God of Israel versus “Gods” of Egypt (Exodus 7:1-13)

(This is supplement 3 to the #HeartChat Bible study taking place every Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, 6:30 Pacific USA. Pastor Mike is teaching his Escape from Egypt series on Twitter. Click here for class schedule and links to the notes. Click here to follow Pastor Mike on Twitter.)

INTRODUCTION

This teaching is based on a 9-part sermon series I preached in August 2004. The “Escape from Egypt” study is relevant to our day as God will be dealing with a new Pharoah (Antichrist) soon. (Revelation 13:1-18)

INTERIM PASSAGE

Exodus 6:14-26 is the genealogy of Moses and Aaron. “Genealogies were used to establish credentials and authority as well as outlining the history of a family.” (NLT 103)

TWO CONVERSATIONS

Conversation #1 (between God and Moses) takes place in Exodus 5:22-6:8 where God helps Moses sort through his feelings and explains to him how He’s gonna act. (Exodus 6:1) Moses then speaks to the people. (Exodus 6:9a) The people don’t listen because they’re just too discouraged. (Exodus 6:9b)

Conversation #2 takes place in Exodus 6:10-13. where Moses tells the Lord the people won’t listen so why should Pharoah listen (especially since it’s all about Moses’ inadequate speaking ability after all!). God commands Moses to go to Pharoah anyway.

Whether or not the conversation in Exodus 7:1-5 is a continuation of the interaction of Exodus 6:10-13, I don’t know. It could be.

The point of it all is we need to go to God when we’re discouraged in ministry (and it will happen, does happen, I have seen it happen in my own life and in other ministers’ lives ~ it will happen in yours, too!) ~ we need to go to God when we’re discouraged in ministry or ready to give up and He can and will give us a good word to help us continue on. It’s really an important part of what’s going on in the entirety of these conversational verses.

WHAT MOSES CAN EXPECT

The Lord makes Moses “as God to Pharoah.” (Exodus 7:1) Has to do with Moses being put on the same par with the Egyptian leader. (Pharoahs were considered “gods” themselves.)

Wycliffe says: “Moses [is] given divine authority and power over Pharoah., while Aaron [is] commissioned to serve as Moses’ prophet or spokesman. This [is] to be no repetition of the first encounter with Pharoah.” (pg 57)

Moses was worried about being inadequate. God is the One who makes us adequate. “I can do all things through [Jesus Christ] who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Our reliance is not to be on charisma or personality or speaking ability.

If Moses and Aaron are to be successful in their mission and see Israel freed, they must speak everything God tells them to speak and not leave anything out. (Exodus 7:2, 6) Don’t make adjustments to what God says for you to do. No adjustments! King Saul made “adjustments” to the instructions he received from Samuel and, boy, did he pay for it! (1 Samuel 13:8-14)

“‘But I will harden Pharoah’s heart.'” (Exodus 7:3) In other passages of the story it reads “Pharoah’s heart was hardened” or “And Pharoah hardened his heart.” Other translations of “harden”: (from Wycliffe) make obstinate (American); make stubborn (Moffatt): make…stubborn and hard (Amplified).

HARDENING PHAROAH’S HEART

“The same sun that melts wax hardens clay.” It’s all about the substance. God doesn’t make the Pharoah stubborn by “hardening” him as “hardening” is more of a squeezing out of what’s already inside.

What would come out if God put the “squeeze” on you? (Luke 22:31; Mark 14:66-72)

Pharoah is not really God’s. Neither will he submit to God. And so God puts the “squeeze” on / hardens Pharoah’s heart. This is what comes out ~ what’s already there.

And God gets His way even with the most stubborn. (Exodus 7:4-5) Pharoah is a picture of the devil (and Antichrist to come, too).

Exodus 7:7 is one of my favorite verses. It’s a verse for seniors! (How old are you?) People in their later years of life can be and are still in many places used by the Lord. How do you know if your greatest service for Jesus still lies ahead especially helping people “escape from Egypt”? 🙂

Moses receives more specifics as regards what he can expect when he meets with Pharoah. (Exodus 7:8-9) God speaks to him about what he is to do. Pharoah will say, “Prove yourselves by working a miracle.” (Revised Standard Version)

We are to preach the Word and expect signs and wonders to follow as confirmation of the Word. (Right?)

THE CONFRONTATION

This is Jannes and Jambres here in Exodus 7:10-12. (2 Timothy 3:8-9) They are able to duplicate miracle via tricks or Satanic power as “worshiping gods of the underworld was part of their religion.” (NLT 104)

A good time to talk about miracles: (1) Just because somebody does a miracle doesn’t mean they’re of God; (2) Miracles will play a major role in the deception of the last days. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10; Revelation 13:13-14)

And what is it with man? I mean, that we could possibly think that somehow we could compete against God as Jannes and Jambres do here among other Egyptian magicians and tricksters? (Exodus 7:10-12) And as God begins by toying with these. (It’s kind of like a cat playing with a mouse between its paws.) And God would have had it that the phone rang, “Hello! Hello!” in their heads when they saw their staffs /snakes (representing multiple Egyptian “gods”? ~ it’s possible) swallowed up by Aaron’s staff / snake (representing the one true God? ~ that’s possible, too.). And as God isn’t quick to destroy Egypt and would have had it another way if they cooperated. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) But these guys in Egypt will just not have it.

PHAROAH’S RESPONSE

We have Pharoah’s response to what’s taken place in Exodus 7:13. He’s “squeezed.” And the stubbornness that already resides in Pharoah’s heart is revealed.

Let me ask it again: What would come out if God put the “squeeze” on you?

May it be nothing but Christ. (Matthew 5:16)

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. “And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharoah.” (Exodus 7:7) Come up with an application from this verse to share.

2. “But I will harden Pharoah’s heart.” (Exodus 7:3a) Does this mean that Pharoah had no chance to repent ~ he was a victim of fate ~ or does it mean something else? (A New Testament example is Judas.)

3. Have you ever seen a miracle follow the preaching of the Word? (Exodus 7:8-9)

4. What reference in the New Testament is further proof that the events of Exodus 7:10-13 really happened? (Clue: Look in the Pastoral Epistles.)