"Let my people go"
Text: Exodus 6-12
God declares His plan (see Ex. 6:1, Ex. 7:3-5)
Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh Under compulsion he will let them (the Israelites) go
Under compulsion he will drive them out of his land I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My glory
When Pharaoh does not listen, I will lay my hand on Egypt
The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord
God reaffirms His promises (see Ex. 6:6-8)
I will bring you out from the Egyptians I will deliver you from bondage I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments I will take you for My people I will be your God I will bring you to the land which I swore to your fathers
Signs and Judgments (see accompanying footnotes at bottom)
Staff becomes a snake…yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened
Water is turned to blood…and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened Frogs infest the land…Pharaoh hardened his heart
Insects plague the land…Pharaoh hardened his heart Pestilence on the livestock…but the heart of Pharaoh was hardened
Plague of boils…and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart
Plague of Hail…Pharaoh sinned again, and hardened his heart
Plague of Locusts…but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart
Overwhelming darkness… but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart
Death of the firstborn…The Israelites plunder Egypt and leave
Pharaoh’s disposition was to exalt himself
and refuse to release the people of God. (Ex. 9:17)
God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart repeatedly
that He might multiply His signs and wonders
so the Egyptians would know that He is the Lord. (Ex. 7:3-5)
God can and does use the evil dispositions of man
for His own purposes, to reveal His power
and achieve His purposes.
What God does
He will manipulate the weather, mankind, elements of the earth, animals, light and darkness, and all creation to accomplish His purposes. He will do anything He pleases But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.(Ps 115:3) Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. (Psalm 135:6)
Why God does what He does So the world will know that He is God and there is no other To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him. (Deut. 4:35)
Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. (Deut. 4:39)
To establish a people that will be His people and extend His glory
Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. (Ex 6:7)
I will also walk among you and be your God, and you
shall be My people. (Lev. 26:12)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into
His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you
are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you
have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Your opportunity to respond…
God’s glory will be declared, His power seen, and His purpose accomplished… with your cooperation or without it
Your decision:
1. You can be a willing participant in the accomplishment of His purposes. (A trophy of His grace) as Israel
2. You can exalt yourself, pursue your own agenda, and still be used for His purposes. (A trophy of His justice) as Pharaoh
Footnotes:
Staff becomes a snake…yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the feat (Ex 7:8-13)
Water is turned to blood…and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the feat (Ex. 7:14-25)
Frogs infest the land…Pharaoh hardened his heart Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the feat (Ex. 8:1-15)
Pharaoh negotiates promising to release them if the frogs are removed – reneges on his promise
Insects plague the land…Pharaoh hardened his heart Pharaoh’s magicians unable to duplicate the feat (Ex. 8:16-32)
Pharaoh negotiates again, but reneges again.
Pestilence on the livestock…but the heart of Pharaoh was hardened The pestilence limited to the Egyptians only (Ex. 9:1-7)
Plague of boils…and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart God allows them to remain to how His power and in order to proclaim His name in the earth Ex. 9:11-12 The [a]magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians [b]as well as on all the Egyptians. And the Lord [c]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Exodus 9:13- 17 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of
the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For this
time I will send all My plagues [a]on you and your servants and your
people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the
earth. 15 For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. 16 But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to [b]remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim
My name through all the earth.17 Still you exalt yourself against My
people [c]by not letting them go.
Plague of Hail…Pharaoh sinned again, and hardened his heart Exodus 9:25-
26 The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of
Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. Exodus 10:1
then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have [a]hardened
his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may [b]perform these
signs of Mine [c]among them. Plague of Locusts… Exodus 10:17-20 ow therefore, please forgive my sin
only this once, and make supplication to the Lord your God, that He
would only remove this death from me.” 18 He went out from
Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. 19 So the Lord
shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the [a]Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the Lord [b]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go. Overwhelming darkness… but not for the Israelites Ex 10:22-23 So Moses
stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness
in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the
sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. The final plague: A new beginning for Israel/ the Passover instituted/ Feast of unleavened bread instituted -- The firstborn struck down Ex. 12:30-36, 40-41 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. v.31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, [a]worship the Lord, as you have said. v.32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.” v.33 The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” v.34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders. v.35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; v.36 and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. v.40-41 Now the time [a]that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. v.41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, [b]to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.