Thru the Bible

Guest (Male): How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word. As we travel through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee, we're stepping into a dramatic moment. Moses warning Pharaoh about the devastating plagues to come. These weren't random acts of judgment. You know, each plague was a direct and deliberate strike against the false gods of Egypt. In fact, Dr. McGee calls it a battle of the gods.

I'm Steve Schwetz, and we've arrived at a powerful place in God's Word, where the Lord confronts Egypt's idolatry, Pharaoh's pride, and then ultimately, as Dr. McGee reminds us, Satan himself. It's a gripping study, so hop aboard the Bible bus, find your seat, and while you do, let's listen to this note from a fellow passenger named Christopher.

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Let's pray now. Heavenly Father, would you prepare our hearts to receive the truth of Your word and let it reach into the darkest places and distant corners of this world and our hearts? In Jesus' name, Amen.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Exodus 5 on Thru the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now today friends, as we come to the fifth chapter, there is something that I probably should mention because it's going to come up again and again in the Old Testament. And that is the relationship of the individual Israelite to God. He was never called the individual Israelite, a son of God, but we saw back in chapter 4 verse 22 the thing that God did say of the nation.

And I was so busy talking about the home life of Moses that I didn't speak of the home life of the nation. Now let me read this, "Thou shall say unto Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son even my firstborn." Now the nation as such was considered a son of God. And I think each individual Israelite, and we'll have to see this as we go along, had to have that experience of the new birth to come in under the covenant. You see the sign of it, as we've already seen, was circumcision and that was the badge of it.

But as Paul made very clear, you will recall to the Galatians, he said, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avail it anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." In other words, there are a great many people today even boast of the fact that they don't belong to a church and they don't do this and they don't go through a ritual and all of that. Well, my friend, that's nothing to crow about, nothing to boast of, whether you have or have not, it's the inward experience.

It is to have experienced the new birth. And I believe that the individual Israelite had to go through that, but the nation as such was called a son of God, and each one had to come in under that badge, which was circumcision outwardly, but you see it spoke of an inward relationship. Now we'll have a great deal more to say about that from time to time, especially when God sent the nation into captivity.

Now here in chapter 5, we begin actually a new section, and it's the contest now with Pharaoh. And I'd like to say something preliminary about this as we'll move rather hurriedly after we get going in this section. You see now what has happened is this, Moses appears back in Egypt after 40 years absence. Now God is ready to deliver his people, and the deliverer now is prepared, Moses is prepared, and Moses was to assemble the elders of Israel, and they're all to go to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh will refuse, and that refusal will open the struggle between God and the gods of Egypt.

Actually, it was not a battle between the people of Egypt or the nation Egypt, it was against the gods of Egypt. And the plagues actually were not haphazard. In other words, when God sent the plague of frogs, He didn't say, "Well, now, I wonder what I can think of to do next." The fact of the matter is, that probably nothing was quite as organized and as meaningful as these plagues.

They were directed very definitely at certain institutions in Egypt, and that was the idolatry of Egypt. And the thing that was going to happen as we'll see here, Pharaoh is going to ask the question, "Who is the Lord? I don't know him and don't intend to let his people go." Well, God's going to introduce himself, and he'll do it by bringing these plagues on the land of Egypt.

Now, over in the seventh chapter verse 5, the Lord makes it clear what He had in mind, "And the Egyptians shall know that I'm the Lord when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them." You see, he not only delivered His people, but by the plagues, He let the Egyptians know who he was, because each plague was leveled at the different gods of Egypt.

And believe me, they had gods many. I'll go into detail in this after today when we take up each plague separately. But there were literally thousands of temples in Egypt, and there were millions of idols and about 3,000 different gods in Egypt. Now that will outdo anything we've got in this country today.

There was power in the religion of Egypt. Somebody's going to say, "You don't mean that." Well, I certainly do mean it, friends. There was power in that. The Egyptians were not fools. I don't know why that we today always arrogate to ourselves a superior knowledge to the people of the past because we have a transistor radio. We have color television. We've been to the moon, and that means we're superior and know something. Don't you know that all of our knowledge is based on that which has been handed down by the past and that we've been building just like you put up a wall, one stone on another down through the centuries.

And these people in the past were not fools. And Paul, I think, makes it very clear that there was power in the religions of Egypt. Over in second Timothy, the third chapter, verse 8, he says, "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith." And I think it was satanic.

I've always felt that the Greeks really got a great deal of fireworks from Mount Olympus, but it was satanic and Satan grants power to them that worship him. The oracle of Delphi is an example of that, spiritism today. Now, the plagues were directed at the gods of Egypt against idolatry, against Pharaoh, against Satan, and I like to call it a battle of the gods, for that's exactly what it was. And listen to the 12th chapter of Exodus, verse 12, and this was the last plague. Listen to this.

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night. I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt. I will execute judgment, I'm the Lord." It definitely is a battle of the gods. It's God directing these plagues against the idolatry of Egypt. Now, to reveal to Israel, of course, the ability of God to deliver was another very important lesson there.

You see, they were born in brickyards, and they were in idolatry, and God had to show them that He was superior, that He could deliver them. Now, let me run through these plagues very briefly just to let you see that there's some sense to them. Moses first changed the rod into a serpent, and the wise men of Egypt do that. That was something that reveals that Satan has certain power, which is quite definite.

Now the Nile was turned to blood. The fertility of that land depended upon the overflow of the Nile to bring both fertilizer and water. And it was sacred, the Nile sacred to Osiris. There were pagan rights every spring. Life became death now, and before the Nile spoke of life, but now it's death, it's blood. And then the frogs, they were dirty and ugly.

And the very interesting thing is that the Egyptians worshipped about every animal that was imaginable. They worshipped Heka, the frog-headed goddess, and it was offense to kill frogs. But my friend, when you get up of a morning, there are frogs in bed with you, frogs on the floor, frogs in the kitchen. You have a mind to want to kill them, but they're all sacred, you see.

And then you have here the fact that the magicians in Egypt duplicated up to this point. But from here on, they're out of business. The next one was the lice, and the magicians could not duplicate this one, and it makes you believe maybe the others were fake that they did, but at least there was a duplication. Now Keb was the earth God, and lice were made out of the dust of the earth.

That to me is a very interesting thing. Then the judgment of the flies, and that is the scarab. That's what they find in the tombs today. It speaks of eternal life, the beetles, if you please. They were sacred to Ra, the sun god, Ra Amun, and Kipara. And then the murrain on the cattle. Well, Egypt was a land of zoolatry. They worshipped the whole animal kingdom, and Apis, especially the black bull.

And may I say to you, it's rather ridiculous. They're now going to have to worship a sick cow. Don't tell me there's not humor in the Bible. I think God must have smiled about this time. And then the boils, there was hail, and this is where now God begins to demonstrate His power. Isis, the great God of the air of the atmosphere. And he's moving in on them now. Locusts, the crops were cursed, and that is an evidence of the judgment of God.

We find that in the book of Joel and Revelation. And then darkness. You see, Egyptians worshipped the sun, Ra Amun, that disc with the rays going out from it. I know when I was in Egypt in the museums and around the old buildings, the ruins that are there, you see this sign over the doorway. Ra Amun, it's the disc of the sun and rays shooting out from it. Well, the sun's blotted out and there's darkness in Egypt.

And then the 10th one, the death of the firstborn, and the firstborn belonged to the gods of Egypt. In other words, God just took what belonged to the gods of Egypt. This was a tremendous thing, you see, that God is doing here. He's teaching the Egyptian, and he's convincing Pharaoh, and he's also bringing his own people where they're willing to acknowledge him.

Now, I think it's important to see that, friends, because it lifts this record out of an account that some would like to make it rather ridiculous. Well, it's not ridiculous. You can imagine the idolatry that was in Egypt. And God, by the way, through Isaiah predicted later on every idol would have disappeared from the land of Egypt. And you know today they're Muslim down there, and they don't permit idols at all.

And the land that was loaded with more idols, probably than any land, that includes Babylon, every one of them's disappeared. And you go to old Memphis, and God said that this is the city that He would absolutely remove every idol. And the only thing that's left there is that great big statue of the Pharaoh that was so vain, and it's all broken up. But it's a tremendous, huge thing. They've got a building over it now. It was formerly just right out in the big outdoors.

Now, that gives us something of the background that we have here. Now, as I come to chapter 5, will you notice, as we move through this record, verse 1, I'm reading, "And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness."

Now you see that this was to be the first step. They didn't go in and say, "Let my people go, we're leaving here, we're going to the promised land." But that's not it, just let us go out in the wilderness and worship. That's preparing him or softening him up for what is ultimately coming, of course. But notice the reaction of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." Two things, you see. I don't know the Lord and I don't intend to let Israel go.

Well, he certainly doesn't know the Lord, or he'd say, "I'm going to let Israel go." But he's going to get acquainted, and this is part of the purpose of the plagues. Verse 3, "And they said, the God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the desert and sacrifice under the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." In other words, God'll judge us if we do not take this step now.

"And the king of Egypt said unto them, wherefore do ye Moses and Aaron let the people from their works? Get you under your burdens." And Pharaoh said, "Behold the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens." In other words, Moses was having mass meetings of these people, and they were restless now. They wanted to go, and this Pharaoh sees that he's presented with a real problem.

He says, "You get back to your work." And he sends them back to the brickyards, and now increases their problem and their difficulties. "And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers saying, ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick as heretofore, let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them, ye shall not diminish ought thereof, for they be idle. Therefore they cry saying, let us go and sacrifice to our God."

In other words, they were asking for a holiday, and he said there's nothing doing, you're not working hard enough, and their task is increased by the withholding of straw from them. The very interesting thing is that Dr. Melvin Grove Kyle, that I referred to before in the study in Egypt. He was an Egyptologist, and I had the privilege of being under him as a seminary student for a time.

And Dr. Kyle brought to the class one day a brick that he had taken out of the city of Ramses, out of the ruins, and you find that the first bricks that were there were made with straw, but up at the top, and he said, "These that were on top were brick that had been made without straw." This is apparently a historical record, you see, that is that can be corroborated and substantiated from the brick that are there.

Now, I don't know about you, but I believe the record, not because they found some brick over in Egypt, but because God has said it. But it's interesting to note that it has been confirmed. Now, we find that the task is increased for these people, and it was something that was hard on them actually. Before they served with rigor we are told.

Now, will you note, and I'm dropping down to verse 15. "Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh saying, wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, make brick, and behold thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people." But he said, "Ye're idle, ye're idle. Therefore ye say, let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now and work, for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of brick."

"And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case after it was said, ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks of your daily tasks. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh. And they said unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge because ye have made our savory to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants to put a sword in their hand to slay us." In other words, Moses and Aaron, the thing you've done, you haven't helped us, but you've given Pharaoh an excuse to make our burden more difficult than it ever was before.

"And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me?" You would think at this point that Moses was complaining, and there's always been a question, is Moses complaining here? I think so. I think that Moses came down to deliver the children of Israel, and he felt like, my, they'd certainly be for him since he wanted to deliver the people.

But things are not working out like he had anticipated. And I feel like that he is complaining. And now verse 23, "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people. Neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." And Moses is complaining. He's rather impatient. He said, "I've come down here to deliver them at your instructions. I've delivered the message, and instead of Pharaoh calling me in and saying, 'All right, here's your passport, you can go.'"

Instead of that, he's made their difficulty much harder than it was. But you see, God is moving slowly, patiently, which is his way. And here in chapter 6, now, he wants to encourage his servant. He also wants to encourage the people of Israel and teach them, and he has a little message for Pharaoh also.

Now I'm reading in chapter 6, beginning at verse 1. "Now, the Lord will deal with Moses. Then the Lord said unto Moses, now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land."

"And God spake unto Moses and said unto him, I am the Lord." This is Jehovah now speaking, the self-existing one. God doesn't have any reserves. He doesn't fill a pantry full of foodstuffs so that he won't starve. God doesn't have to make preparation for the future. He is the self-existing one. I am the Lord. He's not dependent upon anything in creation. He doesn't lean on anything. The whole business leans on him, my beloved.

Now, will you notice what he's doing here to this man Moses? He's giving him the continuity now that has come down from the days of Abraham. Listen to him, verse 3, "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them."

He was the Almighty God, the creator, the deliverer, but now he is the self-existing one and the one who is able to deliver these people. Will you notice the number of times by the way, friends, that the personal pronoun I is it refers to God. "I am the Lord."

"I appeared unto Abraham, I appeared unto Isaac, I appeared unto Jacob, and I was not known by the name of Jehovah to them." Now verse 4, "And I have established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage wherein they were strangers." Now you have here this tremendous emphasis upon what God is going to do. Will you listen to him? Verse 5, "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant."

"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord." Now, there begins here the seven I wills of God. What he's going to do, and they are the seven I wills of redemption. And for us, it is a marvelous portrait and picture today. But it was a great encouragement to Moses in that day. God says who he is, and now he says what he's going to do.

And you and I have a savior today. He is who he says he is, and he's able to save to the uttermost. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Guest (Male): What a relief. When God says, "I will," we can trust that He will do exactly what He says. Stay with us for more of this powerful study with Dr. McGee as the Bible bus just rolls along. And to go a little deeper in this part of God's Word, you can visit TTB.org. There you'll find helpful resources, including our Bible companion for Exodus. You can download your free copy and bring it along on the Bible bus.

You can use it as a guide for your personal study, or better yet, gather with friends and let it spark meaningful discussion. However you use our Bible companions, our prayer is that your understanding deepens as you spend more time in God's Word. Now, if you need help finding our resources, just call us at 1-800-65-Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz, grateful for your company on the Bible bus and your partnership in taking God's whole Word to the whole world.

Speaker Name: He will home. To hear I know. Sin had left the crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

Guest (Male): Our journey on the Bible bus today is supported by the prayers and gifts of fellow passengers as we travel through the Bible.