Exodus 10:1-29 – “Who Is Like The Lord? part b”
Outline:
I.) Intro.
II.) Vs. 1-11 A prideful snare
III.) Vs. 12-20 Eaten out of house & home
IV.) Vs. 21-29 Light & darkness
Intro.
In the 9th chapter we saw how God in His grace warned Pharaoh & the Egyptians of the consequences of their rebellion. In the 20th & 21st verses we are told that some “feared the word of the Lord” & some did not “regard the word of the Lord”. Then in verses 23-25 we are told the severity of destruction upon the land of Egypt & specifically those who had not regarded the “word of the Lord”. Folks, it is here that I think that we can learn a few things about true repentance:
1.) True repentance recognizes the benefit of obedience before the event, not after.
In other words, those who feared the word of the Lord obeyed the word of the Lord & saw that the benefits of obedience far outweighed the fruit of disobedience. Now God had clearly shown Himself as a God who would keep His Word, so if He said that hail was going to come down, it was a coming. There are those people who wait until it starts falling before they act. Verse 25 says that the hail came upon man & beast & I wonder how many men were destroyed as they tried to save beasts? Perhaps today you are being warned of some behavior or attitude & God is giving you an opportunity to repent now, so why wait until the hail starts falling? I’m always amazed at those people who, when offered a chance to respond to God’s grace, choose rather to wait until they sow more sin thinking that they will have some further opportunity to get right with God. Folks, there are many carcasses in the fields of procrastination!
2.) Second, any confession that does not lead to obedience is not sincere.
As we read Pharaoh’s confession of verse 27 then see his continued response of verse 35 it is obvious that he was not sincere. It is again startling how many folks, in jail, have some sort of religious confession only to renege upon it after they are released. Several years ago, I was corresponding to a professing believer in jail, we sent him books & bible studies. His letters were filled with repentance & confession. As the time grew close for his release, his letters were less frequent. Finally, the date came & went for his release. He never showed up at church here. His cousin is an associate pastor down south so I contacted him & asked what had happened. I was informed that he had been out several months in our area & re-offended.
This week we will conclude the plagues or blows against Egypt & again see how Pharaoh reacts to these opportunities to get right with God.
II.) Vs. 1-11 A prideful snare
Vs. 1 Three times we are told in Exodus that Pharaoh hardened his heart & six times we are told that the Lord did. Now the word that is recorded for Pharaoh’s hardening means to rebel or to be resistant, while the word that is used of the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart means to make stiff or to firm up. The word of the Lord firmed up Pharaoh’s heart against God’s word. That really is what happens when we have a hard heart; God’s word comes in & we resist it, then the more we hear it the more we resolve not to listen. What is even more tragic is that it was God’s word of grace that stiffened Pharaoh’s resolve not to respond.
Yet we are told that even though Pharaoh was not responding to God’s grace & the Word of the Lord, it was still fulfilling His purpose. Folks, do you see who the loser is when we don’t heed the word of the Lord in our lives? God was manifesting His nature through the Word of the Lord as well as through the plagues, one was through His grace, the other through judgment, but either way, He was making Himself known. Back in chapter 5 Pharaoh was given the opportunity to respond to God’s revelation of Himself to which Pharaoh replied, “Who is the Lord?” Well for 5 chapters God has been showing Pharaoh just who He is. But not only has Pharaoh been learning, who He is, everybody else has been as well.
Vs. 2-3 To illustrate His point God shares with Moses how these plagues were working two separate ways depending upon the willingness of the heart.
1.) Vs. 2 To the Israelites & their descendants God’s signs were a continual reminder of Who their God was.
God was giving His people the opportunity to experience His power. Their yet unborn children are benefiting from their struggle & faith. As the preceding generations needed to step out in faith they would recall how God had showed them that He was for them. Furthermore, they were going to be able to share how God was faithful to them even when they were not faithful. In fact, that story has been told even today through the Passover celebration. Now both of my kids have been trying to find work, & Tommy has been doing all sorts of odd jobs to get some cash for his truck. Now I greatly appreciate his hustle, & I told him that he is earning the right to tell his teenage son one day how he went out & busted his tail doing odd jobs to raise money. Every one of us has stories of God’s grace to tell others. We can share how the Lord used trials in our lives to strip us from the things of the world & how He replaced the things that we had attached value to with more of Himself.
2.) Vs. 3-6 To Pharaoh they were a warning to humble himself.
The problem with Pharaoh is the problem with most of us at times: pride in the heart. He simply did not want to give in to God. Now this is the first of three questions posed to Pharaoh, this one by Moses, the second two are recorded in verse 7 from his officers:
a.) “How long shall this man be a snare to us?”
b.) “Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
Now think of the boldness this took to confront the most powerful ruler in the world who was thought of as a god. Pride is a terrible thing as it affects all it comes into contact with. Can you imagine God saying that to you or I? “Dale, how long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?” Hey, every time we resist the word of the Lord in our lives we are being proud. Now did you notice here that humility was to be shown by action & not just words? Pharaoh had said he had blown it but to God that was not humbling himself before God. No, it took the action of letting His people go.
Vs. 4-6 Moses plainly reveals to Pharaoh the consequences of a refusal of humbling himself:
a.) Vs. 4-5a So many locusts that they will not be able to see the ground.
Locusts were feared for their ability to utterly destroy crops in a few minutes. In the Bible, they are a symbol of divine judgment.
b.) Vs. 5b They would eat what was left from the hail.
So the locusts ate the crops that had not been destroyed by the hail.
c.) Vs. 6 They would fill their houses.
Now as you look at the effects of this plague, it is obvious that if we become hard-hearted to the point of Pharaoh that our pride will so cloud us that we will not be able to move, sustain our lives, or find any rest. That’s what pride will do if we refuse to humble ourselves, it will so consume us like locusts upon the earth.
III.) Vs. 12-20 Eaten out of house & home
Vs. 12-15 Now look at the contrast of Moses next to Pharaoh. Everything that the Lord tells him to do, he obeys. So he takes up the rod of the Word of the Lord & God works. Locusts in the Bible were especially feared in that they were an agrarian society. Especially in Egypt, they prayed to Seth, the god that was supposed to protect the crops. Now prophetically, locusts always represent judgment. So how was Egypt & Seth being judged? Well, three ways:
a.) First, they covered so much of the land that they darkened the earth.
Which shows us what pride will do in your life; it will keep you from being able to freely move around. These guys were hemmed in, as was Pharaoh, by his own refusal to humble himself before the Lord. Have you ever had that happen in your life? Hardened your heart to a point where you have painted yourself into a corner?
b.) Second, the locusts ate every source of food that had remained after the hail.
In fact, they destroyed every green thing. Pride destroys our lives, man! The things that sustain us are wiped out when we cling to pride instead of humbling ourselves before the Lord.
c.) Lastly, as we saw, they filled their houses.
In other words, because of pride, there would be no peace or rest in their houses. Has that been the case for you lately? Because you have refused to surrender your life to the Lord, there is no peace or rest in your house? I mean you are at each other’s throats all because of the refusal to surrender your lives over to the Lord.
IV.) Vs. 21-29 Light & darkness
Vs. 21-23 Eventually, if we remain in our pride, darkness will surround us. Now this plague came against their chief god Ra, the sun god. It was to him that they counted on to have the sun rise & fall. The effects of this darkness are described as:
a.) Darkness that may be felt.
Now I have been down into Mercer Caverns as well as Moaning Caverns & in both of these caves, they like to get you way down there, then they turn out all the lights. Man, is that ever a weird experience, & I suppose it is best described as a darkness that you can feel.
b.) Second, it was described as a darkness that would last three days.
Now in 1 John, we are told that God is light & in Him, there is no darkness at all. So this was a time when the presence of the Lord was removed from the land of Egypt. Can you imagine how horrible that was? We are told that all of creation speaks of the presence of the Lord. So when it was dark, there would have been nothing to remind them of who the true God was. Pharaoh had said he did not know who God was, so He removes His presence.
c.) Thirdly, it was a darkness that kept them from fellowship with one another.
When God is not present in our lives, fellowship with our fellow man is broken. That’s why I always start in marriage counseling by asking where their relationships are with the Lord.
d.) Lastly, they were able to see light only in the house of those who were Israelites.
Can you imagine knowing that you could be inside, enjoying fellowship with those who were basking in the light, and you were not there because of your pride?
With all of that said, I have just described what hell will be like for those who refuse to humble themselves and instead die in their pride. Three times in Matthew, Jesus describes hell as outer darkness. Did you notice that the land of Egypt lay in darkness for the same amount of time that Jesus remained in the tomb?
Vs. 24-26 Again Pharaoh tries to make a deal this time: you can take your children but leave the animals.
But no compromise with Moses—it’s all-out obedience. Man, I pray that we have the same resolve in our walks with God as Moses does here.
Vs. 27-28 A final warning from Pharaoh to Moses to which he agrees.
Look at how pride has defeated Pharaoh. “The day you see me you shall die.” Man, folks, may I make a suggestion? Hey, you can wait until after the hail destroys your life, or you can wait until locusts have eaten everything, but why wait until darkness surrounds you & you’re about ready to breathe your last? Don was sharing with me that one of his golf buddies died this week & as far as he knows, he did so apart from the Lord. Man, every funeral we attend ought to drive us to reach the lost & it ought to remind us to have short accounts with people. Never let pride keep you from fellowship with the Lord!