Transcript The One True God

The One True God
Exodus 7:14-10:29
Water to Blood
• Moses was to go to Pharaoh in the morning,
when he went to the water (Exodus 7:14-25)
– Keil and Delitzsch believe this is when he went to
make his daily sacrifice to the god of water
– Moses and Aaron were to demand the people be let go
– Because Pharaoh would not listen to God, Moses was
to strike the river with his rod
– Water was turned into blood for 7 days, in the river,
streams, pools and bowls of wood or stone
– The fish died and a stench went up from the water
– Magicians used deception to imitate
– Egyptians dug all around to find drinking water
Frogs – Exodus 8:1-15
• God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh, likely
in the palace, and tell him, “Thus says the
Lord: ‘Let My people go, that they may serve
Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I
will smite all your territory with frogs.’”
– Clyde Woods says there is some indication frogs
were used in Egyptian religion as a symbol of life
– Note: they came out of the Nile, which was
worshiped as a source of good
– The magicians imitated it in a small way, but the
frogs God sent hopped into the Egyptians’ houses,
ovens, bowls, cooking utensils and even on the
people
The Impact on Pharaoh
• When he asked Moses to entreat the Lord to
take away the plague of frogs, Pharaoh
acknowledged God as the source
– Moses asked Pharaoh to specify the time of the
frogs’ departure, making it even more obvious God
was in charge
– Pharaoh chose the next day for the frogs to be gone
and Moses said it would be done as Pharaoh said so
he could know God was Lord
• The people piled the frogs into great piles of
rotting flesh, but Pharaoh hardened his heart
and would not let the people go
Lice – Exodus 8:16-19
• The plague of lice, or small biting gnats, was
unannounced
• It is significant that the gnats came out of the
dust of the ground since, in Egypt, the soil
was worshiped for its richness
• When the magicians could not imitate this
plague, they were convinced the hand of God
was involved, but Pharaoh again hardened
his heart
Flies – Exodus 8:20-32
• Moses met Pharaoh at the river to
announce the plague of flies who pestered
man and beast
– Virtually all worship would have been halted
– Israel spared the flies in the land of Goshen,
which showed God was in control
– The magicians, who had formerly recognized
the hand of God, now had to see it was the
God of Israel
Pharaoh Offered Compromises
• Pharaoh offered the compromise of letting
Israel sacrifice in Egypt
– Moses explained the sacrifices would be offensive to
the Egyptians, especially because the animals
offered were deemed sacred by them
• Pharaoh offered to let them go a little way
– Moses took that offer to God after warning
Pharaoh not to deal deceitfully with the Almighty
anymore
– Moses did entreat God to remove the flies
– Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the
people go
Cattle Disease – Exodus 9:1-7
• Moses was again to go in to Pharaoh, likely to
the palace, and ask him to let God’s people go
• If he refused, all the cattle of the fields
belonging to the Egyptians would be diseased,
while those of the Israelites would not
• God specified it would happen on the morrow
• All the livestock of the Egyptians died, while
those of Israel did not
• Though he sent confirm the livestock of Israel
was unharmed, Pharaoh still had a hard heart
Boils – Exodus 9:8-12
• Moses stood before Pharaoh but made no
announcement prior to spreading ashes from
a furnace to initiate the sixth plague
– The ashes produced boils on man and animals,
likely those in the stables since those in the field
were now dead
• The ashes of the furnace of the idol Typhon
were thought to keep one safe from Typhon’s
wrath when they fell on a person (Milligan)
– Now the ash from a furnace caused boils
Hail and Fire – Exodus 9:13-35
• Moses met Pharaoh early in the morning,
likely at the river
– Moses warned Pharaoh God was about to cause
hail to fall unlike any ever seen
– Pharaoh’s servants who feared God took their
remaining animals into their houses
– Everything left outside, plant or animal, was
broken by the hail and fire falling from heaven
– Many fruits and vegetables had idols devoted to
them (Milligan)
– Goshen was spared
Pharaoh Called for Moses
• Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron he had sinned
– He saw God was righteous and would let the
people go when the plague stopped
• Moses said he would spread his hands as soon
as he left the city and God, the owner of the
earth, would stop the plague
• Once it was stopped, Pharaoh hardened his
heart and would not let the people go
The Purpose of the Plagues
Exodus 10:1-2
• As God was telling Moses to go in to Pharaoh,
likely at the palace, he explained the purpose of
the plagues
• God told Moses He had been using the hardness
of Pharaoh’s heart as an opportunity to teach a
lesson for all time
– He wanted the children of Israel for generations to
know the signs he had worked in Egypt
– He wanted the children to know he was the Lord
Locusts – Exodus 10:3-20
• The Almighty told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let
His people go or he would bring a plague of
locusts on the land of Egypt
– Pharaoh’s servants suggested compromising with
God, who they now recognized as Lord
– They suggested Pharaoh let the men go offer
sacrifices, asking him if he did not know Egypt was
destroyed
– However, God wanted all Israelites to go sacrifice,
along with all they possessed
Pharaoh’s Refusal
• Pharaoh’s refusal brought a plague of locusts
on the land that darkened the sky
– Whatever was left in the fields was destroyed
• Pharaoh, again called for Moses and Aaron
to come
– He said he recognized his sin and wanted the
plague to stop
– However, when the plague was over, Pharaoh
hardened his heart and would not let the people
go
Darkness – Exodus 10:21-29
• The ninth plague was unannounced
• The plague of darkness showed God’s power
over the Egyptian gods of the stars, moon and
sun
• Pharaoh called Moses in and offered God
another compromise
– He would let everyone go if they left their cattle and
flocks behind
– The rejection of this compromise caused Pharaoh to
tell Moses to get out and not come back
– He said Moses would never see his face again and
Moses said he had spoken well