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Exodus 9
By Skip Heitzig
Exodus 9

Through a series of ten plagues, the LORD reveals to Egypt both His person and His power. As we examine the plagues of diseased livestock, boils, and hail, we see the LORD specifically target the lifestyle of Egypt as He again takes aim at the gods in their pantheon. Join us in our study of Exodus 9, where God hardens Pharaoh's heart for the first time--and we weigh the conditions of our own hearts as well.

From the teaching series 02 Exodus - 2011

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Exodus 9 (NKJV™)
1	Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2	"For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them,
3	"behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep--a very severe pestilence.
4	"And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel."'"
5	Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land."
6	So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
7	Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.
8	So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
9	"And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt."
10	Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.
11	And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
12	But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
13	Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me,
14	"for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
15	"Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.
16	"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
17	"As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.
18	"Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.
19	"Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die."'"
20	He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.
21	But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22	Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt--on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."
23	And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24	So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25	And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.
26	Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
27	And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.
28	"Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."
29	So Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD'S.
30	"But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God."
31	Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.
32	But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
33	So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.
34	And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35	So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

<p><strong>Exodus 9 - Exodus 9</strong><br /> From the series: 02 Exodus - 2011<br /> <em>By Skip Heitzig </em><p></p> <p><strong>MESSAGE SUMMARY</strong></p> <p>Through a series of ten plagues, the LORD reveals to Egypt both His person and His power. As we examine the plagues of diseased livestock, boils, and hail, we see the LORD specifically target the lifestyle of Egypt as He again takes aim at the gods in their pantheon. Join us in our study of Exodus 9, where God hardens Pharaoh's heart for the first time--and we weigh the conditions of our own hearts as well.</p> <p><strong>DETAILED NOTES </strong></p> <p><ol type="I"><li>Introduction <ol type="A"> <li>Superstitions often rooted in paganism <ol> <li>Taught to live in fear of their gods</li> <li>Origin of "knock on wood"</li> <li>Egyptians also superstitious <ol type="a"> <li>112 named Egyptian gods</li> <li>Pharaoh also viewed as a deity</li> <li>God will reveal who He is and how great He is through the plagues</li> </ol> </li> <li>Yahweh, the only true and living God, will go up against the false Egyptian deities <ol type="a"> <li>God has interesting ways of getting leaders attention <ol type="i"> <li>Muslim princess Sharifa Zein --Christians get her attention through the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child</li> <li>Iraq's Minister of Affairs under Saddam Hussein--thought Christians hated them, found out they were loved</li> </ol> </li> <li>God getting the attention of Pharaoh in dramatic ways</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li>Plagues <ol> <li>Mirror natural occurrences <ol type="a"> <li>Similar natural phenomena in Egypt before and after the plagues</li> <li>Natural phenomena heightened by spiritual factors</li> </ol> </li> <li>Admonitions of Ipuwer (unknown social and political critic from the general time of Moses) "The Nile is in flood, but no one plows for himself because every man says, ‘We do not know what may happen throughout the land!’ Many are dead & buried in the river…The river is blood. If one drinks of it, one rejects it…and thirsts for water… The homes are destroyed. Barbarians from outside had come to Egypt. Such is our water! Such is our welfare! What can we do about it? Going to ruin! Laughter has disappeared and is no longer made. It is wailing that pervades the land, mixed with lamentation."</li> </ol> </li> </ol></li><li>Plague Five: Pestilence <ol type="A"> <li>God wants them to have freedom, not for the sake of freedom, but so they can go and serve Him</li> <li>The hand of the Lord <ol> <li>More than the "finger of the God" (See <span class='verse'>Exodus 8:19</span>)</li> <li>Plagues are growing more severe</li> </ol> </li> <li>Perhaps this was an infectious disease (anthrax-like) </li> <li>Previous plagues were inconvenient, now God is touching their wealth</li> <li>Side note <ol> <li>Horses unknown in Egypt until the Hyksos dynasty</li> <li>Camels introduced in Egypt from Arabia</li> </ol> </li> <li>The Lord gave Pharaoh warning, and time to think</li> <li>In the Nile Delta, bulls and cows were sacred emblems <ol> <li><em>Apis</em> (bull god) <ol type="a"> <li>Second largest temple </li> <li>Considered the sacred guardian animal of god <em>Ptah</em></li> <li>Dead <em>Apis</em> embalmed and entombed in Memphis Egypt</li> <li>Belief: dead bull joined with <em>Osiris</em>, god of the afterlife and became <em>Osiris-Apis</em></li> </ol> </li> <li><em>Hathor</em>  (goddess of love, fertility, beauty, and joy) <ol type="a"> <li>Depicted with the body of a woman and the head of a cow</li> <li>Archaeology <ol type="i"> <li>Many depictions of Pharaohs suckling to receive nourishment from <em>Hathor</em></li> <li>A sandstone monument unearthed in 1906 showed <em>Hathor</em> with Amenhotep II (some think the pharaoh of the Exodus) nestling himself under her chin (completely dependent on the goddess)</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li><em>Mnevis</em></li> <li>Direct assault on their pagan belief system</li> <li>When Moses on mountaintop, people demand a god to worship, Aaron depicts a golden calf (See Exodus 32) <ol type="a"> <li>They were not used to an unseen God</li> <li>Egypt had visible representations all around them</li> <li>The golden calf represented strength, beauty, nourishment, tangibility</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li>Pharaoh's hardened heart <ol> <li>"Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity." (<span class='verse'>Proverbs 28:14</span>)</li> <li>Opposite of a hard heart is a heart that fears the Lord <ol type="a"> <li>Gives reverential awe to only the true, living God</li> <li>Reverential awe that produces obedient behavior to a loving God</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> </ol></li><li>Plague Six: Boils (infections sores, pustules) on Man and Animals <ol type="A"> <li>Airborne disease</li> <li>No warning given</li> <li>Nile blisters <ol> <li>Intense heat 120-130 degrees combined with dust</li> <li>Innumerable pimples</li> <li>Cluster in ulcers around entire body</li> <li>Hamm el Nil (inundation of heat)</li> <li>Occurs in the summer during the overflow of the Nile</li> <li>Resembles scarlet fever</li> <li>Natural phenomenon heightened by supernatural factors</li> </ol> </li> <li>Soot thrown in air by Egyptian priests of <em>Nuit (Nuet, Nut) </em>to bless people <ol> <li>Nuit - sky goddess</li> <li>Her domain brought blessings on earth</li> <li>That which was once a blessing has become a curse</li> </ol> </li> <li>Furnace- probably a kiln where slaves baked bricks for Pharaoh <ol> <li>Emblem of suffering for Israelites</li> <li>Now an emblem of suffering for Egypt</li> </ol> </li> <li>In previous plagues, magicians duplicated the plagues, now unable to stand </li> <li>Egyptians would have prayed for healing and intervention from <em>Serapis</em> and <em>Imhotep</em></li> <li>Priests indisposed <ol> <li>Regulation to serve in temples: had to be clean from any skin disease or sore</li> <li>God shut down the entire false worship-system of Egypt for a time</li> </ol> </li> <li>The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart <ol> <li>God promised to do it</li> <li>Pharaoh hardened his own heart</li> <li>First time we see God does it</li> <li>Lesson: When people ignore the repeated prompting of the Lord, He will confirm their decision in their hearts and it will be impossible for them to become believers <ol type="a"> <li>God confirmed a decision already made</li> <li>Reprobate mind (Romans 1:18-28)</li> <li>Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit <ol type="i"> <li>"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men." (<span class='verse'>Matthew 12:31</span>)</li> <li>People who repeatedly reject Christ are in danger of God confirming their choice</li> <li>"There is a time, we know not when,<br /> A point we know not where,<br /> That marks the destiny of men<br /> To glory or despair.<br /> There is a line by us unseen,<br /> That crosses every path;<br /> The hidden boundary between<br /> God's patience and his wrath.<br /> To pass that limit is to die--<br /> To die as if by stealth;<br /> It does not quench the beaming eye<br /> Or pale the glow of health.<br /> The conscience may be still at ease,<br /> The spirit lithe and gay;<br /> That which pleases still may please,<br /> And care be thrust away.<br /> But on that forehead God has set,<br /> Indelibly a mark<br /> Unseen by men, for men as yet<br /> Are blind and in the dark.<br /> Oh, where is this mysterious bourn<br /> By which each path is crossed?<br /> Beyond which God himself hath sworn<br /> That he who goes is lost?<br /> How far may we go on in sin?<br /> How long will God forbear?<br /> Where does hope end, and where begin<br /> The confines of despair?<br /> The answer from the skies is sent,<br /> 'Ye that from God depart,<br /> While it is called today, repent,<br /> And harden not your heart!'" — J. A. Alexander</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> </ol></li><li>Seventh plague: fiery hail <ol type="A"> <li>Twofold purpose of the following plagues <ol> <li>So Pharaoh knows God and His power </li> <li>So the rest of the world knows it too</li> </ol> </li> <li>Judgment targeted at <em>Nuit</em></li> <li>You raise yourself up as an obstacle against My people <ol> <li>You are in serious trouble when you impede the work of God in the lives of people</li> <li>As if God says: There's not enough room for both of us!</li> </ol> </li> <li>Never happened in Egyptian history <ol> <li>Divine judgment</li> <li>Similar to Tribulation (Matthew 24)</li> <li>Will be worse than anything that has ever occurred on the earth</li> </ol> </li> <li>Some Egyptians obeyed the Lord <ol> <li>Hearts begin to fear the Lord</li> <li>Some will leave Egypt with Israelites (mixed multitude)</li> </ol> </li> <li>God warned Pharaoh ten times <ol> <li>Had He not done so, critics would accuse Him of being unfair</li> <li>Like Enoch and Noah before the flood</li> </ol> </li> <li>The fire was probably lightning</li> <li>Broke every tree of the field <ol> <li>January 15, 1995, Thomasville, Georgia storm: hailstones as big as softballs</li> <li>Hailstones the size of a talent (125 lbs.) (See <span class='verse'>Revelation 16:21</span>)</li> </ol> </li> <li><em>Nuit</em> - sky goddess powerless</li> <li><em>Isis</em> and <em>Seth</em> - responsible for crops in concert with <em>Nuit</em> and <em>Ra</em></li> <li>Repentance? <ol> <li>I have sinned this time; The Lord is righteous</li> <li>Progression <ol type="a"> <li>"stay in the land" (<span class='verse'>Exodus 8:25</span>)</li> <li>"not far" (<span class='verse'>Exodus 8:28</span>)</li> <li>"go!" (<span class='verse'>Exodus 9:27</span>)</li> </ol> </li> <li>Fake repentance <ol type="a"> <li>"Form of godliness, but denying its power." (<span class='verse'>2 Timothy 3:5</span>)</li> <li>"They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work." (<span class='verse'>Titus 1:16</span>)</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li>Moses raises his hands in surrender to the Lord and gesture of prayer (See <span class='verse'>1 Timothy 2:8</span>)</li> <li>Pharaoh did not yet fear the Lord God <ol> <li>Polytheism - many gods</li> <li>Henoism - <ol type="a"> <li>gods assigned a jurisdiction over certain areas</li> <li>Conflicts between nations really between the gods (See <span class='verse'>1 Kings 20:28</span>)</li> </ol> </li> <li>Syncretism <ol type="a"> <li>Combines one religious system with another</li> <li>When Ahab married Jezebel </li> <li>"You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;" (<span class='verse'>Exodus 20:3-4</span>) <ol type="i"> <li>God is not insecure</li> <li>There ARE no other real Gods</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li>Time of the plagues <ol type="a"> <li>Barley and flax blossom in January - time of this plague would be January and February</li> <li>Flood of the Nile was the first plague in about July</li> <li>Last plague will at Passover, about April</li> <li>Nine months of Judgment <ol> <li>Israel "My firstborn"</li> <li>Birthed out of Egypt</li> <li>Nine months of birth pangs</li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li>Yahweh provides proof that He alone is God</li> <li>"So the heart of Pharaoh was hard"</li> </ol></li></ol><p><strong>Figures Referenced: Sharifa Zein, J. A. Alexander<br /> Publications Referenced</strong>: Admonitions of Ipuwer<br /> <strong>Cross References</strong>: <span class='verse'>Exodus 8:19</span>; <span class='verse'>Exodus 8:25</span>; <span class='verse'>Exodus 8:28</span>; <span class='verse'>Exodus 9:27</span>; <span class='verse'>Exodus 20:3-4</span>; Exodus 32; <span class='verse'>1 Kings 20:28</span>; <span class='verse'>Proverbs 28:14</span>; <span class='verse'>Matthew 12:31</span>; Matthew 24; Romans 1:18-28; <span class='verse'>1 Timothy 2:8</span>; <span class='verse'>2 Timothy 3:5</span>; <span class='verse'>Titus 1:16</span>; <span class='verse'>Revelation 16:21</span></p></p> <p> </p>

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We pursue the God who is passionately pursuing a lost world; we do this with one another, through worship, by the Word, to the world.

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We Believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.

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We Believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in Holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

We Believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

We Believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teaching, His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal, visible return to earth.

We Believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all that believe in Jesus Christ for ministry.

We Believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide.

We Believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all the Biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We Believe that all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit, those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

We Believe that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and empowers the believers for service, often subsequent to regeneration.

We Believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head, and all regenerated persons are members.

We Believe that Jesus committed two ordinances to the church: 1) Baptism and, 2) the Lord's Supper. We believe in baptism by immersion and communion open to all believers.

We Believe also in the laying on of hands for baptism of the Holy Spirit, for ordination of pastors, elders, and deacons, and receiving from the Holy Spirit through the believer the gift of healing.

We Believe in the personal, visible return of Christ to the earth and the establishing of His Kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

We Believe in what is termed the Apostles Creed as embodying the fundamental facts of Christian faith.

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Exodus 9
By Skip Heitzig
Exodus 9

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From the Series:
02 Exodus - 2011

Beginning in the brickyards of Egypt and ending in the tabernacle filled with God's presence, the book of Exodus chronicles the deliverance of God's people from Egypt and records the end of their oppression under Pharaoh. It also provides an account of the beginning of a prophecy fulfilled: God promised Abraham descendants beyond number, and on the pages of Exodus we see Israel become a great nation.

In this verse-by-verse study, Pastor Skip Heitzig presents an in-depth look at Moses, the ten plagues, the ten commandments, the desert wanderings, the construction of the tabernacle, and more. As we study, we'll see the grace of God, witness the glory of the Lord, and a catch a glimpse of Israel's coming Savior.

Visit expoundabq.org for more information on this series.

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