Response to Flies – Hard Heart

Response to Flies – Hard Heart

Exodus 8: ²⁵ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

 

²⁶ And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? ²⁷ We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us.”

 

²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”

 

²⁹ Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the Lord, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

 

³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. ³¹ And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

 

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Pharaoh, still trying to control the situation, told Moses and Aaron that they and the people could go and sacrifice to GOD, but they had to stay in Egypt. Moses explained that Hebrews sacrificing on Egyptian altars would cause the Egyptians to desire to kill them. He also explained that the journey to the place of GOD was only three days away. Pharaoh asked Moses to ask GOD to remove the flies and he would let the people go. He lied again.

 

My Observations:

• Pharaoh responded to Moses with bargaining the terms to get his way.
• Pharaoh still thought that he was in control and that GOD had limited power.
• Pharaoh lied to get his way and once the flies were gone, he did not let the people go.

 

Like a politician who wavers from their promises, Pharaoh lied to get rid of the flies and left the people in bondage. He lied before and he would lie again. He did not think his lies would be remembered by GOD. I believe that a hard heart is one that believes it can get away with lying by not telling the truth and lies of omission.

 

GOD needs a surrendered heart. We may hold onto sins. That is our nature. BUT GOD loves when we love HIM back. It’s not about managing sins. It’s about loving GOD who loved you first. Pharaoh lied and would be held accountable for his lie. GOD was dismantling ther stubbornness.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the lie Pharaoh told?
• Have you felt that GOD is harsh because HE has standards for you?
• Are you able to surrender more and more of your life to GOD, little by little, instead of fighting HIM to get your way?

Fourth Action to Dismantle a Mindset

Fourth Action to Dismantle a Mindset

Exodus 8: ²⁴ And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

 

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Twenty-four hours passed and Pharaoh did not let GOD’s people go. GOD allowed swarms of flies to overrun the land.

 

My Observations:

• GOD could have used poisonous snakes, but HE chose flies, which made the land diseased or corrupted.
• GOD seems to be addressing a mindset of the Egyptians by having overwhelming issues come at them that they could not handle.
• Part of GOD’s warning to the Egyptians is that they may know the HE is LORD.

 

It is interesting that GOD would allow a mindset to continue the way it did. The Egyptians believed that frogs and flies had superior powers than those they were trying to enslave. GOD used flies to make everything they touched, disgusting. Imagine one fly crawling on you. Now imagine twenty. Now imagine two hundred. Try to eat anything or drink anything or go to the bathroom.

 

The Egyptian admiration of flies would turn into horror, all because of a hardened heart. GOD wants you and me to see how important it is to keep a heart that is able to be guided by HIM. A hard heart is one that does not believe it needs GOD. Pharoah thought he was a god. The one and true GOD was dismantling that belief. HE did not send flies to the Land of Goshen.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about HIS action of sending the flies?
• Are there parts of your life that need GOD and you have not asked HIM into your life?
• How is GOD protecting you from a mindset that opposes HIM?

Fourth Plague: Flies

Fourth Plague: Flies

Exodus 8: ²⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ²¹ Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. ²² And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. ²³ I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ’ ” 

 

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GOD returns to HIS Warning Action Response (WAR) structure by giving Pharaoh another warning through Moses. HE told Moses to meet Pharaoh early in the morning when he comes out to the water and warn him to let HIS people go that they may serve HIM. If Pharaoh would not comply, GOD would send swarms of flies.

 

My Observations:

• GOD gave Pharaoh the fourth warning to let HIS people go to serve HIM.
• GOD gave Pharaoh twenty-four hours to comply.
• GOD told Pharaoh what would happen if he did not comply.

 

Flies were not worshiped by the Egyptians, but they were revered as tenacious. This is similar to a sports team being named after an animal. One fly would be admired for its bothersome nature. But what would happen when billions of flies would be released.

 

GOD wanted HIS people to serve HIM versus Pharaoh. The plague of the flies was not lethal. GOD never said, “Or you will die.” HE was warning Pharaoh that HE would use what they revered as tenacious to show how stubborn they were being. There is a difference between tenacity and stubbornness. The WAR against GOD would prove futile.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the warning HE gave Pharaoh?
• Have you ever refused to do something GOD wanted you to do or surrender?
• Is GOD lovingly changing your mindset by allowing the same trial to repeat in your life?

Response to Lice – Hard Heart

Response to Lice – Hard Heart

Exodus 8: ¹⁸ Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.

 

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Feeling confident that they could match what Aaron did, the magicians tried to make lice out of dust, but they could not. They told Pharaoh that what Aaron did had to be done by GOD’s power. This time Pharaoh hardened his heart without the evidence from his magicians.

 

My Observations:

• Pharaoh’s magicians tapped into supernatural evil abilities and were able to do two things Aaron could do.
• Pharaoh’s magicians could not perform this supernatural action.
• Pharaoh still believed he was a god and refused to let the people go.

 

Lice may have been symbolic of the mistreatment of people. Life came from dust for the second time. The first was Adam. GOD did not breathe a soul into the lice, making this act of the creation of life different.

 

The magicians recognized that their magic was no match for GOD’s power. They tried over and over to create life without GOD, and were unable to do so. This is still the pursuit of humans to this very day. From this plague on, the magicians could no longer perform any of the supernatural thing’s GOD did. Pharaoh’s response was to remain in the position where he thought he was in control. GOD was not dealing with Pharaoh’s actions directly, rather HE was taking down a belief system.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about Pharaoh’s response to the magician’s inability to mimic HIS plague?
• Has there been clear evidence that GOD can do anything and you still do not believe HE can do it for you?
• Are you able to place your hope in GOD despite the odds?

Third Plague: Lice / Third Action to Dismantle a Mindset

Third Plague: Lice / Third Action to Dismantle a Mindset

Exodus 8: ¹⁶ So the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” ¹⁷ And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

 

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GOD does a switch up and does not give a warning to Pharaoh. HE goes from making frogs overrun the land to having Moses tell Aaron to use his rod to create lice. Aaron obeyed Moses and struck the dust and lice were everywhere.

 

My Observations:

• The Egyptians looked down on the Hebrews and could not even eat with them because they felt the Hebrews were unclean.
• Lice was a form of uncleanliness to the Egyptians.
• Aaron’s rod was used for the third time to do something supernatural.

 

Shortly after digging wells to get fresh water, frogs came in epic proportions. GOD listened to Moses and allowed the frogs to die. The land stank, but eventually the Egyptians cleaned up the rotting frogs. Just when they thought their homes were restored, GOD told Moses to tell Aaron to strike the dust. Lice were everywhere.

 

This action by GOD came without warning. The first two plagues were used to tell Pharaoh to let GOD’s people go. But this plague was probably performed in front of Pharaoh and his magicians, so that they would know GOD did it. GOD was dismantling the attitude of superiority.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD went directly into the next plague without warning Pharaoh?
• Have you learned a skillset and felt superior to other’s who do not possess the skill?
• Does GOD see you as inferior to other people and if not, then do you feel you are superior?

Response to Frogs – Hard Heart

 

Response to Frogs – Hard Heart

Exodus 8: ⁸ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”

 

⁹ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”

 

¹⁰ So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”

 

¹² Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. ¹³ So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. ¹⁴ They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

 

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Frogs were everywhere. Pharaoh begged Moses to pray to the LORD to remove the frogs. He said he would let the people go if the frogs went away. Moses prayed to the LORD and GOD did what Moses said.

 

My Observations:

• Pharaoh was in trouble and said whatever it would take to get out of trouble.
• Pharaoh did not ask his magicians to get rid of the frogs.
• GOD revealed HE listened to Moses.

 

Seeing his land become overrun with frogs, Pharaoh lied to get his way. We have done the same thing when we told GOD “I will never do that again.” Moses prayed to the LORD and may have even specifically said, “Leave the frogs in the house and let them die there.” GOD listened to Moses’s prayer and killed the frogs.

 

Pharaoh, who made additional work for the Hebrews, now had to clean up frogs. The Egyptian people had to have seen the futility in praying to the frog god. They also had just spent an entire week digging for water that had turned to blood. They were tired and their houses and land stank with dead frog smell. Pharaoh’s response was a hard heart, which meant he did not care that his people were tired, nor would he let the Hebrews go.

 

Challenge

• Why did GOD remind Moses about Pharaoh’s response to the frog plague?
• Have you ever promised something to GOD and took back your promise when you got relief?
• Can you see the value in keeping your promises to the LORD?

Second Action to Dismantle a Mindset

 

Second Action to Dismantle a Mindset

Exodus 8: ⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” ⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ And the magicians did so with their ^[a]enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

 

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After giving Pharaoh the chance to let HIS people go, GOD spoke to Moses and told him to execute the action HE warned Pharaoh about. Moses told Aaron to use his rod a second time.

 

My Observations:

• Pharaoh was warned, now GOD worked through Moses who worked through Aaron to produce frogs.
• Pharaoh’s magicians were able to produce frogs as well.
• Aaron’s rod was used for the second time.

 

The second mindset GOD was dismantling was the deep focus on placing hope in idols. The Egyptians would place their hope and trust in a human or an object, ignoring GOD completely. They revered frogs as gods. We sometimes treat humans or things as idols.

 

Meanwhile, the true GOD produced so many frogs that the land was overtaken by them. But to disprove the power of GOD, the magicians were able to produce frogs as well. We treat GOD the same way as the magicians when we downplay anything that should be viewed as miraculous. Satan’s goal is to have you and me think that we are gods and that the things we do have no connection to HIS power. GOD was taking down this mindset.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the action HE took against Egypt?
• Have you ever thought you were in control when it was really GOD?
• Can you give GOD HIS credit in the accomplishments you have achieved?