God Will Swallow His Enemies (Ex 7:8-13)

Can stubbornness lead to one's downfall even in the face of undeniable truth? In this episode, we explore the profound themes of obedience and resistance through the compelling narrative of Exodus. Reflecting on the life of Ignace Semmelweis, the Hungarian physician championing life-saving hand-washing practices, we draw parallels to Moses and Aaron's struggle with Pharaoh in Exodus 7:8-13. Through this biblical confrontation, we see Pharaoh's refusal to heed divine signs, setting the stage for the ten plagues and revealing a cosmic clash between God's sovereign will and Satan's deceit.

We then turn our focus to the ultimate miracle that underscores the gospel of truth: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This pivotal event reassures Christians of their salvation, calling for radical obedience to God's will as exemplified by Moses and Aaron. Despite Moses' initial reluctance, his journey shows how God equips His followers to overcome fears and fulfill their divine missions. Imagine Aaron's staff transforming into a serpent before Pharaoh—an act demonstrating God's unmatched authority and a powerful reminder for us to trust in His strength and provision.

Finally, we delve into the spiritual and symbolic significance of the power struggle with Egyptian sorcery. The Egyptians revered serpents, particularly cobras, as symbols of royal authority and divine power. Yet, God challenges these false gods head-on, illustrating His supremacy by having Aaron's serpent consume those of Pharaoh's magicians. This story not only highlights God's victory over evil but also encourages us to confront and relinquish our personal idols. Concluding with a heartfelt prayer, we express gratitude for Jesus Christ's reign and seek divine assistance to walk in obedience with softened hearts. Join us as we unpack these rich themes and their profound implications for our spiritual journeys.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

You'll join me in Exodus, chapter 7. Exodus 7. This evening we'll be looking at verses 8 through 13. Ignace Semmelweis it's probably a name you're not familiar with, but he is a man for whom you should be very thankful.

Speaker 1: 0:40

In the mid-1800s, semmelweis, he was a Hungarian physician. He worked at a general hospital's maternity clinic and he observed that there was a significantly higher mortality rate among women giving birth in the clinic staffed by doctors compared to the ones staffed by midwives. He noticed that the doctors often went directly from performing autopsies to delivering babies without washing their hands, while midwives did not engage in such practices. Semmelweis hypothesized a connection between the high mortality rate and the doctor's lack of hand hygiene. In 1847, he implemented a policy requiring doctors to wash their hands with chlorinated lime before attending to patients, and the result was a dramatic reduction in the number of deaths from postnatal fever, which was a common and deadly infection at the time. Now, despite the positive outcomes of his policy, semmelweis faced strong resistance and skepticism from the medical community. Many of the doctors rejected the idea that invisible particles, later identified as bacteria, on their hands, could cause disease. Semmelweis struggled to convince his colleagues of the effectiveness of hand washing. Now, his work was never widely accepted during his lifetime and he faced professional ridicule. It was only later, with the acceptance of the germ theory of disease, that the significance of his contribution was recognized. Today, hand washing is a fundamental practice in healthcare and a crucial measure for preventing the spread of infection.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Well, this historical event highlights a natural human tendency that all of us have. It is a natural tendency to resist change and to hold tightly, to cling tightly, to establish beliefs, even in the face of compelling evidence. It's the very thing we see as we come to our text in Exodus 7. We all have this in us. We do not want to believe that, anything that challenges what we've always thought or that challenges our desired outcomes, whether it's a credible scientific observation or divine miracles, sometimes reality can get in the way of what we hope for and we act irrationally. Just as Semmelweis observed the correlation between hand-washing and decreased mortality rates among women giving birth, moses and Aaron, here we will see present signs and wonders to Pharaoh as evidence of God's power and command to release the Israelites from slavery.

Speaker 1: 3:48

However, despite the clear evidence before him, pharaoh's hard hearted stubbornness will lead to his ultimate downfall. He will not change, he will not submit himself to what he knows is true. He will not submit himself to what he knows is true. Pharaoh's heart is hardened and he refuses to heed the warnings and signs from God, even when confronted with the miraculous. So let's read together, beginning in verse eight Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron when Pharaoh says to you, prove yourself by working a miracle, then you shall say to Aaron take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent. So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servant, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts, for each man cast down his staff and they became serpents, but Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Still, pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Speaker 1: 5:18

If you ever go to a high-end restaurant, one of the first things you receive is what's called the amuse-bouche. That's a French term. It means mouth amuser. It's a type of a small, single bite hors d'oeuvre that chefs serve to diners when they wait for their food. It's different from the appetizer, because you don't order it off of the menu. It's served free before the meal and it is the chef's selection. He tells you what you're going to have.

Speaker 1: 5:48

Well, if you know the story of Exodus, you know this scene in verses 8 through 13 is the amuse-bouche Before the 10 courses that will follow Not so delightful courses, I might add. Everything that is to come is far from delightful. It will be devastating to Egypt. It will all be from the hand of God, through Moses, and it will all be as a result of Pharaoh's obstinance and his hard heartedness. At least, that's what we see on the surface. That is the physical, earthly reality of what we see.

Speaker 1: 6:30

But even more significant is that we are seeing a conflict play out not just between Israel and Egypt, not just between Moses and Pharaoh, but ultimately we are seeing the conflict play out between God and Satan. James Montgomery Boyce writes that this battle pitted Jehovah, the true God, who moved Moses and Israel against all the false gods of the Egyptian pantheon, backed by a host of fallen angels who had turned from God, as a part of Lucifer's original rebellion. And this reality is displayed vividly in the imagery that we see in the passage before us, battling serpents. However, only one will make it out alive. It is an epic conflict between heaven and hell, and so here in the amuse-bouche of the narrative, god displays his power through signs and wonders, and it's here where we see most of the themes that will be highlighted through the next five chapters Moses and Aaron being steadfastly obedient to God, counterfeit miracles from Satan and his serpents, god's sovereign power, god's omnipotence that nobody can thwart, nobody can resist, and the continued hardening of the heart of Pharaoh. Be there no mistake. There is no need to wait till the end of the story, because it is in this account, right here before us, that God has already announced his victory, as Aaron's staff swallowed the serpents of the sorcerers. We have the amuse-bouche that gives us a hint of the final course of the feast, where the sea will then swallow Pharaoh's army.

Speaker 1: 8:27

So there are several important things for us to explore. The first thing we see in verses eight and nine is that obedience to God is essential in every circumstance. Look again at verse eight. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron when Pharaoh says to you, prove yourself by working a miracle, then you shall say to Aaron, take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh that it may become a serpent. Well, this isn't the first time we've seen God give this command to perform this action.

Speaker 1: 9:01

Remember, back in chapter four, in verses two through five, moses this is right in the middle of Moses debating back and forth with the angel of the Lord. And Moses said they won't believe me that I've been with you, that I've met you. They won't believe me. They'll say who is this that's commanded this thing? And so the Lord said to him what is that in your hand? He said a staff. And the Lord said throw it on the ground. So he threw it on the ground and it became a serpent and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses put out your hand and catch it by the tail. So he put out his hand and caught it and became a staff in his hand that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.

Speaker 1: 9:49

Now, I don't know about you, but as for me, I would hope that if I were in Moses's place, that would have convinced me of something. That's what I hope. However, I know too much of the Bible and I know that we are all far too much like Moses in chapter 4 than we'd like to admit, because even after this amazing supernatural occurrence, moses still had doubts. Moses still had arguments. We've looked at all of those already. But here in chapter 7, we start to see progress. Given what's already occurred, perhaps you'd expect verse 10, the next verse, to say but Moses said to the Lord, it's not going to work. But that's not what we see here. We see the growth of Moses from fear to faith, from uncertainty to trust. The Lord has been working in the heart of Moses and here, at the most crucial moment thus far in the narrative, he hears the command of God without question, without reservation and without fear, and he heeds it. He trusts the Lord and we will see he obeys.

Speaker 1: 11:08

The Bible contains numerous examples of individuals who demonstrated obedience to God and experienced his blessing as a result. For instance, abraham's obedience and leaving his homeland to follow God's call led to the establishment of the nation of Israel and the fulfillment of God's covenant promises. Similarly, noah's obedience in building the ark to save his family from the flood and preserving humanity's existence. Of course, jesus himself serves as the ultimate example of obedience to the Father. Ultimate example of obedience to the father. In Philippians 2, 8, it says that Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. His obedience unto death on the cross provided salvation for humanity, reconciling us to God, offering the gift of eternal life to all who believe in him.

Speaker 1: 12:06

Now, sometimes to us, in our earthly minds, obedience to God's commands seems illogical. Sometimes, what God expects from his people seems completely contrary to what we think is realistic or possible or wise. In those times we have to remember that we don't know the end from the beginning. We aren't the ones who can turn the impossible into the possible. Our wisdom is finite, but God's is infinite, and it defies human logic. Of course, obedience today looks different than it did for Moses and for Aaron.

Speaker 1: 12:49

The Lord won't tell you to throw down a staff for it to become a serpent, but he does tell you to do many things that are no less challenging. Things like publicly proclaiming you're a Christian amid ridicule and the danger of persecution. Things like dying to yourself for the sake of others. Things like loving your enemy. Things like turning the other cheek and going two miles when someone asks you to go one. Now, of course, there will always be those I'm sure you've encountered them who will say something like prove to me, prove to me this God in whom you believe. That's nothing new. It's always been the case.

Speaker 1: 13:34

I'm sure you know people who have said if God did a miracle right now, I would believe in him. But we know it's the same heart as Pharaoh, right? That's what he said Prove yourself by working a miracle. This was the same attitude of the Pharisees who told Jesus in Matthew, chapter 12, teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you. And yet what do we read in John 12, 37? Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him.

Speaker 1: 14:12

You see, the issue is not signs. It never has been. The issue isn't miracles. If God gave you the ability, like Moses or like the apostles, to do miraculous signs, you could show someone 10 signs and do amazing wonders. And what would they do? They would ask for number 11 and then they would ask for number 12. You see, the issue is that the enemies of God refuse to submit to his lordship, they refuse to submit to his sovereignty and they refuse to admit that they are not God, because there is only one true and living God. We will see in the narrative over the next several chapters that this hard-hearted Pharaoh will see sign after sign after sign on dramatic display. He will see miracles worked out by God's omnipotent hand and yet he will continue to resist. Nothing will change him With the enemies of God. The issue they raise is never the issue. The issue isn't that there isn't enough proof, even though that's the claim. The issue is a hardened heart isn't enough proof, even though that's the claim. The issue is a hardened heart.

Speaker 1: 15:28

It is true, however, that the purpose of signs and miracles is to confirm the truthfulness of God's word. Remember we saw last time, last week, that God told Moses that he would be God to Pharaoh and Aaron would be his prophet, that he would be God to Pharaoh and Aaron would be his prophet. So it makes sense here that God would begin the battle royale with some signs and miracles through his chosen ambassadors. It was appropriate for them to authenticate their claims. It's important to note that while this was God's way of operating in the old covenant and as the church was being established in the new Testament, we should not expect the same thing today. Can God still do signs and wonders? Of course he can. He's immutable, he doesn't change, he doesn't lose his ability, but the purpose for these signs and wonders no longer exists.

Speaker 1: 16:26

The final miracle. The final miracle we need to confirm the gospel of truth. The final miracle that certifies the operation, power and authenticity of God, as God is what we are celebrating this very day and every Lord's day the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Why can we trust that God will save us? Because he sent the Lord Jesus into the world to live for us, to die for us, and then he raised him from the dead, he crushed the head of Satan and conquered our great enemy, death. What more evidence do we need? Of course there's the evidence of your transformed life and mine, if you're a Christian. Brothers and sisters, this God has exercised his sovereign will time and time and time again, for you and for me. So when God tells us, throw down your staff, what should you do? Throw down your staff. It might freak you out a little bit when it turns into a Cobra, but but then, when he tells you to pick it back up, like he did with Moses in chapter 4, stop running away, swallow your fear and pick it up, you'll be fine. The Lord knows what he is doing and he intends good for you and not harm.

Speaker 1: 17:56

Obedience isn't always easy, but it is always right. This should be every Christian's goal to be so obedient to doing God's will that it is our immediate and instinctive response as we read his word. And, lord willing, as we grow in our faith, as we trust the Lord more and more in our lives, we will become more and more obedient. Of course, the paradox is that the more you grow in faith, the more you see all the areas of your life where you have been failing to obey as you ought. It's the constant push and pull of the Christian life. So may God help us to exercise radical obedience to his word, no matter what. It's what's best for us and it brings the greatest glory to God. Well, we go on to see in verses 10 through 12, that God will equip you for what he commands of you. Look at verse 10.

Speaker 1: 19:00

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts, for each man cast down his staff and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. What has Moses said on numerous occasions in the prior chapters, over and over again Lord, I cannot do this, I'm not your guy, I can't speak well, the Israelites aren't going to believe me, pharaoh won't believe me, I have a slow tongue, I'm not quick on my feet, I just don't have what it takes. Pick someone else. But what happens? As soon as Moses exercises obedience and submits to the Lord, he discovers that God has given him everything he needs to do what he's called to do.

Speaker 1: 20:07

Think about all the times you've used similar excuses in your life. You're not alone. We've all done it. I know that I have far more times that I'd like to admit. How often have we thought I can't share the gospel with that person? They're smarter than me, I'll get run over by their intellect, I'll look like a fool, I'll make God look bad, I won't do any justice to the gospel. Or perhaps you're a new believer, you believed in Christ, but you haven't said anything. Because you think if I do that, I'll have to share my testimony, I'll have to talk in front of people and be baptized, and I just don't think I can handle all of those people sitting there staring at me and the embarrassment of that whole thing. I'll just be a quiet Christian. I'm not cut out for this.

Speaker 1: 20:58

Maybe you're a Christian man who has a burning desire in your heart to serve in ministry, but you've convinced yourself that you, you just don't think you'd ever be able to do the work. You've never preached, you've never really taught in front of people. You wouldn't know what to say in counseling situations. You don't know if you could sit through an infinite number of meetings every week, an infinite number of meetings. And so you're perpetually frustrated with the work you do now because you just don't think you have the gifts. But you've not even tried, you've never even sought opportunities to find out.

Speaker 1: 21:41

What about mission work? Go to another part of the world and preach the gospel? Are you kidding me? I don't know anything about other cultures. I don't know their customs, I don't speak their language. I don't know about their food. It's dangerous, it's uncomfortable. How would I do it? You see, we're all pretty quick to make excuses, aren't we? You see, we're all pretty quick to make excuses, aren't we? We could all list numerous examples, but in the end we have to recognize that God will equip us for what he calls us to do, just like he did with Moses and Aaron. And so look what happens.

Speaker 1: 22:25

Based on the context of what we read in verses 8 and 9, we can assume that Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to show him a sign, just like God said he would do. And I love how verse 10 says that they did just as the Lord commanded. There is no uncertainty now. What if we throw the staff on the ground and nothing happens? Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be? But they did what God commanded and Aaron's staff became a serpent before Pharaoh and his servants. Now you might have guessed that the staff becoming a serpent is very significant. The serpent was a symbol of Pharaoh's authority. So the staff becoming a serpent directly attacks Pharaoh's assumed sovereignty. Remember we said last time that when, when God told Moses he would be God to Pharaoh, that meant that he would have to show Pharaoh exactly how it is that his power is greater than Pharaoh's power. All of the Egyptians assumed Pharaoh was God. So this couldn't be a small thing, and right from the start they go after the very symbol of his supposed power. Phil Reichen greatly helped me with the depth and significance of all this. The more we know about the Egyptians and their snakes, the clearer it becomes that by doing this, as I said before, that God is warring against Satan.

Speaker 1: 23:56

The Egyptians were fascinated with snakes partly because they were so afraid of them. Many of them carried amulets to protect them from Apaphis, the serpent God who punished evil. Egyptian literature contains various spells and incantations to afford protection from snake bites. And this fear of snakes led Pharaoh to use the serpent as a symbol of his royal authority. His ceremonial headdress, like the famous death mask of Tutankhamen, it was a crest with a fierce female cobra on it, and the idea was that Pharaoh would terrorize his enemy, as a cobra strikes fear into her prey. There's a lot of fascinating historical data about this. I mean a lot of data, and we don't have time to get into it. If that's interesting to you, it is certainly worth your time to study it. But what does Satan do with those under his reign? So often he uses fear to gain power. So often he uses fear to gain power.

Speaker 1: 25:04

So while the Egyptians were terrified of serpents, they also worshiped them. Archaeological evidence shows that this was particularly true in the Nile Delta, where the Hebrews lived. The Egyptians built a temple in honor of the snake, goddess Wadjet, who was represented by the hieroglyphic sign of a cobra. Some of the pharaohs believe that she brought them to the throne and invested them with all of her divine powers. Ancient manuscripts actually show that the pharaohs offered up their soul to the devil as they took the Egyptian throne. When they were installed and took the royal crown, they would say this, not in English, but they would say this oh great one, oh magician, oh fiery snake, let there be terror of me, like the terror of thee. Let there be fear of me, like the fear of thee. Let there be awe of me, like the awe of thee. Let me rule, a leader of the living. Let me be powerful, a leader of spirits. So hopefully, you're seeing more and more just how, in your face, this whole thing is right from the jump, when this serpent staff is being presented.

Speaker 1: 26:25

Before Pharaoh, aaron was taking the symbol of Pharaoh's power and authority and he's putting it right back where it belongs in the dust. It was a blatant statement that would not be lost on Pharaoh at all. I was trying to think of a comparable illustration and, given the current political climate, the ones that I could think of all seem a little too close to reality these days, like imagine going to the Oval Office and standing right there in the middle and burning the Constitution. I don't mean figuratively, that's gone on for years, I'm talking literally. That strikes right at the heart of the nation. That is our rule of law, that's our governing authority here in America. This is a direct assault on Pharaoh's supposed sovereignty and the religious beliefs of the Egyptians. Reken comments when God confronts other gods, he does not probe around hoping to find a weakness. Instead, he takes aim at his enemy's greatest strength and overwhelms it with superior force. In this case, he sent Moses and Aaron straight to Pharaoh's command center, where he proceeded to claim ultimate authority over all Egypt.

Speaker 1: 27:48

Christians have all gotten a taste of this too. Before we trust and love the Lord Jesus, there's no doubt that we are our own God. We might have other false deities that we pay homage to, but the reality is that we are our own God, apart from Christ. And so when the spirit, the hound of heaven, is ready to establish God's throne in your heart, what does he do? He doesn't send you a nicely worded letter requesting your presence. He doesn't beg and plead. I always find it amusing when Christians misunderstand what the scriptures are talking about when it says that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Excuse me, will you please let me in? That's not the Lord. That's not even talking about the door of your heart. If the Lord Jesus, the King of glory, wants to establish his throne in your heart, it's not because you gave him permission. No, jesus comes in like an airborne ranger and kicks down the door and immediately goes after whatever it is that you find your greatest assurance and comfort in to uphold your supposed sovereignty over your own life.

Speaker 1: 29:09

Is it wealth? He has no problem removing your financial security. Is it physical power or strength or athletic ability? One of my best friends in the world was well on his way to playing in the NBA. He had no time for the Lord, but then he blew out his knee during a practice, never able to fully recover, and he went low. He was depressed and desperate and he heard the gospel and he believed, and now he's a faithful pastor who loves the Lord and his people Amen.

Speaker 1: 29:46

Is it power over others or in some kind of industry? He will gladly show you just how weak you are. Is it a you can only live once mentality. So you fulfill every pleasure with the flesh. Many of you given testimony to the fact that he will make you miserable, and what you once found exciting now makes you sick to the stomach. This is how God works, and it's exactly what he was doing with Pharaoh.

Speaker 1: 30:15

So how does Pharaoh respond? Well, of course he had to show that his magic is better. He calls in all of his magicians, his wise men and his sorcerers to do their secret arts and to replicate what Pharaoh just saw. But he was soon to find out that, by comparison, this was the difference between seeing a David Copperfield show and watching a kid perform a card trick he learned on the internet 10 minutes beforehand. That's not to say they weren't capable. It's certainly not to say that their sorcery was fake, but in comparison to what God would do, it was nothing.

Speaker 1: 30:57

Now, various scholars have tried to explain what these magicians were doing. Some will say it was more like sleight of hand. Or some believed that they had charmed the snakes and they were able to have them look like a rod, but then, when thrown to the ground, they begin to function as normal. But the biblical record suggests that we should take this at its word. There's no doubt in my mind that these men were perfectly able to do what they were enabled to do by their God, satan. In verse 11, the reference to the secret arts these men performed, rather specifically to demonic spells and incantations Remember Jesus himself told us in the gospel of Matthew false Christ and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Satan is powerful. He's the prince of the world. So we shouldn't assume that this was just some kind of trick.

Speaker 1: 32:08

I think as Westerners we have been so thoroughly inundated with rationalistic thinking we tend to look for reasons to discredit anything supernatural. As Christians we tend to think that if God did it, we could say that it was a supernatural reality that we shouldn't question, but anything else we start to question. But there are evil forces at work all around us that have far more power and ability than we often realize. We shouldn't fear them. We shouldn't blame everything bad that happens on them, but we shouldn't try to reason them out of existence either.

Speaker 1: 32:48

Talk to anyone who's ever been involved in black magic or various pagan religious cults and they will tell you what they've experienced. Your first instinct will be to write it off or to assume they were in some kind of drug-induced trance. But do we really doubt that Satan has the ability to work through various means to accomplish his purposes? We do so in ignorance and we do so without biblical support. Satan will do what it takes to keep his people in spiritual bondage to false ideas and false gods and false belief systems, just like he did with the Egyptians. Of course, we understand that this only happens because God allows it for his own purposes. Satan never acts apart from God allowing him to do so. We learn we learn all about that by reading just the first few chapters of the book of Job. He's on a leash. He can only go out as far as God allows him. But it's not fake. I do not doubt for a second that what these magicians did they actually did. This wasn't an illusion. This was the real deal.

Speaker 1: 34:04

These Egyptian wise men and sorcerers are magicians. They were controlled by what the apostle Paul called the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. He also wrote in second Thessalonians two that the activity of Satan is with all power and false signs and wonders. However this is very important. Notice what they did. They imitated what God did. They didn't do anything new. They didn't do anything impressive, certainly not any more powerful. They were copycats.

Speaker 1: 34:42

Satan is always a counterfeiter. He's never an innovator. But it certainly doesn't last. They will have their fun. They will puff out their chest and pride and say, look, we can do it too. But God will have the last word. I absolutely love the thought of this. I wish I could have seen this event. I would have laughed until my belly hurt and there were tears in my eyes. Verse 12, for each man cast down his staff. They became serpents, but Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.

Speaker 1: 35:17

I love that picture. It reminds me of a video I saw. Some of you will be mad at me for laughing at this, but I can't help it. Don't be a hater. There was a little boy who was walking around a pond with his family and he picked up a little duckling and he was petting it and he was showing it to his family and he was showing it to his mom. He was taking a video of the whole thing. He didn't want to let it go, but after a while the mom told him to put it down so it could go back to the mama duck. And then he did that and the duckling took a few steps and all of a sudden, a hawk swoops down from the sky and grabs the little duckling, never to be seen again. Nature is brutal. Don't hate me, hate the hawk, I was just a spectator, but this is the sort of thing that was happening. They're all excited. Oh, we have our serpents. Look at the serpents. We can do what he just did. And all of a sudden, here comes Aaron's rod, swallows him up, gone, done, moving on.

Speaker 1: 36:24

Sometimes the natural world teaches us so much we may think something is great or shouldn't be harmed, or, in the case of the serpents, they're just a bunch of snakes. We've just done what you did, so now they're all there together just doing snake things. But imagine the scene the sorcerers are so proud of themselves, so pompous, so arrogant. They throw down their staffs, they become serpents and then, like the hawk from the sky, aaron's serpent comes and eats not one of them, but all of them. There were many serpents, but then, in the blink of the eye, there was once again only one. Once again, only one. Now, because of this, some interpreters, and because there is a difference in the words that are used to describe the serpent. Some interpreters have thought that it's simply speaking, probably that maybe Aaron's rod actually became something more like a crocodile and the crocodile swallowed up all the serpents. But there again, my take on such thinking is the very thing we've talked about.

Speaker 1: 37:38

With regard to the supernatural altogether, there's often an attempt to say, well, one serpent can swallow up a bunch of other serpents just like that, so it must be something much bigger and much more powerful. And this has to be what it was. Let's explain away what the text clearly says. But a crocodile wouldn't make all that much sense. Related to what it is that God is trying to show Pharaoh that I can take your image, your symbol of power, and I can use it to swallow up everything that you think is powerful and show you that I am great and I am far greater than you will ever be.

Speaker 1: 38:22

And so, by devouring their magic wands, aaron's staff was a clear indication that all power and all authority belong not to Pharaoh, not to sorcerers, not to magicians, not to Egyptians, not to their pantheon of false gods, but to Yahweh, the great I am. The God of Israel was also the Lord of Egypt. There was no magic trick. This was a miracle from God. Aaron didn't cast a spell. He didn't have some special stick infused with magical abilities. It was a normal staff that he threw on the ground.

Speaker 1: 39:03

God has authority over everything that he has made, even the most mundane articles of the natural world, everything that he has made, even the most mundane articles of the natural world. And, brothers and sisters, satan may have power and abilities and at times we may be tempted to be impressed, but we must remember he has never, nor will he ever, have the ability or the power to overrule the sovereignty of God. That's really what makes him so angry, isn't it? He's not God, but he wants to be.

Speaker 1: 39:37

Charles Spurgeon said whenever a divine thing is cast into the heart or thrown upon the earth, it swallows up everything else. And though the devil may fashion a counterfeit and produce swarms of opponents, as sure as ever God is in work. It will swallow up all its foes. Pharaoh can summon all of his wise men and sorcerers that he can find to exercise satanic power, but in the end they will be swallowed up by the powerful and overwhelming, almighty omnipotence of God. And herein lies one of the most important lessons that Exodus can teach us as individuals. We see, finally, in verse 13, that if you harden your heart against God, you will be defeated. Look again verse 13,.

Speaker 1: 40:31

Still, pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Now this will come up repeatedly as we work through the Exodus narrative. Pharaoh's heart is hardened and it gets harder, despite everything he sees. It should have been obvious at this point that the God of Moses and Aaron had absolute power and authority over everything Pharaoh had hoped in, and yet he would not relent. Pharaoh got into the ring with the ultimate heavyweight champion of the universe, who has never lost a fight, and he got knocked down with the first punch. But here he is stumbling to get back on his feet before he gets punched again.

Speaker 1: 41:19

Wisdom would have told Pharaoh to stay down and to turn from his back to his knees and worship the one true and living God. But his heart was hard, it was heavy and he was unable to grasp the truth and the reality of the situation. There will indeed be a final judgment in which every human heart will be weighed against the righteousness of God. So what will become of a hard hearted man like Pharaoh? A man with a hard, heavy heart will be weighed in the balance and will be found wanting. The weight of his sin would drag him down to destruction. But be warned that it would be foolish to look at Pharaoh and say, yes, that makes sense, he was an evil man, but I'm not Pharaoh, my friend, if you are not a Christian, you are absolutely like Pharaoh. Before I was a Christian, I was like Pharaoh. And before anyone sitting in here right now was born again, we were all like Pharaoh.

Speaker 1: 42:34

The Bible tells us plainly that we never had any doubt of God's existence and God's power. It's revealed all around us. What we have is a hardened heart and unwilling heart, a heart that only saw in God a threat to what we wanted for ourselves. And after explaining that Satan's work is displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, the apostle Paul goes on to explain that those whom Satan entrances will perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved For this reason. Refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. It is an apt description of Pharaoh, condemned to his own depravity because he refused, with a hardened heart, to believe in the truth of God.

Speaker 1: 43:34

And friend, if you are here and you are not a Christian, you cannot honestly say that God has left you without evidence. Your problem is not intellectual. Your problem is not with evidence intellectual. Your problem is not with evidence. Your problem is not with needing verification. Your problem is spiritual. Your problem is a hard heart that refuses to acknowledge what you already know to be true.

Speaker 1: 44:05

You need a new heart, you need new affections, you need your hard heart to be replaced with a new heart of flesh that loves God and has every desire to obey God, knowing that what he commands is for your very best, and the good news of the Bible is that he has made a way for that to happen, for you to receive that new heart, a way for that to happen, for you to receive that new heart, for you to not have a hardened heart, to not be in rebellion against the one who has created you and has done all things that you might have everlasting life, and even life in this world that will be far greater than anything you could have ever hoped or imagined. He did this that you might have life by sending the Lord Jesus into this world to fulfill the law that you are required to fulfill but cannot, because from the moment of conception, you come into this world with a sinful nature. Rebellion against God is what you are set to do from the moment you are conceived. But Jesus came and fulfilled that law and then he went to the cross and died on the cross to take upon himself the wrath of God that is owed to each and every single one of us. We didn't deserve it. We certainly cannot earn it. And yet Jesus willingly went to the cross and died. He shed his blood that we might be cleansed of our sin, cleansed from all unrighteousness, when we come to him by faith. He was buried in the grave for three days and, as we've thought about today, as we've celebrated today, he was raised from the dead to conquer sin and death. That we might, with him, live forever and ever.

Speaker 1: 46:02

Friends, if you do not know Christ, I commend him to you. Come to the Lord Jesus by faith, trust in him, because if you continue to harden your heart, if you walk out of here tonight with a heart of stone, know this you will be defeated. Either the Lord will kick down the door and let himself in, or he will continue to allow you to go your own way, and if you go your own way, you've already lost the battle. Repent, my friend, believe the gospel and be saved. And, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray that God will help us to trust him all the more faithfully that we might walk in greater obedience to him, knowing that even when it seems difficult or even impossible, god will provide for us whatever we need to fulfill what he has called us to be and to do. He doesn't promise a walk in the park, but he does promise a peace in our heart that surpasses all understanding. It's worth the struggle, it's worth the fight, it's worth the pain that may arise, because it all pales in comparison to what awaits us when we enter into the joy of our King, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, our great savior Jesus Christ, who reigns and rules from the only throne that matters forever and ever. Amen.

Speaker 1: 47:37

Let's pray together, lord, we are so very grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived for us, who died for us, who was raised from the dead for us and who now sits on the forever throne as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Lord, help us to never set our eyes on any other king. Help us to never be impressed by the things that Satan does, only replicating what he sees that you have already done. Help us to never be fearful of Satan's servants, but help us always to remember that our God is an all-consuming God, that our God is omnipotent and powerful beyond all power, that our God is omnipotent and powerful beyond all power and that, with our God, no one and nothing can ultimately harm us. And so, dear Lord, help us to walk in obedience, knowing that you will equip us for all that you call us to be and to do, that our hearts may never be hardened against you.

Speaker 1: 48:54

And I pray, o God, for anyone in here tonight who does come here with a hardened heart. Lord, would you bring them to the end of themselves, no longer depending on this world and the things of this world, of which Satan is king. And may it be, o God, that they would look to you, the one true God, by faith, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, that the heart of stone may be removed and a heart of flesh may replace it. We know that only you can do that by the power of your spirit, working through your word, and we pray, o God, that you would be pleased to do so even through these feeble words. Tonight. We pray you do it all in Jesus name Amen.