Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20090719.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part I: God's Deliverance Of Israel From Egypt, Exodus 1:1-15:21
H. God's Glorifying Himself By Egypt's Plagues, Exodus 7:14-12:36
8. God's Humbling Men To Revere Him By The Plague Of Locusts
(Exodus 10:1-20)
Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

2 Timothy 3:1-4 predicts that, in the last days of the Church, troublesome folk would rise, afflicting believers and society in general.

This prophecy is certainly coming to pass today, and many wonder how they are to respond to it in an edifying way (as follows):

(1) All last week, callers on the "Talk of Connecticut" radio talk shows voiced dismay at alleged pressures by government officials to "ram" costly, inept legislation "down our throats"! At one point, host Brad Davis told one upset caller, "You have to calm down!"

(2) Concern about such oppression if often valid, for it certainly exists on the issue of abortion: (a) In 1992, Rod Weddington, a co-counsel in Roe vs. Wade, wrote a letter to President Bill Clinton to urge that he push "'the abortion pill'" RU-486. He wrote: "[Y]ou can start immediately to eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of our country . . . It's what we all know is true, but we only whisper it . . . Think of all the poverty, crime and misery . . . and then add 30 million unwanted babies to the scenario'" (Jonah Goldberg, "A question of eugenics," Republican-American, July 15, 2009)

(b) This idea of using abortion to limit the population of undesired folk surfaced in a recent statement by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. In last Sunday's New York Times Magazine, she claimed she once thought Roe vs. Wade that legalized abortion was decided over "'concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of.'" (Ibid.)

(c) Again, this idea of using abortion to curtain the population of the poor was reflected by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi on January 25, 2009 when she said told ABC News that abortion funding should be in the stimulus bill as "family planning services reduce cost."

Thus, elements in the government have abusively seen abortion as a way to curtail the population of unwanted groups of people!

(3) Locally, last Sunday, a Church member related to me how a party had arrogantly and illegally mistreated her associate, but had presented an innocent front when confronted by the police. She thus asked me, "Does the Bible predict such folk will eventually be exposed so that they won't be able to keep deceiving and so harming others?"

(4) Another affected party told he of his temptation to get even!

Need: "When I see a party seemly sin or mistreat others unchecked, I wonder why God allows it, and how am I supposed to respond?!"

  1. Before sending the plague of locusts, God told Moses He HIMSELF would INTENSIFY Pharaoh's REBELLION to INTENSIFY his PUNISHMENT SINCE he had REFUSED to HUMBLE himself before God and cease oppressing Israel by letting her go, Ex. 10:3.
  2. However, ANOTHER reason God ENHANCED Pharaoh's trouble by the LOCUST plague was to cause ISRAEL to REVERE HIM:
    1. Pharaoh had deceptively recanted his claims to free Israel in previous plagues (Exodus 8:29), so God told him through Moses that he did not revere God so as truly to humble himself before Him, Exodus 10:3.
    2. Thus, God told Moses He Himself would harden Pharaoh, ENHANCING his REBELLION so that God might SEVERELY PUNISH Egypt AND THUS TEACH ISRAEL to REVERE HIM:
      1. The KJV verb "wrought" [NIV "dealt harshly"] in Ex. 10:2 uses the Hebrew Hithpael verb stem to mean God would make Himself "toy ruthlessly" with Egypt, B. D. B., A Hebr.-Engl. Lex. of the O. T., p. 759-760! Its use in other Scripture passages shows it means to harm while also dishonoring another party!
      2. [Lest one doubts that God would punish so harshly, He is said in Psalm 2:4 "anthropomorphically" (ascribing human actions to God) to laugh derisively and to scoff at those He judges in His wrath for their rebellion against Messiah! ( Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 791)]
      3. The reason God said He would so severely punish Egypt was that Israel might revere Him so she might not herself rebel, Ex. 10:2:
        1. God's hardening of Pharaoh so He might deal with him severely was aimed to make Israel tell of this to her children, Ex. 10:2a.
        2. The planned EFFECT of this judgment would be for Israel to "know that I am the Lord." (Exodus 10:2b)
        3. This phrase is clarified further by Exodus 10:3: Pharaoh had FAILED to revere and thus humble himself before God, so His resulting severe discipline on Egypt would lead onlooking Israel to be SHOCKED into REVERING the Lord so she would NOT HERSELF need to be SEVERELY PUNISHED!
  3. Thus, GOD HARDENED Pharaoh's heart IN ORDER to send the plague of locusts that He might SEVERELY PUNISH Pharaoh's REBELLION against Him and his OPPRESSION of ISRAEL:
    1. In the Exodus 10:1-20 plague of LOCUSTS, God ENHANCED the EFFECT of His FORMER plague of HAIL upon the Egyptians:
      1. The plague of locusts would destroy all the hail had left, 10:4-5.
      2. This plague, like the plague of hail, critiqued Egypt's gods of the weather, vegetation, agriculture and harvest, Russell Grigg, "The Ten Plagues Of Egypt," Creation, Dec.-Feb. 2005, p. 37.
      3. Before the locusts came, Pharaoh's servants urged him to let Israel go due to the devastation of the past plagues, but Pharaoh resisted upon learning that Moses would take all Israel with him, 10:7-11.
      4. Thus, God had Moses send the locusts (Ex. 10:12-13), and the effect was so devastating, Pharaoh again admitted he had sinned, and he urged Moses to rid Egypt of the locusts, Exodus 10:14-17.
      5. Moses complied (Ex. 10:18-19), but God hardened Pharaoh's heart after the locusts were gone, and he did not let Israel go, Ex. 10:20.
    2. [Greta Hort's view that many evangelicals have adopted (Ibid., p. 34) offers a natural explanation for this plague opposite belief that it was a miracle, but Scripture counters her view (as follows):
      1. Hort held the plague of hail that was "a coincidental local weather feature . . . promoted the locusts of the eighth plague," Ibid.
      2. She claimed the locusts came from the Sudan or southwestern Arabia by a south wind and were blown into the Red Sea by a north wind, Ibid., Grigg who cites B. Sparks, "Red algae theories of the ten plagues: contradicted by science," 2 parts, Bible and Spade 16(3):66-77, 2003 and 17(1):17-27, 2004.
      3. Yet, Exodus 10:13 claims the locusts came by an east wind, and Exodus 10:19 claims a west wind drove them into the Red Sea!]
Application: If we see another party mistreat others seemingly at will, GOD may be LETTING that party ENHANCE his SIN that the Lord might AMPLIFY His RESULTING DISCIPLINE, causing ONLOOKERS to be SHOCKED into REVERING Him! (1) May we thus trust in Christ to be saved from hell, John 3:16. (2) Then, may we (a) AVOID the oppressive party's effects (2 Timothy 3:1-4, 5) until (c) GOD EXPOSES and SEVERELY PUNISHES him, 2 Timothy 3:9. (d) When God's punishment SHOCKS us, may we DEEPLY REVERE and so HEED the Lord!

Lesson: God hardened a rebellious Pharaoh that He might send a locust plague to punish Egypt severely, dishonoring and hurting the nation, that ISRAEL might be SHOCKED into REVERING and HEEDING God!

We may thus ask: "When we see problem parties afflicting others, WHY does God allow it, and how should we RESPOND?!" Conclusion:

 The Lord has applied this message with intense drama: (1) It began years ago when a Christian "A" asked a Christian "B" I know about a business concern he had with an unsaved party. The unsaved had made a down payment to buy an item from Christian "A", but he was unable to finish the purchase due to some hardship.

In the situation, Christian "A" did not legally have to return the money to the unsaved party, but he was not out any costs were he to have returned it! Thus, when he asked Christian "B" what he thought he should do, Christian "B" said he thought Christian "A" should give the money back to the financially needy unsaved party.

After this, Christian "A" broke ties with Christian "B", claiming this break was over some other issue, but Christian "B" was sure it stemmed from his advice to Christian "A" on returning the money!

As painful as this event was for Christian "B", he has since seen Christian "A"'s selfishness that was behind his business decision with the unsaved blossom over time to come back to haunt him! His expanded self-centeredness has led to huge relationship problems where Christian "A" stands to lose far more than what he initially made off the unsaved party!

This has become an alarming lesson for onlooking believers! It was as if God had said: "Don't the rest of you oppress others like this or you too will end up facing My severe, dishonoring discipline!"

(2) After including this illustration in these notes, and noticing that it was rather intense, I considered exchanging it for a milder one.

However, while thinking on this, last Thursday night, our home was hit by a big thunderstorm, and one lightening bolt was so close and loud, it made me "jump" in my chair! My wife, knowing of God's many past efforts to use such storms to keep me from backing away from His will in my ministry, suddenly said, "This storm is big, so what have you been thinking about, now?!" I told her what had been going on in my mind, and, as I did, I realized God had used an intense storm to show He wanted me to keep this intense illustration in here!

So, if we see a party mistreat others seemingly unchecked, may we realize GOD may be ALLOWING it to occur that HE might HEIGHTEN His EVENTUAL DISCIPLINE, and make US see OUR need to AVOID such SIN in OUR OWN lives!

Thus, may we walk HUMBLY before our INTENSE God!