The Exodus – Part 16
The Seventh Plague: Hail
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
· The Book of Genesis
· The Book of Exodus
· Introduction
· Israelite’s Oppression
· The Birth of Moses
· Moses Flees to Midian
· Moses and the Burning Bush
· Signs for Moses
· Moses Returns to Egypt
· Moses Speaks to Pharaoh
· God Promises Deliverance
· God Speaks of the Israelites
· The First Miracle
§ The First Plague: Blood
§ The Second Plague: Frogs
§ The Third & Fourth Plague: Gnats & Flies
§ The Fifth & Sixth Plague: Livestock and Boils
§ The Seventh Plague of Hail
INTRODUCTION
We took a break last week for our special Mother’s Day Service, and today we will continue our series examining the Book of Exodus.
Up to this point, we have witnessed a Pharaoh who hated the Hebrews for no other reason than they were Hebrews and not Egyptian. Some may call this racism; however, the reality of life is, that there is no such thing as racism.
Racism is a construct of society and a tool, sometimes used to divide. Ironically, the word racism claims to reveal division created by hate, but instead fosters that division when used.
Why don’t I believe in racism? Because you either love one another as the Lord commands, or you don’t. The reason or purposed cause for this hate is irrelevant to the Lord, who commanded us to even love our enemy.
Pharaoh wanted the Hebrews dead. He hated them and was afraid they would continue to grow and prosper and be a power against Egypt. He tried having the Hebrew midwives abort the male babies, he then tried to work them to death.
When Moses arrives and tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go, Pharaoh responds, “who is this Lord that I should obey him?”
After a few plagues the Pharaoh then exclaims the Lord is Lord, and has power, but still refuses to Make the God of the Hebrews his God.
Knowing the Lord is Lord is not enough for Salvation. Knowledge of God without submission is fruitless, and Pharaoh is no closer to Salvation at the end of the plagues as he is at the beginning.
With each plague we see Pharaoh call on Moses to pray to the Lord and remove the Plague, showing that Pharaoh does indeed believe there is a Lord, and He is powerful. But with each instance, as soon as the Plague was lifted, Pharaoh returned to his sin of rejecting the Lord and the God of the Hebrews.
Today we look at the seventh plague, which is the plague of hail. We will see a “repeat” offender named Pharaoh, who will once again return to his sin like a dog to its vomit.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 9:1-12
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up[a] for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”
20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
27 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. 28 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.”
29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”
31 (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.”
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I. I, THE LORD, RAISED YOU UP FOR THIS
a. Verse 15 “I could have wiped you off the earth”
i. The court magicians said these plagues were just the finger of the hand of God
ii. God is holding back
iii. The one who created everything by speaking it into existence, could easily remove it from existence.
b. Verse 16 “But I raised you up for this very purpose”
i. I have spoke many times over the last few weeks about God’s purpose for bringing this specific Pharaoh into the seat at this time in history.
ii. It was God’s Will and it serves His purpose
c. The warning and God’s mercy
i. God is Righteous and Holy
1. Psalm 119:137 “Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments.”
2. Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
ii. He is Just and Good
1. Job 34:12 “Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.”
2. Psalm 25:9 “Good and upright is the Lord.”
iii. He gives mercy by command, warning, condition, and judgment
1. Look at the wording in Exodus 9:15-21
2. THE COMMAND & CHARGE AGAINST PHARAOH
a. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go.
3. THE WARNING OF COMING JUDGMENT
a. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.
4. THE CONDITION OF REPENTANCE
a. 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”
God, being Righteous, Holy, Just and Good, explained to Pharaoh WHY he was being judged, told WHAT the judgment would be, then WARNED of when it would come, and then gave a condition to save those who would repent and obey the command of the Lord.
Those who believed the Word and warning of the Lord could prepare themselves in advanced to escape the coming wrath of the Judgment of God.
Sound familiar?
We are told in the Holy Word of God WHY the world will be judged (sin and separation from God), and we are told WHAT that judgment will be (eternal separation from God in Gehenna, the Lake of Eternal Fire), and we are WARNED WHEN it will come (like a thief in the night when you least expect it), and we are given the condition for our salvation!
Acknowledge the Lord, confess your sin, and repent and you can escape the coming judgment of God!
Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
II. THIS TIME I HAVE SINNED
a. This is Pharaoh’s confession, without repentance
i. Verse 27 Pharaoh confesses he has sinned against the Lord
b. Admitting the Lord is right is not repentance
i. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 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.”
c. With acknowledgement, confession & repentance, comes change!
i. Pharaoh acknowledges the Lord earlier in Exodus
ii. Pharaoh now confesses he has sinned against the Lord
iii. Now Pharaoh uses this position he is in with Moses and asks again for relief from the plague upon him.
1. Please Moses, pray to the Lord and end this storm I’m in
III. PHARAOH, THE REPEAT OFFENDER
a. Some of the Egyptians obeyed the Word of the Lord
i. 20-21 “Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.”
ii. God still protected His people during this plague as well
1. 26 “The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.”
b. Pharaoh does not repent, and returns to his sin the moment there is relief from the storm (his house is built upon sand)
i. Remember Matthew 7 and building your house upon the Rock instead of sand?
ii. Pharaoh stood upon sand, said what he had to so he could get what he wanted, then returned to his sinful ways.
iii. This is what happens when one does not truly repent.
iv. You can lies to others, you can deceive yourself, but you can never fool God.
v. Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
CONCLUSION
Action speaks louder than words, or at least they should. Some of us today are beguiled by words and led astray because they choose to ignore the actions and focus on what they want to hear.
This happens in life in relationships, partnerships, media, advertising, etc.
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” – Matthew 7:15-20
What fruit do we see in Pharaoh? A returning to sin the moment he is free to. He showed again and again, he was a liar, not to be trusted, and hated the Hebrews more than he feared the Lord.
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Pharaoh’s fruit revealed of what tree he was from. In the end, he will be cut down and thrown into the fire. His actions revealing his heart to all though his words promised again and again to let the Hebrews go.
The Pharaoh acknowledged the Lord was Lord and mighty, able to control all things on earth. The Pharaoh confessed his sin against the Lord, however, the Pharaoh left out the most important ingredient to Salvation that comes after acknowledgement and confession, which is repentance.
2 Chronicles 7:34 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Matthew 9:13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners unto repentance.”
Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
…and many, many more!
Do not just acknowledge the Lord and confess without repenting, else you deceive yourselves!
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
Jesus says in Luke 13:3b “unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Let us all acknowledge the Lord, confess and repent so that we too may be counted among His sheep!
NEXT WEEK
The Lord commands Moses and Aaron to call the 8th plague, locusts.
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