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February 12, 2006

February 12, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Great Texts from Exodus--#2

 

Introduction:  Lesson from the Plagues of Egypt” (Exodus 7-12)

 

Moses’ call from God to lead his people out of Egyptian bondage came at the burning thorn bush near Mount Horeb.  Even though the angel of Jehovah appeared to Moses, he was reluctant to go to Pharaoh and confront him because he was afraid.  Moses had earlier killed an Egyptian taskmaster for mistreating a fellow Hebrew.  Moses had been raised in the palace of Pharaoh by his daughter.  He was trained in all the wisdom of Egypt and was mighty in words and deeds. (Acts 7:22.)  He knew the power and ruthlessness of the Pharaoh.

 

God gave to Moses three signs of His presence and power.  They were: 1) his shepherd’s staff turned to a serpent, 2) made his hand leprous and then whole again, and 3) when Moses poured out water on the land it became blood.  God promised to be with him and gave him these signs as evidence of His power and presence.

 

God knew that Pharaoh would not easily let His people go.  He told Moses in advance that he would not.  But God warned the Pharaoh of plagues that he would send against him.

 

The Ten Plagues

 

1.     Turned the rivers and ponds of water to blood

2.     Frogs from the Nile River swarmed their houses

3.     Dust was turned into lice (or gnats)

4.     Swarms of flies

5.     Cattle became diseased with murrain

6.     Ashes from the furnaces became boils

7.     Hail and fire ran along the ground

8.     Barley and flax smitten

9.     Swarms of locusts ate all the green leaves and plants

10.  The firstborn of man and cattle died

These ten devastating plagues were sent from God against Egypt because the Pharaoh had mistreated His people, the children of Israel.  Remember at first, the Pharaoh highly regarded Joseph and his kinsmen, but another Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph.  They made life miserable for the Hebrews among them, increasing their burdens.  The Egyptians had oppressed the Hebrews for at least 80 years.  They had been in Egypt for 430 years.  In order to weaken the Hebrews, the Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the male children at birth.  This is subtle infanticide (made to look like a stillborn rather than killing children).  When the midwives did not comply, he ordered the Egyptians to kill the male children when they saw them (open infanticide).  We need to remember all of this when we read the plagues against Egypt.  There was ample reason or justification for the plagues.

 

What are some lessons from the plagues against Egypt?  What do they mean?  The Psalms help us understand some of the lessons.  (See Psalm 78:42-54; Psalm 105:26-38; Acts 7:30-38.)  The Psalms generally recount the story of the deliverance from Pharaoh in order to speak of the glory of God’s power, the forgetfulness of Israel after witnessing such power, and a reminder that Egypt was the land of Ham.  (Note the references to Ham in Psalm 78:51, Psalm 105:23-27, Psalm 106:22; from the curse in Genesis 9:24-27.)  Egypt was the land of Ham judged by God and the Canaanites served the descendants of Shem, the Jews.

 

#1: The Difficulty in Becoming Free

 

These ancient events in Egypt are clear types and shadows of our redemption from sin.  The Hebrews were said to be baptized in the cloud and in the sea when they left their bondage.  (1 Cor. 10:1-4.)  They journeyed as strangers and pilgrims toward the Promise Land, but many died on the way.  I want to focus on the difficulty of being freed from the bondage in Egypt, and likewise the bondage of sin.

 

Clearly, the reason for the plagues was due to the power Pharaoh exercised over the children of Israel.  His military might was great.  They could not have overthrown the power of the Pharaoh by an uprising.  The number of horses and chariots in that day demonstrated their military power.  Egypt reigned as a world power.  Without the power of God against Pharaoh, they would have remained in bondage.  The point is that they could not have freed themselves.  In like manner, neither can we free ourselves from the bondage and power of sin without divine power.  It required the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord to free us.  (John 8:36.) He demonstrated his power over Satan and the demonic world during his ministry.  He came to set the captives free.  (Isaiah 61:1.)

 

The severity and power of these plagues against Pharaoh represent the kind of power needed to overthrow Satan and leave the bondage of sin.  No one should think that they can do it alone.  Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches. . .Without me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5.)  Jesus had to defeat Satan before we could leave our bondage to sin behind.

 

#2: The God of Heaven Defeated the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12, Num. 33:4.)

 

Many writers have pointed out how each of the plagues against Egypt was directed at the various gods worshipped in Egypt.  Pharaoh himself was regarded as a god.  This was one of the reasons why Moses feared confronting him.  Pharaoh demanded the court magicians to do the same tricks that Moses and Aaron accomplished.  But in each case, their powers were conquered by the power of God.  The magicians even exclaimed that the things done by Moses were done by the finger of God.  (Exodus 8:19.)

 

The Nile River was even highly regarded religiously among the Egyptians.  It was from the Nile that they were able to live and prosper.  Idolatry had a powerful hold over the lives of people; it was not easily broken.  In ancient days, idolatry was the chief religious problem.  Instead of acknowledging the one true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they worshipped many gods of their own devising.

 

Paul wrote to Timothy about the tactics of those who oppose the truth of God.  He wrote, “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.”  (2 Tim. 3:8.)  Here we learn the names of two of Pharaoh’s court magicians who resisted the truth.  Barnes wrote, “Nothing is more probable than that the names of the more distinguished magicians who attempted to imitate the miracles of Moses would be reserved by tradition, even though they were not mentioned by Moses himself.”  (Albert Barnes, Barnes on the New Testament, Thess.-Philemon, 234.)  The lesson here is that they resisted the truth about God by trying to duplicate the works of God.  Many imitate God, claiming to be a god and claiming to do what God can do.  “This is often the most dangerous kind of opposition that is made to religion,” wrote Barnes.

 

We could compare Jannes and Jambres to Simon the sorcerer in Samaria.  (Acts 8:8-9.)  He put himself before others as some great person with special powers.  The people even said, “This man is the great power of God.”  (Verse 10.)  But Simon knew that he was bewitching the people and he believed the truth of Philip’s message and miracles. 

 

#3: The Land of Goshen Was Protected from the Plagues

 

Several times in the story of the ten plagues, the writer points out that Goshen was exempted from the harm done by the plagues.  This fertile area in Egypt was protected from the frogs, gnats, and flies that could have easily have leaped or flown into Goshen, but God kept them away.  (8:22, 9:4, 9:26, 12:13.)

 

God always makes a clear distinction between his people and those who oppose Him.  Jesus told the disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem; the very place where the Church was first established and was the strongest.  By 70 AD there were many Christians in the city that the Romans were going to destroy.  Jesus told them to pray that the siege would not begin on the Sabbath Day when the gates would be shut or in the winter time when travel would be more difficult.  How would the Christians escape?  Titus the Roman general who conquered Palestine gave the citizens an opportunity to get out of Jerusalem before the siege began.  His army backed up and allowed anyone inside to leave.  Eusebius, the third century historian, wrote that not one Christian lost his life.

 

God spared Noah and his family even in the midst of a Flood that destroyed the world around them.  (Genesis 6-9, 2 Peter 2:5.)  He likewise allowed a way for Lot to escape Sodom.   He fled with his family to Zoar.  (Gen. 19:30.)  His righteous soul was vexed daily by their sins.  (2 Peter 2:7-8.)

 

Peter described how God protects His people awaiting their inheritance in heaven.  He wrote, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  (1 Peter 1:4-5)  The imagery is that of soldiers being cast down on every side around the believer protecting him until his inheritance in heaven is received.

 

#4: The Passover Instituted (Exodus 12.)

 

Another example of God protecting the Hebrews in the land of Goshen was during the last plague.  The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn of man and beasts in Egypt.  But once again the Hebrews were spared.  The fathers were commanded to kill a lamb and put its blood on the door posts and tops.  When the death angel passed over at midnight, the firstborn sons of the Hebrews were spared.

 

The New Testament says that Jesus is our Passover. (1 Cor. 5:7.)  This is a great lesson from the plagues against the Egyptians.  God will send another death angel over the homes of people around the world and in every age.  Those who have disregarded his Word will suffer an eternal death.  Those who are spared will be those who have the blood of the Lamb of God on their doorposts.  We are loosed from our sins in his blood.  (Rev. 1:5.) 

 

How do we know that we are protected by his blood?  This is an important truth to learn and apply.  This involves spiritual understanding.  Do you know how to place the blood of Jesus on your doorposts?  Think about how it is applied to us spiritually: by faith in his blood (Rom. 3:25), by being in the church bought with his blood (Acts 20:28), by being baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), by partaking of the communion of his body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16), by following the Covenant sealed by his blood (Heb. 13:20).

 

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