The Eighth Plague

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus chapter 10, verse 1 to 20. And we will be considering ‘The Eighth Plague’. Let us start by first looking at verse 3 to 6. Allow me to read for you. “And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:” Verse 6, “And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.”

I. How long would it take before one breaks?

There are several things we want to learn from this passage. Firstly: how long would it take before one breaks? The Egyptians had already suffered the loss of their animals and their crops. Remember, the hailstones had destroyed all the flax and the barley, but the wheat and the rye (or wild grains) were spared because they were not grown yet. Now, if the Pharaoh still refused to obey, whatever residue, whatever was left from the plague of the hailstones would be destroyed. The locusts would come and cover the entire land of Egypt and eat whatever vegetation was left. The purpose of this plague was not the random act of nature, but God was judging the Pharaoh for his pride. God said, ‘How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me, to let my people go, that they may serve me?’ The Pharaoh had already suffered seven plagues, but he still stubbornly refused to listen. How many more plagues would it take for him to break? Obviously, God already knew the answer; He's omniscient. This is a question posed to the Pharaoh.

What lessons can we learn from here? Sometimes, we can be just like the Pharaoh and refuse to humble ourselves before God. We sin against God, face the consequences, cry out to God, and He graciously delivers us. Then we return to sin and repeat the cycle again and again. The question is, how long will we continue in our sins? Or, we make decisions based on our pride, arrogance, and stubbornness, and not based on the truth. How long will we make foolish decisions and destroy ourselves and our families? How long will it take before we break?

When Charles Spurgeon preached from this passage, he said, ‘Forget about the Pharaoh, and only think of yourself. Let the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, with the thorn-crowned head and the pierced hand, stand by your pew and looking down into your soul, and say to you, “How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?”’ It is easy for us to consider this passage and conclude that the Pharaoh was perhaps the most prideful, arrogant, and hardened person to have ever lived on the face of this Earth. But what about us? How long will it take before we break? It is important for us to take the Word of God and apply it to ourselves. Sometimes, we tend to think that the plagues were part of God's plan in softening the Pharaoh's heart. While that may be true, because ultimately he had no choice but to let the Israelites go. But soon after he agreed to let them go, he would change his mind again and again. And finally, the Egyptians would chase after the Israelites until they were all drowned in the Red Sea.

Actually, the plagues were the result of the Pharaoh hardening his heart. The more he hardened his heart, it came to a point whereby God Himself hardened his heart, and it was a point of no return. Look back to verse 1, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart”. He hardened his heart, he hardened his heart, and then God hardened his heart. And the harder his heart became, the more plagues God sent against Egypt. And the more plagues God sent, the more glory God received. God said, “that I might shew these my signs before him” (verse 1).

As believers, we ought to understand that nothing happens by chance or coincidence, but by God's sovereign purpose. Whether it be the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, calamities like earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, including the recent storms happening in Japan and Korea, pestilences like the locusts, drought, and flood that destroy the crops in so many countries, God has His sovereign purpose in all things. And we see his glory emerging through all these adversities. The unbelievers will not give glory to God; only the believers will do that.

II. What would we tell our children?

This brings us to our second point: what would we tell our children? Let us look at verse 2, "And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.” Children love to listen to stories, right? Good stories, especially adventurous stories, stories with a wicked villain, a good hero, a devastating situation which turns into a victory through an amazing deliverance, and then a happy ending.

Notice the story of the Exodus had everything I've just mentioned, but it was more than just being entertaining. It was a true and factual story. It was the story that explained everything the children of Israel needed to know; it was the story of their salvation. It explained who they were: they were the people of God, the children of God. Where they were: they were slaves in Egypt. What happened to them: they were delivered from slavery by God. Who was this God: He was the Covenant God who keeps His promises, the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present God. Where they were going: they were going into the Promised Land. What must they do: they must obey the LORD, serve, and glorify Him. So, God's plan was for the Israelites to repeat this story to their children and to their children's children.

But can you see the connection between the plagues and the Israelites telling this story to their future generations? God says in verse 1, 'I have hardened the hearts of the Pharaoh and his servants, and I will demonstrate my powerful plagues before them.' And what was the plan? Verse 2, 'So that you can tell the story of what I did in Egypt to your children and to your children's children.' And what was the purpose? ‘So that they may know that I am the Lord.’ So it was not just telling their children those amazing stories, but how those stories were connected to them, that the LORD was their God, that they were His people. That was the whole point.

Dear friends, do you realise that we too have a story to tell our children and our grandchildren? It is the story of Jesus Christ and how the story of Jesus Christ is connected to us. We tell the story of who we are: we are sinners living a life of sin and misery. Where are we going: the wages of sin is death; we are heading toward eternal damnation, toward the path of destruction. What happens to us: God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, shedding His precious blood to pay the penalty of our sins, and He wants us to repent of our sins and believe in Him for salvation. Where is God bringing us: He will bring us to the mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare for us. Why are we still here today: to glorify God by living for Jesus Christ.

Our children must hear this story; this is the only way for them to know that Jesus Christ is the Lord. This is the only way for them to be saved. And we do that not only in the church but especially in our homes. The parents have a duty and responsibility to share the truth of this story. Sunday school teachers at best will then complement and supplement whatever the parents have already taught their children. This is a most important story, as God said, 'You must tell your children and your children's children so that they will know that I am the Lord.' Are you willing to tell this story? Have you been telling the story of Jesus Christ? Do it before it is too late.

III. What did the Pharaoh do?

Our third point is: what did the Pharaoh do? Let us move on to verse 7, “And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?”

Here it appears that the Pharaoh's advisors were getting frustrated with him, and it was as if they were saying the same thing as Moses, 'How long will thou refuse to humble thyself before God?' They said, 'How long shall this man be a snare unto us?' A “snare” is a trap or a bait. In other words, how long is it going to take for the Pharaoh to realise that he's leading us into this trap? How long is it going to take before the Pharaoh finally realises that he cannot fight against the God of Israel? Does he not know that Egypt is already destroyed? Notice the advisors said, 'Let the men go.' In other words, why not strike a compromise and only let the man go?

The Pharaoh was starting to feel the pressure, so he agreed to meet up with Moses and Aaron. Verse 8, "And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?” Before the Pharaoh would granted the permission for the Israelites to go and serve the Lord in the wilderness, he wanted to know who would be going. Verse 9, "And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.” Which means we will all go together with our properties. This was totally unacceptable to the Pharaoh. That was why he said in verse 10, “And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.”

Here it was not as if he was giving them his blessing. Actually, he said these words in a very sarcastic way. The phrase “for evil is before you” means evil is in front of you, or evil is in store for you. Basically, he was like saying, 'If I'm going to let you go, then the LORD really would be with you. But I'm not going to do that. Look here, Moses, I know what you are up to, because I know you have some evil plans ahead of you.' That is what it means. So he proposed a compromise.

Verse 11, “Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.” Since you want to serve and worship God, then only the men will go. This was not the first time the Pharaoh had agreed to let God's people go and then turned back on his words. After the fourth plague, he was willing to let the Israelites go, but they must not go very far. But this time, he was willing to let them go as far as they wanted, provided they left the women and children behind. In a way, he was holding the women and children as hostages in order to guarantee that their husbands and fathers would return to Egypt.

By doing that, the Pharaoh was making two serious mistakes. Firstly, he was assuming that women and children were not important and they did not matter as far as spiritual things were concerned. So if the Israelites wanted to worship God, why must everyone go? Just let the men go and finish with it. But worship is for the entire family. Worship of God is for everyone — men, women and children, from the oldest to the youngest. Westminster Shorter Catechism, question number one. The answer is: 'The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.' The word “man” is generic, representing humanity — men, women, and children. So not only the men were to glorify God, women and children as well; everyone ought to glorify God.

Secondly, he was assuming that he could negotiate with God, as if he was more or less on equal terms with God. God said, 'Let My people go.' The Pharaoh said, 'All right, I will let your people go, but only the men will go.' Do you think he can negotiate with God? Most certainly not. Dear friends, God's Word is not open for discussion as in negotiation. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we do not negotiate the terms and conditions. ‘Well, I believe in You, but this part about giving of tithes and offerings, this part about biblical separation, that I can only marry a believer, I do not agree and I will not obey.’ We cannot do that.

Or when God calls us to serve Him, to do a particular work, lead the ministry, or to be a missionary, His call is not open to negotiation. ‘Well, I will serve You, but according to my own terms, according to my own understanding, comfort, and convenience.’ That is not how it works. As far as God's Word is concerned, it is all or nothing. You and I either obey God or we disobey Him. There's no halfway house. And I pray that all of us will obey Him. Do not be like the Pharaoh—do not negotiate terms with the Almighty God. ‘If God says so, then I must obey.’ It is all or nothing.

When the Pharaoh realised that Moses and Aaron did not accept his proposal, he drove them out of the palace. From verse 12 to 15, we were told that Moses raised his rod over the land of Egypt as the Lord had commanded him, and the locusts came. Scientists tell us that the daily consumption of a locust equals its own weight. So if you and I consider the size of an adult locust, it weighs only about two grams. Two grams is about the weight of the Australian five-cent coin—not very big, not very serious, we’ll be thinking, right? But imagine, if one hundred million locusts covering each square mile, and to cover the entire land of Egypt, there would be trillions of locusts. That would be most devastating. Everything would be wiped out clean, as God has said, ‘Whatever was left behind, whatever residue, the locusts would devour.’

The Egyptians had never seen anything like this before, and it would immediately cause a food shortage leading to a famine and perhaps starvation. So their entire livelihood was jeopardised. So, do not think of the locusts as tiny little insects. What can they do? They only eat as much as they weigh—2 grams. But if trillions of locusts would invade the land, it would be horrendous. It was so bad that the Pharaoh had no choice but to turn to Moses and Aaron again. Verse 16, “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.” The Pharaoh was up to his old tricks. Once again when things got desperate, he called for Moses and Aaron, just like some people who call for ministers when they are in trouble. This time he confessed that he had sinned against God and Moses, but he did not confess that he had sinned against the Israelites and oppressed them and killed all the baby boys. Most importantly, he did not confess his sins to God personally. He had to ask Moses to intercede for him.

Why would you ask someone to confess your sins to God on your behalf when you can confess your sin for yourself? The only reason why you cannot confess your sins for yourself is that you do not believe. The Pharaoh did not believe. But what was even more telling was found in verse 17, “Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.” The word “death” refers to the deadly plague. The Pharaoh seemed to think that this was the last time he would ever need to be forgiven.

The literal meaning of the phrase is, 'Forgive my sin only this once.' Can you imagine someone saying that? He was still minimising his sins, pretending that he had never sinned before and expecting never to sin again. That was just how proud the Pharaoh was. Dear friends, we must never be like the Pharaoh, to be so self-righteous that we think we need God to forgive our sin only this one time. Every day of our lives, we sin against God, whether in our speech, in our deeds, or in our thoughts. We say the wrong things, we do the wrong things, and we think the wrong thoughts all the time. We need to confess our sins to God, not only once but at every moment.

Verse 18, “And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.” Moses prayed to the Lord, not because the Pharaoh had truly confessed his sins, but remember, God would send the plague and demonstrate his power — for what purpose? So that this story would be repeated to the Israelites' children and their children's children. God had already said so . And so verse 19 tells us, “And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.” The appearance of the locusts was miraculous. All of a sudden, trillions of locusts appeared all over the land. But the disappearance of the locusts was equally miraculous. It happened immediately after Moses prayed. So, it was truly a divine miracle. It cannot be explained by any natural possibilities. Okay, it is a miracle; say it as it is. The Bible said so. God sent the locusts, and He commanded the locusts to disappear, and they went into the Red Sea. Not even one locust was found on the coast of Egypt. That was how miraculous it was.

Finally, verse 20, “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.” Dear friends, how long would it take before one breaks? We pray that all it takes is for God to show us once, for God to speak to us once through His Word, and it is enough. We will humble ourselves before Him. What would we tell our children? We will tell our children the story of Jesus Christ, and we pray that our children will faithfully tell the same story to the next generation for as long as the Lord would tarry in His return.

This is the same story that you and I are telling today in our church, in our families, and to our friends. The story of Jesus Christ. And we must never be like the Pharaoh, to superficially confess our sins. We must mean what we say, and we confess our sins to God himself. We need His forgiveness, not just once, but every day of our lives. And God's Word says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). All to the glory of God. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider the eighth plague in the book of Exodus, chapter 10. And we thank Thee for enabling us to draw spiritual lessons from this passage. Help us, O Lord, that as we read and study Thy Word, that we must apply Thy Word to ourselves, to our lives, to examine ourselves if we have behaved like the Pharaoh. God forbid. How long would it take before one breaks? We pray that we will not be like the Pharaoh who needed so many plagues. We just need You to show us once, to speak to us once through Thy precious Word, and it is enough. We will humble ourselves before Thee. And we know that all things happen not by chance or coincidence, but by Thy appointment and for Thy sovereign purpose. And it is for the purpose that we may know that Thou art the Lord.

And we want to tell this story, just as the Israelites would tell the story of the Exodus to their children and to their children's children. We want to tell it to the people around us, to our children, our grandchildren, and even our great-grandchildren. And tell the same story for as long as the Lord Jesus would tarry in His return. Help us never to be like the Pharaoh, to superficially confess our sins, but to genuinely confess our sins before Thee, not just once only, but we need Thy forgiveness every day of our lives. And we know that when we confess our sins, Thou art faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. This is the blessed promise that Thou hast given to us in Thy precious Word. We give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. How long would it take before one breaks?
• II. What would we tell our children?
• III. What did the Pharaoh do?

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

Exodus 21:12-17

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

Exodus 21:18-36

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

Exodus 22:1-15

The Character Of God

The Character Of God

Exodus 22:16-20

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Exodus 22:21-24

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

Exodus 22:25-31

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Exodus 23:1-9

Remember Who God Is

Remember Who God Is

Exodus 23:10-19

What Must We Do To Have Victory

What Must We Do To Have Victory

Exodus 23:20-33

How We Ought To Worship God

How We Ought To Worship God

Exodus 24:1-4, 7

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

Exodus 24:4-8

Responding To God’s Invitation

Responding To God’s Invitation

Exodus 24:9-18

The Right Attitude Of Giving

The Right Attitude Of Giving

Exodus 25:1-8

There I Will Meet You

There I Will Meet You

Exodus 25:9-22

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Exodus 25:23-30

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

Exodus 25:31-40

The Veil That Separates

The Veil That Separates

Exodus 26:1-37

A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A Thousand

A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A Thousand

Exodus 27:1-19

Who Can Represent Us Before God?

Who Can Represent Us Before God?

Exodus 27:20-28:14

How Can We Know God’s Will?

How Can We Know God’s Will?

Exodus 28:15-30

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23