Oct 21
31
Sermon Text: Exodus 9:13-10:29
“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.’’’ Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.’ Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’ Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.’ (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
Then the LORD 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 the LORD.’ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, 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 land. 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 snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?’ So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, ‘Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?’ Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.’ But he said to them, ‘The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you are asking.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. Then the LORD 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.’ So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the 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. Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the LORD your God only to remove this death from me.’ So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD. And the LORD turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, ‘Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.’ But Moses said, ‘You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.’ But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and 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.’” (Exodus 9:13–10:29, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
You know, the observations that I made regarding the first two plague cycles (plagues 1 through 6) in the last two sermons could also be made concerning this third and final plague cycle. The cycle begins with an early morning outdoor confrontation with Pharaoh. Moses’ demand is the same: “‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me.’” Clearly, there is intensification with these plagues. Things get really serious here. Human life is lost. The crops of Egypt are greatly damaged. Flocks are killed. The situation grows very dark and ominous for the Egyptians with the outpouring of the ninth plague. Again, in this cycle, we see that the LORD distinguishes between the Hebrews and the Egyptians as he pours out these plagues, which are an assault against the so-called god’s of Egypt. And though it is clear that Pharoah is greatly disturbed and clearly convinced that this is the work of the God of the Hebrews, his heart was hardened even still. Mention is made of this at the end of the account of each plague. 9:35: “So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.” 10:20: “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.” 10:27: “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.” Each of these statements places emphasis upon the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart.
In other words, what I have said in the previous two sermons about plagues 1 through 6 may be said here as well concerning plagues 7 through 9. I’d like to take a bit of a different approach in this sermon, therefore, by drawing your attention to three major themes.
I want for you to see that at the time of the Exodus the judgments of the LORD were restrained. Two, notice that the judgments of the LORD were restrained so that salvation could be accomplished for the Hebrews and offered to the Egyptians. Three, know that time of restraint will one day come to an end and all who are not in Christ by faith will be judged for their own sin.
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At The Time Of The Exodus, The Judgments Of The LORD Were Restrained
First of all, let us consider the theme of restraint. The judgments of the Lord were restrained in the outpouring of these plagues upon the Egyptians.
That might sound like a strange thing to emphasize as we consider this third plague cycle. I’ve already mentioned the theme of intensification. Indeed, these three plagues were very severe and ominous.
Hail like never before. Man and beast killed in the field. There are modern-day accounts of this. Crops destroyed. Fire from heaven, wind, etc. Have you ever been trapped in a severe storm? My brother-in-law and sister were this past summer… something like this led to Luther’s conversion… this was far worse. Heavy hailstones fell from heaven and destroyed everything that was left exposed.
Locust. When we see locusts we think, oh, a cute grasshopper! That’s not what farmers think. These things devour crops. And God brought massive swarms of them to Egypt by a strong wind. They devoured the vegetation left by the hail. This was devastating. We get bent out of shape when our modern supply chains are disrupted leading to shortages. For us, it has only been inconvenient. This eighth plague meant that people would starve to death in the coming year.
Darkness. The translation “a darkness to be felt” should probably be understood to mean a darkness that causes people to feel their way around. What caused this darkness? We are not told. But it must have been incredibly disorienting and depressing especially given everything that had been happening in the previous weeks. The Egyptians must have felt like the world was coming to an end.
The three plagues are the most severe of the nine. In fact, the way the narrative is structured it is as if the first six are to be considered as preparatory for these. They are an awesome display of the glory of God, of his sovereignty over all things in heaven and on earth, of his power and right to judge.
Why then do I draw your attention to the restrain of God. Answer: because the texts draws our attention to it. Look again at 9:13: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth’” (Exodus 9:13–15, ESV).
Here the Lord repeats things that have been said before, but special emphasis is placed upon his restraint. Again, “ by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.” In other words, I could have taken you out, but I have not.
So then, you can see that the plagues that poured out upon the Egyptians reveal that God is a God of judgment, and he is also a God of mercy. When we speak of God’s mercy we refer to the kindness of God to not give us what we deserve. And though it may sound strange to you, God’s mercy were indeed put on display in the outpouring of these plagues on the Egyptians.
Notice that each plague was limited in some way. The water was turned to blood, but the Egyptians were able to dig new wells. All of the plagues were temporary. Most were only a nuisance to the people and did not lead to death. And even where death was the result, warnings were given, and protection was offered.
Or to put it another way, God judged the Egyptians in the days of Moses, but he did not judge them fully and finally. This was an act of judgment, but this was not the final judgment. This act of judgment is to be viewed as prototypical, therefore. Just as the deliverance of the Hebrews was only earthly, temporary, and prototypical of the deliverance that Christ has accomplished for his people (a deliverance that is spiritual, heavenly, and eternal), so too the judgments poured out on the Egyptians were earthly, temporary, and prototypical of the judgment that Christ will meet out on the last day. And that judgment will be full, final, and eternal.
Our God saves, brothers and sisters. And God judges too. God has accomplished our salvation through Jesus Christ. And did you know he will judge the world through Christ on the last day? So Christ is Savior, and he is the judge.
When you see the earthly, temporary, partial, and restrained judgment of God poured out in the world they are to remind you that a full and final judgment is coming. And they are also to remind you that in the meantime, God is patient, merciful, and kind.
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The Judgments Of The LORD Are Presently Restrained So That Salvation May Be Offered To The Nations
Secondly, please recognize that the judgments of the Lord are presently restrained so that salvation may be offered to the nations. Now, where do we see that in this text? In a couple of places, actually.
Look at 9:14: God speaks to Pharaoh, saying, “For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:14, ESV)
Look at 9:16: “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16, ESV)
And consider the advanced warning that was given to the Egyptians regarding the deadly hail. Verse 19: “‘Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.’ Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field” (Exodus 9:19–21, ESV).
Here is the observation. When these partial and restrained judgments were poured out upon the Egyptians, the Hebrews, the Egyptians, and indeed, all nations, were at the same time being called by God to turn from their sinful idolatry, to fear him, and to trust him. When Christ returns to judge fully and finally, there will no longer be room for repentance and faith. But until then, room is left for repentance and faith amongst those living on earth.
Nothing is said in this narrative regarding the perspective of the Hebrews, but surely many of them were being drawn to faith and strengthened in the faith as these partial and restrained judgments were poured out. In 14:30 we find these words following the passing through Red Sea: “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:30–31, ESV).
And we know that God was getting the attention of Egyptians too. Again we are told that “whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field.” Some from among the Egyptians feared the word of the Lord. Now, I think it would be a stretch to assume that all of these had saving faith in the promises of God concerning the Messiah. Maybe some did. But I doubt there were many. Notice the text does not say they feared the Lord, but they feared the word of the Lord. I think that is significant. They were convinced that the God of the Hebrews was pouring out these plagues, and so they took action to avert disaster. Did they have saving faith? We do not know.
I will say, however, that when Israel left Egypt the scriptures tell us they went out as a mixed multitude. We are to understand that there were other ethnicities among them, and possibly Egyptians. Does this mean that these Egyptians who went out with the Hebrews have saving faith? I don’t know. But we must acknowledge that they identified themselves with the Lord and with his people in a big way as they left Egypt to sojourn in the wilderness toward the land promised to Abraham. It’s significant.
And we should not forget the impact that these plagues had upon the nations. The nations took notice of what God had done to the Egyptians and fro Israel. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, heard and rejoiced. In the days of Joshua, as the conquest of Cannan began, Rahab said to the Hebrew spies, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction” (Joshua 2:9–10, ESV).
The point is this: the restrained judgments that the LORD poured out upon the Egyptians left room for repentance amongst the Hebrews, the Egyptians, and the nations. And of course, this is true of the entire course of human history from the fall of Adam into sin to the return of Christ. God’s judgments are restrained. The are restrained so that God’s people will come to faith and repentence.
Paul teaches this. “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Romans 2:4–5, ESV)
Peter teaches this too. “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:8–10, ESV).
This is a very important doctrine. It helps us to view life in this fallen, sin-sick world which is so filled with suffering, trials and tribulations, wickedness, and injustice from a different vantage point. Why does God put up with it? In part, it is because he is bringing people from every tongue, tribe, and nation to salvation through faith in the Messiah.
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This Time Of Restraint Will One Day Come To An End And All Who Are Not In Christ By Faith Will Be Judged For Their Own Sin.
The third and final observation is that one day this restrain will come to an end and all who are not in Christ by faith will be judged for their own sin.
Obviously, I have to go beyond the Exodus story to make this point. But you can see it typified at the end of the ninth plage when, Pharoah, persisting in his sin, says to Moses, “‘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.’” Pharoah had been called to repentance over and over again, but his time was up. There would be no more room for repentance for Pharoah. And the same is true for every human soul. At some point, there will be no more opportunity for repentance. Surely this happens at the moment of death, or when the Lord returns.
A question that some might ask is, how could Pharoah be held accountable given the repeated emphasis upon God hardening his heart. You should remember that Paul addresses that question directly in Romans 9. But I want you to notice something very insightful in this passage. In 10:3 we read, “So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.’” Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Yes, he did. The scriptures are clear. But the scriptures are also clear that Pharoah hardened his own heart and refuse to humble himself self before God. The two truths are not contradictory. God is sovereign over all things, even the hearts of sinful man. He has the right to harden men’s hearts as a form of judgment against them. This he did to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh remained free to act from the heart and to stubbornly and arrogantly resist the word of the Lord. This is true for all who die in their sins. They will be judged on the last day for their own sin and rebellion, which is rebellion from the heart.
