Signs and Wonders Pt. 3
October 18, 2016
Exodus 9
This morning we return to our study of the life of Moses. I remind you
that I am not Pastor John and if I tried to preach as he preaches, you would
laugh at me. It would not be genuine. So I hope you did not come
with heightened expectations, for they will be dashed. I also remind you that I
could have the same heightened expectations for you as well. I heard all of the
“amen’s” last week. I now know for sure that you are capable of such responses.
So, know that the street goes both ways!
But back we go to the plagues of Egypt. We are in the middle of the
plagues, dealing with #’s 5, 6, and 7. By now, they ought to be familiar to you,
routine almost. But this ought to cause us to look a bit more deeply into them,
seeing nuances that distinguish this plague from the rest. Why did the LORD
choose this as an appropriate display of His power and judgment? Is there
something unique about this exchange?
Today’s group includes a deadly disease upon the livestock, a painful
disease on the people, and a weather phenomenon that we know all too well
living on the plains. As we will see in the text, by this point we have long since
passed the Egyptian magicians being able to duplicate and even gotten to the
point of Pharaoh accepting responsibility for His actions. And yet, number’s 5,
6, and 7 do not represent the end. There will be more next week. So join me as I
read today’s text, Exodus 9 and the next three plagues. READ Exodus 9.
Main point: Yahweh is Lord over all His creation.
Again, this is the same main point we have had throughout the plagues,
and again it fits. In fact, it seems to me that the progression of the plagues is
intended to increasingly make that point. Each time, it gets worse, more
threatening, less easy to duplicate or imitate, more clearly an act of the One true
God. Only the LORD could do such things. Pharaoh ought to know that, the
Egyptian people ought to know that, we ought to know that. As we have been
saying all along, the plagues are presented not just as judgment, but as signs and
wonders to show people who really is God.
So, sees these acts of power as not just what the LORD did to a particular
people in a particular time, but as a display of His power. He truly is LORD
over all His creation, then, now, and forever. Amen?
(3 parts)
I. The LORD keeps His creatures alive. vv. 1-7
If He truly is God, then He ought to be able to keep His animals alive.
Here He shows this by keeping all of one group of animals alive, a select group
while all others of another group are completely wiped out.
v.1- Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This
is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that
they may worship me.”
So far, this is precisely according to formula. We have come to expect this.
So, what should we notice? Well, clearly there is a desire to keep reminding
Pharaoh and us that the plagues are connected to Pharaoh’s refusal to free His
people. Again and again, Moses makes the request. It is refused. Down comes
the plague. This is what happens when you refuse. Then we notice the wording,
“Let My people go.” Now, in one sense it is clear that the context is slavery
under Pharaoh in Egypt. But the wording reminds me that God desires that His
people live in freedom. He does not enslave and He does not like it when
someone else enslaves His people. What do I see in that? This is precisely what
goes on daily with His people. The enemy enslaves, the enemy treats as slaves
people who have been freed. But we must know that God does not desire nor
intend that we continue in slavery. Jesus came to set us free. You might just say
that this freedom from slavery is a big deal to God. It is at the core of His
mission here on earth. Indeed, He sent His Son so we might be free and
challenges us to help each other find and live out of that freedom. And the
purpose of that freedom? To freely worship Him. Enslavement prevents us from
worship. Freedom allows us to worship.
If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, 3 the hand of
the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your
horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.
2
The plague this time is upon the livestock, upon the domesticated animals.
They will suffer under the hand of the LORD. It will be terrible. In fact, the
animals will all die. Now, when we get to plague #7 in a few minutes, you
might wonder where all the animals came from since here it appears that they all
die. That is a good question and a bit unclear as to the answer, but I would
point you to the phrase “in the field” here. Those that are kept in a pen will be
safe, but those that are left out in the open will suffer the plague.
But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that
of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’ ”
4
Once more, there is a distinction between Egypt’s animals and Israel’s
animals. By definition, a plague affects all. That is what makes it a plague. But to
show who is truly God, all the animals of one group will live, all the animals of
another group will die. And notice that this is declared the day before it takes
place.
The LORD set a time and said, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the
land.” 6 And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians
died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7 Pharaoh sent men to
investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died.
Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.
5
The declaration takes place that tomorrow is the day. Why the delay? To
allow people to respond in faith. If you believe the prophet, you will move your
animals to safety, out of the fields. But if you refuse to heed the word of the
LORD, your animals will all die. As we have said in other contexts, the gap
between pronouncement of judgment and the execution of judgment is always
to give the opportunity for faith, for repentance. And so it is here.
Sure enough, the next day comes and all the animals of one group
(Egyptian livestock out in the fields) die and the others live. Yahweh has shown
once more who is truly God. And yet, did it soften Pharaoh’s heart? Not at all.
It says here he was “unyielding.” He refused to give up, to give in. He was the
picture of stubbornness. (Not that any of us is stubborn!)
II. The LORD keeps us well. vv. 8-12
As He did with the animals, so He does here. He pronounces and then
fulfills His pronouncement that one select group come down with a disease,
while another select group suffer none of the same disease. By this, any and all
ought to see that He is sovereign over such sickness and disease.
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a
furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9 It will
become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break
out on men and animals throughout the land.”
8
The new feature here is the taking of soot and throwing it in the air as a
signal to Pharaoh. In other words, Moses could have just declared it as he had
other plagues, but this time he used the soot from a furnace. Why? Well, what
do we already know about furnaces and the Israelites? They were asked to make
bricks without being given any straw. The straw would certainly be needed to
strengthen the bricks, but also was used to fire the furnaces used to heat them
and harden them. So, the soot would have been a reminder to Pharaoh of the
harsh treatment he had brought upon the Israelites. The ash, the leftovers from
the process would act as the seed for the corresponding judgment. It seems to
me that it corresponds to the prayers of the saints in Isaiah 6 and Revelation.
The soot from the hot furnaces would produce burning boils on the bodies of
the Egyptians. This one is gross, but the image ought to be familiar to us. We
have seen rashes. We understand conditions where the skin turns red and creates
a bubble of pus. Perhaps you have seen a picture somewhere of someone
suffering under such conditions. Imagine everyone, everywhere on their bodies
having such oozing, infected sores all over their bodies.
So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed
it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals. 11 The
magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them
and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he
would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
10
Sure enough, Moses tossed the furnace soot into the air and both people
and animals were covered with sores. The detail here that stands out is the
mention of the magicians. At the beginning of this process, they were able to
duplicate, imitate. Then they could no longer duplicate. And now here, they
were powerless to stop the plague from coming upon them. They were just like
all the rest. They scratched and itched just like everyone else. They could not
stand (literally and figuratively) before Moses. They were too busy coping with
their plague.
And yet, the outcome was the same. Pharaoh didn’t change. He would not
listen, he would not relent. Indeed the LORD made his heart even harder. It
was hard. His attitude was wrong. And the LORD made it even more clear.
III. The LORD controls our environment. vv. 13-35
We might call this the Nebraska plague. We understand weather. Hail is a
part of our lives. But for Egypt? That is another matter.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront
Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says:
Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the
full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people,
so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
13
The cycle continues. Once more, Moses is called to meet Pharaoh in the
morning, confront him as he goes about his daily routine. Again, the connecting
of the issues of freedom, worship or face judgment. Again, the reminder that the
core issue is the uniqueness of this One true God. He wants us to know that
there is no one like Him in all the earth. He is not like the other gods.
For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your
people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have
raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that
my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against
my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will
send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was
founded till now. 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything
you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man
and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they
will die.’ ”
15
This paragraph is new. Notice as He replays history as compared to how it
could have happened. He could have wiped them off the earth as happened in
the days of Noah. They deserved to be destroyed. But He had actually shown
them mercy. He allowed Pharaoh to rise to prominence just for such a time as
this. In order to show how much power He had, there had to be someone
willing and able to withstand that power, serving as a rival. It had to be someone
known worldwide, someone so stubborn that he wouldn’t back down, bringing
out not one display, not two or three or five. There needed to be someone so
stubborn and full of himself that he would take his whole country down
without giving in. Such a person was Pharaoh.
Then we see a more forceful order from the LORD. It is not just “do this or
else.” Here it is, “do this or else... and tell your people to get ready for the “or
else” by protecting themselves and their remaining animals. The LORD is
telling Pharaoh what to order his people to do. If he does not, if they do not,
then they will die. Anyone who does not heed the order will die. Or, if he fails
to carry out the command of the LORD, they will die. This is serious stuff! But
you can’t help but notice the heavy hand of the LORD here. And yet, He
announces it ahead to provide an out.
Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to
bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word
of theLORD left their slaves and livestock in the field.
20
It doesn’t say whether Pharaoh gave the order or not, but some of his
officials acted in such a way as to save themselves and their animals. There were
some who took the word of the LORD seriously. They acted properly even if
their leader did not. They feared Yahweh more than Pharaoh.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so
that hail will fall all over Egypt—on men and animals and on everything
growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward
the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the
ground. So the LORDrained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning
flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it
had become a nation. 25Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—
both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and
stripped every tree. 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen,
where the Israelites were.
22
We know such storms. We have lived through them. But imagine such a
scene in Egypt. There are parts of Egypt that get regular rains, but there are
other parts where it never rains, as in one or zero rains per year. And here, on
cue, it not only rains but it storms, it storms worse than any storm in history,
everywhere, on everyone, destroying everything. Lightning, thunder, and hail. It
hailed so hard and so much that it completely destroyed the crops growing at
the time. And once more, no hail, no storms, no destruction where the people of
God lived. Once more, the One who controls the weather distinguished where
the storm of judgment hit.
Pause: I know some of you are scared of storms, terrified of storms. I am
not. I love them. I would like nothing more than sitting under a roof watching
an intense lightning storm, hail storm, pouring rain. I love to watch for
tornadoes. I dream of seeing one, following behind it as we did once in
Wisconsin.
But I understand the fear. There is always a sense of awe in me from
storms. They are powerful, majestic. But I do not fear them because of my
theology. I know the God of the weather. I know the One who calls storms into
and out of existence. I know the One who says, “This far and no more.” Oh yes,
knowing the One who controls the storms does not make me impervious to the
storms and their destruction. I have replaced my current house’s roof twice from
hail. But I do not fear the storm because I fear the One in charge of the storm. I
know He does not punish His own, and I know He is with me, and I know that
if I die from the storm, it wasn’t a mistake, a random act, a storm that got out
of hand. In other words, in my life it makes a difference that my LORD is
sovereign over nature, over climate, over weather, over storms, over me. I am
determined not to live in fear, not to be enslaved by fear.
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he
said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the
wrong. 28Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let
you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”
27
Once more, it appears the Pharaoh has relented. I notice that he refers to the
LORD by name, more than once. But I also know that the LORD knows his
heart. He knows whether these are truthful words or just words. Yes, he is
asking for prayer to relieve the plague, but that doesn’t mean he really is willing
to free the people from bondage.
Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my
hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more
hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30 But I know that you and
your officials still do not fear the LORD God.”
29
There is the key. Moses will take him at his word. He will pray and stop the
plague. But Pharaoh is fooling no one. Pharaoh is not yet submitted to the
LORD. He is not yet willing to treat Yahweh as God.
(The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the
flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because
they ripen later.)
31
Here we have the crop report for the agricultural experts among us. This
pinpoints the time to mid to late February.
Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his
hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer
poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and
thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their
hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just
as the LORD had said through Moses.
33
There it is again: relief with no repentance. The hail stopped, the rain quit,
the skies quieted and cleared. But Pharaoh had not changed. And so, what do
you suppose will be next?
If we believe this passage is the Word of God, then what should be
different about our lives?
1) We will cherish our freedom.
2) We will acknowledge Yahweh as the giver, sustainer, and healer of life,
all life.
3) We will not live in fear of what might happen by uncontrollable forces,
but fear only the One who is in control of everything.
4) We will worship not creation, but the One who is sovereign over all
creation.