OASIS – Winter 2024 – February 13/14, 2024 MOSES: part 2 of 4 – “Let My People Go!” – Exodus 5-10 Last week: Moses and his search for IDENTITY in Exodus 3-4. •
The most important question is NOT “WHO am I?” but rather “WHOSE am I?”
Exodus 5: Moses and his first attempt to convincing Pharaoh: •
Exodus 5:1: “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.’”
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Pharaoh’s honest response: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Exodus 5:2
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Moses and Aaron try to convince the king of Egypt to look favorably upon this request, but their persuasion doesn’t work, and in fact, it creates an even worse situation: The Israelites will be forced to make their bricks WITHOUT straw collected by the Egyptians. Not good! (Exodus 5:6-18)
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The response of the Israelites to Moses and Aaron is NEGATIVE: “May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Exodus 5:21
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Moses is broken and speaks fervently to the Lord: “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23
Exodus 6: God promises Deliverance! •
Relucent from the beginning, Moses is full of DOUBT in almost every way.
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The Lord reinforces to Moses his master plan: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.’ God also said to Moses, ‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD, I did not make myself known to them.’” Exodus 6:1-3 o “My mighty hand” = Moses is reminded God will do the heavy lifting! o El-Shaddai (God Almighty) vs. Yahweh (the LORD)
Why does this name distinction matter? What difference does this ultimately make? Does this mean that the patriarchs were IGNORANT of the name Yahweh?
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Not necessarily, but the LORD (Yahweh) is helping Moses better and more fully understand who He is and what He is about to do. •
Yahweh hears the groaning of his people. (Exodus 6:5)
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Yahweh remembers his covenant. (Exodus 6:5)
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Yahweh vows to bring his people out, to deliver them, and to redeem them with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
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Yahweh promises to “take” (marital language) Israel as his people and to be their God. (Exodus 6:7)
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Yahweh promises to bring them into the land he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Exodus 6:8)
Look at how this is received: “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips.’” Exodus 6:9-12 Three important takeaways from Exodus 5-6: Lesson #1: Knowing the LORD (Yahweh) is BEST of ALL! Better than going free. Lesson #2: The LORD HEARS the cries and groanings of his people. Lesson #3: Tough life circumstances (discouragement and cruel bondage) KEEP God’s people from hearing and accepting their ultimate agent of HOPE. Exodus 7:1-13: Moses and Aaron agree to go to Pharaoh. “Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” 6 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh. 8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’
then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their 2
staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. •
“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart . . .”
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“Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them . . .”
And so, it begins! The LORD will impose upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians 10 plagues to compel the king of Egypt to let God’s people go! The first nine plagues can be divided into three groups of three plagues each, with the first plague in each group (first, fourth, and seventh) introduced by a warning delivered to the Pharaoh in the morning as he went out to the Nile River. Plague #1: (Exodus 7:14-24) BLOOD. The Nile River, along with all the water in Egypt, turns into blood. But Pharaoh does not let the Israelites go. •
“But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.” Exodus 7:22
Plague #2: (Exodus 7:25-8:15) FROGS. Frogs cover the land of Egypt. Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go but changes his mind. •
“But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.” Exodus 8:15
Plague #3: (Exodus 8:16-19) GNATS. The dust turns to gnats, which cover the people and animals of Egypt. But Pharaoh does not let the Israelites go. •
“But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. The magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.” Exodus 8:18-19
Plague #4: (Exodus 8:20-32) FLIES. Flies fill the houses and land of Egypt. Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go but changes his mind. •
“But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.” Exodus 8:32
Plague #5 (Exodus 9:1-7) LIVESTOCK. All of the livestock of the Egyptians died (but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died). But Pharaoh does not let the Israelites go. •
“Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding, and he would not let the people go.” Exodus 9:7 3
Plague #6 (Exodus 9:8-12) BOILS. Festering boils break out on the Egyptians and their animals. But Pharaoh does not let the Israelites go. •
“The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.” Exodus 9:11-12
Plague #7 (Exodus 9:13-35) HAIL. Hail strikes down everything in the fields – humans, animals, and trees. Pharaoh asks for forgiveness and promises to let the Israelites go but changes his mind. •
“Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. ‘This time I have sinned,’ he said to them. ‘The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.’ Exodus 9:27-28 (don’t miss verse 30)
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“When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. So, Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses. Exodus 9:34-35
Plague #8 (Exodus 10:1-20) LOCUSTS. Locusts devour every tree and plant in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh asks for forgiveness but does not let the Israelites go. •
“Pharaoh’s officials said to him, ‘How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?’” Exodus 10:7
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“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.” Exodus 10:20
Plague #9 (Exodus 10:21-29) DARKNESS. Darkness covers the land of Egypt for three days. Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go but changes his mind. •
“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. Pharaoh said to Moses, ‘Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.’ ‘Just as you say,’ Moses replied, ‘I will never appear before you again.’” Exodus 10:27-19
Concluding questions: •
How can we resist being like Pharaoh, suffering from a HARD HEART?
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It took a while, but Moses eventually developed both CONFIDENCE and TRUST in the LORD. How does this maturity develop in Christ Followers today?
Next week Feb. 20/21: Moses, part 3. Exodus 11-12: The 10th Plague and the Passover. (Tracy Thomas teaching) 4