Review of Exodus 9

by Victor Fawole

I welcome everyone to Exodus Chapter 9. Another chapter, another three plagues in Egypt. Like we’ve learnt in previous reviews, both believers and unbelievers should pay particular attention to these plagues. They mirror God’s coming judgement on the evil and unrepentant people on earth. Believers need to warn the unbelievers of the coming wrath and offer them the way of escape in Christ. Unbelievers need to obey the gospel of salvation and be rescued from the coming judgement.

Time to review and reveal…!

THE DEADLY DISASTERS CONTINUE…
Four plagues from God had hit Egypt badly. Pharaoh had felt the heaviness of God’s indignation, but has consistently refused to submit to the will of God. His latest breach of promise was embarrassingly detestable to God and even to Moses, such that Moses no longer felt scared or skeptical about facing him. God continued to give him opportunities to repent, and through these many opportunities, God showed how He gives even the worst of sinners multiple opportunities to repent (2Pet. 3:9).

In the review of chapter 7, I shared five possible reasons why God sent plagues to Egypt. Permit me to share a few more before we continue. God stated some very specific reasons for theses plagues:

• God wanted to multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, causing people to stand in awe of Him. (Exo. 7:3)
• God performed these things to break the Egyptians and force them to let the Israelites go. (Exo. 7:4)
• God wanted the Egyptians and the world to know He is the Sovereign God. (Exo. 7:5, 17)
• God wanted the Egyptians and the world to know there is no God like Him. (Exo. 8:10; Exo. 9:14)
• God performed these things so that His name would be proclaimed throughout all the earth. (Exo. 9:16)
• God performed these things so that the Israelites would tell their future generations about His great sovereign power. (Exo. 10:1-2)

Moving on…

• PLAGUE 5: FLOCKS FALL FLAT

Exo. 9:2-4 For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’”

Notice the:

• Deadly Disease:
  This was the first plague against the personal properties of the Egyptians. A very severe pestilence came on their animals and it led to sure death. It hit Pharaoh directly and harshly. It devastated their national economy. God did not only visit the sins of the fathers on their children; He also visited the sins of the fathers on their livestock. A heavy heart invites heavy plagues.
• Divine Distinction:
  God marked the livestock of the Israelites as untouchable for the pestilence. God did this, not because the Israelites were good, but because of His covenant with their forefathers (Deut. 7:6-8) and He chose them to be His people from whom the Messiah would come. God has also chosen us (believers), both Jews and Gentiles, to be holy, set apart from this world and unto Himself (1Pet. 1:14-16, 1Cor. 6:19-20).

• PLAGUE 6: BURNING BOILS

Exo. 9:8-9 So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Notice:

• The Symbolism:
  The furnace was a symbol of the oppression that the Israelites had suffered for years – the sweat and tears they had shed while making bricks. God turned the suffering of the Israelites in the furnace of Egypt to a source of suffering for their oppressors. He turned the device of the wicked against them. God can do so today (2 Thess. 1:6).
• The Synchronism:
  Although God has absolute control over man’s physical health, there are instances where physical suffering comes as a consequence of sin (sinful lifestyle). In Egypt, the skin disease came on all of them, regardless of position or status, including the magicians. Burning boils led to blistered bodies. They were helpless. God was beginning to touch their lives directly. In later years, God would warn the Israelites on how they can suffer these kinds of diseases as consequences of their sins (Deut. 28:27, 35).
• The Syllogism:
  In the coming Great Tribulation, the people will refuse to repent even after being afflicted with boils (Rev. 16:2, 11). Their beauty will be replaced with ugly sores and other diseases.

• PLAGUE 7: HAIL & HAVOC

Exo. 9:14-15 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

Here, we read God’s declaration that He’s the one who sent the plagues. These plagues would also directly affect Pharaoh. The seventh plague was a terrible hailstorm that affected the climate and those in it. God would strike Pharaoh exactly in the organ that houses his rebellion — his heart. It would literally cause him a heart attack. It is a real physical heart attack, let’s not “spiritualize” it. God had treated Pharaoh mercifully so far, as all the plagues came as God’s way of extending mercy to him, more than God’s judgement. Although each plague was a form of judgement, yet they were opportunities for him to repent. Instead, he hardened his heart, making his final judgement both certain and inexcusable.

Notice the:

• Sovereign Intention:
  But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you…

God allowed Pharaoh to live till this time, not because God lacked power, not because Pharaoh does not deserve destruction, but it was for God’s own glory. Pharaoh had survived six plagues, and in spite of seeing clear supernatural evidence, he persisted in his stubborn rebellion and rejection. God permitted him to live because He wanted to show His power and He wanted His name proclaimed in all the earth. God has patience and forbearance for all sinners, but not forever.

• Salvation Illustration:
  Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”

This is the first time God gave Pharaoh and his people the chance to avoid an ongoing plague by faith and obedience. God demonstrated His mercy again. He warned them of judgement, but also instructed them on how to avoid destruction. The people and the beasts can be spared if they will stay under “shelter”. Also remember that the people of Noah’s day were told to enter the ark to avoid destruction. This shelter pictures obedience unto salvation (Nah. 1:7). God gave them a chance to believe His word. If they believe and obey, they’d be spared. And this would give Pharaoh more reasons to obey God and release the Israelites.

• Sin-full Interjection:
  “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked…”

Pharaoh’s confession sounded like perfect words of repentance, but as we can see, true repentance had not worked its way into his heart. He was only reacting to the damages caused by sin, but not at the damnation brought by sin itself. It was the repercussions of unbelief that mattered to him, not the rejection of unbelief. He was devastated at the external effects, not the eternal impact.

He had mental knowledge, but no saving faith. He only wanted to avert the consequences. He made a confession under the duress of the plague. Also note how he said “I have sinned this time…” As in, “this time”. Hmmm… He did not acknowledge his previous sins and arrogance.

“I have sinned…” This was the first time Pharaoh made a public confession of his error. Some people receive forgiveness when they make this kind of confession, yet some others go into further depths of sin. So, what makes the difference? The answer is the attitude and genuine repentance of the person making the confession. Several other people made this confession in the Bible. Unfortunately, some did not demonstrate genuine repentance.

• BALAAM: (Num. 22:34)
  And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”

After Balaam’s confession, he went on to sin willingly and worked for the wages of unrighteousness. He tried to serve two masters (God and money) but could not.

• ACHAN: (Jos. 7:20)
  And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done:

We cannot really tell if Achan’s confession was genuine or not, for he made it at the point of death.

• SAUL: (1Sam. 15:24)
  Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

Saul made an insincere confession, for he gave an excuse for his sin. He was a people pleaser. Saul is an example that makes us understand that admitting one’s sin is worthless if it is not genuine.

• JUDAS: (Matt. 27:3-4)
  Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful… saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood…”

Judas’ confession was simply an expression of regret made in a time of remorse and despair. He saw death face to face. He had no hope. He knew the evil of his betrayal. He knew he was condemned. He hung himself. True repentance is not suicidal.

• JOB: (Job 7:20)
  I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Job pictures the repentance of a saint. He loved God, but he was a sinner like everyone else. Although we are sinners saved by grace, we still have to contend with our fleshly nature. Thus, we must not deny our sins before God.

• NEHEMIAH: (Neh. 1:5-6)
  And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God… we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

Nehemiah’s prayer of repentance marked the beginning of a national revival and restoration. True repentance is from a heart of humility (2Chro. 7:14).

• DAVID: (2Sam. 12:13)
  David is another person who made a genuine confession of repentance. He admitted his evil against Bathsheba and Uriah, and his attitude was genuine. Prophet Nathan affirmed that God granted him forgiveness.
• DANIEL: (Dan. 9:2-5)
  in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books… Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord… we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.

Like we learnt last Sunday, it was Daniel’s prayer of repentance that ensured that the slavery of the Israelites was not extended. Their freedom was not delayed. And this prayer was what led to God giving him the vision and prophecy about the coming Great Tribulation.

• THE PRODIGAL SON: (Luke 15:18)
  This is an example of a blessed confession of a lost man. He was truly repentant, focusing on the goodness of his Father, the generosity of his Father, and desiring to return home. His Father saw him with eyes of mercy, ran with legs of mercy, embraced his neck with arms of mercy, and kissed him with kisses of mercy.

There’s something I need to point out here when it comes to the confession of sins. As a believer, your forgiveness is based on the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, not based on your confession. Do not let anyone intimidate you to laboriously confess your sins every minute using 1John 1:8-10. Forgiveness is a GIFT for believing the gospel, not a REWARD for confessing our sins. Read the context of 1John 1 properly, and you’d see that the people that were being rebuked in the chapter are the sin deniers. Believers are not sin deniers. We admit that we are sinners and we ask that God forgives us. We receive this forgiveness and agree with God that we are forgiven. 1John 1:8-10 was not directed at believers. It was directed at gnostic unbelievers who did not agree that they are dead in sin.

1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we *make Him a liar”, and *His word is not in us*.

To understand this better, I recommend that you listen to Pastor Dammy’s sermon titled: Interpreting 1John 1:9

As for Pharaoh, he was a hardened sinner whose confession was born in the storms of life, but died in the calm. The storms of disease, danger, and desperation may drive people to cry out to God, but when life returns to normal, they forget God. Superficial and worthless confessions – mouthed with no meaning.

Moses discerned that Pharaoh’s confession was counterfeit. He was not impressed one bit. He knew that Pharaoh feared the plagues, not God. And as we read in this chapter, Pharaoh sinned yet more. Hardening one’s heart against God is sin, and failing to repent when God graciously answers our plea is to ignore His rich mercy, and that is a worse sin.

In the coming Great Tribulation, the seventh bowl of wrath is a greater replay of this seventh plague (Rev. 16:17-21). There are striking similarities between this seventh plague in Egypt and the seventh plague in Revelation:

• Both plagues are accompanied by thunder and lightning.
• Both plagues are extremely severe. Their gravity is massive – nothing like it had happened…
• In both plagues, man’s response was hardness of heart and blasphemy.

Dear Gogolights, we have learnt a lot in this review, and my charge for us is that we should not be weary in preaching the good news of salvation in Christ. Let us always remember that “the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives!”

Till tomorrow when we meet again, stay blessed.

Grace to you, Church!