Bible Discussion — Exodus 5-8

June 13, 2007, 12:00 pm; posted by
Filed under Bible, Chloe, David, Josh J, MC-B, Steve, Tom  | 3 Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next four chapters of the Bible, Exodus 5-8.

Previously in Exodus: 1-4

The book of Genesis:
1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18-2 | 19-22 | 23-26 | 27-29
30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
Moses begins the work of freeing God’s people from Egypt. His list of abilities clearly marks him as one of the Two Witnesses that will return in Revelation 11:6, along with Elijah, who can withhold rain from the Earth.

Steve:
Here comes the showdown between Moses and Pharaoh, whom he may or may not have known from his childhood. Whether he did or not, the Israelites must not have been doing a great job of honoring the Lord, if Pharaoh had never heard of Him.

MC-B:
Only four plagues this time? Historical revisionists have their tendrils everywhere.

Or perhaps it’s yet another cliffhanger.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
It is not until the plague of flies that it is specifically mentioned that Goshen is not subject to the same treatment as the rest of Egypt.

Steve:
Moses invited Pharaoh to ‘accept the honor‘ of declaring when Moses would petition God to relieve Egypt of the plague of frogs. A nice touch, that.

Tom:
Sorcerers laugh at blood rivers and armies of frogs, but lice are serious business.

David:
Moses had not circumcised his lips either. Fortunately he confessed it here, avoiding another complication at some inn down the road.

Chloe:
God makes Moses as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron as Moses’ prophet. This makes Pharaoh’s actions that much more severe and heartless.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Tom: Snake Stick
Steve: He Fall, Hanoch Pallu, Smitten With Frogs
David: Elzaphan
MC-B: Uncircumcised Lips
Chloe, Josh: Faltering Lips
Josh: Frogs in the Palace

 
STORY IT REMINDS YOU OF:
Chloe:
The Israelites’ actions throughout the chronicles of their nation. Despite God’s faithfulness in ridding Egypt of His various plagues, Pharaoh never stands up to his part of the bargain. In the same way, God heals the Israelites of a disease, rids them of a military threat, gives them land or rain, etc., and yet they turn around and walk away from Him and the covenant.

Tom:
Working in swamps for a few years, I can tell you that there are times when 8:31 can seem like the greatest verse in the Bible.

MC-B:
Pharaoh reminds me of that guy who doesn’t want to fix his roof while it’s raining because he’ll get wet, but doesn’t fix it when its not raining because there’s no problem anymore. Thank goodness that plague’s over!

David:
I read an article several years ago that methodically explained each plague and how they were all merely coincidences where the river was poisoned by algae, which led to dead fish, frogs, flies, etc. It is ridiculous to explain away God’s miracles after the fact by presenting them as coincidental occurrences that allowed the Israelites to escape.

 
DEEP THEOLOGICAL MEANING:
Steve:
I’ve read a few heavy-handed Calvinist teachings that seek to use this section to prove predestination. Look, they say, God planned to harden Pharaoh’s heart, so we can infer he’s not averse to destining certain men to hell!

Well, sometimes it says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and sometimes it says Pharaoh hardened his heart, but most of the time it just says his heart grew hard, without any specific attribution. All Christians believe God is in ultimate control of the universe, and if He exists outside time, He knows the outcome whether he specifically ordains it or not. I don’t read this passage as a proof text.

David:
God keeps his promises in His own way.

MC-B:
Pharaoh hardens his heart several times against God’s leading. It seems crazy; who could ignore all of these clear signs? It’s amazing how hard-hearted we can become against sin or injustice when it is convenient for us, or when it is far removed and impersonal. Hopefully it doesn’t take the loss of our firstborn sons to convince us of a need to change.

 
RANDOM THOUGHT:
David:
Pharaoh’s enchanters copied some of Moses’ destructive plagues. “Oh, you want to turn our river to blood! We can do that too! Plague us with frogs, will you? We can do that too!” Thus they helped destroy their own country, for a while, anyway.

MC-B:
Flies, lice and frogs don’t seem as effective at instilling fear as the water-into-blood thing (and later on, the boils, etc.) God brings out the best stuff first and last . . . sort of like a concert.

Tom:
The deliverance from the plague of frogs was almost as bad as the plague itself.

Chloe:
God effectively abolished Moses’ longstanding excuse for not obeying God’s calling when He called Aaron to speak to the Israelites in his place.

Josh:
During the plagues of blood and frogs, Pharaoh was unimpressed with God because the Egyptian magicians could seemingly perform the same things. Personally I would have been far more impressed with the magicians if they could have reversed the original problem rather than producing more blood and frogs. Gee, thanks, guys!

Steve:
Moses and Aaron were in their eighties by the time they went before Pharaoh. How bad was Moses’ speech impediment for him to be so hesitant at such an advanced age?

 
WHERE IS JESUS IN THIS PASSAGE:
Tom:
6:5.

Steve:
The ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise, the only One who could ever truly free, rescue and redeem His people.

David:
Waiting in line. First God’s written word (the law) was revealed; after that, his spoken word (the prophets); then the Living Word himself would appear. Jesus would confer together on the mountaintop with the two previous witnesses who stand for the Law and the Prophets (Moses and Elijah), and then in the end times they will be brought together again, that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses,” every word will be established.

 
VERSE TO REMEMBER:
Tom:
6:8 — “‘And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'”

Steve, Josh:
6:6 — “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.'”

MC-B:
6:1 — “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.'”

David:
6:7 — “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”

 
PORTION YOU WOULD MOST LIKE EXPLAINED IN HEAVEN:
Tom:
How did Pharaoh’s sorcerers make blood and frogs?

Chloe:
What about the plague of gnats was unrepeatable for the Egyptian magicians?

Steve:
How did the wise men and sorcerers of Egypt match the rod-into-serpent miracle? And given the impact of the frog plague, why did they bother to match it?

David:
The whole staff/snake thing. How did they copy it? Trickery? Magic?

MC-B:
What, exactly, did the magicians and those types do to turn rods into snakes without the power of God? Was Pharaoh just stupid/blind?

Josh:
If God’s original intention was to lead His people out of Egypt and into a new land, why start with the seemingly false premise of a three-day journey for a festival of sacrifices?

 
LESSON TO TAKE AWAY:
Steve:
The Israelites heard the word of the Lord from Moses, but it says they did not heed it because of their “anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.” Often the effect of our circumstances can keep us back from the freedom that is our inheritance; just like the Israelites, we need a true encounter with the power of God.

Josh:
When Moses first promises freedom to the Israelites, they do not listen because they are discouraged by their bondage (6:9). God wants to speak powerful freedom into our lives, but Satan will often try to discourage us by reminding us of the bondage we come from. Listen to the voice of hope.

MC-B:
As Johnny Cash said, you can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’ll cut you down. He’s coming for you, Pharaoh!

Tom:
If at first you don’t succeed, try again, and again, and again.

 
GENERAL RESPONSE TO THE PASSAGE:
Josh:
Pharaoh is an easy target in these passages, but I can definitely see some of him in myself. There have been times in desperate situations that I have cried out to God and tried to strike a deal, only to forget my promises when things became easier for me.

Steve:
It’s hard to imagine being your garden-variety Egyptian during this time. You get up one morning to a red river full of dead, stinking fish and undrinkable water. Things calm down, but then a week later, you’re covered in frogs — until they die the next day, and you’re forced to shovel them out of your homes into reeking heaps. Next comes the infestation of lice, followed shortly by swarms of flies. Life was hard enough back then; this must have been unthinkable.

 
CONCLUSION:
David:
God will never forget a promise nor forsake His people.


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3 Comments to “Bible Discussion — Exodus 5-8”

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