road2answers

Friday, September 11, 2015

Warning Signs

When Moses finally convinced the elders of Israel that God sent him to deliver Israel from slavery to the Egyptians, the elders all bowed and worshipped God.

Then the people of Israel were convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. (Exodus 4:21)[i]

However, when things got tough they were thrown into a panic and said:

“May the LORD judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!” (Exodus 6:21)

The Israelites witnessed the plagues and God’s judgment of Egypt. As they left Egypt, the Lord went ahead of them guiding them with a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day. (Exodus 13:21-22)

They had witnessed the power of God for at least a few months now, probably longer, but they panicked when they saw Pharaoh’s army chasing them. They were camped by the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his army came at them from the other side. The people then said to Moses:

“Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” (Exodus 14:11-12)

The next day the whole community of Israel stood on the opposite shore of the Red Sea and worshipped God as they saw the bodies of their enemies washed up on the seashore. (Exodus 14:30)

The Lord then led them from the Red Sea into the wilderness. After three days of travel where they did not see any water they came to an oasis. However, the water was too bitter to drink. The scriptures tell us they grumbled against Moses and demanded of Him, “What are we going to drink?” (Exodus 15:24)

We see a pattern here. Each time the people faced a problem they grumbled against Moses. Moses then went to the Lord.

The Lord had sent Moses because the people had cried out to the Lord, but now they did not cry out to the Lord when they faced problems. They grumbled against Moses.

This was their pattern as we enter into the 16^th chapter of Exodus. Exodus 16:1-3 says:

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

“If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

The Lord heard their complaint and worked a mighty miracle, feeding the people with bread out of heaven. This bread showed up on the ground every morning for 40 years. However, the pattern we have just looked at revealed a serious problem. Over 1,000 years later the New Testament says of this generation:

I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

These things happened as a warning to us. (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)

Let us stop here and consider this. “These things happened as a warning to us.”

What was the problem? Was it the grumbling? Well yes, but grumbling was a symptom of a condition of the heart. Grumbling was not so much the problem but the symptom or manifestation of the problem.

In another passage, the New Testament puts its finger on the issue. Hebrews 3:7-9 says:

Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.

In this passage, the issue is named when it says, “don’t harden your hearts as Israel did.” The problem was hard hearts. It is fascinating to me that the very problem that Pharaoh manifested, a hard heart, also plagued the whole community of Israel. In fact, because of pride, it tends to plague the entire human race. No wonder the New Testament warns us not to harden our hearts.

The New Testament tells us that these things happened as a warning for us. So, I want to look at the warning signs of a hard heart.

There are three and we will look at each one in turn. These three warning signs are: 1) grumbling, 2) Scapegoating and 3) Anger.

First, we will consider the grumbling.

According to Google to “grumble” means to: “complain or protest about something in a bad-tempered but typically muted way.”

It is important to understand that this is different from being dissatisfied with circumstances. When the people grumbled they had legitimate concerns. Pharaoh’s army was a real threat. Water was a necessity. Food was a concern. In each case, God intervened and provided the things that were the cause of concern. The problem with the grumbling was that it was the people’s response to the issue at hand.

But, what should they have done? Could they take on Pharaoh’s army? Could they clear up the bitter water? Could they make food where there was no food?

Let us ask another question. What did they expect Moses to do?

Here I want to make an important point about our beliefs. Christianity and the church universal have always taught that the individual is responsible for his or her response to God. One does not find peace with God because he or she belongs to the right church. One does not find peace with God because he or she is born into the right family. This is part of why we stress that the Bible is the Word of God. The normal person can easily understand this plain book. We do not rely on a priest or church or another person to explain it to us. Each person is responsible for his or her own response.

This grumbling response shows the first step in turning away from this responsibility. In fact, Hebrews 3:10 says, “So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me.” Consider what God is saying here. He has warned us against hardening our hearts as the Israelites did, and now He says, “Their hearts always turn away from me.” If we go back to the question, “What did they expect Moses to do? We will see that Moses always went to the Lord for them. Why did they not go to the Lord for themselves? Why did they not turn to the Lord? Would this not be a much more appropriate response? “Oh, God help us! We are hungry.” Would God not bless such a heart?

The first warning sign was grumbling. Take a third person view of yourself and see if you do not grumble. Then look for the second warning sign: scapegoating.

According to Webster a scapegoat is: “one that bears the blame for others.”

This shows itself quite plainly in the complaints of the Israelites. “Moses, why did you take us out of Egypt?” Each time the Israelites grumbled did you notice that they grumbled against Moses and Aaron?

A cloud in the shape of a pillar led them. The Red Sea parted before them. Frogs, flies and fleas plagued the land around them. Was Moses the source of these miracles? Listen to what Moses told them. “What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us.” (Exodus 16:8)

Rather than looking to the Lord for help, their hearts turned away from the Lord and they looked for someone to blame. Moses and Aaron were right there up front. So, in an unreasonable and senseless manor, they directed their complaints against Moses and Aaron.

If we take a good objective look at ourselves and find that we are grumbling in our dissatisfaction, the next step we should take is look for the person we are blaming. Once we identify that person, we should repent and apologize as necessary.

This extends to politics and presidents as well. If we are concerned for our country, we should not grumble and complain. We should turn to the Lord. Never think that the solution is in men and women. Our hope is always in the Lord. This can be said for the church, the work place, the home and the community. We are each individually responsible to call on the name of the Lord. We do not need a Moses to do that for us.

Next, after scapegoating, the people expressed their anger.

They said, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 16:3, ESV)[ii]

Whoa!

This is anger. These people are afraid that they might die, and they are so angry and frustrated with Moses that they wish they had died already.

If you have gotten to the point where you wish you were dead, talk to a good Christian brother or sister. Do not go it alone. We all get to this point at some time in our lives. Do not deceive yourself. You are not alone, and need a friend at this point.

God’s solution to this problem was not the manna. The manna was the food they needed. However, there was a much greater issue that needed to be addressed. Moses explains part of the lesson in Deuteronomy 8:3, and Jesus also quoted this lesson as being more important than food. Deuteronomy 8:3 says:

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

If we look at Exodus 16, we will see something interesting. Exodus 16:10 says:

And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.

God’s solution was to show His glory.

There is a very simple lesson here. When we are tempted to grumble, when we are tempted to scapegoat and when we are tempted to anger, remember this statement: “It is not about me.”

God wants to bless you. Call on Him. You will see His glory and understand, “It is not about me.”

[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked ESV 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.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Impossible Situations

“Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.” (Exodus 14:28)[i]

A few short hours before, the Israelites said:

The Israelites were in a panic. God had led them into an impossible situation. In a minute, we will look more at the situation they were in.

We all face situations in life that cause us to panic. Have you ever had questions like the Israelites asked? Why did you lead me here? Have you deserted me? Why is this happening to me?

Why does God lead us through these situations?

First, we need to understand that we can never answer this question completely. Faith is required in our relationship with God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us:

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We know that God loves us. He demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. However, it is not given to us to know everything. Isaiah 55:9 explains:

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

However, God does reveal to us what we need to know and teaches us as we walk with Him. In answer to the question, “Why did you bring us here,” we will see that one of God’s purposes is to strengthen, grow and encourage us.

This is a lesson taught throughout the Bible. James 1:2 even goes so far as to say, “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

Having laid this important groundwork, let’s now consider the events of that day in the wilderness at the side of the Red Sea, recorded for us in Exodus 13 and 14.

First, we see that God did not lead them along the most direct route. Exodus 13:17 says:

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” (Exodus 13:17)

God was obviously leading. Exodus 13:21-22 says:

The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.

These people, following the Lord’s leading and knowing they were where he led them, now found themselves in an impossible situation.

How could Israel survive an attack by the world’s mightiest military? They were unarmed. The day before they had been slaves, trained in such skills as brick making, farming, ditch digging, cleaning and cooking. They could now see the mightiest military on earth coming after them. They were like sheep waiting to be slaughtered, defenseless. Therefore their question to Moses, “Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt?”

God had purposely led His people to this point. The Israelites were asking, “What have you done to us?” (Exodus 14:11)

But the Lord had said, “I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army.” (Exodus 14:4)

This reminds me of a time when the disciples were in a boat with Jesus. Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat and a storm came up and threatened to swamp the boat. The disciples cried out, “Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?” (Mark 4:38) Jesus rebuked them. He said, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

The Psalmist teaches us, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) The Psalmist had this confidence through experience. The Lord leads us through the valley of the shadow of death.

God led His people into an impossible situation in order to show His glory and so that the world would know that there is no other God. Through this process, their faith was strengthened.

In Deuteronomy 8:5 Moses is reviewing the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness and says, “Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.”

This same concept is taught in the New Testament. Hebrews 12:6-8 says:

For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

If you love the Lord, this is very good news. How much confidence can we have in facing impossible situations? This is why James 1:2 says to consider it an opportunity for great joy. However, this was not good news for the Egyptians. They had set themselves in opposition to God.

Although everything looked like the Israelites were facing annihilation, it was the Egyptians who were running headlong into a truly impossible situation. Whenever anyone sets his or her self in opposition to God, that person is running headlong into an impossible situation. If you are fighting against God in your life, the impossible situation you are facing is an opportunity to repent. Call out to God for forgiveness before it is too late.

Exodus 14:9 says, “The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.” There was nowhere for the Israelites to go. They were pinched between the sea and Pharaoh’s army.

God set the whole thing up. He was in control. The Israelites could see their death in the glint of the armor and the roar of the chariot wheels. Just think how their faith was strengthened and their hearts encouraged at what happened next.

Exodus 14:19-20 says:

Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.

The Egyptians were in darkness. They could not see to attack. At the same time, the Israelites had light. They could see to avoid the Egyptians. God used darkness to shield the Israelites from the Egyptian army, and light to give added safety and comfort.

While the Egyptians wandered in darkness, the Lord was making a way for the Israelites. Exodus 14:21-22 says:

Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!

The Lord made a way where there was no way.

He does the same thing for us when we face impossible situations. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (ESV)[ii] Notice especially the words “he will also provide the way of escape.” He always makes a way

He did the same thing at the cross. There was no way to cover or pay for our sins. Humanity was lost without hope, and God made a way where there was no way. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

When God made a way for the Israelites, the Egyptians saw it and used it as well. They followed the Israelites into the heart of the sea. Exodus 14:23 says, “Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea.”

The Israelites were not out of danger. The army with horses, chariots and trained fighting men could move much faster than the Israelites. However, the Israelites had God on their side. God fought for the Israelites. He made the wheels come off the chariots and threw the Egyptian army into confusion. By the time the Egyptians realized what was happening, it was too late.

Exodus 14:27-29 says:

The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea. Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.

But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.

The very thing that proved to be a way for the Israelites was the destruction of the Egyptians.

At the cross, what the devil intended to be the defeat of Jesus, proved to be a great victory for Jesus. In our lives, it is the same. The things that our enemy intends for our destruction, God turns into our greatest victories.

Darkness appears to be winning the battle in the world around us. 2 Timothy 3:13 tells us, “evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (ESV) We can have confidence that God will work and use these things to His glory and our victory through faith.

One reason God leads us through impossible situations is to teach us the truth of Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Passover

Deliverance can happen in a moment. It is very costly, and it comes to anyone without distinction or discrimination.

God’s deliverance of His chosen people from the land of Egypt illustrates these three points.

First, who are these Chosen People? The descendants of Israel are known as the Chosen People.

Israel is another name for the man Jacob. Jacob was the second son of Isaac who was the son of Abraham.

After the flood, the descendants of Noah all settled in a plain called Shinar. They began to build a tower there in order to keep from spreading out over the whole earth. This was an act of rebellion against God, and God confused their language so the tower was never built. In the generations before the flood, humanity quickly strayed far away from God in heart, philosophy and practice. After the flood, humanity made it clear that no lesson had been learned. In just a few short generations, humankind was far from God in heart, philosophy and practice.

God chose a man, Abraham, and set him apart. God made a promise to Abraham. The promise is:

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.[i] (Genesis 12:2-3)

Later on in Abraham’s life, God added information about His promise to Abraham. He told Abraham:

I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:7-8)

Years later, when Jacob was an old man and had a large family, God confirmed the covenant He had made with Abraham and told Jacob:

“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.” (Genesis 46:3-4)

That was the beginning of Jacob’s family’s time in Egypt. During that time, they grew from 70 people to a couple million. They also became Egypt’s slaves.

Egypt was prosperous and full of the worship of idols. If not for their enslavement and forced segregation, Jacob’s family would have become one with Egypt. God’s promise set them apart. God preserved them. They were not chosen because they were unique. They were unique because they were chosen. They were God’s chosen people.

The main point of being God’s chosen people was that God was to be their God and they were to be God’s people. This was at the center, heart or core of the promise God made to Abraham. This is what was to set them apart. God’s promise was also to bless the whole world through Abraham and his descendants. They were to be God’s firstborn, i.e. the first of many to be delivered.

Besides considering who these chosen people are, we have a question of “what does it mean to be delivered?”

God’s promise to Abraham and then to Jacob included giving them the land of Canaan. This to them became known as the Promised Land or the land of promise. After centuries of bitter toil and slavery, it was a promise of hope and rest, a land of their own where they would be free.

However, first, they had to be delivered from their slavery, and Egypt was not willing to give up her slaves. The book of Exodus gives the account of how God showed His power by sending plagues that stripped the land of its wealth and humiliated its supposed gods. God showed by His mighty power that there is no god but One. However, Egypt’s king, Pharaoh, still would not let God’s people go.

Deliverance then was not just the ending of slavery. It was the demonstration of God’s power so that the people’s faith and confidence was in God. It was ending of oppression, cruelty and control. It was the giving of hope, rest and a home. It was the instilling of a new identity, strength and solidarity. It was getting Egypt out of a people who were chosen to be different.

God’s delivery of the children of Israel from Egypt was the delivery of His firstborn and looked forward to the eternal, great delivery that took place at Calvary. God delivered His people in one night, at great cost with no distinction made between Egyptian and Jew.

First, we said that delivery can happen in a moment. We see this in the Passover. It happened in one night.

That one night God sent an angel throughout the land of Egypt. That angel killed the firstborn of every family. He even killed the firstborn of the animals. Before the night was over, Pharaoh drove God’s chosen people out of Egypt.

Consider with me what had led up to this moment. If we go back in history, God told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt. God had been preparing Moses to lead this deliverance for the past 80 years. God had just spent time taking Egypt through 9 plagues urging them to let His people go.

The plagues, preparation, suffering and deliverance all served a purpose. They taught God’s chosen people that He is God. If you are asking God for deliverance, do not give up hope and do not stop asking. Realize, that deliverance can and will happen in a moment. But, it will not happen until the time is right.

From the time of Adam, all humanity has been in slavery to sin. Sin is not willing to give up its slaves. However, from before time began, God was preparing a deliverer. In 3 days and 3 nights, God worked a wonderful deliverance. In the moment that Jesus rose from the grave, death and sin were defeated once for all and forever. It happened in a moment, but the world had been waiting for it for thousands of years.

Delivery happened in a moment, and it was very costly.

Egypt was obstinate. Pharaoh would not let Israel go. God patiently kept asking and then demonstrating that if they did not let Israel go, there would be a price to pay. Israel was God’s firstborn. They must be set free. Plague after plague, Egypt was stripped of her wealth. The livestock were all dead. The crops were all destroyed. The trees and grass were all gone.

This is what God said through Moses:

‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’ (Exodus 4:22-23)

If you are asking the Lord for deliverance, you must realize that you must die. There is no other way. We will all die physically and then we shall be completely free from sin. However, even now in our present bodies we can die to sin through Jesus Christ. We cannot do this for ourselves. He must do it in us. The Bible teaches in several places what Galatians 2:20 says concisely, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (ESV)[ii]

You cannot cut a deal with sin. It grabs you by the throat and will not let go. The price for getting free from sin is death. God gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay that price. Deliverance is costly. It will cost you nothing because Jesus paid the price. At the same time, it will cost you everything. To be gained is freedom, hope, identity, family, home, rest and eternity, but you have to leave Egypt. You have to leave what you know. You have to pack up and move out in the middle of the night. You must leave what you love in order to gain what He promises.

Deliverance can happen in a moment, it is costly and there is no distinction.

The first couple of plagues came on the whole land of Egypt without distinguishing between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. Then God started making a distinction. The Hebrews’ cattle were spared. The Hebrews’ crops were spared. The Passover was different. It was the only plague where to be spared, an act of faith was required. It did not matter if one was Hebrew or Egyptian. Without the blood of a yearling lamb on the doorposts, the firstborn of that household would die. There were no exceptions, a lamb had to be killed in place of the firstborn of every family.

There were Egyptians that left Egypt with Israel. I assume that they observed the Passover, but the Scriptures do not say. However, Scripture does say quite clearly, “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” (Exodus 12:23) The Passover gets its name from this verse. The house that was marked by blood was passed over. If anyone believed what God was saying through Moses, they would have been sure to have the blood on their doorposts that night. That is why it is an act of faith.

God works this way. Deliverance is there for the asking. There is no distinction. Romans 3:20-24 says:

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Is there something that you need deliverance from?

Ask God, and trust in His timing and purpose.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Who is the Lord?

The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.

This world sets itself up in opposition to God.

The Bible tells us, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.”[i] (1 John 2:16) These things oppose God in our lives. They come from within and are reflected in our attitude toward the world around us. These three things enslave us, and will not let us go.

Our slavery to sin and God’s deliverance is pictured in the story of the Exodus. The Scriptures tell us of Moses:

He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. (Hebrews 11:25-26)

Reviewing the Exodus, we will learn how God works.

Much of how God works is a mystery. He tells us that as the heavens are high above the earth so are His ways higher than ours. We must be humble when we approach understanding how God works. A common mistake is to think we understand and then judge that God is not good or just. Isaiah 45:9 says:

"What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be?'

As we begin looking at the plagues that God sent on Egypt, I want to begin by speaking about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. The question that comes to mind when God says he will harden Pharaoh’s heart is, “Then why does God still judge?”

Romans 9 makes a statement that may help us understand. Verse 22 says, “God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls.”

Why does it say, “He is very patient?”

Hebrews 6:7&8 makes this comparison:

When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.

In this illustration, the mercy and patience of God are like rain. This mercy and patience gives chance to repent, but if it is resisted it serves only to harden the soil. Pharaoh is a good example of this. By the very act of showing mercy, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

In Exodus 9:15 God is trying to reason with Pharaoh and he says, “By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth.” God could easily have freed His people with one mighty miracle. Instead, He gave Pharaoh 10 chances to repent.

In another place, God tries reasoning with people who were sinning greatly and says:

Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick. You are battered from head to foot—covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—without any soothing ointments or bandages. Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned. Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see. (Isaiah 1:5-7)

God reasons with people. He tries to warn them against the consequences of sin. We see this in the story of the plagues.

When God confronted Pharaoh He first performed a sign to show that it was God speaking. He is trying to reason with Pharaoh. This first sign was the staff that turned into a snake. When Aaron threw down his staff and it turned into a snake the Egyptian magicians duplicated this action, but Aaron’s snake swallowed all of their snakes.

When showing a sign did not work, God then showed his judgments. Pharaoh had said, “And who is the LORD? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2) This same question is behind the sin issue in the heart of man. The judgments that fell on Pharaoh answer the question, “Who is the Lord.” These judgments are nothing more than the consequences of the national sins of the Egyptians. Even so, these plagues could have been avoided at any point had Pharaoh been willing to turn. Here is a brief list of those Judgements:

1 Blood:

Turning the Nile into blood was significant because the Nile was their idol. Also, Matthew Henry points out, “They had stained the river with the blood of the Hebrews' children, and now God made that river all blood.” The next judgment did not have to come if Pharaoh would have recognized, “Who is the Lord.”

2 Frogs:

One of their deities, Heka, was a frog-headed goddess, and they seem to have regarded the frog as a sacred emblem of creative power. The great multiplication of frogs, whereby they became an annoyance and a curse, was a trial and strain to the entire Egyptian religious system. The Egyptians might not kill them, yet they destroyed all their comfort and all their happiness. Their animal-worship was thus proved absurd and ridiculous. (Pulpit Commentary) The next judgment did not have to come if Pharaoh would have recognized, “Who is the Lord.”

3 Gnats or lice:

The third plague, gnats, was a judgment on Set, the god of the desert.

It is interesting to notice that the judgments are divided into three groups. The first two in each group come with a warning, and the third without. The gnats came without warning being the third in the first group. The next judgment did not have to come if Pharaoh would have recognized, “Who is the Lord.”

4 Flies:

The fourth plague, flies, was a judgment on Uatchit, the fly god. In this plague, God clearly distinguished between the Israelites and the Egyptians, as no swarms of flies bothered the areas where the Israelites lived. The next judgment did not have to come if Pharaoh would have recognized, “Who is the Lord.”

5 Livestock:

The cattle died. The death of livestock was a judgment on the goddess Hathor and the god Apis, who were both depicted as cattle. As with the previous plague, God protected His people from the plague, while the cattle of the Egyptians died. God was steadily destroying the economy of Egypt, while showing His ability to protect and provide for those who obeyed Him. We see that God would remove false gods. Pharaoh was learning that there is one true God.

6 Boils:

This time God sent a plague that afflicted their own bodies. Also, God used the ashes from the brick furnaces, using the suffering that the Egyptians had inflicted on the Hebrews in judgment against them. Boils were a judgment against several gods over health and disease (Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis).

Before God sent the last three plagues, Pharaoh was given a special message from God. These plagues would be more severe than the others, and they were designed to convince Pharaoh and all the people “that there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14).

7 Hail:

The seventh plague, hail, attacked Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, the crop fertility god; and Set, the storm god. This hail was unlike any that had been seen before. A fire that ran along the ground accompanied it, and everything left out in the open was devastated by the hail and fire. Again, the children of Israel were miraculously protected, and no hail damaged anything in their lands.

8 Locusts:

The eighth plague, locusts, again focused on Nut, Osiris and Set. The later crops, wheat and rye, which had survived the hail, were now devoured by the swarms of locusts. There would be no harvest in Egypt that year.

9 Darkness:

The ninth plague, darkness, was aimed at the sun god, Re, who was symbolized by Pharaoh himself. For three days, the land of Egypt was smothered with an unearthly darkness, but the homes of the Israelites had light.[ii]

10 the death of the first born

These plagues were judgments as well as signs.

As the judgments became more severe, the greatness of God became clearer.

God used their false gods to show the foolishness of worshipping any besides Him. Romans 1:21-23 says:

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

The first commandment is that we should have no other gods.

Many mistake the patience of God for weakness, or even argue that He does not exist. Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:3) Not only did he not know God. He opposed God. Before sending the eighth plague, the Lord asks Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to submit to me?” (Exodus 10:3)

Something similar will happen when Jesus returns. The period of time known as a tribulation will again see signs and judgments. These signs and judgments will be aimed at all of the things that men have made into idols. The whole point of that period of time is to give everyone a chance to repent.

We all must be aware of the idols that we set up in our hearts. The things that we let take the place that only God deserves in our lives.

2 Peter 3:3-9 describes the day that we live in.

I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

[ii] Information about the plagues and their representative gods was in large part quoted directly from the website http://www.gotquestions.org/ten-plagues-Egypt.html