Lesson #08

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

EXODUS 8
Lesson #08
THREE VICTORIES OVER THE GOD’S OF EGYPT

• Memory Verse: Exo 8:23

• A common perspective regarding the ten plagues:
• If the plagues were contiguous with one immediately following the other, there is a possibility of seeing them as inter-related, at least up through plague # 6. And this is the perspective that many people have of the plagues of Exodus. Television programs have been created around this idea.

• The problems with viewing the plagues in this way:
• There is a tendency to see them more as consequential natural occurrences rather than as miraculous events.
• If the polluted water caused the frogs to emerge, why did not the crocodiles and water snakes also emerge from the Nile River?
• If the murrain in certain animals was due to environmental distress from the previous plagues, why were not all animals in Egypt affected?

• Read Exo 8:1-15

• Plague #2 The Plague of Frogs

• God’s command to Pharaoh:

• “…Let my people go, that they may serve me.”

(1)

• Frogs in Egypt:
• To understand this plague, we need to understand the Egyptian mind in relationship to frogs.
• The frog was not something ugly or loathsome. Frogs were common when the Nile River flooded every year. It therefore represented faithfulness and the blessing of the gods in the harvest.
• Because the frog was related to the gods of Egypt, it was unlawful to kill a frog either by accident or by intention. The breaking of this law was punishable by death.
• God’s judgment on the Egyptian gods through this plague:
• The goddess, Heket (or Heqt):
• The goddess Heket, was the wife of the great god, Khnum, one of the eight major primeval gods. She is an image with the head of a frog. This goddess was the mother of all goddesses and in control of fertility and birth, and therefore, symbolized resurrection.
• The goddess, Heket, recited incantations to resurrect the god Osiris from the dead.
• The god, Hapi, holds a frog from whose mouth flows a stream of nourishment.
• What difference do we see between the power of God and the power of the sorcerers?
• Why could the sorcerers not get rid of the frogs when they had the power to call them forth?
• These were sacred frogs that must not be killed. The power the sorcerers used to call forth these frogs came directly from the pagan gods, and, of course, behind the pagan gods is the limited power of Satan.
• The ultimate power over all creation and all gods belongs to the God, Jehovah.
• Pharaoh promised to let the people go if Moses called off the plague.
• It was Pharaoh who called Moses and Aaron to come to see him. (8)
• Moses asked Pharaoh to set the time when the plague of frogs would end. (9)
• Pharaoh did not say it should end immediately but delayed a day. (10)
• Moses recognized the pressure that God put upon Pharaoh to acknowledge that the God, Jehovah had the ultimate power. (10)
• This is a key point in the sequence of events.

• Read Exo 8:16-19

• Plague #3 The Plague of Lice

• This infestation of lice is an insect that pinches and is a scavenger. The Hebrew root word for this insect means to pinch. Clouds of lice are not uncommon in Egypt where the sand seemed to be moving. However, a closer inspection of the sand would reveal thousands of tiny insects that would climb up the legs.
• God’s judgment on the Egyptian gods through this plague:
• This plague is a judgment on the priests of Egypt and on Geb, the earth god.
• The priests of Egypt were known for their physical purity and personal cleanliness.
• They were circumcised, shaved of all the hair on their bodies, and frequently bathed.
• The earth god, Geb. This god reported to Osiris concerning harvests.
• What is the difference between this plague and the previous one?
• For the first time the sorcerers could not reproduce this plague. Why?
• If the earth was so dry for lack of fresh water from the Nile River, it would not produce the necessary crops. Instead it produced lice. The earth god, Geb, must then answer to the god Osiris why there were lice instead of harvests.
• In the plague of the frogs, the god was a frog. Therefore, the sorcerers could call up the representation of their god.
• In the plague of the lice, the god of the earth is indirectly related to the lice, and not an exact representation of it. Therefore, the sorcerers were powerless.
• The magicians recognized that the plague was from the finger of God. (19)

• Read Exo 8:20-32
• To this point in the sequence of the plagues, the Bible does not say that the land of Goshen or the Israelites as a people were spared these plagues.
• We would like to assume that God made a difference between His people, the Israelites, and the Egyptians. However, the Bible does not specifically say that God made a difference in regards to these first plagues.
• However, in the first plague where the river turned to blood, it does say specifically that the Egyptians could not drink from the river. It does not say that the Israelites could not drink from the river. (7:21)
• What can we learn from this?
• Principle #1

: Bad things sometimes happen to good people. Sometimes God makes a difference and sometimes He does not.

• Read Mat 5:45
• For the people of Israel this was a test.
• TEST #5 = Would the Israelites trust in God’s promise of deliverance through Moses in spite of the discomfort of polluted water, frogs, and lice?
• Why does God make a difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians in the fourth plague?

• “And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

” (22)

• God’s purpose for making a difference is so that the Egyptians would know that these plagues came from the God, Jehovah, specifically as judgment.
• Pharaoh hardened his heart because he saw the sorcerers perform the same miracles, and because the entire nation of Egypt was affected. However, once the plagues became more selective and more specific, there was no logical rationalization to explain them away as natural occurrences.
• God’s purpose for making a difference is so that the Israelites would know that God loves them.

• “And I will put a division between my people and thy people…

” (23)

• The word “division” in verse 23 in the Hebrew is the word for redemption.
• Plague #4 The Plague of Flies

• God’s judgment on the gods of Egypt through this plague:
• The flies in this plague are specifically related to the sacred scarab beetle. These are not the common house flies with which we are familiar.

• Khepri

was a god who often appeared in the form of the scarab beetle. Many scarab beetles of gold have been found in the ancient tombs of Egypt.

• You can still buy jewelry with the etching of the scarab beetle. Unfortunately most people do not realize this is also the symbol of the Egyptian god, Ra.
• These scarab beetles were sacred to the sun god, Ra.
• The scarab beetle represents eternal life.
• There is another fly called the Ichneuman fly. This fly sucks blood and lays its eggs on other living things for food. The larvae of this fly was thought to be a manifestation of another god of Egypt called Uatchit.
• Because of the severity of this plague, it prompted Pharaoh to propose 2 compromises to Moses:

• “…Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

(25)

• The First Temptation to Moses to compromise God’s plan (25-26):
• God wanted Pharaoh to let his people go in order to worship Him in the desert.
• Pharaoh suggested they worship God in the land of Egypt.
• What’s wrong with this compromise?
• The temptation is that it is possible to worship God without separating oneself from the world system.
• Read 1Cor 3:18-19
• Read Rom 12:2
• Many Christians try to worship God with one foot in the world and one foot in the church. They soon discover that it is an uncomfortable position with no peace because the world and the kingdom of God are going in opposite directions. The Bible clearly tells us that the believer should separate himself from the world system to be closer and pleasing to God.
• Moses’ response to this compromise:
• Moses recognized this as a temptation and immediately rejected it.
• His reason was that if the Israelites worshipped in Egypt, the Egyptians would retaliate against them and kill them.

• “…It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians…”

(26)

• If the Israelites offered a heifer to God as a sacrifice, it would be an abomination because the cow was sacred to the Egyptian god, Hathor.
• If the Israelites offered a sheep to God as a sacrifice, it would be an abomination because sheep were considered unclean. (Gen 46:34)
• If the New Testament believer agrees to this compromise, he puts his faith in danger of death.
• “…Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away…”

(28)

• The Second Temptation to Moses to compromise God’s plan (28):
• Pharaoh suggested that the Israelites worship in the desert but not 3 days journey away.
• The temptation is to maintain a borderline position. In other words, people in the world will tell the believer not to get too committed or too fanatic.
• The word “fan” is a short form of the word, fanatic. The world sees no problem with becoming a “fan” of some movie star or some sports.
• The story of King Saul and Samuel is an excellent example of this borderline position:
• Read 1Sam 15:3,9, 13-15, 19-23
• Moses’ response to this compromise:
• Moses viewed the compromise as “deceitful”. (29)
• Deceit is Satan’s tool for making the believer think that he is obeying the Lord, when in fact, like Saul, he is in disobedience.
• Pharaoh’s hard heart:
• Pharaoh’s heart was hardened after the first plague. (7:22)
• Pharaoh hardened his own heart after the second plague. (15)
• Pharaoh’s heart was hardened after the third plague. (19)
• Pharaoh hardened his own heart after the fourth plague. (32)

HOMEWORK
EXODUS 9
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Exo 8
• In what ways have you tried to walk the road of compromise with the world system in the past?
• How were you finally convinced to surrender completely to the Lord?
• In what areas of your life today does the Holy Spirit convict you of this type of compromise?
• What decision will you make today in regards to compromising your faith with the world?

• Preparation for Exo 9
• Read Exo 9:1-7
• How can a loving God discriminate between people when Rom 2:11 says, “For there is no respect of persons with God.”?
• Read Exo 9:8-12
• How do you explain this plague in light of Jam 1:17 that says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” And in light of 1Joh 4:16 that says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”?
• Read Exo 9:13-21
• If all the cattle died in verse 6, then how could there have been any alive to gather together in their houses in verse 19?
• Read Exo 9:22-35
• How do you account for the fact that the plagues continued even though Pharaoh confessed his sin and recognized God in verse 27?

• Memory Verse: Exo 9:16