As we turn again to the book of Exodus this morning we will see a powerful preview of the all-powerful God! It’s a familiar story for many, even if you don’t know the bible very well or have never stepped foot in a church building, you’ve probably heard at least a portion of this story at some point in your life.
It’s a story that is meant to be rehearsed from generation to generation to generation so that we never lose site of God’s power, which continues to work today, to save his people from the snare of sin.
The power of God at work in the book of Exodus shows us God’s great, Fatherly love in action to rescue and redeem his children and it is a preview of His power at work in us, through his Son, Jesus.
Turn in your Bible with me to the end of Exodus chapter seven.
We are going to cover a lot of ground today. Around three and a half chapters so it’s going to be a little different than our normal Sunday mornings. I’m going to quickly highlight the end of chapter seven through the middle of chapter nine and then we’ll eventually camp in chapter nine and the first part of ten for a little while.
While you’re turning to Exodus seven let me provide some context because we are jumping into the middle of an incredible situation.
God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel, have spent the past 400 years as slaves in a foreign land. 400 years of oppression, beatings, ruthless taskmasters, but God had never abandoned them. He had never forgotten them and the promises he made to them. God was at work to bring about His perfect plan.
His perfect plan centered around a man named Moses whom God called to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt so that they could worship God in their own land. God sent Moses and his brother Aaron to go tell Pharaoh to let the Israelite people go and God told Moses that Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to him.
Think about that for a minute. God told Moses to go do something that he knew from the very beginning wasn’t going to work, it wasn’t going to work because God had a better plan. A plan that would reveal his power to save his people.
As we saw last week, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and things didn’t go so well from their perspective. Not only did Pharaoh not let the Israelites go (as the Lord had promised) instead, Pharaoh multiplied the work and oppression of the Israelites.
But as bad as things appeared for the Israelites, we saw how God had a purpose.
In Exodus 6:7 the Lord said to the people of Israel - “you shall know that I am the Lord your God”
God acts so that his children know that he is our Father.
God also acts so that even those who oppose him must one day submit to his judgment and power. We saw this in Exodus 7:5 “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord”
The tensions were high, the stage was set to show how God’s people and the Egyptians would know the Lord!
Here’s what we see - our first of two main points this morning:
I. People can only know the Lord through his power!
And there are two main ways that the Lord shows his power in this section of Exodus.
A. People can only know the Lord through his power revealed through the plagues upon creation
God delivered a series of ten plagues upon the Egyptians. Today we are going to quickly cover the first nice.
Each of these plagues seem to address a different realm of creation and perhaps a different source of pride and power among the Egyptians.
Some theologians have connected each of these plagues with a different false god of the Egyptians which wouldn’t be hard to do since the Egyptians worshiped almost every part of the creation rather than worshiping the Creator!
While there may be some sort of direct correlation to the false gods of the Egyptians, the main point is unmistakable – God’s power is revealed through the plagues upon creation!
Here’s a very quick overview of the first nine plagues. Look down at the section that begins in 7:14.
Plague #1 – Exodus 7:14-25 – 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 yGo 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 zthe staff that turned into a aserpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The bLORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, cthat they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the LORD, “By this dyou 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 eit shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will fgrow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and gstretch 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 hlifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the iwater in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians jcould not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But kthe magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So lPharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as mthe 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.
The water of the Nile was turned to blood, even the water that was stored in containers, blood! The life of the Egyptian people flowed directly out of the people and now the Lord turns their source of life to blood. Perhaps an allusion to what He’s about to teach the Israelites, that the life is in the blood!
Plague #2 – Exodus 8:1-15 – 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that nthey may serve me. 2 But if you orefuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with pfrogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into qyour bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people,2 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 3 And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, r‘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 sthe frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But tthe magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, u“Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and vI will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when uI 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 wthat you may know that xthere 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.4 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 yrespite, he zhardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Frogs cover the land of Egypt! Can you imagine frogs in your bed, in your kitchen, jumping on your food! “There a hop, here a hop, everywhere a hop hop!”
Plague #3 – Exodus 8:16-19 – 16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, a‘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 bthere were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 The cmagicians 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 dthe finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
Gnats cover man and beast. We aren’t sure exactly what these gnats are but it’s pretty clear it wasn’t a fun thing to endure.
It’s important to note that Pharaoh’s magicians admitted in 8:19, “This is the finger of God.” This same phrase is found in other places (Exod. 31:18; Deut. 9:10; Ps. 8:3; Luke 11:20), where it refers primarily to the power of God, directly intervening in the affairs of men.
Plague #4 – Exodus 8:20-32 – 20 Then the LORD said to Moses, e“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, f“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 gI will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, hthat you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.5 23 Thus I will put a division6 between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24 And the LORD did so. iThere 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. 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 jabomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings jabominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go kthree days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God las 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. mPlead 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 ncheat 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 ohardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
Swarms of Flies! Covered everything in Egypt but not among the Israelites! Verse 23 of chapter eight tells us this signaled God making a division between his people and the people of Egypt! This plague was bad enough that Moses seemed to counteroffer by saying that the people of Israel could go into the desert but not very far. Although, he quickly withdrew that offer once the flies were gone.
Plague #5 – Exodus 9:1-7 – Then the LORD said to Moses, p“Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says qthe 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, rthe 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 sBut 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. tAll 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 uthe heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Livestock killed! Again it was only the livestock of the Egyptians that were killed! The animals of the Israelites were kept alive!
Plague #6 – Exodus 9:8-12 – 8 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become vboils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And wthe magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 xBut the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as ythe LORD had spoken to Moses.
Boils covered the Egyptians and any of their animals that remained. It was so bad that Pharaoh’s magicians could not even stand before Moses when he came to them.
Plague #7 – Exodus 9:13-35 –13 Then the LORD said to Moses, z“Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself,1 and on your servants and your people, so athat you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 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. 16 bBut for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so cthat my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 dYou are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, eget your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. 22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be fhail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the gLORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail hstruck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 iOnly in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. 27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time jI have sinned; the kLORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 lPlead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, mI will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that nthe earth is the LORD's. 30 But as for you and your servants, oI know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.” 31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer2 were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and mstretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and phardened his heart, qhe and his servants. 35 So rthe heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
Hail! God caused heavy hail to fall on Egypt that was unlike anything it had ever experienced before. Any person or animal that was not under cover died! And yet again, no hail fell on the people of Israel!
Notice 9:14 “For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.”
9:14 “my plagues”
These plagues were not “good things” from the perspective of the Egyptians yet they were God things meant to reveal His power! So that just as we saw back up in chapter six and seven, 9:14 – “that you may know there is none like me in all the earth.”
There’s that continuing purpose of the plagues, so that everyone would know The LORD alone is GOD!
Plague #8 – Exodus 10:1-20 – Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, 2 and sthat you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, tthat you may know that I am the LORD.” 3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to uhumble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring vlocusts into your country, 5 and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall weat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, 6 and they shall fill xyour houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. 7 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 understand that Egypt is ruined?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, y“Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for zwe must hold a feast to the LORD.” 10 But he said to them, “The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your alittle ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.1 11 No! Go, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. 12 Then the LORD said to Moses, b“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and ceat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 dThe locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, esuch a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 15 They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and fthey ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, g“I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and hplead with the LORD your God only to remove this death from me.” 18 So ihe went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them jinto the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 20 But the LORD khardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
Locusts – whatever was left after the hailstorm would be destroyed by the locusts.
Plague #9 – Exodus 10:21-29 – 21 Then the LORD said to Moses, l“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be mdarkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but nall the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, o“Go, serve the LORD; pyour little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.” 27 But the LORD qhardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! rI will not see your face again.”
Darkness – pitch black darkness over the land of Egypt for three days! But Israel had light where they lived!
God brought the plagues upon the Egyptians so that they would know Him because they experienced his power in divine judgment!
As horrific as it was, the divine judgment experienced by the Egyptians was just a mild preview of what will someday be felt by those who continue to live in rebellion against the all-powerful God!
One day the saints gathered in heaven will echo the words of Moses who witnessed this amazing power of God in Exodus because they, too, will have experienced the awesome power of God in the great day of God’s wrath that is yet to come.
Revelation 15:3 “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!”
Look at how these plagues were to be used by the Israelite people:
The Lord told Moses in Exodus 10:2 “and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”
We’ve already seen in Exodus the importance of God’s people walking in obedience to Him. And retelling the stories of God’s power was to serve as a motivation for God’s people to obey him!
The fact that the plagues of Exodus are just a preview of the coming powerful judgment of God should serve as a strong motivation for our evangelism efforts. In Acts two, the driving motivator of those who came to faith after hearing Peter’s sermon was to avoid the coming wrath of God.
People can only know the Lord through his power revealed through the plagues upon creation!
God’s dominion is total, his power is limitless, even over the hearts of men. Which leads us to the second way God reveals his power in this section of Exodus:
B. The power of God revealed in the heart of people
There’s a significant word that appears at the end of each of the first nine plagues – that word is “heart.”
Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he refused to let the people of Israel go.
This is exactly what God had promised Moses beginning all the way back in Exodus 3 when he first appeared to him in the burning bush.
Look at this progression. Flip a few pages back to chapter three.
Exodus 3:19-20 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.”
Clearly Pharaoh was going to be stubborn. In his eyes, he was the god of the land.
Then, last week we saw in Exodus 4:21 the Lord told Moses “I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.”
God is the one who would harden the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the people go. In chapter seven, before the first plague comes, we read the same language.
Exodus 7:3-4 “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.”
The mighty hand that would compel Pharaoh is now revealed as the hand of the Lord in chapter seven!
As we scan through the plagues, what do we see regarding Pharaoh’s heart?
#1 – Water turned to blood – Pharaoh’s heart is hardened (7:14 and 22)
#2 – The frog family reunion – Pharaoh hardened his heart (8:15)
#3 – Gnats invade – Pharaoh’s heart was hardened (8:19)
#4 – The invasion of flies - Pharaoh hardened his heart (8:32)
#5 – The livestock die – the heart of Pharaoh was hardened (9:7)
#6 – Boils – the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh (9:12)
When we come to Plague #7 – the hail, things really get interesting in the exchange between the Lord and Pharaoh.
Turn to chapter nine verses 15-16.
Exodus 9:15-16 “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. [you would have died] But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
God placed Pharaoh in this position for a purpose! He preserved his life for this purpose. He hardened his heart for this purpose - To show his power and see his glory spread across all the earth!
Verse 16 of Exodus nine is quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter nine as an illustration of God’s divine power over the hearts of men!
Romans 9:17-18 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
The sovereign control of God over the affairs of man is one of the strongest themes of the entire book of Exodus. Perhaps no clearer than with here with his power over the heart of Pharaoh.
The text continues to provide further clarification so lets keep moving through chapter nine.
The tension seems to be building to a breaking point and then after the 7th plague, there seems to be a change of Pharaoh’s heart here. Look down to verse 27.
Exodus 9:27-35 – 27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time jI have sinned; the kLORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 lPlead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, mI will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that nthe earth is the LORD's. 30 But as for you and your servants, oI know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.” 31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer2 were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and mstretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and phardened his heart, qhe and his servants. 35 So rthe heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
Plague 7 really seemed to impact Pharaoh. After the hail fell from the sky, he confessed that he had sinned against the LORD! The Lord was in the right and he was in the wrong!
I want you to pay attention to this! The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart but there is still a sinful culpability on the part of Pharaoh! God hardened Pharaoh’s heart but Pharaoh is also clearly responsible for his own choices!
Here there is a divine mystery! God hardening people’s hearts, so that he might be glorified even in judgment. Equally mysterious is the divine mercy that he chooses to freely give to his children who deserve nothing but His wrath.
From our limited human perspective there is an unexplainable tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
As we saw last week, we must conclude as Moses did -
Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”
We cannot know the mind of God or fully explain this mystery but the text here in Exodus is clear. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart for a purpose.
Amazingly in the middle of chapter nine, Pharaoh seemed to repent.
Unfortunately, his confession and repentance wasn’t real. As soon as Pharaoh saw that the hail had stopped the end of verse 34 says “he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.”
This is the path tread by so many. Difficulty arises in life, sickness, hardship. God really turns up the heat on your life to, in his mercy, try and lead you to repentance. But as soon as the difficulty is removed, as soon as the sickness is gone, you find yourself right back where you were before.
The test of genuine repentance is the fruit produced by the Spirit in your life! If you strive to fight sin in your life and live a holy life, regardless of life’s circumstances, then it’s a good indicator that you are truly living a life of repentance!
Exodus 10:1 further reveals the tension of Divine sovereignty and human responsibility. The end of Chapter nine says Pharaoh and his servants sinned again and hardened their hearts. But 10:1 says “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them.”
The bible is clear! God’s plan is perfect and His perfect plan determines the circumstances in this world. God’s plan is never contingent upon nor determined by the circumstances that happen in this world.
People can only know the Lord through his power that is revealed through the plagues on creation and revealed in the heart of people!!!
The display of God’s power is meant to drive people to him! To believe in him – to know him!
What separated Pharaoh from the Israelites? Were they better people? Absolutely not. Where they better looking? No way. Were they smarter? No. The only difference was the sovereign grace of God given to the Israelites.
They deserved divine judgment and so do we! We deserve God’s just judgment and wrath because of our sin. The only thing that separates us, makes us different from those who fall under divine judgment, is God’s divine mercy. Sovereign grace at work in us!
You have now seen the power of the Lord on display in Exodus. Here’s the second main point now:
II. Submit to the all-powerful Lord
Either you will submit to the powerful Lord in judgment or in salvation!
These plagues in Exodus are a powerful preview of an all-powerful God but they pale in comparison to the terrifying, final judgment of God, described in great detail in the book of Revelation.
Revelation six tells us that everyone from great kings to lowly servants will cry out to the mountains and the rocks “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:16-17)
Yet there is a way! One way to escape the coming judgment — His name is Jesus!
In Acts 16 the Philippian jailer was confronted with the power of God in an earthquake that split open the jail cells, including the one that held the apostle Paul. The Jailer figured the prisoners had all escaped on his watch so he was about to kill himself rather than face his superiors who would kill him anyway.
But the apostle Paul cried out – “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” (Acts 16:28)
The Jailer was amazed! He rushed in and fell down, trembling in fear before Paul and here’s what he asked Paul “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)
Paul’s response “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
Perhaps the walls have collapsed around you in your life; perhaps you feel as though there is no way out, there is no hope, why continue on?!
There is an answer! His name is Jesus!
1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Unlike the Grinch, whose heart was two sizes too small, apart from the work of Christ, our heart is too hard!
“Hard hearts” is the dreaded disciples disease!! No one is immune! Everyone is a carrier.
Think about this.
Jesus spent over three years with his 12 disciples — performing amazing miracles, teaching them all they needed to know, and modeling God-honoring living for them. Yet, on one particular occasion recorded for us in Mark six we encounter an amazing statement.
Jesus had just taken five loaves of bread and couple of fish and fed over 5,000 people in an obvious display of his Divine power. The people recognized this display of his power, so John’s gospel tells us they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him King. Yet, Mark 6:52 says the disciples “did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”
Everyone is born with a hard heart. We are all born dead in our trespasses and sins as Ephesians 2 reminds us.
Yet, here’s what the Lord promised through the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36:26-27 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
When God grants you a new heart, when he calls you by name, suddenly, the formerly foolish truth of the cross of Jesus Christ makes sense! It becomes powerful as it is working in you to bring about your salvation!
Cry out to Jesus today! Confess to God that you need him. Ask him to forgive you of the many times you’ve rebelled against him and you will experience the power of God in your life as his mercy flows down on your like a river.
You won’t be able to explain it, you won’t know how to describe it but here’s what the Bible says happens when you experience the saving power of God in your life.
When you submit to the powerful Lord here are four things that happen: (There are many more)
(1) God gives you hope
“hope” - “a desire, accompanied by an expectation of fulfillment.”
We are in desperate need of hope!!
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Even in the darkest despair of life we have hope in Christ!
(2) God gives you power to live for Him
The all-powerful God gives you power.
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Apart from the power of God at work in and through us, you can never be a good husband or a good wife. Apart from the power of God and work in you, you cannot overcome the addiction or the anger or the bitterness in your heart.
Colossians 1:10-11 “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;”
(3) God gives you power to Endure in Suffering
2 Timothy 1:8-9 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”
God’s power which resurrected and exalted Christ in the past is the same power at work in your life today! No matter how impossible the circumstances of life seem at the moment, God’s power is at work. Broken marriages, prodigal children, burdensome job situations — none of these things are impossible for God to work in.
How do we know? Through our study of God’s Word!
Read the stories of Elijah and the widow. Abraham leaving his land to go to a foreign land. Moses leading the Israelites across the dry ground of the red sea. Gideon and the fleece. Esther approaching the king. Rahab and Ruth and Sarah and Samuel…
Our study of God’s Word should lead us to a bigger view of God! You may not see a specific application to your marriage struggles, but it’s there. You may not see a specific application on how to be a better parent, but it’s there too. Because, as you grow in your knowledge of who God is, you will learn to trust in his power.
Think of the God that promises a glimmer of hope, hope of the seed crushing the serpent in Genesis 3:15, a seed that thousands of years later comes to pass in Christ’s death and resurrection.
That is a God that can do far more than we ask or imagine! That is the God that can work in us and through us more than we can even imagine. That is the God that can work in our marriages and our children and our families and our churches.
2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”
It is through the knowledge of Christ that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness!
FINALLY - #4
(4) God gives you guaranteed Eternal Life (future resurrection)
1 Corinthians 6:14 “And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.”
The faith of the early church rested firmly on the hope of the resurrection!!
You can have faith in a lot of things and you can be sincere in that faith! You can you devote your life to a good cause! You can even believe that Jesus was a real person and died on the cross. But if you don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus, you have nothing but a futile faith!
When the disciples were confronted with the resurrected Jesus, they were never the same. Before they encountered the risen Jesus they were lost sheep looking for meaning in the world.
What moved Peter from denial to devotion? The truth of the resurrection!
Here’s what Paul says in Ephesians 3:20: (Some of his last words in the first half of the letter before transitioning from the theology to practical living)
Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”
God’s power which resurrected and exalted Christ in the past is the same power at work in your life today! No matter how impossible the circumstances of life seem at the moment, God’s power is at work. Broken marriages, prodigal children, burdensome job situations, none of these things are impossible for God to work in.
Phil 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© Geist Community Church
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the content in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Questions? Email: church@geist.org. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Matt Walker. © Geist Community Church—McCordsville, Indiana. www.geist.org
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