The Study of Exodus with Tina Rains - Chapters 7 & 8

Today we will be talking about chapters 7 & 8. As we have seen until now, Pharaoh has belittled God’s miracles. He has mimicked them with his sorcerers. Does this remind you of the world? Often times the enemy mimics God just enough so that it is believable to the world and you see people follow the lies… We see it in false religions, trends related to sexuality and so much more. Why do you think God took the approach he did with the Egyptians? I believe He wanted the Egyptians to bow down to Him and let the Israelites go worship Him. It also reminds me today how the Lord loves our worship. So often we get busy doing the work, the calling, the ministry, the business, the soccer games, gymnastics, etc etc. We do our quiet time as a checklist. Yet, look at the emphasis put on worship to God. It challenges me to spend more time at Jesus’ feel like Mary and less time doing like Martha. I am a doer, so this is often a challenge for me. Sometimes strong, successful, independent people find it more difficult to simply rest at HIS feet and worship. They feel like they need to accomplish the goals He has set in front of them. They get so busy doing, they forget to abide in HIM. Sound familiar? It does to me. I have found myself in that place before and it was an empty place. Lord, let us each be more like Mary and less of a Martha. We need to be diligent and work hard, however, we must keep our priorities straight. God, Family then calling… If we are to change the world, we need healthy, vibrant, and thriving relationships with God and our family. The greatest riches are in these relationships. In 7:14-25, the first was the plague of the Nile. What was the significance? The Egyptians knew they needed the Nile to live. They worshiped the Nile as the mother of Egypt. The Lord showed them that life was His to give or take away. In Chapter 8, we see God again telling Moses and Aaron to go back to Pharaoh. It had been seven days since the Nile. The Egyptians gave special reverence to amphibians because they could live in two worlds. They were quite concerned about survival in the next world. This plague was another way to communicate who God is. His Sovereignty was seen in the plagues. They were aimed at the things that Egyptians held in high regard and worshipped. The Nile- 7:14-25 revered as a god that gave Egypt life and fertility; became a bloody representation of death. Frogs- 8:1-15 The Egyptians revered from (represented by Heqet, frog-headed goddess of fruitfulness) as having the key to life after death. Now there were frogs everywhere and the stench of death was everywhere. Gnats – 8:16-19 the “finger of God” fell on the land and there were biting insects everywhere. The magicians could not duplicate this and had to recognize it as a work of God. The Flies- The Lord made a distinction between Israel and Egypt. Swarms of flies filled the land and tormented the Egyptians including Pharaoh. In 8:12 we see where Pharaoh lies to Moses, offers for the people to go if the frogs go away… So, Moses goes to the Lord, and just as Moses said, the frogs die. The stench must have been unbearable, however, just as the Lord predicted, Pharoah changed his mind and did not release the people. So, he got gnats. Then the flies came. Pharoah offers for the Israelites to worship their God in Egypt. Moses tells him this is not sufficient, so Pharaoh once again says fine. Take your people. Moses warns him again that he better not be lying again. What happened? Moses did as he promised. God got rid of all the flies. How did Pharaoh respond? Once again he did not release the people. In verse 8:32 we see he is still stubborn and refused. I love that God gave him many chances just like he does his children. He is, however, sovereign and powerful. He shows His sovereignty and power and yet the pharaoh still refuses to let the people go. I pray that we as His children will not be like pharaohs. We will obey the first time and glorify Him in all that we do. How many times do we as his children take the difficult road? We make it hard on ourselves. Why? I will leave you with this question: What will it take for us to obey the first time God tells us something? Is it allowing more white space to hear him clearly that you need? Do you need to be reminded of His power and sovereignty? I pray you to read these chapters and hear what He is wanting you to see in His word. Lord, let us follow you and obey every detail you show us. Let us follow your word and directions. Let us not be the rebellious people that pharaoh was. We pray for our nation. Let our leaders and people be obedient to your word and will. May we worship you and glorify you in everything we do! Thank you Jesus for your unconditional love and power. Thank you that you are in us and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much.