Favor In The Sight Of The Egyptians

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ALL CHURCH BIBLE STUDY WEDNESDAY (3/13), 6:30-8:00 PM. Don’t miss it!

 
 

Exodus 11:1-3

11 The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

 
 

The effect of the nine plagues has been to raise the status of the enslaved Hebrews and of their leader, Moses, in the sight of the Egyptians. It’s a difficult situation they are in; nevertheless, the Lord uses it.

I think one of the ways that Christians can gain favor in our world today is through perseverance and joy in the face of difficulty. None of us wants difficulty, but it can be an important opportunity.

Don’t waste it.

 

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

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Exodus 10:21-29

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness 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 all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your 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 hardened 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! I will not see your face again.”

 
 

Each plague is increasing in intensity, and here we have the uncreating of the very first thing the Lord did when he created all things: separate light from darkness.

Note that Pharaoh still refuses to completely let the Israelites go:

“Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” [10:24]

The plagues have forced Pharaoh to acknowledge the Lord’s power, but he still refuses to truly acknowledge the Lord’s authority. He is trying to hold onto his own power because he thinks he can outfox the Lord by being half-way or three-quarters obedient. But that’s not how it works: it’s all or nothing.

Where are you holding back from complete obedience today?

 

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

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Exodus 10:1-20

10 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 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.”

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 humble 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 locusts into your country, 5 and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat 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 your 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, “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 we 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 little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. 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, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat 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 The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such 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 they 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, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” 18 So he 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 into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

 
 

The plagues are like an un-creating of Egypt. The Lord made all things and gave them a proper order and place; the Lord is king and ruler of everything. Pharaoh refuses to recognize the Lord, however, and has arrogated to himself all power and authority. So, the plagues are the Lord’s way of showing Pharaoh that he does not have ultimate authority over the creation. Each plague is an example of what happens when the order of creation is undermined. Here, the insects that have a place in God’s rightly-ordered creation are allowed to upset that order, thereby bringing destruction on Egypt.

I love how Leon Kass puts it:

After each of the first nine plagues, the chaos caused by the Lord he also soon removes: just as each plague is a reversal or undoing of creation, so its removal is a re-creation of the world order. The plagues offer a panorama of “anti-creation,” mocking the attempts of Egypt’s secret arts to alter nature’s workings and revealing both the tragic inner meaning of human attempts to control nature through technology. Such hubristic efforts are ultimately counterproductive: they destroy order, produce chaos, and lead in the end to a world inhospitable to earthly life (think especially of the cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness). Clever men can destroy life-sustaining order: only God can create and preserve it. –Leon Kass, from Founding God’s Nation: Reading Exodus

Even Pharaoh’s men are beginning to learn their lesson:

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?” [10:7]

Pharaoh once again temporarily repents, but his true character trumps his repentance and the Lord once again hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

 

The Seventh Plague: Hail

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Exodus 9:13-35

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “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, and on your servants and your people, so that 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 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. 17 You 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, get 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 hail 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 Lord 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 struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only 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 I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead 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, I 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 the earth is the Lord's. 30 But as for you and your servants, I 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 emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched 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 hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

 
 

The seventh plague makes the Lord’s intentions particularly clear: He wants to teach the nations about who He is. Will they be open to learning?

The Lord tells Pharaoh that He is being forbearing because He has been trying to get the attention of the rebellious world:

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 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. [9:15-16]

What’s amazing is that the Egyptians themselves are beginning to learn the lesson; when the word about the impending plague of hail reaches them, even some of the Egyptians begin to change their behavior:

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. [9:20-21]

The plague of the hail is so powerful that Pharaoh actually seems to be provoked to repentance! It’s a miracle:

27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead 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.” [9:27-28]

Unfortunately, the repentance is short-lived, as Moses predicts (v. 30).

Many people temporarily turn toward the Lord when they are in distress, only to return to their rebellious, unrepentant ways when they receive a reprieve from trouble.

Lord, save us from such hard-heartedness!

 

The Sixth Plague: Boils

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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 boils 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 the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

 
 

Remember, there are dark spiritual powers at work in Egypt, and Pharaoh’s men can work with them and perform some wonders, but as the plagues continue and intensify, even Pharaoh’s sorcerers become victims—here they are covered with boils.

Once again, the Lord is trying to teach them to recognize His rightful authority over all things, and to turn aside from their evil ways. The magicians seem to begin to recognize God’s power, but Pharaoh still refuses.

 

The Fifth Plague: Livestock

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Exodus 9:1-7

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” 5 And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

 
 

Pharaoh’s hard heart is described in several different ways: sometimes the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart, sometimes Pharaoh hardens his own heart, and sometimes Pharaoh’s heart is just hardened. The narrator also uses several different Hebrew verbs to describe what’s happening—all this adds up to Pharaoh’s remarkable refusal to yield to the Lord’s request that the Hebrews go free.

Ultimately, the Lord is giving Pharaoh over to his own desires, bending Pharaoh’s evil to the Lord’s own purposes. One of the things the Lord is doing is strengthening Pharaoh’s own will—you might say that the Lord is making Pharaoh more of what he already is. Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to change will culminate in the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. There is a mysterious interplay between Pharaoh’s desires and the Lord’s strengthening of those desires, but nowhere do you get the sense that Pharaoh is likely to repent.

“Exodus gives no sign that Pharaoh longed to submit to [the LORD] as his sovereign and was prevented from doing so; he received numerous rebukes, explanations, and commands that imply opportunity to submit.” --Dorian Coover-Cox

One of the prayers we should pray is that the Lord would save us from our own crooked desires.

This is the ancient Jesus prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Amen.

 

The Fourth Plague: Flies

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Exodus 8:20-32

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. 23 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24 And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

 
 

With the fourth plague, the Lord demonstrates His power by distinguishing between the Israelites in the land of Goshen and the rest of the Egyptians. Remember, the Lord wants to teach Pharaoh about Himself, and here that’s what’s happening:

But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. [8:22]

Pharaoh tries to save face by telling Moses that the Israelites can sacrifice to the Lord, but only within Egypt. Moses won’t accept this compromise, and then Pharaoh says that he’ll let the Israelites go to worship the Lord in the wilderness. But, as soon as Moses leaves and the Lord removes the flies at Moses’s request, Pharaoh changes his mind.

Lord, save us from such foolish refusals to repent and change direction!

P.S. Note that the Israelites sacrifice animals that the Egyptians revere as sacred (v. 26). One of the purposes of the exodus is to teach about the Lord, and one of the main lessons is that the Lord is the Creator; everything else is creation and therefore should not be worshipped.

 

The Third Plague: Gnats

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Exodus 8:16-19

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 
 

In the first two plagues, the Egyptian sorcerers can imitate the wonders that Moses and Aaron are doing. But here with the third plague and the gnats, Pharaoh’s men are unable to produce them. In fact, Pharaoh’s sorcerers identify what Aaron does as coming from the Lord:

“This is the finger of God” [8:19]

Remember, one of the objectives of the exodus is for the Egyptians and the other nations to learn about the Lord. Here, that objective is beginning to be realized.

And yet Pharaoh still refuses to yield.

 

The Second Plague: Frogs

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Exodus 7:25-8:15

25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 
 

We have already seen that the Egyptian sorcerers are not without power and are capable of doing some of the wonders that the Lord does through Moses and Aaron. Here, they can imitate Aaron and make frogs. (How ridiculous is it, however, that they—in their sorcery—simply add to the infestation?!)

What’s interesting is that they seem unable to reverse their actions, as Pharaoh needs Moses and Aaron to take away the frogs.

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” [8:8]

What is happening here is that Egypt is being uncreated, plague by plague. In Genesis, the Lord brings order to Creation through separation:

  • Light from dark;

  • Sky from sky;

  • Water from land;

  • Etc.

Disorder is chaos. Each of the plagues is a form of chaos and ultimately only the Lord can bring order out of chaos. So, the Egyptians are able, through dark spiritual power, to bring about chaos, but what they cannot do is reverse the chaos they have unleashed.

 

The First Plague: Blood

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Exodus 7:14-24

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.

 
 

One of the terrifying themes of Exodus is how there is a connection between sin and its consequences upon the sinner. Pharaoh had ordered the murder of the Hebrew boys in the river Nile, and now the first plague is that the Nile turns into blood.

Lord, save us from the consequences of our sin!

P.S. Note that Moses and Aaron are learning to be completely obedient to the Lord: “Moses and Aaron did what the Lord commanded” [7:20].

 

The Gods Of Egypt

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Exodus 7:8-13

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 
 

The Bible tells of an unseen realm; today, we would call it the spiritual world. In this spiritual world there are evil influences and powers—one of the terms the New Testament writers use for these kinds of powers is “demons.”

There are demonic powers at work in Egypt, which is how the Egyptian sorcerers can turn their staffs into serpents. However, the Bible is very clear that there is one Lord, and these evil powers are not equal to God— they are just fallen angels. So, there is really no contest between the Lord and the gods of Egypt. In fact, Aaron’s staff swallows up the Egyptian staffs.

Unfortunately, Pharaoh refuses to heed the lesson. Over and over again, Pharaoh refuses to turn back from his path of destruction. He is completely committed to evil, and ultimately, he, like the serpents here, will be swallowed up in the judgment of God.

 

The Plagues Are For The Egyptians?

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Exodus 6:28-7:7

28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 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. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

 
 

From the call of Abraham (Genesis 12) onward, the Lord has made His plan clear: one is chosen for the purpose of blessing the many.

Here, the Lord explains His plan to Moses yet again, and reminds Moses that there is more at stake than just the Israelites’ freedom: the Lord is also seeking to instruct the Egyptians.

The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. [7:5]

What this teaches me is that there is always more at stake than I can see.

You have no idea what hangs in the balance today. Be faithful; the Lord will use your faithfulness to bless and instruct others.

How cool is that?!

 

Your Life Is Not An Accident

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Exodus 6:14-27

14 These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans.

26 These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.

 
 

Why does the author interrupt the action with a genealogy right at this point?

Remember, one of the themes of Exodus is about the formation of Moses into a leader. What we read here in the genealogy of Moses and his brother Aaron is proof that the Lord had been working for generations to prepare for Moses and Aaron.

Your life is not an accident. God has placed you in a particular place in a particular time so that you can take part and do your part in the great story of salvation.

Your life matters. Your faithfulness is important. You are an essential link in the chain.

So, how do we know what we are supposed to be doing? How do we fulfil our responsibilities?

Don’t over think it—take the next faithful step today and trust the Lord with the rest.

 

The Lord Explains The Plan

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Exodus 6:1-13

6 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

10 So the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

 
 

The Lord has promised to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery and to bring them to the Promised Land.

Pharaoh opposes the plan;
The people despair of the plan;
Moses questions the plan.

But note—none of that will matter. Neither Pharaoh’s opposition, nor the people’s despair, nor Moses's questions will stop the Lord from fulfilling His promise.

It’s the same with us! It doesn’t matter how things seem, in the end, the Lord wins. We should control our feelings as not to lose spiritual perspective.

Keep going.

 
 
 

P.S. What can the Super Bowl Commercials Teach Us About Being a Man?

That’s the topic of my talk at our men’s breakfast at Asbury this Friday (2/23)!

This is gonna be fun.  Breakfast at 6:30 AM, my talk starts at 7:00 AM, and I promise to have everyone out the door by 8:00 AM.  Friends who don’t go to our church are of course welcome.  Love to have dads and granddads bring their sons and grandsons, too.  It’s free, but it would help us prepare if guys would register here.

Would you help spread the word to the guys you know?

 

Bricks Without Straw

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Exodus 5:6-21

6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

10 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” 12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” 14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?” 15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

 
 

The grand theme of Exodus is the formation of the children of Israel into a nation. This is why—as we will see—that the book continues for twenty- five chapters after the miracle at the Red Sea. Israel is free from Egypt, yes, but the people are not yet a nation. It will turn out that you can get the people out of Egypt, but you still have to get the Egypt out of the people. One of the themes to follow is how the experience of the exodus and the wilderness wanderings shapes the people into who the Lord needs them to be.

I don’t want to be too hard on the Israelites here, since they are in a poor position that has just been made worse by Pharaoh’s malevolence, but it is worth pointing out how quickly they despair of God’s deliverance as soon as they face opposition.

To be honest, I’m often the same way—the slightest difficultly, and I lose heart.

So, let’s remind ourselves today of the words of Jesus:

“In this world, you will have trouble;
But, have no fear: I have overcome the world.”

Keep going.

P.S. Note that in v.23 Moses refers to the Israelites as “your people,” not as “our people” or “my people.” Remember that one of the purposes of the exodus is to shape Moses into the leader the Lord needs him to be, and he’s not yet there.

 

The Battle Begins - Exodus Part 2

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exodus part 2 begins today!

Our reading plan in Exodus resumes today, with Exodus Part 2: The Plagues, the Passover, and the Parting of the Sea (chapters 5-15). Part 2 will run for six weeks, concluding on Good Friday, March 29.

The opening letter below appears in the print version of this reading guide.  We include it here. (Today’s scripture reading can be found after the MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 header below.)

THE BOOK OF EXODUS IS ABOUT THE FORMATION OF A PEOPLE INTO A NATION.

The account begins with the people (descendants of Abraham, called the children of Israel) enslaved in Egypt. In Part 1 (chapters 1-4), we read of how God was faithful to His promises to Abraham and declared His intention to deliver His people from slavery and then lead them into the Promised Land. Part 1 then recounts how the Lord prepared Moses—a man with a unique background as a Hebrew raised as an Egyptian in Pharaoh’s own household—to be the man God would use to lead the exodus of the God's people from Egypt.

In Part 2, we will read of the showdown between the Lord and Pharaoh: the Ten Plagues and then the famous moment of the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army.

WHY DOES IT TAKE TEN PLAGUES?

It’s clear that this isn’t a fair fight—the gods of Egypt (better to say “demons”) are no match for the Lord of all Creation. So:
- Why does it take Ten Plagues?
- Why doesn’t the Lord just deliver the Israelites immediately?
- Why the protracted contest?

THE REASON WHY IT TAKES TEN PLAGUES

Exodus is about the formation of Israel as a people, and the formation of Moses as a leader.

What we will learn as we read along is that the Lord is using the Ten Plagues to accomplish three things:

Objective #1

Reveal His identity as the God of Creation to Israel, Pharaoh, Egypt, and the nations.

Objective #2

Get the people out of Egypt. This is accomplished by chapter 15 and the account of the Red Sea’s parting. (The harder task is to get the Egypt out of the people, a task which will take the rest of the book.)

Objective #3

Make Moses into the leader of Israel.

As we read along, pay attention to how each thing that happens helps realize those three objectives.

HOW THIS READING PLAN WORKS

Remember, consistency is more important than intensity!
That is, don’t try and read the whole Bible in one sitting—rather, pace yourself and make a commitment to be consistent. To that end, the readings are parceled-out on weekdays only—if you get behind, catch up each weekend. Each day I’ve written brief commentary to help you get something out of your reading; the commentary is NOT the point, the Bible is the point. If the commentary helps you, great! If it doesn’t, no worries—just skip it.

THE PROCESS IS THE POINT
I asked above the obvious question: Since the battle between the Lord and

Pharaoh isn’t a fair fight, why does it take Ten Plagues for the exodus to happen?

Spoiler: the Lord is using the process to teach the people. In other words: The process is the point.

That’s true for our own lives as well. My prayer is that the process of reading through this second section of Exodus as we make our way to Easter will be part of God’s preparation of each of us, too.

Let’s GO.

 
 

Monday, February 19

Exodus 5:1-5

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”

 
 

The battle begins.

Exodus chapters 1-4 (what we are calling Exodus Part 1) is about the background and preparation of Moses to be the man the Lord will use to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery. The preparations being complete, the battle can begin.

And immediately as it begins, it begins to go badly! Pharaoh—quite reasonably, if you think about it—demands to know who this “LORD” is who is ordering him to let the Hebrews go: “Who is the Lord?” [5:2]. Remember that one of the Lord’s objectives with the exodus is to teach the nations about who He is; in effect, the Lord will use the exodus to provide an answer to Pharaoh’s question.

It’s interesting to think that the same opportunity is available to us today— difficulty and challenge can be an opportunity we can use to tell people about the Lord.

How can you use the moments in front of you today to make the Lord’s name and character more better-known?

P.S. Note that the goal of the exodus is worship (v.1). In fact, that’s the purpose of freedom everywhere—that people might be free to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

 

Great Short Description of Integrity - Psalm 15

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NOTE: We have taken a week’s break from reading through Exodus; our Exodus readings will resume TOMORROW with the account of the battle between the Lord and Pharaoh and the Ten Plagues. Can’t wait.

I have previously mentioned that I read one psalm a day, every day. I’ll continue doing that. Who’s with me? —Andrew

Psalm 15

A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
    Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
    and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
    and does no evil to his neighbor,
    nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
    but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
    and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.

 
 

After King David recovers the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines, he eventually moves it to Jerusalem and sets it on Mount Zion, building a tent—the Tabernacle—over it. (You can read about it in 2 Samuel 6.). Later, his son King Solomon builds the Temple in the same spot.

Psalm 15 is about what it means to enter into the Tabernacle/Temple; it’s a description of integrity.

My favorite part?

A person of integrity is so honest that he is the type of person who

“swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

I also like the closing line:

“The person who does these things shall never be moved.”

 

The Practical Atheist - Psalm 14

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Psalm 14

To the choirmaster. Of David.

 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
    there is none who does good,
    not even one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
    who eat up my people as they eat bread
    and do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great terror,
    for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

The practical atheist is not so much a person who flat-out rejects the idea of God, but rather a person who lives as if God doesn’t exist. It is that sort of person the psalmist calls a “fool” in Psalm 14.

 
 

For the director of music. Of David.

1 The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

Because the fools don’t believe God will hold them to account, they behave in wicked ways.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?

The Lord is searching for faithful people in the midst of a faithless generation—don’t these foolish people know that nothing is hidden from the Lord?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.

People are being eaten up by the wicked, but God has not abandoned the poor and vulnerable—He is with them.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Zion is the little mountain on which the Temple was built in Jerusalem, and the Israelites liked to think of it as the Lord’s particular place. Jacob was the Old Testament patriarch who was renamed Israel; thereafter, the entire nation of the Israelites was often called “Jacob” or “Israel”. Nearly all the psalms end, like this one, on a note of hope.

Be hopeful today! The Lord sees.

 

How Long, Lord? - Psalm 13

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Our new Exodus books are in, and our Exodus reading resumes on MONDAY! Part 2 of our Exodus plan will run six weeks: from February 19 to Good Friday, March 29. It will cover chapters 5-15: the Plagues, the Passover, and the Parting of the sea. Here’s how to get your copy:

  • Pick up a book this Sunday at Asbury;

  • Email Sandie Tomlinson, and she’ll mail you a copy;

  • If you live in Dallas, email Sandie and she’ll tell you how you can pick yours up for yourself there in town.

 
 
 

Psalm 13

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

 
 

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

The psalmist feels utterly alone—no one to counsel him, no one to encourage him. Worst of all, his enemies are thriving while he is suffering.

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

If the Lord doesn’t quickly respond, the psalmist won’t be able to persevere much longer and his enemies will gloat over his destruction.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Though there are more psalms of lament than psalms of joy—a fact which teaches us something important about the nature of life on this blue planet—almost all the psalms end on a note of confidence and joy. The psalmist knows that the Lord is faithful forever, and that those who put their trust in him will not be disappointed.

How can you rejoice today, right in the midst of your difficulties?

 
 

 

Where Have All the Decent People Gone? - Psalm 12

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Psalm 12

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

 1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

 
 

“Where have all the decent people gone?” That’s the question David is asking as Psalm 12 opens, and the rest of the psalm is his way of dealing with the problem.

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Remember, though many of the psalms were clearly used in Israelite worship, there are many musical terms we do not understand, and “The Sheminith” is one such example.

1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Where are all the decent people? That’s what the psalmist is asking here. This psalm is 3,000 years old, and as current as this morning’s headlines. Some things never change.

2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Part of the problem is just a general dishonesty between people, says the psalmist.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

People are also arrogant and believe that they will never be held accountable for their lies. The psalmist wants the Lord to cut off their lips! See, the psalms give us language for every emotion! Remember—we pray through our emotions when we read the psalms.

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

But, the psalmist knows that the sufferings of the vulnerable are not being ignored by the Lord. God will act on their behalf!

6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

The psalmist has confidence because of what the Lord has said, and compares the Lord’s words to purified silver—both beautiful and 100% genuine. I love this verse, and underlined it in my Psalms book this morning.

7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Despite the wickedness that prowls around the decent people, the Lord will keep them safe.