9/1/13 MACCSR (Jason McCray) -- Perfect Power (10 Plagues) - Exodus 7-12
Perfect Power – 10 Plagues
Exodus 7-12
What can be gained by studying the plagues of God upon Egypt?
The Egyptians worshipped more than 80 different deities
Through each of the plagues, God was asserting His supremacy
*$10 for the person who can name each plague in order.
Interesting side note about the first three signs…
Staff to snake/Water to blood/Plague of frogs
All of these signs were duplicated by the Egyptian magicians- but they could not remove or overpower God’s sign
Counterfeit Snakes, 7:8-13
God was allowing the magicians to copy Him, but not beat Him.
God may allow the devil and the world to copy His works but do not be fooled by them
What are some counterfeits that the devil tries to pull on us today?
Counterfeit Truth – 2 Timothy 3:1-9
Counterfeit Christians – Matt 13 (wheat and tares)
Counterfeit gospel – Galatians 1:6-9
Counterfeit preachers – 2 Cor. 11:13-15
What will Satan NOT counterfeit?
He will counterfeit anything that will draw people away from God, from Jesus, from salvation.
If God loves it, then Satan will counterfeit it to draw people away from it or He will try to pervert it.
*What is the most powerful thing you have ever seen?
*In this corner…Jehovah vs. Pharaoh
*God defeated the Egyptian goddess named Wadjet, who was represented by the cobra.
The serpent was one of the special creatures in Egyptian religion, particularly the Cobra -symbolized immortality
She was responsible for justice, immortality, heaven and hell.
She figured prominently in the coronation ceremony of pharaohs.
In the underworld, she administered justice and truth and destroyed the enemies of the deceased.
By defeating Pharaoh’s counterfeits, God established Himself as the true God of justice, of eternity and ruler over the afterlife (heaven and hell). The first sign was God’s coronation ceremony, an announcement, before the Egyptian nation.
I. Water to Blood – Exodus 7:14-25
Imagine every water source, hole, well and rivers…BLOOD.
The Egyptians looked to Hapi in 3 main ways…
the giver of life, prosperity, balance
What or who do you look to as a provider of life?
What or who do you look to to maintain balance in your life?
Let me put it another way.
Fill in the blank… “I cannot live without ______________.”
Their life would unravel and become unmanageable if they lost a certain person.
Their comforts, house, material possessions
Their life would unravel and become unlivable if they lost certain things.
So what did Pharaoh’s magicians do in response to this Wonder of God?
They made more blood…really?!?
So what did Pharaoh do in response to his magicians?
He hardened his heart and was not moved by it.
So what did Pharaoh’s people do?
They were loathe to drink the water (blood) and had to dig new wells for 7 days.
We are not so different today.
Like the magicians, we compound our problems.
Like Pharaoh, we harden our hearts.
Like the people, we work harder and never fix the problem.
II. Frogs Everywhere – Exodus 8:1-15
Aaron stretches out the staff over the waters and the land was covered with frogs.
That word for covered is used to describe a land covered with water, in other places in the Bible.
Now, what will Pharaoh’s magicians do in response?
Will they remove the frogs that Jehovah raised up?
NO! They actually increase the number of frogs!
Are you kidding me!?!
How terrible is this plague? It must have been really bad, because Pharaoh immediately capitulates.
One person described this plague this way.
“Like a blanket of filth the slimy, wet monstrosities covered the land, until men sickened at the continued squashing crunch of the ghastly pavement they were forced to walk upon. If a man’s feet slipped on the greasy mass of their crushed bodies, he fell into an indescribably offensive mass of putrid uncleanness, and when he sought water to cleanse himself, the water was so solid with frogs, he got no cleansing there.”
Another problem associated with this plague is that, in the Egyptian religion, the frog was one of a number of sacred animals that might not be killed intentionally and even involuntary slaughter was often punished with death.
This plague defeated the Egyptian god - Heket
Moses tells Pharaoh that he has the honor of choosing WHEN this plague is to be removed.
Okay, let’s take a vote. When would you want the frogs to be gone?
There is only one acceptable answer, “now!”
Tomorrow!?! Are you kidding me?
Why did he say tomorrow?
Yet, how many people tell God the same thing today?
God tells us that we can be free from something that has plagued us for far too long.
We say, “Yes, Lord, I want to be free from this sin that has crushed me, that stinks, that has infiltrated every aspect of my life.”
God tells us that we have the honor of saying when we are to be freed from this plague. All we have to do is confess and repent. Turn aside from that sin and turn toward Him.
And when we hear God say that, we respond, “tomorrow, Lord, I will turn from that putrid, stinking, life-sucking sin tomorrow.”
How insane is that!?!
III. Lice (chiggers) - Exodus 8:16-19
All the dust became lice. All the dust of the desert too?
How much of Egypt is desert?
Egypt is about the size of Texas and New Mexico combined.
Roughly 97% of Egypt is desert.
How much dust do you suppose would be in a desert?
If the dust of the desert became lice then that would be a tremendous amount of bugs!
Also, do not forget the irritation of the continual crying of the children and babies who had to deal with this.
Imagine the continual complaining of adults and the non-stop bellowing of the animals affected by this swarm.
No rest because of the extreme discomfort and because of the continual noise and the new bites.
Don’t forget the fatigue from enduring the last plague of frogs, their resulting deaths and stench.
And don’t forget the nausea of the stink of rivers of blood and dead fish.
Jehovah’s victory over Set shows power over chaos, turmoil, confusion, storm and rage.
Another problem for the Egyptians associated with this plague comes from understanding the Egyptian standard of clean and unclean as it related to their priests and worship.
The priests in Egypt were noted for their physical purity.
They were circumcised, shaved the hair from their head and bodies, washed frequently and were dressed in beautiful linen robes.
The priesthood could not function effectively having been polluted by the presence of these unclean insects.
Their prayers were made ineffective by their own personal impurity with the presence of gnats on their bodies.
Before, the plagues came after warnings.
This time, the plague came without warning.
It is the same with us.
The Bible warns us of certain attitudes and actions and tells us what will happen if we do not heed God’s warnings.
The progression of how Moses went early to Pharaoh, then just went to Pharaoh, then just brought on the plague, this is the same progression God uses in our lives as well.
God will come to us early in our lives
Then God just speaks into our lives
Then, sometimes, we experience trouble without warning.
Is God speaking in your life? Is He warning you of things to come? Is He calling you to Himself?
Jehovah is stronger than any chaos in your life.
He is God over the storms, confusion, turmoil.
What storm in your life do you need Jehovah to deal with?
IV. Fly on the wall, Exodus 8:20-32
Flies, what kind of flies? There are many different types of flies.
Many early scholars believed it was the dog-fly.
The stable fly or dog fly is a blood-sucking fly. Stable flies primarily attack animals for a blood meal, but in the absence of an animal host will also bite man.
The animal industries of Florida are severely affected by the stable fly. Since the fly takes blood meals, animals are weakened from blood loss and continual irritation. Animals such as swine, cattle, and horses can show reduced weight gains.
While one stable fly does not cause significant damage, 50-100 of these blood-sucking pests together with 500 horn flies cause a daily loss of blood. This can result in a loss of 10-20 percent in milk production and up to 40 pounds of beef gain eliminated per animal each year - an economic loss of millions of dollars per year to Florida cattlemen.
Stable flies also are known to transmit such diseases as anthrax, Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) and anaplasmosis to animals. In addition, bite wounds can be sites for secondary infection. Stable flies feed mainly on the legs of cattle and horses. Since these pests leave an animal immediately after feeding they may go unnoticed unless heavy outbreaks occur.
Shu was the god of …
Man wearing a headdress with feathers
A lion
Shu was the god of the air.
Isis was the goddess…
Woman with headdress in the shape of a throne
A pair of cow horns with a sun disk
Isis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic spells to help people in need.
I would tend to go this direction because…The Ichneumon fly was regarded as the manifestation of the god Uatchit.
Set Apart, but not too far
Compromise is always a temptation that all those set apart must continually strive against.
Pharaoh was willing to let the Hebrews go to worship, but he did not want them going too far.
It is the same with us, the world is willing to let us worship God, but do not go too far.
They say….
Worship God, but don’t mention Jesus.
Talk of love, but don’t talk of holiness.
Talk of grace, but don’t talk of wrath.
Talk of heaven, but don’t mention hell.
You can have the Bible but don’t condemn other religious books.
You can worship and serve God, but don’t go too far.
The world doesn’t want to be judged, so don’t go too far.
The devil doesn’t want you to be close to God, so don’t go too far.
Even our flesh doesn’t want to work too hard, so don’t go too far.
The Bible talks about this struggle in great detail.
Romans 7:14-20
Galatians 5:16-18
V. Livestock – Exodus 9:1-7
Economic Disaster
Oxen were depended upon for heavy labor in agriculture.
Camels, donkeys and horses were used largely for transportation.
Cattle provided milk.
This plague would have devastated the Egyptian economy.
Just imagine what the USA would be like if every mode of transportation for people and commerce were inoperative and had to be replaced.
NO cars, trucks, motorcycles, planes, trains
NO post office, UPS, Fed-Ex
NO garbage pickup, ambulance, fire truck or police
Apis
Apis was depicted as a bull. He was the Egyptian god of strength and fertility.
The spirit of Apis was said to be present in the body of a real bull which was kept by the Pharaoh and looked after by his priests.
At the end of the old year, the Apis bull was slaughtered and its flesh eaten by the Pharaoh. It was believed that the Pharaoh would then inherit the great power of Apis.
Each year the priests would search for a new Apis bull which would then live a life of luxury until the ritual was repeated.
The bovines in the region in which Ptah was worshipped exhibited white patterning on their mainly black bodies, and so a belief grew up that the Apis bull had to have a certain set of markings suitable to its role. It was required to have a white triangle upon its forehead, a white vulture wing outline on its back, a scarab mark under its tongue, a white crescent moon shape on its right flank, and double hairs on its tail.
The bull which matched these markings was selected from the herd, brought to a temple, given a harem of cows, and worshipped as an aspect of Ptah. His mother was believed to have been conceived by a flash of lightning from the heavens, or from moonbeams, and also was treated specially. Theologically, Apis was considered to be born of a virgin cow impregnated by the god, Ptah.
At the temple, Apis was used as an oracle, his movements being interpreted as prophecies. His breath was believed to cure disease, and his presence to bless those around with virility. He was given a window in the temple through which he could be seen, and on certain holidays was led through the streets of the city, bedecked with jewelry and flowers.
When the bull that represented Apis was well then the live stock of the nation would be the same.
So when the livestock died, so did the Apis bull…so did the power of their god.
Their deities that ensured life, protection, love, joy and economic stability were all shown to be weaker that the God of the Hebrews.
VI. Boils - Exodus 9:8-12
Symptoms:
A boil may begin as a tender, pinkish-red, swollen, firm area in the skin. Over time, it will feel like a water-filled balloon or cyst.
Pain gets worse as it fills with pus and dead tissue, and improves as it drains. It may drain on its own. More often the patient or someone else opens the boil.
The boil:
Is usually pea-sized, but may be as large as a golf ball
May develop white or yellow centers (pustules)
May join with another boil or spread to other skin areas
May grow quickly - weep, ooze, or crust
Other symptoms may include:
Fatigue, Fever, General ill-feeling
Itching before the boil develops
Skin redness around the boil
Boils can be very painful if they occur in areas like the ear canal or nose.
The Egyptians are helpless to protect themselves and their health in the face of an almighty deity.
The last plague was devastation upon livestock and now God begins increase the trouble upon humans
The Egyptians would, once again, call upon their deities to protect them from this plague.
Oh sure, their other deities had failed…
Wadjet, Hapi, Heket, Set, Shu, Isis, Amun, Uatchit, Hathor, Apis
Oh sure, they failed, but maybe our gods of health and medicine can succeed…
Who will they call upon?
Imhotep (the one who comes in peace, is with peace)
Imhotep is credited with being the founder of medicine. He was the author of a medical treatise remarkable for being devoid of magical thinking; the so-called Edwin Smith papyruscontaining anatomical observations, ailments, and cures.
The magicians could not stand before the servant of the living God.
See Psalm1
VII. Plague of Hail – Exodus 9:13-35
New: Up until now, the command has been given briefly with a warning of the plague to come and then it came.
But this time, God has Moses reveal the heart and attitude of God before this plague and the next few come.
14for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart…
Before, the plagues hurt, but from here on out they will pierce your very heart.
#7 – Hail to destroy livestock, men, agriculture
#8 – Locusts to destroy the remaining agriculture
#9 – Darkness to destroy your nerve
#10 – Death of firstborn to destroy your will and take from your heart, the one who should sit on the throne after you depart
Thunder and very heavy hail - Fire darted to the ground
Killed all unprotected servant and beast
Destroyed herb of the field
Geb – the earth god
It was believed in ancient Egypt that Geb's laughter were earthquakes and that he allowed crops to grow.
As time progressed, the deity became more associated with the habitable land of Egypt and also as one of its early rulers. He became naturally associated with vegetation-barley being said to grow upon his ribs- and was depicted with plants and other green patches on his body.
Nut – the sky goddess
Woman whose body arches across the sky, wearing a dress decorated with stars.
Nut was the sky-goddess, whose body created a vault or canopy over the earth.
The ancient Egyptians believed that at the end of the day, Nut swallowed the sun-god, Ra, and gave birth to him again the next morning.
Pictures of these deities were usually seen together… The sky is Nut's body, arching from horizon to horizon. Geb is the Earth, lying beneath her. During the day, Nut and Geb are separated, but each evening Nut comes down to meet Geb and this causes darkness. If storms came during the day, it was believed that Nut had come closer to the earth.
VIII. Locusts! – Exodus 10:1-20
In the USA…In 1875 the species formed the largest recorded locust swarm in the history of humankind, 1,800 miles long and 110 miles wide, equaling the combined area of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Thousands of farm families threw in their shovels and gave up.
When women threw blankets over their gardens, the locusts devoured the blankets then feasted on the plants. Farmers lit fires, blasted shotguns into the swarms and scoured their fields with so-called hopperdozers, large metal scoops, smeared with tar or molasses to grab as many of the offenders as possible. But it was all to no avail.
In her book ''On the Banks of Plum Creek,'' Laura Ingalls Wilder recalls the horrid feeling of the huge insects clinging to her clothes, writhing and squishing beneath her bare feet and the sound of ''millions of jaws biting and chewing'' as the locusts destroyed her family's wheat fields in Minnesota.
In the desert…A desert locust swarm can be 745 square miles in size and pack between 70 and 140 million locusts into one square mile. Each locust will try to eat its own weight in greenery a day, so such a swarm would eat almost 200 million kilograms of plants every day.
What does 200 million kilograms of plants look like?
2 miles high - 310 miles traveled overnight
comprising approximately 12.5 trillion insects
and weighing 27.5 million tons.
Egyptian deities defeated: Seth, menu, senehem, nepri, ermutet, thermuth
IX. I Can’t See A Thing! – Exodus 10:21-29
Listen to this glorious hymn and tell me if you know it…
How manifold it is, what you have made!
They are hidden from the face (of man).
You are god alone, like whom there is no other!
You created the world according to your desire,
When you were alone: All men, cattle, and wild beasts,
Whatever is on earth, going upon (its) feet,
And what is on high, flying with its wings.
You set every man in his place,
You supply their necessities:
Everyone has his food, and his time of life is reckoned.
Their tongues have different languages,
And different natures as well;
The color of their skins are distinguished,
As You distinguish the foreign peoples.
You bring forth as You desire
You have made them for thyself,
The lord of all of them, patient with them,
The lord of every land, strong for them,
From the last part of the text
You are in my heart,
There is no other who knows you,
Whom you have taught your ways and your might.
<Those on> earth come from your hand as you made them.
When you rise they live.
When you set they die;
You yourself are eternal, all live because of you.
All eyes behold your beauty until you set.
All labor ceases when you rest in the west;
When you rise you stir [everyone] for the Pharaoh,
This was a hymn to the Sun god of Egypt:
What is so bad about darkness?
Most children know that darkness is bad
That is when fears are exaggerated
That is when some things become distorted, like your perception of time and of life.
Darkness is also a time when aches and pains seem to sharpen…c.f. Revelation 16:10
10Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
Can you imagine waking up one day and the sun not shining? 8 am – no light 9 am – no light Noon – no light
You get the picture…no light
This plague indicates that they did not have any source of light, not from candles or fires either.
For us, that would include watches, cell phones, ipads, computers, street lights, cars, flashlights.
We would be hard pressed to find a place without some light…even the stars and moon were dark.
Darkness that is felt
Like a blanket wrapped around you
Closing in like chlostrophobia
Darkness for three days
So dark, you lose track of time
Three days would have felt like three weeks
Did not see anyone
Once again, not just the absence of the sun but the absence of light
Did not leave their dwellings
Where would you go if you could not see anything?
*BUT all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
We do not know how much time elapsed between the plagues.
There were probably a few weeks or months between some of them.
For the sake of argument, let’s say that one year has passed between plague 1 and 9.
If so, then the Egyptians have suffered the physical loss, economic collapse, destruction of their land, not to mention the emotional and psychological duress during this time. Add to that the failure of their whole religious establishment and you have an utterly defeated people.
Water to blood Frogs Gnats
Flies Livestock Boils
Hail Locusts Darkness
“The great pageantry which accompanied the worship of the gods at the temples must have been greatly diminished during these months of tragedy and disaster. The political and religious prestige of Pharaoh quite certainly suffered as indicated by the frustration of Pharaoh’s own servants at his inability to bring an end to the problem. The pain, death and loss suffered by the thousands of Egyptians would have ended the many songs of merriment and the hymns of praise sung to their gods, at least for the time being. Who would have expected in an age of unparalleled prosperity and military prestige, such as that which characterized Egypt would find themselves on their knees humbled before Jehovah, the God of the enslaved Hebrews? They who had beaten others were now the oppressed and the humiliated.” – John Davis
Who was truly enslaved; Egypt or Israel?
And to top it all off, they did not know that the worst is yet to come.
X. The Destroyer – Exodus 11-12
“King Jehovah (Psalm 95:3) confronts King Pharaoh with another king --- death, the king of terrors (Job 18:14). The last enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), death, would visit Egypt with one last plague and deliver one last blow to the proud ruler of the land.”
Have you ever been awakened by the scream of another person?
Can you imagine hearing that scream from every house in the neighborhood, the nation?
Imagine living in Goshen where peace reigned but you could hear the blood curdling screams of your neighbors, and not be able to do a blessed thing about it.
All the firstborn, not just the firstborn still living in the home.
NO, all the firstborn, no matter what age…the firstborn who is in his 80s, 60s, 40s, 20s, teens, toddler, infant.
A show of hands, “how many firstborn do we have here this morning? Even if you are the only born, then you qualify as firstborn.”
If you were an Egyptian at that time, then you would be dead.
Now, the rest of you, look around at those you know, who raised their hands, and think about how you would have to bury them soon.
Conclusion:
Finally, the Pharaoh relents…he does not repent..but he relents and lets the people of God go.
He suffered much and still does not get it.
Isn’t that stupid?
***Keeping Score
How much have you suffered and still do not get it?
Aren’t you stupid?
*Is there anything too difficult for the Lord to do in your life?