<“Exodus: Cycle of Judgment (part 3)
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A Sermon by Dr. Bob Griffin, Teaching Elder at Sovereign Grace Church
I. PLAGUE #8: LOCUSTS
A. JUDGMENT
>>1. HAVOC ON EGYPTIAN LIFE (Ex 10:1-11)
Then YHWH said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am YHWH.”
So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the ground. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.'” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a noose to us? Let the men go, that they may serve their God YHWH. Don’t you understand that Egypt is lost?”
So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve YHWH your God. But which ones are to go?” Moses replied, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and daughters, with our flocks and herds – we MUST hold a feast to the LORD.”
But he said to them, “YHWH be with you, if I ever let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! The men among you can go, and serve YHWH, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
>>2. HUMILIATION OF EGYPTIAN GODS “NUT”, “OSIRIS” & “SET” (Ex 10:12)
Ex 10:12 Then YHWH said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”
B. RESPONSE
>>1. HELPLESSNESS OF PEOPLE (Ex 10:13-15)
So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and YHWH brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind carried in locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again.
They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
>>2. HARDENING OF PHARAOH (Ex 10:16-20)
Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against YHWH your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive [carry] my sin, please, only this once, and plead with YHWH your God only to remove this death from me.” So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with YHWH. And YHWH turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which carried the locusts, driving them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.
But YHWH hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
II. PLAGUE #9: DARKNESS
A. JUDGMENT
>>1. HAVOC ON EGYPTIAN LIFE (Ex 10:21-22)
Then YHWH said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness you can feel.” (also I Jn 1:5)
So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
>>2. HUMILIATION OF EGYPTIAN GOD “AMON-RE” (Ex 10:23)
They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days
B. RESPONSE
>>1. HELPLESSNESS OF PEOPLE (Ex 10:24-26)
Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve YHWH; your little ones also may go with you; just leave your flocks and herds behind.”
But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to YHWH our God. We will take our possessions [livestock] with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve YHWH our God, and we do not know with what we must serve YHWH until we arrive there.”
>>2. HARDENING OF PHARAOH (Ex 10:27-29)
But YHWH hardened Pharaoh’s heart; he would not let them go.
Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”
III. PLAGUE #10: DEATH OF FIRSTBORN
A. JUDGMENT
>>1. HAVOC ON EGYPTIAN LIFE (Ex 11:1-7)
YHWH said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that every man and woman ask their neighbor for silver and gold jewelry.”
And YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
So Moses said, “Thus says YHWH: ‘About midnight I will go out across Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl in the pit, and all the firstborn of the animals.
There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or animal, that you may know that YHWH makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’
>>2. HUMILIATION OF EGYPTIAN GODS OSIRIS, ISIS & AMON-RE (Ex 11:8-10)
And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
Then YHWH said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and YHWH hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
B. RESPONSE (shortened version)
>>1. HELPLESSNESS OF PEOPLE (Ex 12:29-30)
At midnight YHWH struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive woman in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
And Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.
>>2. HARDENING OF PHARAOH (Ex 12:31-33)
Then he summoned Moses and Aaron that night and said, “Rise, leave my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve YHWH, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have asked, and be gone. And bless me [by doing this] as well!”
The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” (also Ps 78:49; 105:36; 135:8; 136:10)”
Conclusion: God sent these plagues
To answer Pharaoh’s question, Who is the Lord? (Ex 5:2)
To show the power of God through Moses (Ex 9:16)
To give a testimony to the children of Israel for future generations (Ex 10:2)
To judge the false gods – really demons – of Egypt (Ex 12:12)
To warn the nations – more than 400 years later, the Philistines remembered YHWH God of Israel as the one who plagued the Egyptians (I Sam 4:8)
As a testimony of the greatness of God to Israel (Ex 15:11)