The Architect

Matthew 16:13-20

What picture comes to your mind when I say, “The Church?”

I remember people. From my childhood, names like Willard Hooley, Paul Miller, Amos Shenk and a whole lot of others come to mind. They were my family, not my relatives, although there were plenty of those, but the people who mattered in my life.

I can picture the small building we met in every Sunday, but the building is not what comes to mind when I think of church. Because I have very fond memories of church, it is easy for me to love the Church with all my heart. I learned to love the people and was accepted and loved by these same people. It follows that when I have met “bad apples” in the Church, I have naturally assumed that the problem was not the Church, but the “bad apple.”

However, each person’s experience is different, and each church is different. Bad churches leave some people with bad experiences and memories. Some people carry deep wounds and scars from their experience with “church.”

Do you know that God does not approve of all churches?

Consider Revelation chapters 2 and 3. In these chapters, Jesus writes letters to 7 churches. A few of the churches receive sharp rebukes and warnings that Jesus will remove His Holy Spirit from them. (“Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” Revelation 2:5 NLT)

The church in Corinth had lawsuits between members, heretical doctrines and even known incestuous relations among its members.

Because of the brokenness of sin and its influence in our churches, none of us can assume that we have the right image of the Church and what a church should look like. We all must be open to relearning some things and unlearning other things about the Church.

Some churches practice a congregational form of government, while other churches practice a more top down authority structure. Some of us have strong opinions about which is the “right” way to do church. AND... let’s not EVEN talk about music.

My aim is not to answer or address these issues. My aim is to lay a foundation for our thinking about the Church.

Things like music, building and service style are strongly influenced by personal taste. However, there is a core of non-negotiable truths that lie at the foundation of the Church.

First, to understand the Church we must define what the Church is.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says:

Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (Matthew 16:18 NLT)

With these words, Jesus introduces the idea of the Church.

Up to this point, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God was near and built His disciples’ confidence in Him as the Messiah. He spoke of the Kingdom of God and likened it to a mustard seed. He showed them He is the good shepherd, and taught that the shepherd would leave the 99 safe sheep to seek out the one lost sheep. Now, He says, “I will build my church.”

Of course, He did not use the word “church.” He was speaking Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew. The word recorded in our New Testament is the Greek word “ἐκκλησίαν” (ekklesian). This word is built from two words: ek, which means out from, and kaleo, which means to call. From this it came to mean: “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly.”^[1]

The Kingdom of God and the Church are not the same thing. The Church is part of the Kingdom of God and belongs to the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of God encompasses more than the Church.

In teaching about the Kingdom of God, Jesus said:

How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade. (Mark 4:30-32 NLT)

This truth about the Kingdom of God is also true of the Church. The Church started out as a mustard seed, and has become the largest of all garden plants. It is an assembly that will gather together all in one place when Jesus returns, but not before then. It consists of those who are “called out” from among the world to be followers of Christ.

Being called out is an essential part of our identity as the Church. Individually, we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Romans 8 tells us:

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29 NLT)

The Church is made up of these “chosen” people. The New Testament also compares it to a body, saying:

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT)

This passage brings up baptism and the working of the Holy Spirit, which involve questions that divide us, but it makes clear that we are all members of His body. No one is independent and no one is unnecessary. Each member of the Body is necessary to the well-being and health of the whole.

This “Body” is made up of those who are “called out” from the world. This is the assembly of those who believe in Jesus for salvation. Whatever image we have when we hear the word church, we need to make sure that what Jesus spoke of when He said, “I will build my church” does not conflict with that image.

When Jesus introduced the idea of an assembly or gathering, He also said that He would build it upon a rock. This rock is one of the non-negotiable truths of the Church.

This statement comes at a critical juncture in Jesus’ ministry. Up to this point, He has been carrying on a public ministry, preaching and healing the sick. When Matthew 16:13 tells us that Jesus took His disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He is signaling a change. He has moved away from the territory of the Jews and is in Gentile country. He has retreated or withdrawn from His public ministry. After asking them what men were saying about Him, Matthew tells us that He began teaching them clearly that He was to be crucified and raised from the dead. Jesus is clearly preparing them for what is to come. Soon ministry was to shift from Jesus ministering here in His own flesh to Jesus ministering through the Church. Therefore, what He says about building His Church is very important.

Without going into all the arguments, let me just state that the rock the Church is built on is the confession of Peter. The foundation of the Church is:

You (Jesus) are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16 ESV)

I want to speak more to the scope of the Church’s ministry or service, but anything that takes away from this foundational truth is the antithesis of what the Church is about. This truth leads to statements like this one from the book of Ephesians:

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-22 NLT)

As this passage says, Christ Jesus is the cornerstone. The foundation of the apostles and the prophets is the truths they taught. Notice though that the foundation is singular. There is only one foundation. Everything is built upon this foundation.

This brings us to another non-negotiable truth about the Church. It will be opposed. We are in a battle. The battle centers on attacking the Church’s one foundation. Jesus said:

Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (Matthew 16:18 NLT)

Included in this statement is the fact that the powers of hell will try to conquer the Church. Not just some of the powers of hell, but ALL the powers of hell.

We see an example of this in Peter; Peter who had just won a tremendous victory and the praise of Jesus Himself. Look at the account that follows.

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Matthew 16:21-23 NLT)

In this confrontation, we see the focus of the battle. Peter is not Satan, but he has fallen prey to the trick of the devil. The problem is he was looking at things from a merely human point of view.

This is the source of many, most and perhaps all of the problems in the Church, the human point of view.

We must pray to have the Divine point of view. We must seek for His will to be done and not our own, because inevitably when we look at things from a human point of view, we end up eroding the foundation.

We can learn from Abraham of whom the Scriptures say:

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10 NIV)

We are looking forward to the city as well, but more to the point, the builder and architect of the Church is Jesus Christ Himself. He said, “I will build my Church.” He is building His Church using us as living stones by conforming us to His image, making us like Himself.

I have been reading a book titled “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. One of his major themes is that more than setting goals, we need to establish our identities. For example, if one is trying to quit smoking they might say, “No thank you, I am trying to quit,” when offered a cigarette. However, if you change your identity you say, “No thank you, I am not a smoker, I don’t smoke.”  Or, for another example, if you want to be physically fit, you need to become or identify yourself as a person who exercises regularly. Identity based habits stick.

We as a part of the Church must build our habits based on our identity. Our foundation is: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” and our builder and architect is Jesus Himself. Everything we do is to be built upon these non-negotiable truths of our identity.

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^[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/1577.htm (accessed November 15, 2019)

God Triumphs Gloriously

Exodus 14

 God had a plan.

We see his plan unfolding in Exodus chapter 14, verses one through nine.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." And they did so. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. (Exodus 14:1-9 ESV)

God purposely made it look like the Israelites were wandering aimlessly. It says here, “for Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘they are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’”

God confounds the enemy’s plans and turns them against him. For example, when the Son of God was on this earth, the enemy of our souls, the Devil, tried to destroy Him by hanging him on a cross. God confounded the Devil’s plan, and used the Devil’s plans to accomplish the salvation of our souls.

The Egyptians had a foul motive for chasing after the Israelites. Exodus 15 verse nine tells us that motive:

The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.' (Exodus 15:9 ESV)

Here we see that the enemy wanted to divide the spoils or plunder them, ravage them or use them as an object to fulfill their desires and slaughter them. It is these evil motives that are behind the Devil’s workings in our world today, and it is the same evil desires that will be behind the invasion of Israel by the armies of Gog and Magog.

In Ezekiel chapter 38 verse four, God says to Gog:

And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen... (Ezekiel 38:4 ESV)

This drawing out with a hook in the mouth is what God did with Pharaoh. God used Pharaoh’s own lust and desires against him. This is what God will do in the end with Gog and Magog.

Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,' to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 38:10-12 ESV)

Here we see that the motive for the invasion is to seize spoil and carry off plunder. The enemies of God’s people have always carried this motive, and God has used this to accomplish his purposes. He uses the motives of our enemies to accomplish his purpose in our lives.

Since God uses our enemies’ own plans against them, it often seems as if our enemies are winning. We see this happening in Exodus 14, verses 10 through 14.

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." (Exodus 14:10-12 ESV)

The Israelites were tactically in a horrible position out gunned and trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the sea. From a human perspective, they had nowhere to go. They were trapped. This is why they complained to Moses with such bitter words. They could see no way out.

I have been in situations where I could see no way out and no way of deliverance, and have probably said words with the same sort of implications to God. “Why have you brought me here? Why didn’t you leave me alone when I was enslaved, but at least I wasn’t trapped between the sea and an army!”

Is there any better definition of being afraid than what the Israelites were facing in that moment?

When your heart is overwhelmed with fear, read Psalms 55 and 56. The Psalmist had many fears and challenges. His life hung in the balance, and in the midst of his trials he said, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” (Psalms 56:3 NLT)

Although the Israelites were hemmed in and trapped, they had nothing to fear, because God had a plan. God’s plan was a perfect plan. Here is what the Israelites were singing the next morning:

I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:1-2 ESV)

Just hours before this song was sung, the Lord said to Moses:

Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. (Exodus 14:15 ESV)

Even the leader, Moses, had no idea what God was going to do, and while he tried to calm and control the panicked people, he was desperately calling out to the Lord for deliverance. However, the Lord had made a couple of clear statements of His purpose. He had said:

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." And they did so. (Exodus 14:4 ESV)

At this point, as Moses cries out to the Lord, the Lord repeats these words to Moses saying:

And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:17 ESV)

These verses speak of God getting glory over the Egyptians. The problem that God had been dealing with Egyptians about was the fact that they exalted themselves above Him. The first commandment is not to have any god besides the One true God, and not to exalt any such god over God. With the Egyptians, God was not being a stickler for rules. He makes His reason for confronting their obstinance clear. He says, “...and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

This is key for us to understand. All men everywhere must know that God is the Lord. Someday, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

We will not see the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea. God did that a long time ago, but I can guarantee you that if you put your trust in the Lord, whatever obstacle you face will be defeated in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ so that all the world might know that God is the Lord.

When God Delivers

Exodus 12:29-42

Israel had been in Egypt for 430 years.

430 years is a long time. 430 years ago from today would have been 1589. One of the big events of history of the year 1589 was the assassination of King Henry III of France by a monk. The king was stabbed on August 1 and the monk was immediately killed and the king died the next day at the age of 37.

These events took place 43 years after the death of Martin Luther who died on February 18, 1546.

I give you this information not to impress you, but in the hope that it will stir your imagination to think of the long amount of time and the great deal of history that is represented by 430 years. Our King James Version of the Bible is only 400 years old, and the language is archaic in the world of today. Just think of how many cultural, political and social changes would have taken place over the course of the 430 years the Israelites were in Egypt.

Because of this, their identity as slaves was firmly established and the very thought of deliverance for them was a mixed-up picture. Within three days of crossing the Red Sea they were saying to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die in the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11) As if they had not been crying out to the Lord for deliverance! And not too long after this, they were moaning as they remembered eating leaks and onions by the Nile. (Numbers 11:5)

They were so conditioned by their long history of enslavement that they did not know what to do with their freedom, nor how to act as free people.

When Moses came and told them that God sent him to deliver them, they just wanted the suffering to stop. Most of the Israelites had grown comfortable worshipping the Egyptian gods, and comfortable with the lives they led in Egypt. They had no clear idea what deliverance would look like and they had no idea how deliverance could be accomplished.

The Lord took them through the 10 plagues to show them His great power, and to free them from their psychological enslavement to the Egyptian gods, culture and way of life. They had to be freed from so much more than just their physical slavery. They were spiritually, morally, socially, psychologically and mentally enslaved. Their enslavement was complete.

This is the same kind of enslavement God must free us from today.

Each person has his or her own history, family background, physical and psychological makeup. And, we are conditioned to accept some things as normal and natural that might not be good for us or pleasing to God.

I think about how when I was a boy married couples portrayed on television slept in separate beds, and they went to bed fully clothed in pajamas. Now we are accustomed to seeing people meet and go to the bedroom in a matter of minutes.

Our enslavement as a people and as a culture is complete and we do not even realize how enslaved we are nor do we have a clear idea of what it would be like to be free.

Each individual’s journey is different, but it often requires the equivalent of the 10 plagues of Egypt to deliver us. The problems, habits and thinking that enslave us are more real and more powerful to us than the living God. Therefore, God must strike down these false gods in our lives in order to free us. We are slaves because we believe there is no deliverance possible or what is worse, no deliverance is even needed.

No matter what the challenge, no matter who the enemy, and no matter what the obstacle, God can and will deliver all who call upon Him.

In today’s passage, we see four ways in which God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering the Israelites, and how that relates to us.

The first way God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering the Israelites was forcing Pharaoh to acknowledge God’s sovereignty.

The account of verses 29 through 32 starts out with the horrible announcement of the deaths in Egypt. Pharaoh did not die, although he was a firstborn, the text says, “...from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne...” (Exodus 12:29) Pharaoh remained alive to experience the judgment. Pharaoh was the antagonist, refusing to let the people go, and rather than just killing him, God demonstrated for all generations the foolishness of setting one’s self or one’s kingdom against the Lord.

So, when Pharaoh finally was willing to let the people go, he did it with urgency and with an interesting request. Exodus 12:32 tells us:

Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also! (Exodus 12:32 ESV)

Wow, Pharaoh said, “...and bless me also!”

Not only did he have some nerve in making this request, but Pharaoh was humiliated and soundly defeated. This is the one who said, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to Him?” He has been brought to the place of saying, “Pray for me.” This is the one who just hours or days before had told Moses, “If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”

Whatever situation we are in, whatever circumstances we face, we must always remember:

...at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11 ESV)

No matter how much this world boasts and scoffs against the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

This final victory of Jesus carries into every aspect of life. We have the promise of God that “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT) He will continue His work of deliverance until all our foes are vanquished!

God brought victory out of the suffering of His people, and this leads us to the second way that  God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering His people.

The second way God brought a conclusion to His work of delivering His people was plundering their enemies.

One mistake we often make with the world is we think our enemies are our friends. For example, is your television your friend or enemy? It can be either depending on how you use it. Far too often, it is a tool in the hands of our enemy as he works to deceive men.

The Israelites were able to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry. This is an activity that takes place between friends. The Egyptians were the Israelites’ oppressors and enslavers but here they are with friendly relations. God wants us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. However, to pray for your enemy underscores the fact that you know this person is your enemy. This implies you know that this enemy is not looking out for your best interest. Many of the Israelites made the mistake of thinking Egypt was their friend. Throughout their history, Israel often looked to Egypt for help and deliverance, something that God repeatedly warned them against.

At the point of deliverance, God turned the deceitfulness and selfishness of the enemies of His people against them. The Israelites did as they were instructed and requested jewelry from their Egyptian friends and neighbors. Exodus 12:36 tells us:

And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:36 ESV)

God does the same for us. He brings us riches out of our sufferings. What the enemy uses to destroy us, God uses to enrich us.

Saul chased David around the wilderness for years and instead of destroying David, it shaped David to be the greatest king Israel ever had.

The devil deceived Saul and had him persecuting the Church, but God used this background to shape the greatest evangelist and teacher the Church has ever had.

Whatever your besetting sin or weakness may be, God can turn it into the biggest blessing of your life. But, it may take ten plagues to get there.

While we look forward to the deliverance and riches to come, the waiting is often hard. However, eventually, the waiting is over. This is the third way God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people.

The third way God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people is the timing.

God’s timing is perfect, but it also is unexpected. God had given the Israelites word that they were to gather jewelry. He had instructed them on the preparation of the Passover lamb. He told them to eat with their staff in their hand ready to go. But verse 39 tells us that the Egyptians were so anxious for them to leave that the Israelites had no time to prepare provisions for themselves. They had plenty of indications that the time was near, but they still were not prepared. Because, although God’s timing is perfect, it is not predictable.

The return of Christ will be like this. Although we have every indication that it will be soon, many are not ready. However, we can be sure His timing will be perfect.

And, when we are praying for deliverance for our own besetting sins, weakness and diseases, we know His timing is perfect, but we do not know when or how the healing will take place. Sometimes the healing takes place in the removal of the encumbrance of this tent, our body. At other times, the healing may take place gradually over time. And, at still other times, the healing takes place suddenly without a struggle. But, whichever way God does it, our deliverance is complete and perfect.

Along with the timing, God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people in a fourth way.

The fourth way God brings a conclusion to His work of delivering His people is by watching.

Exodus 12:42 says:

It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. (Exodus 12:42 ESV)

The word vigil is also used to translate the Hebrew word Moses used here for “watching.”  We know the Lord never sleeps, but He uses the idea of a vigil to communicate the care with which He watched over His people.

Consider the words of Psalm 121:3-4.

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalms 121:3-4 NIV)

“He will not let your foot slip.” He keeps a vigil to watch over you.

This is a huge deal. God told Zerubbabel:

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6 ESV)

Zerubbabel was faced with the impossible task of rebuilding the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem against constant and fierce opposition. God’s answer was “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.”

Some have criticized the Bible’s account of the Exodus because moving over 2 million people out of a nation in one night is impossible. Just think of the massive movement of people, cargo, food, cattle, clothing and tents that would be required.

Throughout history, there have been a number of mass migrations. From 1880 to the 1920s, covering over 40 years, millions of Italians left Italy. Mass migrations take years. Even moving large armies takes months, but moving more than 2 million people in a single night takes an act of God, a miracle.

Look at verse 41 of Exodus 12.

At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:41 ESV)

Two thoughts are contained in this verse. One is that the timing of God was precise and to the day. Not a single thing that happened was outside of His control. The second thought has to do with the thing happening on a day.  It says the hosts of the Lord went out from Egypt. A host is a military term and the word “armies” could be used in its place.

When the Lord delivers us, we will go out in victory like a triumphant army, not in defeat. Call on the name of the Lord for deliverance and you cannot fail.

Burning Anger

Exodus 11

Does God get angry?

Yes, He does. However, we must not think His anger is like ours. He is patient, just, righteous and loving. His anger is an expression of all of these characteristics. It is His love and justice that moves Him to anger. In Exodus 11, we have an example of how God showed His anger.

The story of Exodus 11 started way before the plagues in the days of Abraham when God told Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would be slaves in a foreign land.

The fulfilling of that promise is the story of Exodus. By the time we reach Exodus 11, God has struck Egypt with nine plagues.

With this ninth plague, we see something different. With the first eight plagues, Moses seemed to be told what was coming next about the time it happened. However, at the end of the ninth plague, Moses knew what was coming next.

After three days of absolute darkness, Pharaoh told Moses:

Go and worship the LORD,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.” (Exodus 10:24, NLT)

Of course, this was not acceptable, so Moses said:

No, you must provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to the LORD our God. All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the LORD our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the LORD until we get there. (Exodus 10:25-26, NLT)

Pharaoh finally had enough. He told Moses:

Get out of here! I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die! (Exodus 10:28, NLT)

Moses responded:

Very well, I will never see your face again. (Exodus 10:29, NLT)

These words of Moses end Exodus chapter 10 in our Bibles, but they do not end the words of Moses to Pharaoh. Moses does not stop talking to Pharaoh until Exodus 11:8 where it tells us:

Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.

Exodus 11:1-3 is an interlude or an explanation. These verses explain to us the preparation that has been going on behind the scenes before Moses spoke to Pharaoh. Exodus 11:1-3 says:

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. 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." 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. (Exodus 11:1-3 ESV)

Moses knew that there would be yet one more plague. Exodus 11:1 tells us that God had told Moses that He would bring just one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt.

Pharaoh is angry with Moses, and Moses is angry with Pharaoh. Exodus 11:8 tells us Moses left Pharaoh, burning with anger. He was angry because he was dealing with a fool. This is also what angered God. The book of Proverbs tells us:

Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. (Proverbs 29:1 NIV)

Jesus told us not to call any person a fool, and I do not call anyone a fool. However, God is God and He calls some people fools. For example, Psalm 14:1 says:

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalms 14:1 ESV)

This is Pharaoh’s problem. In his heart, he is still saying, “There is no God.”  Or, worse, “I am a god.”

Psalms 14 describes this kind of fool.

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? (Psalms 14:1-4 ESV)

Pharaoh serves as an example for us, a negative example but nevertheless an example. Pharaoh was showing the foolishness of those who do not acknowledge God.

The world foolishly opposes God and Psalms 2 tells us:

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath... (Psalms 2:4-5 NIV)

Pharaoh is one who set himself against the Lord. He called himself a god and refused to acknowledge the God who put him on the throne of Egypt.

Besides this foolish opposition to God, Pharaoh’s attitude also caused great suffering. Pharaoh had ordered the killing of the Hebrew babies, and he had ordered the increase in the workload. His self-exaltation and God-ignoring attitude was the root of his evil deeds.

There were two sides to what was happening in Exodus 11. There was the Egyptian side where things were good up until the plagues, and there was the Israelite side where things were horrible. It is important to understand that God did not disregard or ignore the suffering of the Israelites. Although God used the sufferings of Egypt to shape and strengthen His people, He was angry with Egypt for their evil treatment of the Israelites. Malice and injustice brought God’s wrath. Both God’s love and God’s justice were affronted by the Egyptians’ treatment of God’s people.

God does not waste suffering. He uses suffering to grow and shape His people and to warn of judgment to come, but even though He uses suffering, He holds those responsible who by their evil deeds are the source of the suffering. Romans 1:18 says that the wrath of God is directed at unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is the cause of all the suffering in the world. Before sin, humanity lived in a perfect garden with no suffering. The problem is that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. God’s justice requires that wrongs be made right, that debts be paid. The law says a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye, a blow for a blow. The Egyptians had stored up a huge debt of blows and suffering.

How were they going to pay this debt?

God had a plan.

The Egyptians practiced primogeniture, in other words, the right of succession or inheritance belonged to the firstborn son. Thus, Pharaoh would always be a firstborn of a firstborn. The judgment falling on the firstborn is an example of substitution or of a representative standing in for the whole. The firstborn represented all of Egyptian society or the Egyptian social order. It was top-down with those on top using and having power over those below. As a judgment on all the gods of the Egyptians and all the Egyptian social order, God struck the firstborn of every family in Egypt. The firstborn was the substitute for each family.

Now, one might think that the Israelites were the oppressed and had been suffering under the Egyptians so they would not need a substitute. But, God required a substitute for the firstborn of the Israelites also. A lamb had to be killed and its blood put on the doorpost and on the lintel in order for a house to be passed over. This substitution points out that the Israelites were not without sin. Being oppressed and afflicted does not save one from his sins. A lamb was necessary as a substitute for the firstborn of the Israelites to be spared.

All mankind is enslaved to sin. The wages of sin is death. We were born into this situation because the firstborn of the whole human race, Adam, sinned, and as our representative and father, he passed his sin down to all of us. Of course, we have all added our own sins to what we inherited.

This same system of representation is what allowed Jesus to represent all of us on the cross. Jesus is God’s firstborn and as a second Adam, He paid for our sins by representing us all on the cross. He is our substitute.

Just as there was an Egyptian and Israelite side to the story in Exodus, there is a believer and an unbeliever side to the story of the cross. The picture of God’s judgment on Egypt and of sin on the cross is terrible. These two events show us that God will not hold back His judgment forever. When we look at the Passover and the Cross, we see that God does get angry, very angry. These two events also show us the great love and grace of God in providing a way of escape. He gave His own Son as a Passover lamb for all mankind, and He delivers all who will call upon His name. But the blood must be on the doorposts. In other words, we must accept His work of atonement.

God’s deliverance is a wonderful thing. Not only did God deliver the Israelites from Egypt, but He also brought them out with great riches and with a great victory. He did not deliver them then leave them as orphans with no place to go. He adopted them as His own. Consider with me the benefits God gave the Israelites when He delivered them.

First, when they left, they left with great possessions and riches. They plundered the Egyptians. God gave the Israelites favor with the Egyptians and they willingly gave up their silver and gold jewelry. God was preparing this beforehand. God does the same for us. Ephesians 4:7-8 tells us:

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:7-8 ESV)

Next, God provided a substitute so that the firstborn of the Israelite families could be spared. This continued throughout their history. Every firstborn male of the Israelites was redeemed with a substitute. This is of course what we have been talking about when Jesus took our place on the cross. He paid our debt and satisfied the wrath of God.

Finally, God made a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Exodus 11:7 says:

But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 11:7 ESV)

This is the greatest blessing possible. If God is for us, who can be against us?

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32 ESV)

It is because of this distinction that God made between His people and the Egyptians that the Israelites inherited the Promised Land. It is because of this distinction that they were given riches and a special place in God’s plans.

It is because of this distinction that we are made co-heirs with Christ. It is because of this distinction that we are seated in the heavenlies with Christ.

Does God get angry?

Pharaoh is in hell today because he was a fool and opposed God.

Don’t be like Pharaoh. Call on God today.

The Final Warning

Exodus 10:21-29

God promised Abraham:

Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Genesis 15:13-16 ESV)

Here, in this passage, God says He will bring judgment on the nation that they serve. When God appeared to Moses at the Mountain of God in the wilderness, He said:

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. (Exodus 3:19-20 ESV)

Here again, in this passage, God speaks of stretching out His hand and striking Egypt. Both in His promise to Abraham and in His words to Moses, God makes it clear that He would display His power in mighty acts of judgment and deliverance.

Deliverance was necessary because as God also said to Abraham, Abraham’s offspring was afflicted. Again, when God spoke to Moses at the Mountain, He said:

I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings... (Exodus 3:7 ESV)

The suffering and affliction of the Israelites was extreme, and it continued while God dealt with Pharaoh through the plagues. The affliction of  humanity under sin is also extreme, and deliverance is necessary.

The ninth plague God used to deal with Pharaoh was a plague of darkness. This plague was by far the worst plague to strike the Egyptians to that point.

They could not function.

They could not eat.

They could not move.

Without relief from this plague, they were effectively dead.

Exodus 10:22 says:

So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. (Exodus 10:22 ESV)

Exodus 10:21 described the darkness that was to descend on Egypt as a darkness that could be felt, and verse 22 speaks of “pitch darkness.” The darkness was beyond description. The words Moses used are literally “a dark darkness.”

It was so dark that, as Exodus 10:23 tells us, “They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days.”

If there is an eclipse of the sun, the stars show up and a candle or lantern will light the way. If the sun goes behind the horizon, as it does every night, fire is a good source of light. Darkness does not keep us from rising from our place because we have ways of producing light. However, the Egyptians had no light from candle, lamp or other source.

Exodus 10:23 adds a detail when it says, “But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” (KJV) Moses did not say that the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived was filled with light. He specifically says they had light in their dwellings. The implication is that there was no light for the Egyptians. Light stopped working. Candles and lamps were of no effect. Contrary to the laws of physics, light somehow stopped working and yet worked for the Israelites.

The Egyptians worshiped the sun god, “Ra.” According to an article on Wikipedia:

The sun is the giver of life, controlling the ripening of crops which were worked by man. Because of the life giving qualities of the sun the Egyptians worshiped the sun as a god. The creator of the universe and the giver of life, the sun or Ra represented life, warmth and growth. Since the people regarded Ra as a principal god, creator of the universe and the source of life, he had a strong influence on them, which led to him being one of the most worshiped of all the Egyptian gods and even considered King of the Gods.^[1]

Light is essential for life. Photosynthesis is the process by which light is transformed into energy that can be used by our bodies. Light is basic to our understanding of the physical universe. As a final warning, God turned off light for the Egyptians.

The affliction of the people of Israel could be described as darkness. The heavy burdens of work and the oppressive laws and use of the people were socially and spiritually dark. Not all darkness is physical. Since the time God chose Israel to be His people the devil tried to destroy them. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one, and Egypt was under his power. Egypt lived in spiritual darkness.

God spoke to Pharaoh through Moses. Moses brought spiritual light.

He said, “Thus says the Lord...,” and Pharaoh said, “I do not know the Lord.” Each plague that followed answered for Pharaoh the question of who the Lord is. Each revelation of who God is was light for Pharaoh. However, Pharaoh refused to acknowledge the Lord, and in his refusal, he refused light.

This plague is an illustration. If one refuses the light, he walks in darkness.

Jesus said:

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12 ESV)

God, not “Ra,” is the creator of all life. God is the source of light. In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

God makes the point to Pharaoh that He is the source of light and of life. This is a truth that all men everywhere need to understand and grasp. We think that we do not need God. Since the sun comes up every morning, we assume it is the source of light. We observe how the world operates and have formulated laws that express our understanding of what we have observed. We call these laws natural law and we rely on these laws to explain our world. Our assumption is that we have understood how the universe operates. Based on this assumption, we live as if we do not need God.

John 1:4 tells us of Jesus:

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4 ESV)

The Lord Jesus is the source of light and life. There is no other. He holds the creation together. Without Him, the sun would not give forth its light. Revelation 6:14 tells of a time when, “The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” (ESV) This is what will happen when Jesus no longer sustains the creation, when He withdraws His hand.

Colossians 1:16-17 tells us:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17 ESV)

Jesus holds all things together. Modern man does not worship a sun god, but assumes the sun and its operation is all there is to reality. Since we base our faith on what we see, we assume that the natural laws that we have observed are all there is. This basic assumption is wrong. Even we Christians are caught up in this wrong assumption when we live as if God is not there. Many of us live as practical atheists.

John 1:5 says:

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:5 NKJV)

According to this, the world is in darkness. God sent His Son into the world and His Son is light. However, the darkness did not comprehend. Many translations of John 1:5 say, “... did not overcome it.” The word used in the original text is “καταλαμβάνω” (KATALAMBANO). Katalambano means to seize or lay hold of. In normal usage, it means to grasp solid objects or to grasp ideas. To grasp an idea is to understand it. We tend to think of the world trying to overcome Jesus, but the idea in John 1:5 is that light has come into the world and the world just does not get it.

God told Moses that He would judge Egypt. With the first eight plagues, God teaches by illustration who He is. With the ninth plague, God teaches by illustration what judgment is. He removes the light. In a number of places, Jesus spoke of judgment as being thrown into outer darkness. He said:

...cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30 ESV)

There is great danger in ignoring the light that we have. God gave Pharaoh opportunity after opportunity. He told Pharaoh what would happen, but Pharaoh would not listen. This ninth plague foreshadowed the judgment to come. Jesus warned of ignoring the light that we have when he said:

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 13:11-12 ESV)

Jesus said this when asked why He taught in parables. The idea being that if we pay attention to the light that we have, we will be given more, but if we, like the religious Jews of Jesus’ day, ignore the light that we have, even the light that we have will be taken away. This is the severest judgment possible, because the removal of light is the removal of hope and life.

If God had not lifted the plague of darkness, the Egyptians would have died. Physical life is not possible without physical light. This darkness was an ominous and final warning of death to come.

The cross of Jesus should serve as a wake-up call for all men.

There is nothing more dark and horrible than the faultless Son of God dying on the cross. There is no greater picture of the judgment of God. Nor, is there any greater picture of the love and grace of God.

John 3:17-19 says:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:17-19 ESV)

Light has come into the world. This may be your final warning. Certainly, it is your only hope. Will you choose the light?

---

^[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra. Accessed October 17, 2019.

Plague of Locusts

Exodus 10:1-20

Exodus 10:1-2 tells us:

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, 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." (Exodus 10:1-2 ESV)

The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and the hearts of his servants so that we could know that HE is the LORD.

God brings this up in His word in Romans 9 when He says:

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (Romans 9:14-21 ESV)

The Lord made out of the same lump Moses and Pharaoh. They were both raised in Pharaoh’s house. They were both educated in the same schools. They were both descendants of Adam through Noah’s line.

We do not understand the process of hardening. In some places, the scriptures say that Pharaoh hardened his heart, and in other places the scriptures say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. In Romans 9:14, God denies injustice on His part, and then in the following verses He asserts His right as a potter over the clay.

As humans, we forget that we are but dust. The prophet was right when he said:

You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"? (Isaiah 29:16 ESV)

The plagues were a teaching tool. They were designed to teach the Egyptians, the Hebrews and us who God is. The Lord says He is displaying His power so that “...you may know that I am the Lord.” (Exodus 10:2)

Pharaoh proclaimed himself a god, and after seven plagues, he refused to humble himself. God says to Pharaoh:

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? (Exodus 10:3 ESV)

This struggle between God and man is the essence of sin. The devil tempted Eve with, “You will be like God.” Since that time, we try to be the god of our own lives.

God warns Pharaoh:

For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, 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, 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. (Exodus 10:4-6 ESV)

Later, when Pharaoh was asking for relief from this plague, he called it “this death.” (Exodus 10:17)

Just as God warned Pharaoh, so also God warns all men that the wages of sin is death.

Moses lost patience with Pharaoh. Exodus 10:6 tells us that after Moses finished delivering God’s message, he turned and went out from Pharaoh. Moses knew that the Lord had hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he knew that God was going to show His signs among the Egyptians, so he did not wait to hear Pharaoh’s response.

But, the servants of Pharaoh stepped in and spoke to Pharaoh saying,

"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?" (Exodus 10:7 ESV)

Egypt was ruined. Plague after costly plague had swept over the land until there was nothing left. The hail especially had devastated the land, stripping trees of the leaves and destroying the plants of the field. Only the promise of a harvest of wheat remained as a chance to have food, and now that too was threatened by the promise of an even greater plague.

In scripture, God likens locusts to an unstoppable army destroying everything in its path. We assume Joel is describing locusts when he says:

Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. (Joel 2:3-7 ESV)

This passage describes the destructiveness of locusts and of the consequences of such a plague. Pharaoh’s servants were realizing the threat, and pleading with Pharaoh to do something to spare the land.

The consequences of sin are like the plague of locusts. Not one of our households or families is free from the effects of sin. Chief among the consequences of sin is death, but before death, we all see the endless destruction and pain caused by sin. We are torn by guilt, weighed down by addictions and plagued with anxiety. And yet, we refuse to humble ourselves before God. Instead, we bargain with God as Pharaoh did.

We see Pharaoh bargaining with God when he calls Moses back in and asks who will go. He tells Moses to take the men and go because this is what Moses really wants. Then Pharaoh drives Moses out. In case you do not recognize it, Pharaoh is trying to bully Moses.

We all try to manipulate people. Some are better at it than others, but we all practice manipulation. Bullying is just one form of this. We see it in the way Pharaoh defines for Moses what the Hebrews want even after he has been told what is required. We see it in the way Pharaoh treats Moses with contempt and drives him out. Manipulation takes on many forms with bullying being the most direct.

We all have our ways of dealing with people, and it is with those same people skills that we approach God. When our sin is exposed, or the consequences catch up to us, we plead, we bargain, or we bully, and try to strike a deal with God. We try to set the terms.

Challenging God is one way we do this. We might say that God is unjust because after all, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Some say they do not want to submit to a God who would send a person to hell and try to bully God by saying He is unfair.

God said He was showing these signs in Egypt so that we would know that He is the Lord.

God warned Pharaoh through Moses. He asked Pharaoh to let His people go. God did not take Pharaoh’s slaves from him. God protects and preserves the power of choice that He has given to each one of us.

He does not bully. He does not manipulate. He pleads with us. He warns us. But, He will not take away our choice. He provides a way of salvation, but He gives us the choice.