Title: Fear God
Fear the content (Ex 9:1-35)
In the world we live in, there are many fearful entities or events that threaten the survival of mankind. Terrorism that kills innocent people, disasters such as tsunamis, and diseases such as SARS and AIDS are the catastrophes that put mankind in fear of death. Every time something like this happens, the whole human race seems to fall into fear. But strictly speaking, ignorance of God's will to bring such disasters is the root of mankind's fear. The fundamental way to overcome fear is to know the will of God. However, we can easily discover God's will through the Bible. In Exodus, God was focused on one clear, single goal. Israel's exodus from Egypt (verse 1).
1. Evil plagues (1-7)
(1) God's hand: to set apart (refer to verses 1-4, 26).
Whenever Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, disobeyed God's commands, God continued to send disasters. In Exodus 8, we see plagues of blood, frogs, lice, and even flies. Now, as the fifth evil plague, the calamity of the death of livestock has come (verses 2-3). In verse 3, ‘the hand of God’ appears. This ‘hand of God’ is the power of the Lord, as the magicians of Egypt said in Exodus 8:19. The hand of God is the hand of Creation, the hand of preservation, and the hand of government. God's providence is accomplished through creation, preservation, and government. It is God's hand that separates Israel from Egypt (v. 4). Even when all the livestock in Egypt died, none of the livestock belonging to the children of Israel died. Also, from the plague of hail, the plague escaped from the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived (verse 26). God sets us apart and protects us.
(2) A calamity with a set time: God's mercy (verse 5)
God does not send disasters indefinitely. It is written that God “set a time limit and performed calamities”. This is the merciful grace of God.
⑶ King Pharaoh becomes insensitive to disaster (verses 6-7).
It can be seen that the more the disasters repeat, the stronger the disasters become. Why? It was because Pharaoh's heart became even stronger. A hard heart stems from ignoring the truth and deceiving oneself. Also, because of this, people are separated from God and become separated from God. A hard heart puts people into eternal judgment from God.
The church is the priest to this world. It's a mediator. Through the church, God wants to save the world. The reason Pharaoh couldn't do it was because of his pride and stubbornness of heart. Pharaoh would not have been able to tolerate in his heart that he was going to God as a servant and through a nation that had been used as a slave. At that time, the Israelites were slaves of Egypt. Their status was low, and they did not stand in a respectable position. As God's people, they did not have a clear sense of self-consciousness, and they did not have the responsibility to be an intermediary. They found it difficult to live even on their own as God's people. So King Pharaoh looked down on him even more and looked down on him.
Everyone! May we not forget that we are intercessors. Please pray that we may be used as channels that lead our neighbors to God.
2. Poison plague (8-12)
(1) The plague was presented before Pharaoh (verses 8-9).
So God commanded Moses and Aaron to go back to King Pharaoh, who had been hardened, and to bring disaster. This is because no matter how many plagues the king has heard and seen, he will be afraid when he sees disasters in front of him. God commands a person with a hard heart who cannot believe without seeing a miracle to see a miracle as well.
(2) A poisonous plague that even hit the sorcerers (verses 10-12).
Verse 11 The magician comes out. When Moses caused a plague of poisonous poison by the power of God, it is noteworthy that the magicians were also poisoned. The magicians appearing here were servants who served as assistants to King Pharaoh. Therefore, Pharaoh will be even more afraid. Folks, do not be afraid of Satan. why? It is because we have the Almighty God who can destroy Satan. You should be wary of Satan, but please do not be afraid of Satan. And please actively speak up and say it confidently.
3. Plague plagues (13-17)
(1) The calamity that falls to the heart (verses 13-14)
Verse 13 “they will serve me” is a prophetic word that the people of Israel will do, and at the same time contains God’s will that ‘they will do it’. The plague of pestilence became a plague that even fell on the heart (verse 14). Pharaoh was a man whose heart was plagued with calamity. I was sick. My heart was hardened and hardened like cold hail. Pharaoh was a hard-hearted man, and he became an unreliable man who made a promise to let Israel go, and then overturned it several times. Egypt's problem is Pharaoh's problem. Pharaoh's problem was the problem of Pharaoh's heart. Because Pharaoh did not change his mind.
(2) The name is preached through the power of God (vv. 15-16).
God wanted to prove that there is no one like Jehovah in the whole world through judgment. No one in the whole world can compare with Jehovah. Only God is sovereign and omnipotent. It is to prove that God is in control of all people, nations, and rulers. Why did God make Pharaoh king of Egypt? Have you set yourself up to rebel against God? Was it established to persecute Israel? no. Please see verse 16 of the main text. “I appointed you to show you my power, that my name might be proclaimed in all the world.” God wants everyone to be saved. Everyone wants fume (1 Timothy 2:4).
4. Hail plagues (18-35)
(1) Avoid hail disasters (verses 18-19).
Moses taught Pharaoh how to minimize the damage of hail while foretelling a hail disaster. Why does God bring calamity? It serves several purposes. The first is for fume, the second is to save Israel, and the second is to tame Pharaoh and punish him. However, in verses 18 and 19, God tells us how to reduce the damage.
(2) Those who neglect the word of God will suffer the same calamities (verses 20-25).
Verses 20 and 21 make a distinction between those who fear the word of the LORD and those who do not take his word to heart. 管置求?People are those who put the Word of God in their hearts. It is also a matter of the mind. Those who disregard God's word have destroyed all the livestock and all the vegetables in the field through hailstones (verses 22-25).
⑶ The purpose of the disaster (vv. 27-35).
① It is to prove that the whole world belongs to the Lord (refer to verses 27-29, Psalm 119:71).
② To prove that the Lord is merciful (verses 30-32),
③ It is salvation from judgment (verse 33).
It is judgment that hardens the heart (verses 34-35).
When the hail stopped, Pharaoh and his servants sinned again. When the disaster was over, they hardened their hearts again. Through disasters, we can confess that God is the ruler of the world, and then we can return to God through disasters. However, if you are afraid of the disaster itself and not be afraid of it, when the disaster recedes, you will return to your stubborn state of mind. Therefore, it results in heaping more coals of wrath on the head. Therefore, believe that the world belongs to God and fear only God, so that you can overcome disasters. No, I hope through disaster. And let's let Christians straighten their hearts and pray and evangelize for those who are afraid of disaster and do not feel good about themselves.
Ministry: Let's intercede for those who don't know what to do.