The redemption of the Israelites was a result of the Covenant that God had established earlier with Abraham. You’re also saved in response to the promises of Grace first given to Abraham. You’re a gift to His dear son.
Ephesians 2:1
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
You were by nature a child of wrath. You were just as stubborn as Israel and you are each just as great a testimony to the Grace and Mercy of God. It doesn’t matter if God saved you when you were 8 years old or 80 years old.
When we see a heart that is tender towards God it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and it testifies to God’s glory. We are no different from the Children of Israel and we run just as quickly to attribute God’s work to an idol of our own making. When you were saved, did the Gospel seem wonderful, reasonable, so clear and precious? Did the Gospel seem like water in a dry and thirsty land? Did it seem like something you had searched for all your life? Do you really think that glorious responses like those to the truth of God were birthed in hearts of stone?
Moses and Aaron saw the Holy Spirit work in Exodus 4:29-31. God gave encouragement and this was in part response to desperation and I’m sure a “let’s give it a whirl ‘cause what have we got to lose” response too. But Scripture says that they believed and we can have confidence that the Holy Spirit was at work and that Moses and Aaron were encouraged. Moses and Aaron would have greater challenges later but God blessed them with a good start.
God was going to take the Israelites by force. Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh that God says “Let My people go ..” in Exodus 5:1. Although God had told Moses that the Israelites would worship on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 3:12) and that they would see the promised land so why did this relatively small request come out of Moses’ mouth (or probably Aaron)? This small reasonable request showed the anger and arrogance of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Pharaoh blows them off and refuses and then even says they must make bricks without straw. Then the people blame Moses (Exodus 5:21) and then Moses blames God (Exodus 5:22-23). Not a pretty picture. This reminds me of what it looks like in a person’s life when God starts a work. It can be ugly. A person who was at least civil to you may become rude and hateful. When the Holy Spirit starts to convict an individual and the Holy Spirit begins to work in their life things don’t necessarily turn out all roses and violins. Thorns and yelling can be more representative of the Holy Spirit beginning a work in a life. The Bible says that our natural inclination is opposed to God not in agreement with Him. Remember that poem in which the author compared Gods work in his life to the “Hounds of Heaven”? He didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy at first. At first he felt like dogs were chasing him.
When Moses complains to God, He says, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh” (Exodus 6:1). God says that Pharaoh will drive them out of Egypt. The Israelites were still defeated (Exodus 6:9) and didn’t believe Moses and Moses wasn’t so sure he believed Moses. God continued in mercy and Grace to direct them and sent them before Pharaoh to give the first of the signs (Exodus 7:8-13). Remember that authority and power that the staff represented and so when the Egyptians copied the trick Aaron’s staff swallowed theirs. This act by God served as a warning that God’ authority was superior to the authority of Egypt. However, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Exodus 7:13.
Ten plagues were sent against the chains that held the Israelites. Pharaoh cycled between being hardened, negotiating, and lying until the 10th plague against the firstborn after Pharaoh had struck at the children to start the process.
God had many purposes in the plagues that he sent against Egypt. Even the Egyptians in their sin could see some of the points.
First, the plagues manifested his power and His authority. The Bible tells us that “then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God (Exodus 8:19). It tells us that Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” (Ex 18:10-11). It even served as a demonstration of His power and authority to other nations. Rahab of Jericho knew what God had done and helped the Israelites (Joshua 2:8-9) and the Philistines also had heard and were afraid (1 Samuel 4:8)
Second, the plagues were punishment for the treatment of the Israelites “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you (Exodus 10:16).
Third, God judged satanic rulers. “For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn which the Lord had smitten among them; upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments (Numbers 33:4).
Finally, these plagues were part of testing and developing a testimony and relationship for Israel with God. For example, in Deuteronomy 4:33-34 Moses asked Israel, “Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?”
The plagues are not a random collection of events. The plagues were chosen to express God’s purposes. There are a number of striking things to note about the 10 plagues. For example
In Plague 1 the Nile turns to blood as a symbol of death; in Plague 10 the first born in all the households of Egypt die. In Plague 2, frogs (nocturnal) symbolize darkness; in Plague 9 the actual darkness is the plague. In Plague 3, the Egyptian magicians confess that it is the hand of God in judgment; In Plague 8, Pharaoh confesses that it is God judging Egypt; In Plague 4, God exempted the Land of Goshen; in Plague 7, God exempted the Land of Goshen. While in Plague 5 and Plague 6 the cattle of the Egyptians were attacked. God really likes symmetry.
The plagues are progressive in that they get progressively more severe and they make progressions in groups of three with the Plague 10 on the first born being a final and separate plague. The first three attacked comfort. The second three attacked possessions. The next three brought desolation and death.
The plagues also represent attacks on the gods of the Egyptians. We’ve already discussed the importance and worship that the Nile received in the lives of the Egyptians. So turning it to blood and bringing frogs up out of it were attacks in the face of their god. Also the gnats were viewed as unclean and prevented the Egyptian priests from ministering at their pagan altar. The plague of flies was directed against Beelzebub (the Fly god) and God then went on to attack their systems of animal offerings.
Nile to Blood (7:20) – had a warning from God
Where Moses turned a small amount of Nile water to blood as a sign of warning, God turned the entire river to blood.
Frogs (8:6) – had a warning from God
After an interval of 7 days, so that Pharaoh had time to repent, and it seems the first 2 plagues came on Sabbath days since the Egyptians were not giving the Israelites the option to honor the Sabbath.
Lice (8:17) – had no warning from God
This was a direct attack on the pride of the Egyptians and their belief in their cleanliness.
Flies (8:24) – had a warning from God
The Israelites were exempt from this plague. The swarms were apparently of a mixed group of flies and they were biting flies.
Livestock diseases (9:6) – had a warning from God
Judgment against possessions and wealth of Egyptians.
Boils (9:10) – had no warning from God
It seems reasonable that Moses took ashes from a furnace used as an altar for a pagan god of the Egyptians and sent another plague.
Hail (9:23) – had a warning from God
For a people who always looked down to the river for their needs and water this judgment from the heavens must have rocked their world.
Locusts (10:13) – had a warning from God
Eliminated food for animals and for man as well.
Darkness (10:22) – had no warning from God
They worshiped the sun god Ra so this was God’s way of showing that Ra was no true God.
10. Death of a firstborn (12:29) – final break from Egypt
Finally the death of the firstborn breaks the bondage. The angel of death passed over the Israelites because of the blood of the sacrifice. Pharaoh and Egyptians begged Israel to leave Egypt at that point.
God who loves symmetry, used 3 groups of 3 with a warning before the first two in each group of three and no warning for the third. The tenth plague stands alone because the relationship to passover.
In our lives God often works prior to our salvation experience to build our testimony, begin to make us aware of His power, and begin to convict us of our sin. One of the key take home lessons as God rocks a person’s world in working out their early salvation is that it may get worse before it gets better. If you pray for someone in bondage to sin, then you may see big problems before you’ll see God’s solution in their life.
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