Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Exodus

Exodus 7:8-10:29 11/21/04

Introduction: At exactly 8:02 am on May 8, 1902, almost 30,000 people died instantly in one of histories worst natural disasters. The direct cause of their deaths was the violent volcanic eruption of Mt. Pelee on the island of Martinique. It hurled millions of tons of rock, molten lava and a blast of super heated air at the town of St. Pierre.

The indirect cause of the deaths of these 30,000 people was procrastination. The volcano began coughing about a week earlier. There was even a gigantic rock and mudslide which killed several hundred people at a factory just outside town. With a few exceptions, no one acted, no one evacuated the town. Why? Because they all thought it would get better tomorrow. It didn’t

Explanation: Some things can wait, some can’t. If you can make the choice of going to the doctors today or tomorrow, what do you think most people choose? Tomorrow. It seems our national motto is ‘Put off till tomorrow what you don’t want to do today.’

The truth is we all procrastinate to some degree. But there are some things we can not put off till tomorrow, not without consequences.
As Pharaoh will find out..

Transition: Turn in your Bibles to Ex. 7:8 where we will see a classic example of procrastination in Pharaoh, whose life was lived… ‘tomorrow’.

Exodus 7:8-13    ‘Show me something really  spectacular’

Moses and Aaron go back to Pharaoh and Aaron throws down the rod of the Lord and it turns into a snake. Pharaoh calls his cabinet officials to refute what Aaron has done. And they did! Pharaoh’s magicians turn their sticks into snakes. And Aaron’s snake ate all the other snakes.

The point of all this is that Pharaoh isn’t impressed. He rejects God’s work that he has seen with his own eyes.

Application: Most people today don’t believe God is at work.  Like Pharaoh they try to refute what God is doing all around them with science and technology. Eventually dismissing the works of God as fate, coincidence, a freak of nature or some scientific anomaly.

The real reason, however, is that if they acknowledge God’s work…they have to acknowledge God. If they acknowledge God, they have to acknowledge their responsibility to him.

Transition: In a way, Pharaoh here tells God…show me something really spectacular. In Ex. 7:14-10:29 God tells Pharaoh OK.

Exodus 7:14-10:29  ‘OK’
In each of the 9 plagues, we are going to look briefly at three things.
 1. The particulars of the plague.
 2. The work of the magicians.
 3. The response of Pharaoh.

Exodus 7:14-25 Plague of Blood
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -Aaron tuned the Nile River into blood. This was an attack against the god’s of the Nile that the Egyptians worshipped.

2. The work of the magicians.
 -The were able to duplicate the plague but not change it back it.

3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -He hardened his heart and rejected the work and word of God.

Exodus 8:1-15 Plague of Frogs
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -Frogs.. everywhere. Can you imagine.. frogs all over the ground, frogs all over and in your house, frogs in your cabinets, even all over your bed? They would have to kill hundreds of frogs every day just to go about their normal business. The irony is that the frog was one of the gods the Egyptians worshipped. Now they had to kill their own gods in order to live. Think about that for a moment.
 
2. The work of the magicians.
     -They were able to duplicate the plague but not stop it.
 
3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -He asks Moses to pray to his God to remove the frogs and he will let the Hebrews go to worship him. Notice that Moses tells Pharaoh that he can set the time for Moses to talk to God about removing the frogs. What does Pharaoh say? Tomorrow. Why, because perhaps they will find another way, perhaps they will go away by themselves.

     Sound familiar? Most people will cry out to God when they are at the bottom of the pit or at the end of their rope…but not until then. Because they want to do it on their own. Remember, recognizing God’s work means recognizing God and that means recognizing our responsibility to God. People don’t want to do that…at least not until tomorrow. Notice that God does what Pharaoh asks and surprise, Pharaoh doesn’t keep his promise to God. Ever done that?

Exodus 8:16-19 Plague of Gnats/Lice
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -Gnats or lice, we are not certain but both make you itch. Can you imagine everyone going around always scratching themselves and never being able to relieve the itch because those pesky little bugs just won’t go away?

Application: There is a lesson here too. People itch for something that is missing in their lives. They try many things to scratch the itch (money, power, sex, drugs)  but to no avail..they still itch. Only a relationship with God through faith in JC can stop the itch.
 
2. The work of the magicians.
     -This time the magicians are not able to duplicate the plague nor stop it. It is here that some of them recognize that this is something bigger than them..it is the finger or work of a God much greater than our gods.
 
3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -Some around him are beginning to soften, but not Pharaoh. He continues to reject God.

Exodus 8:20-32 Plague of Flies
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -Flies everywhere, this implies maggots everywhere too. How disgusting? But, notice this plague and the ones after it are different. The area where the Hebrews were living was unaffected. It is as if God was saying, my people are special to me and I want you to see that.
 
2. The work of the magicians.
     -The magicians give up trying.

3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -OK, go worship God…but on my terms. First he says stay in the country and when that is denied, he tells them to at least stay close. And again, Pharaoh says pray for me, and get rid of the flies.
     -Moses prays, the flies go away  but Pharaoh, now out of danger refuses to keep his promise to let the Hebrews go. Once again he rejects God and each time he does his heart grows harder and colder to the things of God. Learn that lesson as well.

Exodus 9:1-7 Plague on Livestock
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -Pestilence. Not a word we use too much today. It means a devastating epidemic. It affected only the Egyptian cattle…all of them died.
 
2. The work of the magicians.
     -The magicians are sent to see if the Hebrews livestock were affected. They weren’t.
 
3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -Pharaoh heart remains unyielding.

Exodus 9:8-12 Plague of Boils
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -Oozing, puss filled, disgustingly smelly, excruciatingly painful, boils. On every Egyptian person and animal.
 
2. The work of the magicians.
     -Rather humorously, not only were the magicians not able to do anything about the boils, they were in so much pain, they didn’t even show up to face Moses and Aaron.
 
3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -No! It is a matter of principal now. He won’t give in to God.

Exodus 9:13-35 Plague of Hail
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -A devastating hail storm ruining most plant and animal life in Egypt…except for in the land of Goshen where the Hebrews lived. Notice that God, in his great grace, gave the Egyptian people a chance to be saved from the devastation by telling them to take their animals and servants inside their homes.

2. The work of the magicians.
     -Some of the magicians and Egyptian people listed to the word of God and took their animals and servants inside their homes. Some didn’t and suffered great loss.

Application: But know that listening to God’s Word and having a relationship with God are two different things. You can be a good, moral person. One who even goes to church regularly and still not be in a right relationship with God.

3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -I have sinned and so have my people. We have had enough, pray to your God to stop the hail and I will let you go.

     -Has Pharaoh truly repented? No. He missed it by about 18”, the distance from this head to his heart. He wasn’t really sorry. He just regretted having to suffer the consequences of his sin, not the sin itself.

     -Moses prayed, the hail stopped and what did Pharaoh do? He refused to let the Hebrews go. He continued to harden his heart towards God. He simply didn’t want to give in to God…and that is pride. And Pride, more than anything, keeps people from a right relationship with God.

Exodus 10:1-20 Plague of Locusts
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -God very clearly says that He has hardened Pharaoh and his officials hearts. Don’t think God unfair. He was only giving them over to their own sinful desires as it says in Rom. 1:24, 26, 28. (removing his hand of grace and allowing them to be as sinful as they desired)
     -Moses warned of that the locusts would destroy whatever crops were left if Egypt after the hail storm.
 
2. The work of the magicians.
     -Having had enough, the magicians and officials plead with Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, before Egypt is destroyed.
 
3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -Go. But again on my terms. Leave your women and children.

     -Moses won’t compromise with sin and leaves. When he does the locusts come. Pharaoh cries out, ‘Forgive me, I have sinned. Pray to your God for me.’ (Notice he doesn’t mention he will let them go. He wants the gifts of God, the blessings of God without having to show obedience to God) There is a lesson there too.
 
    -In grace, God stopped the locusts but Pharaoh would not let the Hebrews go.

Exodus 10:21-29 Plague of Darkness
1. The particulars of the plague.
     -No light at all. Even artificial light for the Egyptians didn’t work. This was a darkness that could be felt. It was symbolic of the dread at the absence of God’s presence in ones life.

2. The work of the magicians.
     -The magicians are not even mentioned.
 
3. The response of Pharaoh.
     -Go. But leave your animals. Pharaoh wanted what we all want, a way to bargain with God as an equal instead of submitting to him as our Creator and Lord. When he didn’t get his way, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to get out of his sight and never come back or they will die.

Reason/Purpose for the Plagues
1. The plagues were judgment against the false gods of Egypt. It was to show that God alone is God.

2. The plagues were a demonstration of God’s existence and power. Notice the reoccurring phrase ‘By this you will know that I am the Lord’

3. The plagues were judgment for the sin of the Egyptians. Today as well as in Pharaoh’s day, God punishes the sin of those who reject him.

4. The plagues were signs to Israel assuring them of God’s promises to them.

5. The plagues were prophetic. God’s judgment will once again be poured out on sinful humanity as mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

6. The plagues were the instrument God used to bring some Egyptians to a right relationship with Him, as seen when some of them left with the Hebrews to go to the Promised Land.

Conclusion
The text this morning reminds us that God punishes the sin of those who reject him as Lord, who reject His Son Jesus, as Savior. Sin is serious and so are the consequences.

Dealing with your sin, dealing with God whom all sin is directed against, is not one of those things you can put off until tomorrow.
Pharaoh put off listening to God today because he had too much he wanted to do. And many today do the same thing.

If God is speaking to you this morning. If you sense God’s presence, listen to him. Forget the excuses, do not put it off till tomorrow. I know all the excuses used to put God off:

     -I am a good person, I like my life the way it is, there is too much to give up, I am too bad for God to forgive, there are too many hypocrites in the church, I am waiting for a feeling, I have plenty of time, I am just not ready.

Dealing with your sin is not something you can put off until tomorrow. As we will see next week in Exodus, death awaits us tomorrow.

Our Call to Worship this morning said ‘Now is the day of Salvation’. It can be for you. Today, right now.

Confess you have sinned, rebelled against and rejected God.

Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that he died to forgive your sin.

Receive Jesus’ promise of forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven.

That’s how you deal with your sin. That’s how you get right with God.

 If God is speaking to you today…don’t put Him off until tomorrow.