November 10, 2024
Exodus 9
“Divine Distinction”
Service Overview: In this episode, God continues to put the smack-down on Egypt, making a distinction between those who fear him, and those who don’t. And in this, we are reminded how God protects and provides for those who fear him.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” Psalm 24:1-2 (NIV)
Background & Technical Insights:
- Regularly, the Old Testament indicates the presence of the Lord by the motif of disruption or violence in the elements and forces within the created order. For this reason one of its most frequent titles of God is ‘Lord of hosts’, pointing to the fact that he contains, within himself, and therefore has at his disposal, every potentiality and power. Yahweh is Lord indeed. (J. Alec Motyer, The Message of Exodus, 108)
- The fifth plague, which consumed all the cattle, excepting those of the Israelites, was aimed at the destruction of the entire system of brute worship. This system, degrading and bestial as it was, had become a monster of many heads in Egypt. They had their sacred bull, and ram, and heifer, and goat, and many others, all of which were destroyed by the agency of the God of Moses, thus, by one act of power, Jehovah manifested His own supremacy and destroyed the very existence of their brute idols” (Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Exodus, 1848)
- Meanwhile, another part of Egypt’s wide array of gods is hard hit: the Apis, or sacred bull Ptah; the calf god Ra; the cows of Hathor; the the jackal-headed god Anubis; and the bull Bakis of the god Mentu. The evidence is too strong to be mere coincidence: (1) the time has been set by Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews (v. 5); (2) a “distinction” is made between the cattle of the two peoples (v. 4); and (3) the results are total— all Egyptian cattle “in the field” (v. 3) die, but not one head of Israelite livestock perishes. (Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Exodus (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary), Kindle Edition, 3661)
- For the first time, death invades the land. Though confined at this stage to animals, it was a serious blow to Egypt’s economy and an even more serious omen of worse to come. (Christopher J.H. Wright, Exodus, 212)
- Isis, the queen of the gods, was generally depicted with cow horns on her head. Similarly, the goddess Hathor was represented with the head of a cow, sometimes with the sun between her two horns. Hathor was a goddess of love and beauty, motherhood and fertility. One of her sacred functions was to protect Pharaoh, and on occasion she was depicted as a cow suckling the king for nourishment. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word: Exodus, 263)
How does this episode in Exodus further reveal God’s purpose in the unfolding story of Exodus?
- As it reveals His power over all creation.
(vv. 6, 8-11, 15-16, 18, 23, 33)
Had he wished, God could have wiped out the Egyptians with one strike. The signs, however, are a testimony to people throughout the earth of God’s power. God wants people everywhere to come to a knowledge of him. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 89)
God sent the plagues to demonstrate the uniqueness of his omnipotence. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word: Exodus, 280)
There is no power to be mobilized against God because all power is under him. (J. Alec Motyer, The Message of Exodus, 107)
- As it demonstrates His care and protection for those who fear Him.
(vv. 1, 4, 6-7, 20-21, 26)
[God] was manifesting His power to Pharaoh and his officials and proving to them that He alone is the true and living God. At the same time, the Lord was exposing the futility of the Egyptian religion and the vanity of the many gods they worshipped, including Pharaoh himself. All that God did to Egypt was a reminder to His people that their God was fighting for them and they didn’t have to worry or be afraid. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Delivered: Exodus, 51)
Real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives, but in understanding His character, in trusting in His promises, and in leaning on Him and resting in Him as the Sovereign who knows what He is doing and does all things well. (Joni Eareckson Tada, Is God Really in Control, 9)
- As it establishes His name above all others.
(vv. 14-16)
God sent the plagues, as we have seen, “so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth … and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14, 16). (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 81)
The specific purpose of the distinction given by God in the text is to demonstrate to pharaoh that Yahweh is no local tribal god of the people he had enslaved and the corner of his land where they lived. No indeed. The purpose is “so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land” (Exod 8:22)—meaning, the whole land of Egypt where pharaoh claimed divine jurisdiction. Pharaoh had refused to acknowledge Yahweh as a god worthy of even a moment of his attention. Now he and his whole government and nation will find out who is really God, and how far his authority runs. (Christopher J.H. Wright, The Story of God Bible Commentary: Exodus, 221)
- As it discloses the purpose: worship.
(v. 1)
God’s demand was very simple: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” For centuries the Israelites had been in bondage to the Egyptians. But they belonged to God by covenant, and God was not willing for them to remain enslaved any longer. They were his people, not Pharaoh’s people; so he demanded their unconditional release. (Ryken, Exodus, 260)
Conclusion… How do these events influence our faith today?
A. As they drive us to seek shelter in God alone, and reinforce the futility of placing our hope in anything or anyone else.
(Psalm 20:7; 46:1-2; 118:8-9; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 26:3-4; 31:1; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Matthew 7:24-25; 2 Corinthians 1:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:17)
By repenting of our hope in the promises of this world – the greatest of which become merely rusted metal and short-lived pleasures – and trusting in God’s promises, we develop a new lifestyle of growing obedience to God, rather than following the cadence of our culture. And as our hope in God increases, our obedience to his commands becomes more consistent. (Scott Hafemann, The God of Promise and the Life of Faith, 172)
[God] will never cease to help us until we cease to need. (C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Commentary for Psalm 4:1)
God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting with a passion for the impossible. (William Booth)
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading. (Oswald Chambers)
B. As they compel us to live into our continued purpose as God’s people in Christ Jesus; worship.
(Psalm 95:6-7; 100:2-3; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 1:11-12; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 3:16-17; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:9)
The Israelites were saved for God’s glory. Since the Hebrew word for “worship” is also the word for “service,” God was claiming his right to both their work and their worship. This is our purpose as well — to give God the glory. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word: Exodus, 264)
Worship is a believer’s response to God’s revelation of Himself. It is expressing wonder, awe, and gratitude for the worthiness, the greatness, and the goodness of our Lord. It is the appropriate response to God’s person, His provision, His power, His promises, and His plan. (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, A Place of Quiet Rest, 211)
Gospel Connection…
The good news of Jesus is that in him, we are sheltered from what we deserve, and preserved to do that for which we were designed: worship. In Christ we are indeed “living in the land of Goshen”.
(Psalm 91:1-2; Isaiah 43:1-2; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 2:4-5; Colossians 3:3; Hebrews 10:14; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-5)
Jesus died bearing our sins in his body on the cross, for that is what sin merits, and saving us from the wrath to come, for that is where sin leads. If the plagues begin with the disasters sin brings, they lead inexorably to the death with which sin ends. (J. Alec Motyer, The Message of Exodus, 103)
The only place of safety in Egypt was in Goshen, the home of the Israelites—when the darkness fell, still “all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived” (Exodus 10:23). And the only place of safety in the coming judgment will be in Christ, the true home of God’s people. For Christ has already absorbed the plagues of God’s judgment. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 80)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Why do you think God didn’t send His judgment in one terrible blow when freeing the Israelites from Egypt?
- How was God’s providential care for the Israelites seen in the plagues?
- What does it mean to fear God appropriately?
- Pharaoh confessed his sin but then proved to be insincere. What are the marks of a sincere confession?
- In what way is the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart a warning to all of us?
Quotes to note…
Since some of the gods of Egypt were identified with bulls, cows, rams, and other livestock, this judgment was another successful attack on the Egyptian religion. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Delivered: Exodus, 51)
The plague of boils was an attack on all the gods and goddesses that the Egyptians trusted for healing. When the Bible says that “the LORD . . . brought judgment on their gods” (Num. 33:4), it is speaking comprehensively. God defeated the entire pantheon of Egypt — Amon, Thoth, Imhotep, Sekhmet, and all the rest. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word: Exodus, 272)
Most English translations speak of Pharaoh’s heart being hard, which is usually understood as implying that he lacks compassion. This is not how ancient Israelites would have understood the concept. For them, the various verbs associated with Pharaoh’s heart imply that he is resolute. His heart or will is strong. In spite of the signs and wonders, Pharaoh remains committed to his initial rejection of God’s request for the release of the Israelites. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 91)
Worship is an inward feeling and outward action that reflects the worth of God. (John Piper, “Worship: The Feast Of Christian Hedonism” Sermon, September 25, 1983)
While God’s power is unlimited, he does not coerce people into serving him against their will. Ultimately, those who knowingly refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty of God will have only themselves to blame. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 93)
The plagues were pointers to the cross and resurrection of Jesus—to the ultimate signs of judgment and salvation. On the cross, Jesus experienced the judgment that will fall on all who are outside of him—and he has been raised as Judge of the world to bring that judgment. But his cross also brings salvation to all who are in him, and his resurrection is the promise of our resurrection. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 81)
Jesus Christ has set us free from sin and death so that we can serve the living God. He is both our Savior and our Lord. We turn to him not only to deliver us from our slavery to sin, but also for everything that follows — a whole life of fruitful work and worship for God. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word: Exodus, 264)
In the plagues, the presence and power of Jehovah were demonstrated, so that He stood discovered to His people as the Living God. (Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Exodus, 1827)
He was not merely asking that pharaoh give liberty to oppressed slaves (an act of justice in itself), but he was stating that a people who were wrongfully serving Egypt’s king should be sent back to their rightful Lord and master. The issue was not merely one of liberty over against oppression but one of rightful jurisdiction. (Christopher J.H. Wright, The Story of God Bible Commentary: Exodus, 218)