Download Exodus-Deuteronomy Lesson #3

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EGYPT TO CANAAN
LESSON 3
God's First Four Judgments on Egypt
Exodus 7-8
Introduction
After calling, commissioning, and counseling Moses,
God was ready to use him to deliver the Israelites from
bondage in Egypt to the blessing of freedom. God had
patiently responded to Moses’ questions, self-doubts,
poor self-image, and complaining. He persistently
redirected Moses toward His will despite Moses’
preference to seek the sidelines, where he might watch
the action from a safe distance. The initial objections
from Moses stand in contrast to the obedient response
from our Lord Jesus, who always pleased God with
"not My will but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Who are
you most like in response to God’s directions, Jesus or
Moses? Who will you choose to be like today?
Outline of Exodus 7-8
I. Key Characters Introduced - Exodus 7:1-7
II. God's Judgment Begins: Plagues 1-4 - Exodus 7:8-8:32
I. Key Characters Introduced - Exodus 7:1-10
4. "Aaron, your brother, shall be your prophet"
- 7:1
A prophet is God’s spokesman. Aaron would fill that
role until Moses gained sufficient assurance to step
fully into his God-given position. Prophets such as
Aaron represent God’s merciful provision to repent
before judgment falls.
5. "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the
LORD...." - 7:5
God’s purpose was gracious and salvific (with intent to
save) to reveal Himself to those who would otherwise
not know Him. “These miracles would be an invitation
for the Egyptians to believe in this LORD. Thus, the
invitation was pressed repeatedly in Exodus 7:5; 8:10,
22; 9:14, 16, 29; 14:4,18. Some apparently did believe,
for there was ‘a mixed multitude’ (12:38) that left Egypt
with Israel” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Exodus,
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.).
6. "....when I stretch out My hand on Egypt"
- 7:5
A. God - Exodus 7:1-5
1. So the LORD said.... - 7:1
An essential fact about the Bible is that it is God’s Word.
Thus saith the LORD is proclaimed hundreds of times
throughout its pages. The Bible repeatedly testifies that
it is the word of God from Genesis to Revelation (Genesis
1:3-29; Deuteronomy 5:5-22; Psalm 119; 2 Timothy
3:16; 1 Peter 1:24-25; Revelation 1:1-3, 21:5).
2. ....to Moses - 7:1
God communicated directly to Moses, the most
prominent prophet of God until Jesus Christ. Forty
years later, when Moses was about to die, God promised
that a greater Prophet would arise. "I will raise up for
them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and
will put My words in His mouth" (Deuteronomy 18:18).
Even during Jesus’ earthly ministry, some understood
He was that Prophet (John1:45, 6:14).
3. "I have made you as God to Pharaoh" - 7:1
As God’s prophet, Moses represented God to Pharaoh
who had many gods, but sadly lacked the true living
God. God approached Pharaoh in the person of Moses
to give him the opportunity to hear His word directly.
God is sovereign over all nations to bless or to judge.
“The image of an outstretched or mighty hand or arm
is common in Egyptian inscriptions to describe the
power of Pharaoh. It is used throughout the exodus
narratives to describe God’s power over Pharaoh” (The
IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament,
Walton, Matthews and Chavalas, editors).
B. Moses – Exodus 7:1-10
1. "You shall speak all that I command you" 7:2
Moses would realize God’s purpose for him as he grew
in the position of leadership. He would eventually speak
rather than relying on Aaron to speak for him.
2. Moses and Aaron did so....just as the LORD
commanded - 7:10
Moses was God’s man and only eighty years old! He had
lived forty years in a palace under the teaching of the
Egyptians and forty years in the desert as an outcast
living in exile before receiving his call from God at the
burning bush. “D.L. Moody wittily said that Moses
spent forty years in Pharaoh’s court thinking he was
somebody; forty years in the desert learning that he
© 2014 by Disciplers Bible Studies, Inc., all rights reserved. Egypt to Canaan Lessons written by Pearl C. Hamilton, 1991
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was nobody; and forty years showing what God can do
with somebody who found out he was a nobody” (His
Way Out, Bernard L. Ramm).
Moses was finally ready for the most amazing assignment
ever given to one man, "I will send you to Pharaoh that
you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out
of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10). The LORD would use Moses
to set the Israelites free from bondage so they might
worship Him.
C. Aaron - Exodus 7:1-7
Aaron was eighty-three when he received his assignment.
Later he also became Israel's first high priest (Exodus
28:1-4), God’s ordained head of the Levitical priesthood
that endured until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70
A.D. He began as Moses’ mouthpiece and stayed with
Moses until death. Although he was the older brother,
Aaron faithfully assisted and supported Moses. What
a beautiful picture of humble service!
“God mercifully decided still to use his reluctant servant
[Moses] by sending his brother, Aaron, to supply any
deficiency Moses might have felt. However, Moses had a
price to pay for his intransigence: Aaron would receive
the honor of leading the priesthood. At least that appears
to be the only reason for including this reference to ‘the
Levite’ (Exodus 4:14b) in the divine announcement –it
is a hint about the things to come in the future service
of Aaron and his sons (1 Chronicles 23:13). There is a
risk in declining the call of God: it may be a forfeiture
of divine blessing even though there is grace and mercy
for the obstinate” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary:
Exodus, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.).
Do you respond wholeheartedly in obedience to God, or
at times does He use others, like Aaron for Moses and
Deborah for Barak (see Judges 4), to receive honor and
blessings? Will you be more like Aaron and obey God
quickly the next time His Spirit prompts you?
D. Pharaoh – Exodus 7:1- 4
1. Egyptian royal title
"Pharaoh" was the title given to ancient Egyptian rulers.
All pharaohs were considered sons of Ra, the sun god.
The one Moses and Aaron confronted had a heart
problem. His heart was hard: stubborn, relentless,
and cruel.
2. Hardness of heart – 7:3-4
Pharaoh arrogantly disdained the LORD, displaying
contempt for God’s will and God's servants. He refused
to listen or show concern about the grievances of the
Hebrew people. He rejected every evidence of God’s
Egypt to Canaan Lesson 3
power, as well as the pleas of his advisers and servants
when they acknowledged God and voiced their concern
for Egypt (Exodus 8:19; 9:20; 10:7). Pharaoh’s hard
heart is mentioned twenty times in ten chapters (Exodus
4-13). Sometimes the verses state Pharaoh hardened his
own heart and sometimes it was hardened by God.
There are ten Scripture references where the "hardening"
of Pharaoh is ascribed to God (4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1,
20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17). But there are another ten
passages where it is stated just as plainly that Pharaoh
hardened his own heart (7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32;
9:7, 34, 35; 13:15). Clearly, there was no resistance on
Pharaoh's part when God hardened his heart. Pharaoh
had no inclination to humble himself before God,
although he had ample opportunity. Pharaoh allowed his
nation, land, throne, and family to be devastated without
shifting his course. He did not repent and in the end
relented only temporarily when under extreme duress.
The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart to demonstrate how
calloused rebellion and defiance is ultimately ineffective
against the all powerful sovereign God.
God knows each person perfectly, as Job proclaimed,
"He knows the way that I take" (Job 23:10). In His
sovereignty God is just. Is there unrighteousness with
God? Certainly not! Paul wrote in Romans 9:14. (Also
note Romans 9:15-21.) God allowed Pharaoh to have
his own way and gave him over to his own vices (see
Romans 1:24-28). We are urged to heed this warning,
Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts (Psalm 95:7-8; Hebrews 3:7-8,15; 4:7).
II. God's Judgment Begins: Plagues 1-4 - Exodus
7:8 - 8:32
A. Warning Prelude to the Plagues - Exodus
7:8-14
God gave a warning sign when Pharaoh asked for a
miracle. Aaron’s rod turned into a serpent. But rather
than taking this demonstration of God’s power seriously,
Pharaoh called his wise men, sorcerers, and magicians
to replicate the miracle. Their “rods” may have been
stiffened snakes which, when released, lost their rigidity,
appearing similar to Aaron’s real rod which became a
serpent. Whatever the case, God showed His superior
power when Aaron’s rod swallowed the others.
“Commentators generally agree that the plagues
basically represent a contest between Moses as
the representative of Yahweh and Pharaoh as the
representative of the gods of Egypt” (His Way Out,
Bernard Ramm). While many associate these plagues
with specific gods, Hill and Walton say it is "better
to understand the plagues collectively as judgment
against the whole pantheon of Egyptian gods, rather
than particular deities with each plague" (A Survey of
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the Old Testament, Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton).
Either way, the Egyptians’ gods were unable to protect
them from the Almighty God.
“Some have suggested that a sequence of natural
occurrences can explain the plagues from a scientific
point of view, all originating from an overflooding in the
summer months and proceeding through a cause-andeffect process into March. Those who maintain such a
position will sometimes admit to the miraculous nature
of the plagues in terms of timing, discrimination between
Egyptians and Israelites, prior announcement and
severity” (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old
Testament, Walton, Matthews and Chavalas, editors).
B. First Plague: Nile River Turned to Blood – Exodus 7:15-24
Egypt to Canaan Lesson 3
The Egyptians worshiped a frog goddess called "Heket".
Archeologists have discovered ancient amulets carved
in the shape of frogs.
2. Aaron’s rod – 8:5-6
Aaron obeyed God’s command through Moses to stretch
out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs
came up and covered the land of Egypt.
3. Magicians – 8:7
The magicians did not help the situation when they
conjured additional frogs with their enchantments. Just
what Egypt needed! They could not reverse the frog
plague and only added to the problem.
4. Pharaoh’s response - 8:8
1. Pharaoh goes out to the water - 7:15
Without the Nile, Egypt would have been a desert land.
The clear waters and the many fish made it the chief
resource in the lives of the Egyptians. Consequently,
many of their gods were associated with the Nile. One
of their primary gods was Osiris, and the Nile was
believed to be his bloodstream. Pharaoh probably
went to the river in the morning to practice his pagan
religion. Pharaoh was at the river worshiping when
Moses confronted him.
2. Warning before the event - 7:16-19
Again, Moses gave Pharaoh a way to escape the judgment
of God. But Pharaoh paid no attention to the warning
that God would turn the waters of the Nile to blood,
killing the fish and causing a stench.
3. Aaron’s rod - 7:20-24
In obedience to God’s command, Aaron used his rod to
turn the river to blood. All the land of Egypt was affected,
but Pharaoh was unconcerned. When his magicians
were able to duplicate the event, Pharaoh casually
went back to his house, seemingly unconcerned that
the Nile he worshiped was putrid and filled with dead
fish, making the water undrinkable.
C. Second Plague: Frogs - Exodus 7:25-8:15
1. Warning – 7:25–8:4
One week passed as God allowed time for the effects
of the first plague judgment to make an impact. Then
Moses again went to Pharaoh with the LORD’s command
to, "Let My people go." He warned that Pharaoh’s refusal
would result in frogs from the river covering the land.
Pharaoh did not heed the warning.
At first Pharaoh seemed to relent, asking Moses to,
"Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs,"
after which he promised to let the people go.
5. Moses’ prayer - 8:9-14
Moses told Pharaoh he would intercede with God on
his behalf to destroy the frogs on the land. He asked
Pharaoh to select the time. Moses did this so Pharaoh
would know it was God and not a coincidence when
the only living frogs were in the river again. Pharaoh
chose the next day. When Moses prayed according to
Pharaoh’s request, God answered and the frogs plaguing
the houses, courtyards, and fields died and were
gathered…together in heaps, and the land stank.
6. Hardened heart - 8:15
Once the frog crisis passed, Pharaoh saw that there
was relief and hardened his heart again. He would not
let the people go.
D. Third Plague: Lice - Exodus 8:16-19
1. No warning, Aaron’s rod – 8:16-17
Perhaps because Pharaoh broke his promise to let the
people go, no warning was given for the next plague, lice.
The Hebrew word used here refers to a specific insect
which may have been lice, gnats, or even mosquitoes.
The New King James Version designates it as lice.
Some commentators note that lice polluted the
Egyptians' pagan temple, making the plague an insult
to the gods worshiped there. Others believe that this
pollution in the dust of the earth was an insult to the
Egyptian god of the earth, Seth.
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Aaron followed the LORD’s instruction through Moses
to "Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land,
so that it may become lice"….and the land became lice
throughout all the land of Egypt.
2. Magicians – 8:18-19
This time Pharaoh's magicians could not duplicate
the plague. Perhaps they or their paltry power were
exhausted. They acknowledged God’s hand, but
Pharaoh was unmoved even though there were lice
everywhere he stepped. Pharaoh’s heart grew hard....
just as the LORD had said.
E. Fourth Plague: Swarms of Flies - Exodus 8:20-32
1. Warning - 8:20-23
God told Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand
before Pharaoh." Moses obeyed and met Pharaoh at
the river once again. Pharaoh persisted in his idol
worship despite having witnessed the power of God.
Moses again gave God’s command to let the people go,
adding a graphic description of the swarms of flies that
would descend upon Pharaoh and his people. Pharaoh
neither relented nor repented.
land." Moses was quick to see that Pharaoh's offer was
a sham. The sacrifices of animals would be offensive to
the Egyptians, placing the Israelites in danger of being
stoned. Most importantly, to remain in the land would
be disobedient to God who had told Moses he would
bring the people "out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:12).
When you must make a decision do you go to God’s
Word to see what He has to say on that subject? Do your
decisions reflect your own convenience or obedience
to God’s will?
5. Pharaoh’s second compromise offer - 8:28
"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." This too was favorable only to Pharaoh. The
Israelites would seem to be free but they would be
within Pharaoh’s reach. Are you so close to the world
that its influence reaches and controls you? Are you
unable to move for God because you have not moved
far enough away from the world? It is possible to seem
separate and spiritual without “burning your bridges.”
Many have decided to follow Jesus but only as long as
He does not require them to go very far from their old
habits, haunts, and social circles.
6. Moses’ entreaty - 8:29-31
2. God’s people separated - 8:23
For the first time, God set apart the land of Goshen, giving
the Israelites immunity from the plague. God’s people
experience the same trials as others do. Christians have
accidents, illnesses, disappointments, and reversals.
However God is always governing their circumstances.
There are times when He specifically protects, guards,
and shields His own. King David appreciated this
protection when he described God as his rock, fortress,
deliverer, shield, and stronghold (Psalm 18:2). What is
God to you? How have you experienced His grace and
mercy? Will you take a moment right now to thank
Him for his care and protection?
3. A grievous swarm - 8:21, 24
The fourth plague was the first to touch the people
physically. The first three plagues were loathsome
and disgusting, but escape was possible. There was
no escape from the swarms of flies on the people, in
the houses, and on the ground.
4. Pharaoh’s first compromise offer - 8:25-27
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and gave
them permission to "Go sacrifice to your God in the
Again Pharaoh asked Moses to intercede and Moses
agreed with a warning to Pharaoh to stop dealing
deceitfully in letting the people go.
When Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed and the LORD did
according to the word of Moses. What a beautiful way
of describing God’s grace in answering prayer. The
apostle John wrote, If we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us (1 John 5:14). That is what makes
prayer exciting.
7. Pharaoh’s hardened heart – 8:32
But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither
would he let the people go.
Application
1. How tender is your heart toward God and His
words? How does your life reflect your answer to that
question?
2. Do you know that each time you resist or postpone
obedience to God you harden your heart and it becomes
more difficult to hear God's voice and choose to obey
Him? What steps will you take to begin living in
obedience to God today?
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Egypt to Canaan Lesson 3
QUESTIONS
Questions are based on the New King James Version of the Bible.
DAY ONE: Read all notes and references.
1. What was new or interesting to you this week about Moses, Aaron, or Pharaoh?
2. What did you learn about God in last week's lesson? How will you apply what you learned to your
life?
DAY TWO: Read Exodus 9:1-12.
3. a. Describe the fifth plague.
b. Describe the condition of Pharaoh's heart.
c. What was Pharaoh’s reaction?
4. a. Describe the sixth plague.
b. How did the magicians respond to this plague? Explain.
c. What happened to Pharaoh's heart?
d. How did Pharaoh respond to the plague?
DAY THREE: Read Exodus 9:13-35.
5. a. In Exodus 9:13 and 8:20 what did Moses have to do to deliver God’s message?
b. Are you willing to do this in order to understand God’s Word and serve Him?
c. If you have ever done this or are doing it now, will you share your experience with your group?
6. a. What was God's revealed purpose in sending His plagues? Give verses.
b. What warning was given before the seventh plague?
c. Describe briefly the seventh plague.
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Egypt to Canaan Lesson 3
7. a. How did Pharaoh's servants respond to this plague? Give verses.
b. What confession did Pharaoh make this time?
c. What did Pharaoh do after Moses interceded and the hail stopped?
d. How could you relate this to "human nature" and the way people act today?
DAY FOUR: Read Exodus 10:1-20.
8. a. Whose hearts were hard before the eighth plague was sent? Why were their hearts hard? Give verses.
b. What was the eighth plague?
9. How did Pharaoh’s servants respond to Pharaoh? Give verses.
10. From verses 9-11, how did Pharaoh attempt to have Moses compromise?
11. a. What did Pharaoh ask Moses to do for him?
b. How did Pharaoh ultimately respond to this plague?
DAY FIVE: Read Exodus 10:21-29.
12. What was the ninth plague?
13. Give Pharaoh’s reactions to the ninth plague.
14. What was Pharaoh’s final compromise offer to Moses? Giv verses.
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Egypt to Canaan Lesson 3
DAY SIX: Read Exodus 11:1-10.
15. What important information did God share with Moses in verses 1-2?
16. How would the Israelites and Moses be viewed by the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s servants?
Give verses.
17. a. What message from God did Moses deliver to Pharaoh?
b. How did Pharaoh's servants respond?
c. What was Moses' attitude as he left Pharaoh?
18. a. What did the LORD tell Moses about Pharaoh's response?
b. Why would Pharaoh respond that way?
19. What did you learn about God as you studied these five plagues? How will you respond?