Lesson 55 - Senior
Memory Verse
"For this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Exodus 9:16).
Cross References
I The Seventh Judgment: Thunder, Hail, and Fire
1. God warns Pharaoh of another pestilence to come upon Egypt if he would not let Israel go, [EXO:9:13-15].
2. A personal denunciation is given Pharaoh because of his pride, [EXO:9:16, 17]; [PS:10:2]; [PS:119:21]; [PRO:6:16-19]; [PRO:16:18].
3. The warning includes a refuge for any who would accept it, [EXO:9:18-21]; [DEU:33:27]; [PS:27:5]; [PS:46:1-3].
4. The grievous, life-destroying plague is sent, [EXO:9:22-25]; [REV:8:7].
5. Israel is exempted from the plague, [EXO:9:26]; [EXO:8:22, 23]; [EXO:9:4].
6. Pharaoh repents, but Moses doubts the sincerity of his penitence, [EXO:9:27-30]; [PS:34:18]; [MIC:7:18].
7. The plague is stopped, but Pharaoh continues to sin against God, [EXO:9:31-35]; [ECC:8:11].
II The Eighth Judgment: Locusts from the East
1. Pharaoh, by defying God, brings a greater judgment upon Egypt, which exalts God before both the Egyptians and Israelites, [EXO:10:1, 2]; [LEV:26:23, 24]; [PRO:1:24-27].
2. Another warning is given Pharaoh with an opportunity to submit to God's commands, [EXO:10:3-6].
3. Pharaoh's servants, convinced in a measure of Moses' power with God and fearful for their own safety, plead Israel's cause, [EXO:10:7]; [EXO:7:5]; [EXO:8:19].
4. Pharaoh listens to their reasoning but desires a compromise, and with haughty spirit summarily dismisses Moses and Aaron, [EXO:10:8-11].
5. The locusts come from the east, [EXO:10:12-15]; [REV:9:1-6].
6. Pharaoh repents again but his attitude is reversed when the plague is lifted, [EXO:10:16-20].
III The Ninth Judgment: Darkness That Could Be Felt
1. Darkness is sent for three days without it warning of its coming, [EXO:10:21-23]; [REV:6:12]; [REV:16:10]; [JOE:2:1, 2], [JOE:2:31]; [MAK:13:24, 25].
2. Pharaoh again attempts a compromise, which is not accepted by Moses, [EXO:10:24-26].
3. Pharaoh hardens his heart and delivers a stern ultimatum to Moses, [EXO:10: 27-29].
Notes
Thunder, Hail, and Fire
Our third series of lessons on the judgment plagues against Egypt which were sent to convince them that the God of Israel was the only true God and that His Word should be honoured and obeyed, is opened with supernatural manifestations in the elements. This plague also was directed against the idol worship of the Egyptians, who worshiped nature and the physical elements as well as animals and insects. They thought that some of their gods had control over the operation of the forces of nature. The seventh judgment was sent to show them that the gods of Egypt had no power whatsoever and that all these things were controlled by the God of Israel, Whose existence Pharaoh and many of the Egyptians denied.
A warning was given in the announcement of this plague with the time for its appearance included. The message stated that those who were struck by the plague would die; so we can see that the fury of this judgment was greater than many of the others, which could be classified only as nuisance plagues instead of destroyers of life. Israel was exempt, as before, because they feared and honoured God.
A God of Mercy
God's mercy is one of the greatest of His attributes. We have seen, in an earlier lesson, how it and the other moral attributes of God were made known to the world through the use of the name Jehovah in the revelation of God's will. The Lord was trying to teach these people that He existed, not only as a God of power and might, but that He also possessed attributes of infinite extent, which would bring comfort and assurance to the believer. It is true that He sought to show them His infinite power and wisdom by the miracles; but through it all, by His exemption of the Children of Israel from the plagues and by the warning preceding this plague of hail, He was also trying to show them His mercy and love.
God could have stricken the entire nation of Egypt from the face of the earth. He could do the same to the Christ-rejecting world today. But, instead, He chose to strive, deal kindly, and lead them with infinite patience and love. He has been listening through all the ages of the world's history for the penitent cry, "God, be merciful to me a sinner," so that He might reply, "Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven." His voice is not stilled today! He is still seeking the lost! He is still dealing in mercy with those who are outside the bounds of His limitless grace.
Insincere Repentance
But there came a time of final decision for the Egyptians when the plagues were being sent upon them. Those who refused God's mercy were lost. Eventually even the nation was defeated. God deals with each person to bring him to a place of repentance. Some yield -- others do not. And the judgments on Egypt are typical of the last judgments, which will be poured out upon the world in the time of the Great Tribulation. In that day, also men who have spurned God's pleadings will blaspheme and curse Him reject Him, and seal their doom forever by accepting the mark Or the Antichrist.
Pharaoh repented when the plague was at its height, but it was evident to Moses that the penitence was not sincere. True repentance has, as its constituent elements, not only grief and hatred of sin but also an apprehension of the mercy of God. True repentance hates the existing sin and not simply the penalty it sees for that sin -- it hates the sin most of all because the penitent has discovered God's love. Pharaoh's repentance did not have these necessary qualifications. He repented simply to rid himself of sin's penalty and not because he chose to make himself an object of God's love and a subject of God's laws. Moses could see this lack, and he faithfully told the haughty monarch of his deficiency. A repentance that springs from fear alone is always transient.
Locusts from the East
The Egyptians were accustomed to believe that ordinary plagues of crop-destroying insects that visit every land were indications of the wrath of their gods. But God sent a plague of locusts that far exceeded any insect scourge they had ever witnessed. It came as predicted by Moses, so there was no doubt but that it was sent by Israel's God. Their gods had nothing to do with it. And since it was greater than any previous experience of this kind, they would have to admit that the God of Israel must be greater than the gods of Egypt.
Again we see an example of insincere repentance. Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to intercede for him, but his repentance was short lived. After the plague's removal he turned his heart against God again -- hardening it more than ever -- and would not let Israel go. Pharaoh was more concerned that God should take away the plague than that he should become a loyal servant of God.
Darkness That Could Be Felt
The plague of darkness poured contempt upon the sun god of Egypt. It was a figure of the darkness, which will engulf all who do not turn to God. Three days of groping in a blackness that could be felt, which excelled the most fanciful tales of mythologists, should have brought them to their knees in sincere repentance. Israel was exempt, for we read that "all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." But Pharaoh's heart was still hardened toward God; and to rid himself of this darkness he told the Children of Israel to go into the wilderness as they desired, but to leave their flocks and herds behind. Moses had the spirit every true Christian must have -- a spirit of fidelity that will not compromise any detail of God's command. God had said that they and their flocks were to go, and Moses stood upon that word. He said: "There shall not an hoof be left behind."
Moses' reply served to harden Pharaoh's heart still more, and Pharaoh's command that they see his face no more seemed to indicate the true condition of his heart -- a state of continual rebellion against God. It is not important for us to know if Moses had been told the fullness of the divine plan by God, or whether it was only the confidence of faith ([HEB:11:27]) that caused him to answer: "Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more." His pleadings with Pharaoh for the liberation of Israel were now at an end. What transpired from this point on was in the nature of divine compulsion rather than divine appeals. Pharaoh had sinned away his day of grace and was in a more hardened condition. He had failed to accept the many opportunities God had given him to repent, and now there remained only the sending of the final judgment upon him and this nation of unbelievers.
A Leader That Could Be Led
Through this series of lessons on the judgments upon Egypt we have found many sublime truths. No doubt there remain many more in the passages we have perused that will be brought out to us as the Holy Spirit leads us farther. But one more great truth is present that we cannot pass by lightly. Moses was a great leader, had a strong personality, and was an aggressive and forceful man; and he was, at the same time, the meekest man on the face of the earth. But Moses had one other great virtue of which we learn as we study his life. He was careful to follow God in every detail, with the exception of one sad instance, which cost him a tremendous price.
"We know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither." It might have been easy for Moses, as tired as he must have been from the irritating and soul trying litigations he had been conducting with the God hating Pharaoh, to have accepted a compromise. He could have felt, and rightly so, that they were fortunate to get out of Egypt even if their going out meant that they would lose all or a portion of their flocks and herds.
But Moses was following God, and God had told him that He would deliver Israel. God promised that the Israelites would take not only their own belongings but would receive from the hands of the Egyptians the wealth of Egypt also. For Moses to have accepted a compromise would have meant that he was limiting God. He did not know just how all this was to be brought about, but he was content to follow God, step by step, until God's will was consummated.
What a lesson there is for us in this one thing alone! Often, in our lives "we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither." But, sadly, so often we get ahead of the Lord and compromise when to have stood still a little longer would have brought us into the fullness of the blessing that God had for us. The life of every great man or woman of God shows us that same truth. If we would be great for God we must be willing to follow -- and not run ahead of -- the Captain of our Salvation. He alone knows the way! He alone knows just what is best for us! He alone knows all about us! And He loves us and is interested in us as no one else can ever be!
Questions
1. What was the seventh judgment - plague upon Egypt?
2. Were they adequately warned of this plague's approach so that they could have escaped its fury?
3. What personal denunciation was given Pharaoh at this time?
4. Was this plague destructive to life?
5. What was Pharaoh's attitude, and what answer did Moses give him?
6. Describe the nature and extent of the eighth plague.
7. Did they have a warning of this plague, and how did it come?
8. What did Pharaoh's servants say to him when the fury of the plague struck them?
9. Describe the plague of darkness and the effect it had upon Israel.
10. What ultimatum did Pharaoh deliver to Moses, and what reply did Moses give?