Exodus 10:1-2 (NKJV) Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”
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1. Why and what did God want them to remember?
Deuteronomy 4:9 (NKJV) 9 “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,
tell your children. The memory of God’s redemptive acts is to be kept alive by reciting them to our descendants
that you may tell … that you may know. The release from Egypt, accompanied by these great acts of God, was designed to become an important and indelible part in recounting the history of Israel to succeeding generations. It would tell just who their God was and what He had done. performed My signs. Lit. “to deal harshly with” or “to make sport of,” and describing an action by which shame and disgrace is brought upon its object
God uses the word “remember” 160 times in the bible.
Do this in rememberance of me.
1 Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Rev. 2:4-5 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.
Exodus 10:3-6 (NKJV) So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. 6 They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians–which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
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2. Why would God think that a plague of locust would have an effect on the Pharaoh?
I will bring locusts. In March or April the prevailing east winds (see v. 13) would sometimes bring in hordes of migratory locusts. Fifty million of them could occupy a square kilometer and devour as much as 100,000 tons of vegetation in a single night. Such locust plagues were greatly feared in ancient times and became a powerful symbol of divine judgment. NIVSN
If you were a farmer how would you feel about 100,000 tons of your crop eaten in a single night? This would be an economic disaster. My relatives came to California after the dust bowl disaster of the 1930’s.
People value money more than life. In the 1918 flu epidemic, 675,000 Americans died and over 50 million worldwide. You almost never hear it mentioned. Most would consider the stock market crash of 1929 as the greatest disaster of the first third of the century.
2 million died from AIDS last year, but what was the big story. The housing market crashed.
1991 Operation Desert Storm the U.S. defeated a 500,000 military force. U.S. forces suffered 148 battle-related deaths. George Bush… the most decisive military victory in all times. He made the mistake of saying “read my lips, no new taxes” and then raised taxes. Clinton “it’s the economy stupid”.
Exodus 10:7 (NKJV) Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
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3. What does this statement show?
“Egypt is destroyed” Now we have disunity within the leadership of Egypt. The
Pharaoh’s officials are telling him to let go. No matter how powerful a king is, he must have some base of support. Even the Emperors of Rome needed the support and protection of the Praetorian Guard. If they turned against him was would accidentally end up assassinated. Adolph Hitler had a small group of Nazi advisors along an elite group of SS bodyguards, and even so there were several assassination attempts.
Exodus 10:8-11 (NKJV) So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?” 9 And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.” 10 Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11 Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
4. What is the Pharaoh up to, telling them to leave their women and children and flocks behind?
The pharaoh is implying that Moses has only been asking for the men to go worship the Lord and that this was their custom. This is not quite true. Some ceremonies were exclusive to men but women and children always accompanied them.
1 Samuel …Elkanah…both wives and children went.
It’s a guarantee that the Hebrews won’t leave Egypt permanently. Hostages?
5. Why does Pharaoh accuse Moses of being “bent on evil?
Sometimes we judge other people in light of our own sinfulness. The Pharaoh is a liar, naturally he thinks Moses is a liar also. Richard Nixon was paranoid about all these people on his “enemies list” who were sneaky and evil and out to get him, because he was sneaky and evil and out to get other people. He had an entire “dirty tricks unit”.
Exodus 10:12-13 (NKJV) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land–all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts
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6. So, did God bring the locust or did the wind bring the locusts?
Hot wind, or “sirocco,” to bring the locusts into the country from the Arabian peninsula.
God can use natural causes or supernatural ones to achieve his purposes.
God used manna supernaturally to feed the Hebrews (something that had never been seen before, that’s why Manna means “what is it”), but he also used Quail, something they were familiar with. He used frogs and then he used lightning rolling along the ground. Jesus walked on water but most of the time he rode in a boat. God loves variety and diversity, just look at all the different creatures he has created. Just the bugs!
Exodus 10:14-17 (NKJV) And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.”
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7. Maybe he really means it this time? Why does Moses continue to fall for the Pharaoh’s lies?
God knows the Pharaohs heart. He knows the Pharaoh will never repent, even when faced with death he will not bow to God. The Pharaoh was chosen even before he was born because of his willfulness and evil, just as David was chosen before he was born because God could see he was “a man after God’s own heart”.
And the same holds true for all of you.
Ephesians 1:4-5 He chose you in Him before the foundation of the world, that you would be holy and blameless before Him. In love5 He predestined you to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, and he did this because he wanted to.
We are not sitting here this morning by accident, there are no accidents in the kingdom of God.
Exodus 10:18-23 (NKJV) So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go. 21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
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8. What kind of darkness was this?
This was a darkness that was thick and could be felt. No one could see anything for three days. You could not even light a lamp or a torch. No light would shine from it.
Total and complete utter black. What the bible calls outer darkness.
Theologically, such thick darkness directly challenged the faithfulness of the sun god, Ra, to provide warmth and sunshine from day to day, and also prevented any daily worship rituals from taking place.
This is not a dust storm as referred to in the NIV study notes.
The LXX did, however, string together 3 Gr. words, two for darkness and one for storm, to portray the nuance of the Heb. In so doing, it may unwittingly have given some credence to a severe sandstorm.
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9. What does darkness represent in the bible?
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Gen 1:4
Cast into outer darkness, there will weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt 25:29
Satan is called the power of darkness…..Prince of Darkness or maybe that’s Ozzy Osborne.
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10. Why would all the Israelites have light in the places where they lived?
They had the truth.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. Romans 2:17-20
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Exodus 10:24-29 (NKJV) Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.” 27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29 And Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”
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.11. Doesn’t Moses know what animals are to be used in worship, or is he just trying to a hard negotiator?
Detailed instruction will be given to Moses concerning sacrificing animals later in this book and in Leviticus.
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12. How can we tell negotiations are starting to break down between labor and management.
- MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
- NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
- JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
- ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
- BN …..Barnes Notes
- WBC…… Wycliffe Bible Commentary
- CN …… Constables Notes
- IC……….Ironside Commentary
- NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
- JFB…………..Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
- VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
- CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
- BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
- Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
- Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
- NTCMM…………..The NT Commentary: Matthew and Mark.
- RD………….Robert Deffinbaugh bible.org
- ASB…………..Apologetics Study bible
- ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes
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