The 10 Plagues – Part 2 (Exodus 8:20-10:29)

(This is supplement 5 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)

PLAGUES ARE MIRACLES

The plagues are intensifications of natural events the Egyptians are familiar with (at least the first nine plagues are; the last is a direct intervention of God). “Their severity (Wycliffe says), and even more, their appearance and disappearance at the word of Moses mark[s] them as miraculous.” (pg 57)

GROUPS OF PLAGUES

(a) Three groups of three each, then #10.
(b) 1 and 2, 4 and 5, 7 and 8 announced to Pharoah prior to; 3, 6 and 9 come unannounced.
(c) First three (first group) fall upon Egypt and Israel; last two groups (of three) fall upon Egypt alone.
(d) Progressively severe; the last three virtually ruin the land.

THE PLAGUES

(See Psalm 105:26ff which summarizes the plagues.)

Pre-miracle: Aaron’s rod becomes a snake. (Exodus 7:1-13)

1. Water to blood. (Exodus 7:14-25)
2. Swarms of frogs. (Exodus 8:1-15)
3. Gnats (or lice) on man and beast. (Exodus 8:16-19)
4. Swarms of flies. (Exodus 8:20-32)
5. Disease (murrain) upon livestock. (Exodus 9:1-17)
6. Boils on man and beast. (Exodus 9:8-12)
7. Hail + thunder and lightning. (Exodus 9:13-35)
8. Swarms of locusts. (Exodus 10:1-20)
9. 3 days of thick darkness. (Exodus 10:21-29)
10. Death of the firstborn. (Exodus 11:1-12:36)

THE PLAGUES APPLIED

NOTE: These next six plagues (number 4 through 9) have no affect on Israel.

Plague #4: Swarms of flies. (Exodus 8:20-32)

Pharoah wants to negotiate terms of release. (Exodus 8:25ff)

POINT: There are no negotiations with God. We either do things His way or we get left behind / out of the loop.

Plague #5: Disease (murrain) upon livestock. (Exodus 9:1-7)

Time is allowed for Pharoah to consider what the Lord has said and the consequences of his positive or negative response. But even after an entire night, he still refuses to let Israel go.

POINT: There is a line to be crossed where it is too late to repent.

There is a moment where the consequences of our negative response to God catches up with us and we pay the ultimate price. Hell is full of people who put off getting right with God until tomorrow.

“And Pharoah sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead.” (Exodus 9:7a)

murrain: “any of the various diseases of cattle, as anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease, and Texas fever.” (dictionary.com)

Plague #6: Boils on man and beast. (Exodus 9:8-12)

Some people could care less until it affects them and theirs. Don’t care about the the cattle/livestock suffering and dying, but now it’s on them.

POINT: “If lesser judgments do not work, God will send greater.” (Matthew Henry)

Plague #7: Hail, thunder, lightning. (Exodus 9:13-35)

The last triad of plagues is devastating. “Never again [will] Egypt rise to the height of power and glory reached in this dynasty.” (Keil and Delitzsch)

Egypt has known hail (Exodus 9:18), but nothing like this! Similar plague in Revelation 16:21: Bowl #7 of the 7 bowls of wrath. (Bowl of wrath #1 is similar to plague #6.)

POINT: Even in judgment, God is merciful and provides a way of escape. (Exodus 9:19)

Plague #8: Swarms of locusts. (Exodus 10:1-20)

Egypt has known locusts, but nothing like these locusts!

“The fact that the wind blew a day and a night before bringing the locusts, [shows] that they [come] from a great distance, and therefore [prove] to the Egyptians that the omnipotence of Jehovah [reaches] far beyond the borders of Egypt and [rules] over every land.” (Wycliffe 60)

POINT: God’s power and rule extends far beyond just an amazing story long ago and into our very lives today ~ your life!

Plague #9: 3 days of thick darkness. (Exodus 10:21-29)

Comes unannounced like #3 (gnats) and #6 (boils).

Picture here of eternal damnation?

“Most scholars agree that the darkness [is] probably caused by the hamsin, the fierce sandstorm so dreaded in the East. The hot dry wind, like the blast of a furnace, fills the air with sand and dust, so that the sun is blotted out. The heat, the dust, and the static electricity make conditions almost unbearable physically. Added to this is the affect on mind and spirit of the thick and oppressive darkness. This plague [concludes] the manifestation of God’s wonders and is a forbidding prelude to the final act of judgment.” (Wycliffe 60)

After all this (all nine plagues), Pharoah still won’t give in.

POINT: There are some people that won’t get saved (accept Jesus Christ) no matter what happens or what witness they receive.

But we don’t know who those people are. So there’s no excuse to give up on anybody.

Who have you given up on?

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. (Goes with Plague #5) What do you think of the fact that God gives us time to consider the consequences of our actions when He really could (and maybe should) squish us like ants in our unbelief? (2 Peter 3:9)

2. (Goes with Plague #6) Some people simply won’t consider spiritual things unless something really bad happens. Why do you think that is?

3. (Goes with Plague #8) How might it change the way you think and live if you really believed God was active and alive and right by your side in the midst of your life and struggles?

4. (Goes with Plague #9) Have you given up on anybody as regards whether or not they could come to Christ? Put them back on your prayer list. There is still time for them to get saved up until they breath their final breath.