The Ten Plagues: The Plague of Hail

 The Ten Plagues: The Plague of Hail

Opening Illustration:

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. I hope that all of you are doing well this morning and that you are having a fantastic weekend. Happy early Labor Day by the way. Thank you for coming to worship with us this morning. Today we are enjoying a series entitled “The Ten Plagues”. Over the last several weeks we have been reading from Exodus 8 and 9. Today we are reading from Exodus 9:13-35. God’s people, the Israelites have been enslaved in Egypt for 400-500 years. They have suffered under the iron boot of the Pharaoh’s. Ramses II is the current Pharaoh who is imposing his will upon the Hebrews. During this period of time, the Israelites have been praying that their God would set them free. Through a series of events and carefully orchestrated circumstances, God places His hand on one of His own, Moses. Moses escapes certain death through the creativity of his mother. He grows up as a Hebrew in the home of his oppressor. He becomes an adopted Prince of Egypt. Moses witnesses the abuse of one of his countrymen, commits murder, flees Egypt to the land of Midian. It is here where he encounters God, Yahweh, through the burning bush. Moses is instructed to go back to Egypt, confront the King, and set into motion the liberation of God’s people. The confrontations between Moses and Pharaoh are well…not positive. Pharaoh refuses to let God’s people move an inch. So God, through Moses, delivers unto Pharaoh plagues. Plague after plague after plague. God turns all the water in the land to blood. Attacking the Egyptians dependance on the Nile. God brings frogs on the entire land of Egypt attacking Heket, the goddess of fertility. Heket was one of the most important deities of the Egyptian people. Then God brings forth lice from the earth, attacking the Egyptian god of the earth Geb. Then God brings forth flies, then God plagues the livestock, then God sends boils. Plagues after plagues, Pharaoh’s heart remains hard. He remains entrenched in his own perception of his power. If only Pharaoh would have heard, if only he would have seen, if only he would have allowed himself to be humbled. If only.

Life is full of “if only”. Weeks ago we talked about consequences. We talked about worship last week. Today we are going to examine God’s power. This morning fill in the blanks to our “Today’s Thought”. God’s power is unmatched and unrivaled. If only the Pharaoh understood. 

Today’s Thought:

God’s Power Is Unmatched and Unrivaled! 

If Only The Pharaoh Understood!

The other day I was reading a book about prayer. I really enjoyed the book. It is called “Wrestling Prayer: A Passionate Communion With God” by Eric Ludy. As I was reading, I was shocked when I came across a fantastic quote. Who knew that a book about prayer also included a great quote about God’s power. Listen to what Pastor Ludy says, 

“The power of God has not in the least bit been diminished over the past 2000 years. Our Lord still sits on His great throne and His train still fills the temple. He still walks on the wings of the wind, He still rides on the backs of the mighty cherubim, and He still is the Triumphant Champion from Calvary. All hell still bends to His will, and sin and death have lost their hold on all who rest in the shadow of His presence. And the God who calmed storms, raised up dead men to life, and multiplied fishes and loaves to feed thousands is the same God we have today.”

Today’s Quote:

“The power of God has not in the least bit been diminished over the past 2000 years. Our Lord still sits on His great throne and His train still fills the temple. He still walks on the wings of the wind, He still rides on the backs of the mighty cherubim, and He still is the Triumphant Champion from Calvary. All hell still bends to His will, and sin and death have lost their hold on all who rest in the shadow of His presence. And the God who calmed storms, raised up dead men to life, and multiplied fishes and loaves to feed thousands is the same God we have today.”

Pastor Eric Ludy From “Wrestling Prayer: A Passionate Communion With God

This morning, before we read God’s Word together, let’s take a second to recognize the importance of the Bible. 

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

Exodus 9:13-35 ESV

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me. [14] For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. [15] For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. [16] But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. [17] You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. [18] Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. [19] Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them."'" [20] Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, [21] but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. [22] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt." [23] Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. [24] There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. [25] The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. [26] Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. [27] Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, "This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. [28] Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer." [29] Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD's. [30] But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God." [31] (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. [32] But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) [33] So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. [34] But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. [35] So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

God’s Power Throughout The Plagues Is…

I. Matchless vs. 14

God’s power throughout the plagues is matchless. That is our first point this morning. God’s power is matchless. For the record, God’s power is not just matches in the plague narrative, or the Exodus story. His power is matchless throughout the pages of all Holy Scripture. Read verse 14 again. 

Exodus 9:14 ESV

For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.

This phrase or a version of this phrase is mentioned some 3 times in this short passage of Scripture. 

“So that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth”.

“So that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”

“So that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.”

God, through the tool of plagues and pestilence was revealing a powerful truth about Himself not only to the Hebrews but also to the Egyptians. What is this truth you ask?

There is no other God before our God.

There is no other God like our God. 

His name is above all other names. 

He is matchless. He is excellent. Incomparable. Unequaled. Unmatched. Unparalleled. Unsurpassed. He is the best. He is beyond compare. Champion. The greatest. Perfect in every way. 

For the first time in 500 years, God is reintroducing Himself to the Hebrews and for the first time ever, He introduces Himself to the Pharaoh. But who is this God of the Hebrews? Who is this Jehovah God? Who is the Yahweh who is matchless?

When you open the Bible you are immediately introduced to an all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, all perceptible, omnipresent God. Until the arrival of Jesus Christ, no human eye has ever seen Him fully. Moses only captured but a brief image of His back while in the desert. the Bible speaks of His hands but that is just a poor way of getting it over to our poor minds that God is very powerful. the Bible speaks about His eyes but that is just a way of getting it over to our poor minds that he sees everything.  the Bible speaks about His mouth but that is just a way of getting it over to our poor minds that God speaks and reveals Himself. 

You see friends, this matchless God is a Spirit. He has not body. He cannot be weighed, He cannot be measured. He cannot be touched and He cannot be felt. He is a Spirit and as a Spirit He is a personal Spirit. God is not a something but He is a someone which is why God has names. His best names I have already mentioned to you this morning. 

Jehovah.

Yahweh. 

Yahweh is just another way of saying “I AM That I AM” which is how He first revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush. 

God is a someone which is why when we read in the Bible that people became His friends and that God became their friends. From the first page of Genesis to the last page of John’s Revelation, we discover that God can be known. 

Still what is this matchless God like? As far as space is concerned, God is everywhere.  The prophet Jeremiah reminds us of God’s nature saying “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” God is everywhere which means that God is not absent anywhere. That means that God in all of His glory, all of His being, all of His majesty, all of His purity, all of His power, all that God is is in any place at any time and in every place at every time. 

As far as space is concerned He is everywhere. Our human minds have a difficult time grasping this concept. How can it be that this God, this matchless God of the Hebrews, this incomparable God that we gather to worship today, that God can exist in the farthest flung galaxy while remaining present in the mother’s womb building human life on the smallest molecular level possible?

God, this matchless God, is also eternal. As far as time is concerned, time is not concern to Him. He is enteral, from everlasting to everlasting. When Abraham bowed his head to pray to Him, or when Peter proclaimed Him as his “Savior and God” or when we lift our eyes to worship Him today, He was and forever will be the same. This matchless God has no age, no end, and no limit. As far as what He knows, He knows all that there is to know. God was never taught. He has never learned. He never thinks. He fully sees everyone, all situations, and all motivations as they are. 

Psalm 147:5 ESV

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

This means that He cannot be lied to or deceived in any way. You can’t pull the wool over His eyes. We cannot make things out to be different than they really are. 

What about this matchless God’s power? He does whatever He chooses and whatever He chooses is always right, always just, and always good. He cannot be restrained or restricted. There is no where that He cannot go. He needs no counsel but His own. There is nothing that happens that is not orchestrated by Him. From the finest of dust that falls to the ground, to the beating of insect wings, to the deeds of both good and evil men, it all happens according to His will and all for His glory. 

This matchless God is Holy. In Him there is no darkness. He is right and righteous in every way. So right and righteous that no one can look upon Him without dying. He is without error, without sin, without mistake. 

This matchless God, when compared to the gods and goddesses of Egypt, when compared to the great Pharaohs of old…well…there is no comparison. 

One thing that we learn throughout this all and all the other plagues is that there is no other God like Him in all the earth. 

Flowing from this matchless, incomparable God is power. The power unto salvation given to all men, all women, in all the earth. Recall Jeremiah’s words in Jeremiah 32:17.

Jeremiah 32:17 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

II. Mindful and Meaningful vs. 15

God’s power throughout the plagues is matchless but it is also mindful and meaningful. What do I mean by that statement? I mean that God’s power is always used for a purpose. Let’s read verse 15 together again. 

[15] For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.

Friends, have you ever noticed that God uses events, circumstances, even people to accomplish His purpose. So, what is God trying to achieve through these plagues? There are a few things that one might conclude. First, as Moses declares in chapter 9 of Exodus, God is trying to reveal Himself not just to the Hebrews but to the whole of the earth. At the end of the plagues, the world will be illuminated to God’s presence and the reality of who He is. Secondly, as we talked last week, God uses His power so that His people can perform…perform worship. God wanted His people to worship Him. He still wants His people to worship today.

One more thing that I have realized while reading these stories, God uses people who do not even believe in Him, God uses people who disobey Him, God uses people that are at war with Him to accomplish His mission. 

Isn’t that amazing? After all, we talk about how God uses His people to accomplish His purposes, We say that all the time. One thing that we do not often talk about is the truth that God can use people that hate Him to bring about His perfect plans. 

God is the ultimate orchestrator. 

He is the ultimate master craftsman. 

God uses the ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He can also use people that deny His authority to benefit His followers. 

I love it when ordinary people do amazing things don’t you. Back in 1972 Dave Wottle pulled off what is considered the greatest comeback in athletic history. He came back from 2 laps behind to overtake all of the runners to win a gold medal. What about the 1986 slam dunk contest with Dominique Wilkins and 5 foot 7 in Spud Webb. No one thought that Spud Webb would win, but he did. 

God uses all sort of people in powerful ways. 

He used Noah even though he drank to much. 

He used Abraham and Sarah when everyone around them, even they thought that they were old and washed up. 

He used Joseph even though he had a wrap sheet a mile long. 

He used Moses even though he was a fugitive and murderer. 

Rahab was a prostitute.

Esther was an adopted orphan. 

Peter was a quitter.

Paul was a zealous persecutor. 

Then we get to Pharaoh. Boy or boy did He ever use Pharaoh. At ever single step, God pushed and moved Pharaoh into just the right position to bring about His good and perfect plan. 

All of these names, all of these events reminds me of Paul’s words in I Corinthians 1. Listen to these words. 

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 ESV

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; [28] God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

Here is the point, God can do whatever He wants. Use whoever He wants. Appoint whomever He wants. Nothing can stop the will of God. Nothing can thwart His desire. 

He is truly great. Truly magnificent. Truly magnanimous in every way. 

I Chronicles 29:11 ESV

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

III. Motivating vs. 27

God’s power throughout the plagues is matchless, mindful and meaningful. His power is also motivating. 

Listen to what happens in verse 27. 

“Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, "This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.”

For the first time, the Pharaoh is motivated to say something, admit something, that he has never admitted before. 

I have sinned. 

That is a powerful statement. I have sinned. 

The Hebrew word that is translated as “sin” is khaw-taw’. It means so much more than sin. It means to miss the mark. Miss the goal. It also means to bear loss. 

The Pharaoh is saying that this punishment, these plagues are on his shoulders. 

It is a stunning admission. 

By the way, every time a human being comes in contact with the power and the presence of God, people walk away changed. 

Sadly, the Pharaoh would not stay in that place. He would again harden his heart and cast aside better judgment. 

That is the crazy thing about free will. For the record I believe in free will. I believe in it because it is seen both in the Bible and Ive seen it in real life. Ive seen people who have seen God and had real experience with the Lord who backslide back into sin. God will not force Himself on anyone. People have a choice. Pharaoh saw God, witnessed His miracles and the Pharaoh, even after his admission of sin, falls back into his hard hearted ways. 

This morning, what will be your motivation? Is God calling you? Is He wanting you to wake you up to His grace?

Paul states in Romans 1…

Romans 1:16 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The power of God for salvation. That was and continues to be His main motivation, salvation. 

Remember friends..

God’s Power Is Available To You Today!