Wednesday, May 28

The Judgment of Egypt: Part III

Living By Faith

We are looking at the judgment of Egypt. God used ten plagues to judge the nation of Egypt and to picture the coming judgment of this world system. Nine of them were ineffective, but necessary to show God’s power over the false gods of this world. The nine are divided into three series of three plagues each (Exodus 7:15; 8:20; and 9:13). Thus far, we have looked at two series. Today we want to look at the third.

The Third Series (Exodus 9:13):

And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

The third series begins as the others with the command, “Rise up early in the morning.” The message is the same, too: “Let my people go.” In verse 16, God states that He raised up Pharaoh for a purpose—so that He might use him to show His power. God sets up and sets down whomsoever He willeth (Psalm 75:7). Pharaoh was allowed into power, because God knew that he would refuse to let Israel go. He knew that Pharaoh would stubbornly harden his heart and refuse to repent. Since this brought judgment upon the whole land, it is good that we pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-2).

Plague 7—Hail and fire:

Scripture: Exodus 9:22-26

And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

This judgment consisted of a terrible plague of hail mingled with fire. By this time, many of the Egyptians turned to God. Thus God revealed His mercy by forewarning them of the danger that would come.

Scripture: Exodus 9:19-21

Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21 And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

Some believed and some did not. That is the way it always is. Those who believed were spared. Those who did not were destroyed. The lost go to hell, because they “regard not the word of the Lord.” Those who obey by placing their faith in Christ receive eternal life. God wants everyone to be forewarned. It is our obligation to warn them (Ezekiel 3:17-19).

God’s judgment is coming. That is sure. When it comes it will be far worse than what happened in Egypt. The hailstones will be much larger. Consider that the ones in Egypt were sufficient to be lethal.

Illustration: We have a difficult time comprehending this in central Ohio, because our hail is usually insignificant, rarely reaching the size of a quarter. Some years back, I had occasion to work on some houses that were damaged by hail in the south end of Columbus. The damage was amazing. Cars and trucks were totaled. Windshields were broken.

Cats and dogs left outside were killed. Shingles were knocked off roofs, and paint was knocked off of siding. You could actually see where the hail hit, because the wood was bare. The real impact came when I was asked to replace a relatively new metal shed. When I wondered at this, the homeowner took me inside and pointed up. There, in the roof, I could see holes the size of grapefruit. I was unable to duplicate the feat with an 8 lb. sledge hammer.

This plague marked a turning point for Pharaoh. In verse 27, he admitted that he had sinned. Notice, though, that even though he confessed his sin before, he only acknowledged that he sinned this time. That is telling. He was not really repentant. He was only saying that because he did not like the consequences. Verse 34 says that he sinned yet more and hardened his heart.

Scripture: Exodus 9:35—10:1

And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses. 1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

To this point in time, Pharaoh hardened his own heart. From this point on, God hardens his heart. This is what I refer to as “sklerokardia”. It is Greek for hardening the heart and it is a fatal disease. Each time we reject the water of God’s Word, our heart becomes more leathery and hardened. Eventually, it becomes so dried out that it is like shoe leather and will never be soft again. We may think that we can put off Christ, but that is a dangerous game (II Thessalonians 2:11-12). The author of Hebrews says, “Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart (Hebrews 3:15).” Today is the day of salvation.

Sklerokardia is a spiritual disease that afflicts the lost, but there is a similar condition that afflicts the saints. It is called bitterness. It sets in when Christians refuse to hear God’s Word and deal with their sin. Many have destroyed their lives and testimonies by it.

Plague 8—Locusts:

Scripture: Exodus 10:3-7

And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. 4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: 6 And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh. 7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

By this time Pharaoh stood alone. The magicians long ago recognized this as the finger of God (Exodus 8:19). Then, even his servants begged him to let Israel go. We might ask, “What caused this bold defiance of Pharaoh?” The answer is just one word: locusts.

They have heard the word locust and have seen the other judgments. What has preceded is like nothing compared to this, for locusts are the most dreaded of all natural disasters in the Middle East. We have no real appreciation for the horror of this word to the Egyptians. They knew and were terrified.

Here in the Midwest we have something which we call a locust.

It is actually from a different family of insect. Our locust emerges every thirteen or seventeen years, makes a lot of noise, and does some damage to crops and trees. It is more of a pest than a terror. In contrast, the locust of Bible lands is related to the grasshopper and is ferocious.

Locusts have voracious appetites that so strip the ground of vegetation that the earth appears scorched by fire. The prophet Joel likens them to a mighty army of horsemen. Indeed the head of the locust resembles that of a horse.

As an army, they are nearly invincible. If struck by a vehicle at 50-60 mph, they will merely bounce off and fly away. Airline pilots have spotted swarms at 8,000 feet. African swarms have flown as far as the Carribbean islands. To fight them, countries resort to military type operations.

When all vegetation is gone, locusts will eat the bark of trees and the wool off of sheep. They have been known to eat the handles of shovels. At night they cover the ground to a depth of 4-5 inches. When stepped on, they make an awful stench. They leave famine and utter desolation in their wake.

The pleading of the servants caused Pharaoh to offer a third compromise.

Scripture: Exodus 10:11

Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

Pharaoh said, “only the men shall go.” The picture is that of a man who develops his own spiritual life but fails to provide spiritual leadership for his home. Many a pastor, missionary, or deacon has been laid aside because he failed to lead his family out of Egypt. Men, we need to point our families to a life of faith and trust in Christ rather than give them up to worldliness.

Moses rejected this compromise. God said, “Stretch out thine hand (vs. 12).” The east wind brought the locust (vs. 13). It did not take long for Pharaoh to call for Moses (vs. 16).

Scripture: Exodus 10:16-17

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

Pharaoh confessed his sin, asked for forgiveness, and pleaded for an end. God graciously sent a west wind to take the locusts away. “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart (vs. 20).”

Plague 9—Light turned to darkness:

Scripture: Exodus 10:21-23

And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.


Illustration: My wife and I once visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. After going down hundreds of steps into a deep cavern, the guide bunched us together and turned out the lights. It was so dark that I could not see my own hand placed directly in front of my face.

What the Egyptians experienced was a little taste of hell. For three days (vs. 22), they were totally isolated from one another by the thick darkness (vs. 23). A few moments in a darkened cave was bad. Three days would be terrible. Imagine what eternity will be like!

Through the darkness God showed His power over the Sun god, Ra. He also demonstrated the awfulness of darkness. John said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19).” Once again, God says, “If you want darkness, then here is darkness.”

Pharaoh then offered the fourth compromise (vs. 24). Pharaoh said, “Go and serve. Take your families, too, but leave your possessions behind.” The devil wants us to compartmentalize our lives into secular and spiritual. He wants us to straddle a barbed-wire fence. Go ahead and give God Sunday and even a tenth of everything, but do not give Him everything. But what does God say, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6:20).”

Conclusion:

Scripture: Psalm 97:7-9

Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. 8 Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. 9 For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

”The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice (Psalm 97:1)” Hallelujah!!!


Next time: The Death of the Firstborn

Sunday, May 4

The Judgment of Egypt: Part II

Living By Faith

Last time, we began to look at the judgment of Egypt. We said that God used ten plagues to judge the nation of Egypt. These plagues are but a shadow of the judgment to come in the book of Revelation, but they are bad enough.

Nine of the plagues were ineffectual but necessary, because they demonstrate that God is sovereign by showing His superiority over the Egyptians' false gods. The nine are divided into three series of three plagues each. Each series begins with the phrase “in the morning” (Exodus 7:15; 8:20; and 9:13). The first series affects both Israel and Egypt as God wanted His people to understand the horrible nature of idolatry. The first judgment is disgusting (water turned to blood); the second, laughable (frogs cover the land); and the third, painful (dust turned to a stinging beetle). That pretty well sums up idolatry. It is disgusting, laughable, and painful.

So why is it that we still struggle with idols? An idol is anything that comes between us and God. We have many things that we allow into our lives that are just as disgusting, laughable, and painful as the gods worshiped by the Egyptians. They do not profit us. Yet we allow them to rule over us.

The Second Series (Exodus 8:20):

And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

The second series of plagues began early in the morning at the water’s edge.

Plague 4—Swarms of flies:

Scripture: Exodus 8:21

Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

Notice that the words “of flies” are italicized, indicating that they have been added for clarification. The Hebrew word used here refers to swarms of insects. The Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament that was in common usage at the time of Christ, very specifically renders this as swarms of dogflies. This is a particularly mean sort of fly that loves to bite.

Most of us have no concept of the extent of this plague. We know what it is like to be bitten by a fly on occasion, but this plague is not one or two flies. It consisted of great swarms that filled the houses of the Egyptians and even entered into the palace of Pharaoh (Exodus 8:24).

Illustration: When I was a teenager, we lived in an isolated area of the country. The nearest neighbor boy was a farmer’s son about a mile away. I had little interest in farming, but would occasionally visit. One day we had some reason to go to the hog barn. It was a hot summer day as he threw open the door. The stench physically assaulted me and knocked me back a step or two, but the sight was worse. Flies covered everything! There were literally swarms of flies. I fled before I could tell if they bit.

Illustration: Perhaps 25 or so years ago, my wife and I took the Algoma Central Railway out of Souix St. Marie, Canada. Traveling 114 miles into the wilderness, we stopped at Agawa Canyon National Park. The ride was spectacular and the park beautiful. But the stop consisted of hundreds of tourists wearing jackets and trying to cover all exposed skin while they scurried about photographing the sites before rushing back to the train. Swarms of tiny biting black flies dogged our every step.

Now imagine that there was no escape. Whether you go indoors or out, the flies are there, constantly, irritating and tormenting both man and beast. This is what happened to the Egyptians, but not Israel.

Scripture: Exodus 8:22-23

And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

God made a distinction between His people and those of the world. God wants His people to live like there is a distinction. He wants us to live separated lives. There is coming a day when God will separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32-46). Those of us who know Christ will inherit the kingdom, but those who do not will face everlasting punishment. The plague began and the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies (Exodus 8:24). Then Pharaoh offered the first of four compromises. The devil does not want us to live separated lives.

Scripture: Exodus 8:25

And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

Observe the compromise. “Sacrifice to your God in the land.” In other words, be saved but do not separate. Be like the world so that you can reach the world. That is the devil’s lie, but it is very effective. Christians live and worship like the world thinking that this is the way to reach the lost. Unfortunately, the lost see this as just another therapy session or fun thing to do. They do not see the need to lay hold on Christ. (Matthew 26:26) They merely want to receive all of the good things He offers without any real commitment. In the end, they are brainwashed into believing they have salvation when they do not.

The first compromise was too obvious for Moses. So Pharaoh offered a second one.

Scripture: Exodus 8:28

And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.

This time it is “go, but not very far.” In other words, be a Christian, separate, but do not be fanatical about it.

If Satan cannot get us to live entirely like the world, this is the next best thing. Sadly, it is very effective with so-called Bible believers who separate by not doing this or that, but who fail to consecrate their whole mind, soul, and body to God. They can get radical about sports or hobbies, but not God.

Illustration: This past week God showed me a gemstone in His Word. It was a nugget of truth waiting to be discovered, and I got excited. I could not wait to share it with someone. I became vocal. I could not sit still. It was amazing! Do you find that a little too fanatical? It is certain that the devil does. “Go, but not far.”

Moses apparently accepted this half-way demonic offer by telling Pharaoh that he would ask God to remove the flies (Exodus 8:29). God did so (Exodus 8:31), but Pharaoh broke his word again (Exodus 8:32). Christians who fall for this lie thinking that they can be saved without being fanatical or radical fail to comprehend who their adversary is. The devil is the father of lies. If we think we can get by without total commitment, we are seriously deluded.

Plague 5—Livestock stricken:

Scripture: Exodus 9:1-6

1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4 And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. 5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

The fifth judgment consisted of an infectious and fatal disease that struck at additional creatures worshiped by the Egyptians. One deity was represented by a bull, and another by a cow or calf. God again demonstrated His power over these false gods by destroying them.

Unbelievably, Israel learned very little from this demonstration. Just one year later they made a golden calf and bowed down to it. Many Christians do the same. Over the years we have witnessed many start the race strong, only to be turned aside from evangelistic zeal to get-rich-quick zeal. Instead of telling people about Christ, they start selling soap, vitamins, etc. These enterprises always seem to start with the same seductive line: “This business is founded on Christian principles.” Since when is greed a Christian principle? We cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24).

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-20

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:


We need to serve God and God alone. Any other god will let us down. The Egyptian gods could not even preserve their own kind. Our gods are no better.

God is very specific about this judgment. It would only affect Egyptian cattle, and only those in the field (Exodus 9:3). Furthermore, He set an appointed time for the sentence to be carried out.

God wanted Pharaoh to know that He did the deed. Pharaoh even proved it by sending men to check on the cattle of Israel (Exodus 9:7), but he hardened his heart still more and refused to let Israel go.

Plague 6—Boils afflict man and beast:

Scripture: Exodus 9:8-12

8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

Imagine for a moment what this plague was like. To have a single boil is bad. What would it be like to be covered with boils that break out into open sores? Consider that the animals are covered, too.

Illustration: Many years ago, our daughter visited friends who had a German Shepherd dog that was normally very docile. This particular day was very hot and humid. The dog had recently been tormented by neighbor children and apparently snapped—quite literally. He narrowly missed her eye and left a large gash requiring stitches.

Now picture man and beast covered by boils and ulcerated sores. Tempers become short. Man’s best friend bites and snarls. Bulls charge, and docile cattle develop a mean streak. The deity becomes the instrument of God’s just judgment.

Verse 11 reads, “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils.” This is the last reference to these practitioners of evil who began so mighty in duplicating the first judgments. They were no longer able to even stand in the presence of God’s servant. So it will be in the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:7-8).

Conclusion:

The devil has many schemes. If he cannot keep us from salvation, he tries to diminish our effectiveness by using various compromises. Today we saw two:

1.) Sacrifice in the land—don’t lead a separated life

2.) Go, but not far—separate but don’t get too fanatical

Truthfully, God expects us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. That is radical and fanatical, but that is what He expects.


Next time: The Judgment of Egypt—Part III