How can a tiny gnat carry such a powerful message? Tune in to our latest episode as we uncover the profound significance behind the biblical plagues of gnats and flies in Exodus 8:16-32. We juxtapose these ancient pestilences with our own frustrating experiences, from the Miller moths in Colorado to the relentless gnats of Savannah, Georgia. By drawing these parallels, we emphasize the discomfort these plagues would have caused and delve into the symbolic power struggle between God and the Egyptian magicians who failed to replicate these miraculous events.
In this episode, we take a critical look at the third plague and its immediate impact on Egypt, highlighting how Pharaoh’s hardened heart invited an overwhelming divine response. Gnats emerging from the dust and infesting the land serve as a stark reminder of God's ultimate sovereignty over creation. We draw thought-provoking connections to modern-day demonstrations of power, reinforcing the idea that no human or nation can stand against God's will.
We also tackle how to navigate encounters with skeptics who mock faith in God and the Bible. Compassion, rather than anger, is our guide as we present the reality of God's existence and the certainty of eventual judgment. You'll hear about the hardened heart of Pharaoh, compared to modern-day skeptics, and the powerful distinction God makes between His people and others during the plague of flies. This episode is a call to trust in God's sovereignty and mercy, even in the face of adversity, and reminds us of His unwavering provision and support for His chosen people.
How can a tiny gnat carry such a powerful message? Tune in to our latest episode as we uncover the profound significance behind the biblical plagues of gnats and flies in Exodus 8:16-32. We juxtapose these ancient pestilences with our own frustrating experiences, from the Miller moths in Colorado to the relentless gnats of Savannah, Georgia. By drawing these parallels, we emphasize the discomfort these plagues would have caused and delve into the symbolic power struggle between God and the Egyptian magicians who failed to replicate these miraculous events.
In this episode, we take a critical look at the third plague and its immediate impact on Egypt, highlighting how Pharaoh’s hardened heart invited an overwhelming divine response. Gnats emerging from the dust and infesting the land serve as a stark reminder of God's ultimate sovereignty over creation. We draw thought-provoking connections to modern-day demonstrations of power, reinforcing the idea that no human or nation can stand against God's will.
We also tackle how to navigate encounters with skeptics who mock faith in God and the Bible. Compassion, rather than anger, is our guide as we present the reality of God's existence and the certainty of eventual judgment. You'll hear about the hardened heart of Pharaoh, compared to modern-day skeptics, and the powerful distinction God makes between His people and others during the plague of flies. This episode is a call to trust in God's sovereignty and mercy, even in the face of adversity, and reminds us of His unwavering provision and support for His chosen people.
Join me in Exodus, chapter 8. Exodus, chapter 8, we will be in verses 16 through 32 this evening. While you're turning there, just a reminder I didn't mention this morning, but if you are a member of EBC, make sure you swing by the bookstore and grab your household copy of Keech's Baptist Catechism. We'll be using this as our new catechism as soon as we're done with the Heidelberg here in just a few weeks. So make sure each member household gets one copy and then, if you want an additional, you can purchase those for $3 each. But we will be working on this together as a congregation. The children will be using it in Sunday school and our hope is that you're doing it for family worship, and when you come to the evening service you have the questions and answers memorized and we can recite those together. So make sure you grab those in the bookstore.
Speaker 1:Well, when I was a boy growing up in the state of Colorado, each year around this time of year May, june timeframe we knew it was Miller moth season. We referred to it as Miller time. Every year, hordes of Miller moths migrate west from the crops in Oklahoma and Kansas and Nebraska and Wyoming and they make their way into the mountains of Colorado and all the surrounding areas, and the moths are looking for flowers that provide nectar that they can use for their food. Now, I'm not talking about a small uptick in the population of moths that you hardly notice. Now these ones get inside the house, they fill the window seals, they hang out together in large groups. I remember once as a boy, I opened the living room window one time and hundreds, maybe thousands of moths flew into the house. And they're these small brownish, grayish moths, and they're called Miller moths because they, when they flap their wings, they lose their scales and they produce this dust that resembles the flower that would fall on a Miller's clothing. So they aren't harmful, but some people are allergic to the dust and they can leave this brown fluid on the walls and on your sheets and on the carpets and all over the place. It's a mess. So they're usually around for a few weeks and then they die off or they continue on their migration. Mostly annoying, largely harmless, but certainly not anything anyone wants hanging out in their house.
Speaker 1:Well, eventually I moved to Savannah, georgia, and in Savannah the issue isn't just annoying but otherwise harmless moths. The issue is gnats. I would have taken moths. I wouldn't wish gnats on anybody. The gnats of Savannah are more than a little nuisance they swarm, they bite, they're seemingly unaffected by bug spray and they will terrorize you until you go absolutely crazy. When I was in the Army, we had to stand in formation as the flag went up, stand at attention in a large field of grass early in the morning when gnats like to come out, and as soon as the command to go to at ease sounded, all you would hear is everyone slapping themselves to kill all the gnats. They just feast on you for what feels like an eternity. It's miserable.
Speaker 1:And as we turn our attention back to the plague narrative here in Exodus 8, tonight we examine two plagues with flying insects, both of them annoying. At least one of them a little more than just a nuisance. They're not miller moths, but we will see gnats and flies. The Lord turned, remember, the Nile River into blood. Then last time we saw that he covered the land with frogs. And tonight we will see gnats and flies.
Speaker 1:Now I know many of you are going to read the text and I'll just address this up front. If you are familiar with the plague narrative from the New King James Version, you think gnats are familiar with the plague narrative from the New King James Version. You think gnats. I don't remember gnats. The text says lice, but the word has been translated both ways.
Speaker 1:Given the details of the plague, the placement of this plague in the overall narrative, what God was accomplishing specifically in relationship to the Egyptian God that he is addressing, it was almost certainly gnats. And that is what I will read in the Elohim standard version, the ESV, tonight. It says gnats, but really the Hebrew is a little unclear. It roughly translates to small flying insects. So there isn't an exact word. So there is a discrepancy in some of the English translations. They could have been midges, if you know what those are. Maybe you're from the north, you know what midges are. So either way, we're talking about tiny little bugs that are more than a nuisance. If you've ever been in a swarm of gnats, this may make you a little bit uncomfortable thinking about it. So hang in there. Remember we are safe in the confines of this beautiful building. So let's read together, beginning in verse 16.
Speaker 1:Then the Lord said to Moses Say to Aaron stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt. And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret art to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magician said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said.
Speaker 1:Then the Lord said to Moses rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh as he goes out to the water and say to him Thus says the Lord let my people go that they may serve me, or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people and into your houses, on you and your servants and your people and into your houses, and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there. That you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen, and the Lord did so.
Speaker 1:There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses, throughout all the land of Egypt. The land was ruined by the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said Throughout all the land of Egypt, the land was ruined by the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said Go, sacrifice to your God within the land. But Moses said it would not be right to do so, for the offering we shall sacrifice to the Lord, our God, are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days, journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord, our God, as he tells us. So Pharaoh said I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the wilderness, only you must not go very far away. Plead for me. Then Moses said behold, I'm going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord did as Moses asked and remove the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people. Not one remained, but Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go.
Speaker 1:Well, here we have the third and the fourth plagues. We've already seen several themes emerge through this narrative of the plagues, the most obvious theme being that of God's sovereignty, and we'll consider that even more this evening. The great I am has taken aim at Pharaoh and all the false gods of the Egyptians, and after only the first two plagues, it is quite obvious who is and who will continue to win this showdown. Every attempt Pharaoh makes to recover reminds me of the end of a basketball game, when you're in the final two minutes and one team is up by like 30 points but the other team just keeps fouling to extend the game to try and catch up, hoping they'll miss free throws. And they don't. And everyone is just praying that they will stop and get it over with. And they don't. And everyone is just praying that they will stop and get it over with. It just gets worse and worse. If you challenge a sovereign God, you will lose 100% of the time and there's nothing you can do to stop it. So stop trying, give it up, but we will see. Pharaoh continues to press on.
Speaker 1:Another theme we've considered is how God is making himself known. This is exactly what the Lord said he would do. He said it several times, for example, in Exodus 7, he said the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. He's making himself known through judgment. He's going to make himself known through the redemption of his people. Last time we even saw the first time that Pharaoh acknowledged the Lord by name, whereas previously, remember he said I don't know him, I don't know the Lord, I've never heard of him, I don't know this God of yours. But then he asked Moses remember to go and pray for him. Go pray to the Lord on my behalf.
Speaker 1:Well, twice now we've considered the theme of God's mercy in the midst of his judgment as well. Remember, the plagues are building gradually. They're moving toward the final plague and the eventual redemption of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians. But he doesn't just bring about the final plague right at the beginning, it's building and building. He's giving Pharaoh and the Egyptians one opportunity after another to repent of the rebellion against God, an opportunity to reject their false gods, an opportunity to acknowledge the supremacy of the one true and living God. He brings a plague, but then he relents. He waits for a response. Pharaoh hardens his heart and it starts all over again. But God is being merciful, even in the midst of his judgment. So let's continue to consider these themes, but we will look at a few others still related to what we've seen already. And the first is that God uses his creation for his purposes.
Speaker 1:You'll notice, with this plague of gnats, unlike the first two plagues, god actually here does not give Pharaoh a warning. Remember, previously, moses was to go and tell Pharaoh this thing will happen if you do not listen to the Lord. But now, in verse 16, it simply says say to Aaron stretch out your staff, strike the dust of the earth so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt. It's sort of a surprise attack. Pharaoh never saw it coming. But of course he should have. He should have known.
Speaker 1:And it's important to remember what happens just before this, what we saw in verse 15. Remember, pharaoh asked Moses pray to the Lord tomorrow, ask him to get rid of these frogs, and if you do, I will let the people go. And so Moses prayed. All the frogs died. They had to gather them all together and the land stunk because of it. But what happened? Verse 15 tells us. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. And so now, in verse 16, we get an immediate response from the Lord. He showed Pharaoh mercy, he responded to Moses's prayer and then he pulled back from what he agreed to. He hardened his heart, he refused to let the Israelites go. So this time there will be no mercy of a warning. He will simply bring the gnats. Now, like I said, if you've ever encountered gnats, this should make you a little bit uncomfortable just thinking about it. That's the point. It's not pleasant, it is absolutely intolerable, and the longer it goes on, the more likely it will make a person crazy. Verse 17 shows us that this was not some small increase in the gnat population. This was vast, overwhelmingly vast.
Speaker 1:Aaron stretches out his hand with his staff. He struck the dust of the earth. There were gnats on man and beast, all the dust of the earth. There were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt, every man and beast in the land of Egypt. Now this phrase the dust of the earth indicates that this was a massive, widespread plague. You can read that to mean that the dust is where they came from. But more than likely it's actually referring to the size of the plague, the magnitude of the plague.
Speaker 1:You know, in Genesis we often read of the dust of the earth, like when God told Abraham that he would give him descendants. How does he describe how many descendants he would have? He said they were going to be as the dust of the earth. It's referring to a quantity so great that nobody could count or ever know how many. He said the same thing to Jacob. So this could simply mean that there were a lot of gnats.
Speaker 1:But just imagine that. Just think that there were a lot of gnats. But just imagine that. Just think there's black clouds of swarms of gnats everywhere you go.
Speaker 1:I cannot tell you how uncomfortable that makes me. I have trauma, I have experiences. These bugs will drive you mad and they are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Drive you mad and they are as numerous as the dust of the earth. And there's a bigger picture wrapped up in that. It suggests something about the Egyptians, and that is that they will be no more. We are created from the dust and to the dust we shall return. And this is a warning from the Lord against the resistance of Pharaoh, the evil of the Egyptians, the hardness of heart, their worship of false gods. But when it comes to the Lord, all of creation is in his hands. Everything that exists is at his beck and call, everything can and may be used to fulfill his purposes.
Speaker 1:And this plague, it's a nuisance, it's a humiliation. But it's also getting a little bit more uncomfortable. The heat is increasing a little bit. One commentator wrote that we are left with the image that there will be no dust left in the entire country, because it says the dust all sprung into gnats. That's how vast the scale of this plague is. So you're starting to see this progressive intensity of the plagues. As they come, they're getting more and more serious. God can use the water. God can use frogs, he can use gnats, we'll see. He can use flies. He can use whatever he wants to bring down this mighty superpower of a nation. Imagine the headline Egyptian superpower taken down by gnats. It just goes to show how little and how insignificant even the most powerful humans and empires can be when compared to the sovereignty of God. The gnats are still just a reminder, though. God still hasn't destroyed the Egyptians, he still hasn't taken out Pharaoh. But it's a warning. Beware, this is coming.
Speaker 1:The US military does something called a show of force If there's an area of conflict in the world that we are involved in. Sometimes we won't send in soldiers or drop bombs, but we will send in some of our jets, and when they fly over they shoot off flares. And you have to imagine if you're a combatant, you're living in the desert or in the mountains or in the jungle somewhere, and you've never seen anything like that before. All you have is a gun that jams half the time to see this massive plane that flies faster than anything you've ever seen and it's really loud, and all of a sudden it shoots off flares. As you're looking at it, you think you're about to die, but it's. That's the point. It's a warning. Keep it up, and then we will actually use this against you. Don't take another step. And the message is clear Anytime we want, we can get to you, and that's God's point. Anytime I want, using whatever I want, I can get to you, beware.
Speaker 1:And, by the way, this warning does go the same for the United States of America. We have more wealth, more prosperity than any other nation in the history of the world, better technology, more innovations, the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen by a long shot. But in the hands of God, we too can be taken out by gnats. Pride, brothers and sisters. Pride will be our end. It was the end of the Egyptians, it was the end of the Romans. It will be the end of Western civilization. The Lord can lift his finger and it can all be brought to dust. This is the clear message of all the plagues, and God can and will use whatever he wants to accomplish his purposes. And so our second observation, very similar Nothing is equal to the power of God. This becomes even more clear in verses 18 and 19.
Speaker 1:Look again the magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magician said to Pharaoh this is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said. Don't you love that? Remember the magicians Turn a staff into a snake. No problem, we can do that. Take our only clean source of water and turn it to blood. To just prove we can do it as well. Sure, we can make that happen. Bring frogs up out of the river to make it even a little bit more miserable for all of us. Sure thing, we can do it.
Speaker 1:Well, now we see, with this plague and the plagues that follow, the magicians must admit we cannot do it. We cannot match God's power. This is what they say. This is the finger of God. You have to love the tenacity at least. Right, the land is covered with gnats. Well, let's see if we can make it even more miserable, like we did with the previous plagues. Let's increase the burden on ourselves, just to prove something.
Speaker 1:Now, eventually, in Exodus 9, in verse 11, we'll see the plague of the boils. It actually makes specific reference to the fact that the magicians had this issue of boils. They couldn't stand before Pharaoh because they had boils on their skin, and so the defeat of the magicians is clear. But let's think about what the magicians say here. This is the finger of God. They acknowledge that this plague administered by Moses and Aaron is supernatural. It's beyond human control.
Speaker 1:Now, of course, they have every reason to not want to admit that. They don't want to have to give any credit to God here. But they have to admit it. This is the Lord. We can't do it. Even the enemies of God have to admit that they are no match for him. This is the same sort of thing we see in the gospel accounts with Jesus, his enemies always trying to trick him, always trying to trip him up. But there was always a point at which they must admit to the reality of his supernatural character and power. They couldn't deny the plain facts of what everyone was seeing right in front of them, and it's part of why they were so desperate to get rid of Jesus. And that tells us something. We have either two options. We can either bend our knee to the Lord willingly and acknowledge that he alone is sovereign, he alone is God, he alone is worthy of all devotion and worship and glory and honor, or you can try in vain to fight and to wrestle and to compete with God and you will lose. 100% of the time you will lose and in the end you will still bend your knee. One way or another. You will bend your knee, willingly or unwillingly, it will happen.
Speaker 1:It's important to remember that you will likely, in this life, you will encounter people and many of you likely have and they will mock the Lord. They will laugh at God, they want to laugh at the thought of a resurrected Christ and tell us that we're foolish for believing the Bible, and most certainly we recognize that they are absolute fools themselves. They're whistling their way to hell, but that should also move us to compassion for them in their lost condition. It's easy to get worked up and angry and want to argue and to fight, but in the end, really, all we need to say is look, here are the facts of the matter. There is a God. He will not be mocked. You can acknowledge him and worship him and submit your entire life to him now, or you will do it later when it's too late.
Speaker 1:You don't have to believe me, but I want to encourage you Read the Bible, read what it says about you and your heart and in the end, try and do an honest assessment of yourself and then read what God did to reconcile you to himself in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You can laugh. You can laugh all you want, but there will be a day when there is no more laughing, there's only everlasting torment. And friend, you may be here tonight as an unbeliever and all of this may sound silly to you. And friend, you may be here tonight as an unbeliever and all of this may sound silly to you. Water into blood, frogs covering the land, swarms of gnats, magicians, a resurrected Christ it all sounds silly and archaic and you see yourself as having a higher intellect. You're too smart to believe all of this, but the day will come when you have to admit this is the finger of God.
Speaker 1:But you don't have to wait until the day of destruction. The Lord has made himself known to you in all of creation. The Lord is making himself known to you from his word, this very moment. There is a reason you are here tonight. There's a reason you're hearing what I am saying and God calls me to tell you that you are fighting a losing battle. Stop trying to go your own way. It will only destroy you. Stop trying to convince yourself you're a good person so that in the end, god if there is a God and he's going to judge hopefully your good deeds will outweigh your bad deeds. But God isn't looking for good deeds to outweigh bad deeds. His standard is perfection.
Speaker 1:Keep my law perfectly, and one breach of the law is a breach of the entire law and you will be found guilty. And that's the problem for all of us. But in God's mercy, he also supplies the solution. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law perfectly because we could not, and he came to die in our place to take the penalty that's due to all of us because of our sin. We're all guilty and yet he takes that penalty. He dies in the place of sinners, taking the wrath of God that we deserve that by faith in him alone. His law keeping can be counted to us. Law keeping can be counted to us. His death can be counted to us. And when we stand before the father, if we are in Christ by faith, instead of getting what we deserve, instead of being told we are guilty, he will say on the basis of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are not guilty, friend.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing. We see it right here in the text there comes a point where, you like the magicians, will have to acknowledge God as God. Remember, the Lord told Moses they will know that I am the Lord. Now they know. They don't like it, but they cannot deny it. Isn't it interesting that in the plague narrative, the first people who are said to admit publicly that the plagues are the work of God are the Egyptian magicians? God will cause the wrath of man to praise him. Everything is in the hands of the Lord. But despite what God has done, despite these plagues, despite the admission of the magicians, what do we see? And again, friend, if you are an unbeliever here tonight, this is exactly what I hope we do not see in your life.
Speaker 1:The end of verse 19,. Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. But you see, pharaoh's problem it's not that he doesn't have enough evidence, like modern so-called intellectuals who want to claim that the problem is, we just don't have enough evidence of God, even though it's found in everything, all around the world and all of creation. The problem isn't evidence. Pharaoh's problem isn't knowledge. He knows what he needs to know. Pharaoh's problem isn't knowledge. He knows what he needs to know. Pharaoh's problem is moral. It's a deeply corrupt, proud, sinful, hard, self-righteous heart that says I am my own God and I will fight to the death, and fight to the death he will.
Speaker 1:Now one more thought here. This is the last time in the plague narrative we see the phrase as the Lord has said at the end of verse 19. We've seen that phrase four different times now and it's always combined with the fact that Pharaoh's heart was hardened. So when the text says Pharaoh's heart was hardened, or it was hardened by the Lord or himself or just generically it was hardened. So when the text says Pharaoh's heart was hardened, or it was hardened by the Lord or himself or just generically it was hardened, each time it says as the Lord had said Remember, the Lord told Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh's heart was to be hardened, and so Moses is confirming that. But we won't see that phrase again. We have confirmation that the Lord has been in control of this thing the entire time. Nothing will surprise him. Nothing is outside of his divine decree. Nothing is equal to the power of God.
Speaker 1:Now remember, we've been saying all along that God's judgment of Pharaoh and the Egyptians is also a judgment against the false gods that they worshiped. So in this instance, with the gnats, we see a judgment against the Egyptian God called Geb G-E-B. This false deity was believed to be the deity of the dust or the deity of the earth. He plays a central role in the Egyptian creation myth and there's evidence that the ancient Egyptians referred to the earth as the house of Geb. And we will continue to see this play out. God is showing them with all of these various gods that he's addressing, with these plagues. God is showing them he has no rivals. Geb was not central or secondary anywhere. He wasn't around for the creation of the earth. God spoke it all into existence by the power of his word.
Speaker 1:And some of these little nuances to us as modern readers fairly unfamiliar with ancient Egypt, down to the granular details, they're not particularly obvious to us, but this certainly would have been obvious to the Egyptians. Geb is not the God of the earth. In fact Geb is not a God at all. I alone am God. Nothing will equal my power, nothing. And so we see God continuing to address the false worship of the Egyptian people. But we also see in this narrative another important point that God takes care of his people.
Speaker 1:I wonder if you've ever read the plague narrative and thought what about the Israelites? Are they having to suffer through all of this as well? Well, for the first few plagues, there's no indication that the Hebrew people were spared. But here, in the fourth plague, with the flies, we start to see a distinction being made, and this distinction is going to be vitally important by the time we get to the 10th plague. So look again with me beginning in verse 20.
Speaker 1:Then the Lord said to Moses rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh as he goes out to the water. Remember we saw this before going out to the water. Pharaoh going out to the water, he's probably there to worship the false deities early in the morning. So he will be there when Moses and Aaron arrive. And it goes on and say to him. Thus says the Lord let my people go that they may serve me, or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people and into your houses and the houses of the Egyptians shall be will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people and into your houses and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
Speaker 1:Okay, so flies? Maybe they weren't stinging like the, biting like the gnats, but just imagine your house, your entire house, filled with swarms of flies, so many, it says. Not just swarming, but also on the ground upon which they walk. Flies everywhere, nasty little creatures, right, they're everywhere. There's not enough glue strips around to take care of them. So, unlike the previous plague, now we're back to giving Pharaoh a warning Do what I say, or else the flies will come.
Speaker 1:But once again, what happens? God is showing mercy here, but notice what else the Lord says. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen, and the Lord did so. Imagine there's there's like this dividing line between Goshen and the rest of Egypt. And there's like this if you're standing on the Goshen side and you look over and it's just sheets of black, because it's all the flies, but they don't cross over into Goshen. It's an amazing thought, but the Lord is watching over his people. He's making a distinction these are my people and everyone else, pharaoh, are your people. And really what he's saying is these are my people and all the rest of you, as Paul said, are of their father, the devil. It's a great picture of what we see God doing throughout the rest of redemptive history.
Speaker 1:The people of God are set apart. The people of God are sanctified for God's purposes and he watches over us and he protects us and he provides for us and he has an everlasting love for us. He is brothers and sisters, 100%, irrevocably for us, and he sees us differently than he sees the rest of the world. That's a very important reality. We are the chosen, adopted children of God. He has a special love, he has a special care, he has special purposes for us as his people. And even in the midst of the worst circumstances we could ever imagine, even in the midst of the earth as we know it being plagued, the Lord will watch out for us. Now that doesn't mean we won't have to endure some of it, just like the Israelites in the first few plagues, but he will not leave us behind. The greater Goshen awaits all of us in the new heaven and the new earth. When God's people are all gathered together, when the wheat is separated from the chaff, judgment will continue, but God's people will taste none of it. It will continue for all eternity, but we will be safe and secure. We will be protected from harm forever and ever. And this here is a picture of that great reality.
Speaker 1:God makes distinctions. Look at verse 24. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into the servants' houses Throughout all the land of Egypt. The land was ruined by the swarms of flies Nat's first, now flies. So you would assume by that statement the land was ruined, that it had some kind of effect on their crops and everything that they depended on.
Speaker 1:Now the Egyptians, again turning to the false gods. The Egyptians had a deity that they called Kepri, and this was the God of creation that controlled the movement of the sun and was supposedly responsible for rebirth, and so Kepri was always depicted as having the head of a fly. Imagine you're a God and you get a head of a fly. That's a bummer of a deal. I guess you can see a lot more with those big eyes. So the Egyptians now, and now the Israelites. But the Egyptians are overwhelmed by flies. You want to worship your God here. He is More than you could ever imagine. All around you, all in your house, everything you do, there's a fly there to greet you.
Speaker 1:So what does Pharaoh try? He tries again to bargain with the Lord. It's this way, it's his way of saying I still want to maintain my power and my authority. I'm refusing to submit to your God, moses, but I am willing to make one concession. Perhaps he thought this might be a good deal, a plea bargain to get things over with. I will give in a little, and maybe if I give in a little, the Lord will back off. And so Pharaoh tries to dictate the conditions, the terms and conditions of his offer. Verse 25,.
Speaker 1:Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said go, sacrifice to your God within the land, stay around, but you can go worship. But remember what God told Pharaoh through Moses. It wasn't let us go and worship within the land, no, it was let us go on a three day journey so that we may worship the Lord. And so Moses stood his ground. He would not budge. Verse 26, moses said it would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days, journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he tells us. You see, for Moses this was far more about doing what God commanded than it was about being worried about being stoned. And good for Moses.
Speaker 1:There's a lesson here for all of us as the people of God. There's a really big temptation that we can have in life to look at what God commands and see how the world responds to it. And sometimes maybe we feel a little bit embarrassed because we're so often going in the exact opposite direction of the culture. And the more a culture falls into moral decay, the more that will be the case, and there's a tendency for Christians to want to pull back. Or maybe, if presented with a compromise, the temptation is to enter into the devil's bargain. It's just easier that way. Everyone just gets along and so there's no problem.
Speaker 1:But you know, this is how so many today, sadly so many denominations of churches have now embraced out and out evil and heretical teaching. This is why, just two weeks ago the United Methodist Church had their general assembly. If you saw that they get up to the mic and say I'm so-and-so from such-and-such United Methodist Church, my pronouns are such-and-such, I'm a homosexual, I'm cisgendered, I'm bisexual, whatever it is. And these are supposed to be the pastors of these churches. How does that happen? Because I know Charles Wesley would have been appalled by that. I know John Wesley would have been appalled by that. And yet here it. It is one of the largest denominations in America, instrumental during the great awakenings. How is it that they get to that point? Because they were offered a compromise with the world and they took it.
Speaker 1:And it's why Christians are more and more reluctant to talk about things like the biblical roles of men and women. It's why incremental changes in abortion laws have become an accepted norm instead of continuing to demand the complete and utter elimination of the barbaric, murderous practice. It's why Christians are so often reluctant to say that Islam is wicked and evil and a demonic religion. To say that Islam is wicked and evil and a demonic religion. We could go on and on and at some point, brothers and sisters, maybe Christians in the West will be far more willing to stand up like Moses and say we will not compromise, we will not bake the cake, we will not affirm your marriage, we will not make peace with your false religion. We need more men and women that are like Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, who will say you can throw us in prison, that's fine, you can cancel us from society, you might take all of our possessions, but we will not. We cannot compromise. The Lord has said what is right and he will protect us. And even if he doesn't, we will not disobey our God. If we are willing to give sin an inch, it will always take a mile. This is one reason why we study church history.
Speaker 1:Many of our Christian forefathers did not compromise. They wouldn't think of doing it. Instead, they were imprisoned, they were burned alive, they were torn from their families, they were sent to an early grave, and Christians are worried about being banned from Facebook today. Who cares? When the world says jump, we don't say how high. We say with Moses, it would not be right to do so. And so what is Pharaoh's response? What is the world's response? Pharaoh stands in the place here of the rest of the world as they look at the church. Well, you already know what he offers is not genuine. You already know it comes with nefarious intentions.
Speaker 1:Verse 28,. So Pharaoh said I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the wilderness, Only you must not go very far away. Plead for me. Then Moses said behold, I'm going out from you. I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from the people tomorrow. Depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from the people tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked and remove the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people. Not one remained. So Moses did as he did before with the frogs. He continued to give Pharaoh all the rope he needed to hang himself. He continued to plead with the Lord to relent in his judgment. And the Lord responds. The flies went away, the plague ended and Pharaoh did what Pharaoh does Last verse he hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go.
Speaker 1:The reality is that God is showing Pharaoh that in the end, it will not be Pharaoh who lets the people go. It is the Lord, and he's telling Pharaoh I'm sovereign here. I am the sovereign one and you will let them go when I am ready for you to do it. I am in charge, and you will learn that lesson, pharaoh, and you will learn it in a big way. If the people of Israel are to be freed, it's going to be God who does it. He saves his people, he delivers his people, and those lessons are so important for us to learn today, because we are so tempted to run to other places in difficult times other than to the Lord.
Speaker 1:But he is the only one who can set us free, brothers and sisters. He's the only one who is sovereign over every circumstance and who will use anything and everything he has created to bring about his purposes, for his glory and for the good of his people, for your good and for mine. And so let's take heart. Let's take heart. Things may get tough, circumstances may be difficult, but our Lord will never leave us, he will never forsake us, and so we can trust his sovereign hand, even in the darkest of times we have so much to be thankful for.
Speaker 1:Let's thank the Lord, let's turn to him now in prayer. Our sovereign Lord and great God. We thank you that, though we did not deserve it, you set us apart as your people, you watch over us as your people, you love us and you, lord, have promised in your word that in the end you will destroy all your enemies. And yet, lord, we pray that those who are here even tonight, who are yet enemies of you, that you would be pleased to bring them to the very end of themselves, that they would see that they are on a path of destruction and that, as they continue to rage and fight against you, all they are doing is fighting a losing battle. The more they fight, the more it is obvious that they have nothing to stand upon. Lord, would you save them, would you help them to not harden their heart like Pharaoh? Would you help them to see the truth of your word and to see how often and how genuine it is that you offer them mercy?
Speaker 1:Lord, we pray that, for those of us who are Christians, that you would fill our hearts with thankfulness. Lord, we don't know what tomorrow holds, or next week or next year, but, lord, we can know and we can believe and trust from your word that whatever may come in our lives individually, in our life as a church, in our life as a nation. Whatever may come, lord, you will provide for your people. You will not leave us or forsake us. Would you help us, lord, to remember that great truth, to never forget it, to cling to it, and, even when days may be dark, even though our lives, our very lives, may be threatened, lives, our very lives may be threatened, that we would trust you and we would know that the true land of Goshen awaits those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, would you do this for your glory and for the good of your people? We pray in Jesus' name, amen.