharaoh, He added another reason for the great display of His wonders in the plagues: that the Jews might be able to tell the generations to come about the awesome power of their great God.

This purpose was also written into the Passover Feast (see Exodus 12:26-27; 13:8, 14-15). Whether in the family or the local church, it’s good for each new generation to learn and appreciate the way God has worked on behalf of previous generations. Recalling and giving thanks for God’s wonderful deeds is one of the basic themes of the Book of Deuteronomy, including what the Lord did to Pharaoh (Deuteronomy 4:34; 7:18-19; 26:5-8; 29:1-3).

Interrogation (verses 3-11). Three questions summarize this confrontation with Pharaoh. First, Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh how long he was going to persist in his pride and refuse to humble himself before God. It took a great deal of courage to tell any ancient ruler that he was proud, but especially the king of Egypt who was honored as a god. However, Moses and Aaron knew that the Lord would protect them and fulfill His word. They warned Pharaoh that if he failed to obey, vast swarms of locusts would come into the land and destroy everything that hadn’t already been destroyed by the hailstorm. Moses and Aaron didn’t wait for an answer or another false promise; they delivered their message and walked out of the palace.

The second question came from Pharaoh’s officers, “How long shall this man be a snare to us?” They suggested that Pharaoh had been wrong in not letting the Jews go, and they even dared to remind him that his anti-Jewish policy had ruined the land of Egypt. The officers certainly were brave to talk this boldly to Pharaoh, but the nation was in desperate straits and somebody had to do something. What harm could come from the Jewish people temporarily leaving their work and going on their journey?

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron back to the palace and asked the third question demanding an answer: “Tell me who will be going.” Moses made it clear that God wanted everybody to take this three-day journey. This included all the men, women, and children, the young and the old, and also the flocks and herds that would be needed to provide sacrifices for the Lord. Pharaoh offered to let only the men go on the journey, knowing that he could hold their families hostage and guarantee their return to Egypt, but it was a compromise that Moses and Aaron rejected.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

3. Deceiving

Please read Exodus 9:13-35 for the background to this section.

It didn’t look like Moses was achieving his purpose, for each new plague only made the situation worse. But God was in control and He knew what He was doing. The Lord always has a new word for His servants; all they have to do is listen, believe, and obey.

A fifth warning (verses 13-21). This is the longest warning so far, perhaps because it introduced the most destructive plague God had sent thus far. Moses again gave God’s command that Pharaoh allow the Jewish people to leave the country for a special meeting with the Lord, but this time the Lord added a special warning: the God of the Hebrews was about to release “the full force” (NIV) of His plagues on Pharaoh, the people, and the land. Pharaoh’s heart had become harder, so God’s disciplines had to become more severe.

Moses reminded the king of the Lord’s mercy: “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.” Simply by speaking the word, God could have wiped out the entire Egyptian nation, but God in His mercy doesn’t give sinners all that they deserve. How grateful Pharaoh should have been, and yet he continued to resist the Lord.

Moses also reminded Pharaoh of God’s sovereign grace, a lesson more than one dictator has had to learn the hard way (Daniel 4:28-33; Acts 12:20-24). Apart from the sovereign will of God, Pharaoh would not have been the ruler of Egypt. Each time Pharaoh resisted God, the Lord used the situation to reveal His power and glorify His name. If Pharaoh exalted himself against God, then God was certainly exalting Himself through Pharaoh. Paul quoted Exodus 9:16 in Romans 9:17 as part of his explanation of the justice and mercy of God with reference to Israel.

The next day, God would send “the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt” (NIV), so Moses advised the people to gather into a safe place all the cattle that had not been in the fields and had survived the fifth plague. Even some of Pharaoh’s servants now believed God’s Word and obeyed it, but the king continued to harden his heart.

The seventh plague (verses 22-26). The next day, Moses stretched his rod toward heaven, and God sent thunder, rain, hail, and lightning that ran along the ground. Any person or animal that wasn’t under cover was killed, and the plants and trees in the fields were destroyed. Since the flax and barley were ready for harvest, the plague must have come in January or February. Once again, the Lord protected His people in the land of Goshen and the plague didn’t touch them.

Another royal lie (verses 27-35). Seeing the devastation of his land, Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron, something he had done time and again and would eventually do again. However, this time the proud king acknowledged the justice of God and admitted that he had sinned! (He would also do that again.) However, his confession was insincere because it didn’t lead to obedience. Moses knew that the king didn’t really fear the Lord. All he and his officials wanted to do was stop the terrible hailstorm.

God in His grace answered Moses’ prayer and stopped the plague. Pharaoh in his duplicity reneged on his promise and wouldn’t let Israel go. When would he ever learn that you can’t fight against God and win?

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

2. Resisting

Please read Exodus 9:1-12 for the background to this section.

As you study the account of the plagues of Egypt, keep in mind the purposes God was fulfilling through these momentous events. First of all, He was manifesting His power to Pharaoh and his officials and proving to them that He alone is the true and living God. At the same time, the Lord was exposing the futility of the Egyptian religion and the vanity of the many gods they worshiped, including Pharaoh himself. All that God did to Egypt was a reminder to His people that their God was fighting for them and they didn’t have to worry or be afraid.

The fifth plague (verses 1-7). Moses announced to Pharaoh that unless he released the Israelites within twenty-four hours, all the livestock in the Egyptian fields would be the next target for the demonstration of Jehovah’s power. God would send a terrible pestilence upon the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats in the fields, and they would die. We don’t know what this pestilence was and it’s useless to speculate. One thing is sure: God sent the plague and the livestock in the fields perished. Since some of the gods of Egypt were identified with bulls, cows, rams, and other livestock, this judgment was another successful attack on the Egyptian religion.

But God also kept His promise and protected the livestock that belonged to the Jews living in the land of Goshen. When Jacob and his family came to Egypt during the time of Joseph, they brought their flocks and herds with them (Genesis 45:10; 47:1; 50:8). During their time of bondage, the Jews were allowed to keep livestock, for at the Exodus, they took their flocks and herds with them (Exodus 12:37-38).

How did Pharaoh respond to this terrible plague? He hardened his heart and resisted the authority of the Lord. “Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14). The opposite of a hard heart is a heart that fears God, and that reverential fear motivates us to obey the Lord’s commands. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10), but the hardhearted person is ignorant of God and His truth (Ephesians 4:18).

The sixth plague (verses 8-12). There was no warning given this time. Moses and Aaron simply went to one of the lime-kilns, filled their hands with soot, threw the soot into the air, and trusted God to do the rest. God kept His promise, for wherever the soot landed on the Egyptians and their cattle, it produced painful festering ulcers and boils. Once again, the Jews in Goshen were protected.

Pharaoh summoned his court magicians, but they weren’t able to go to the palace. The boils had caught up with them and they could do nothing about it! The experience was not only painful but also embarrassing, because the Egyptians were obsessed with physical cleanliness. They took frequent baths, but the festering sores would make that difficult.

The nation of Egypt was being devastated and the people were in great pain, but Pharaoh would not yield. He continued resisting the Lord and His servants, and each act of disobedience only hardened his heart more. “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing” (Proverbs 29:1). For Pharaoh, the worst was yet to come.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved