THÈ KING’S BUSINESS
342
to Pharaoh and Moses, and he complained to Jehovah. Their failure was that they forgot the certificated promises and to prac tice the patience of hope. “They believed’’ yet they fainted. Enduring faith is the grace we need. “Be not moved away from the .hope of the gospel which ye have heard.” Col, 1:23.
they but the fears,,the passions, and appe tites, and guilt of the flesh: pride, ambition, avarice, love of self, vanity; the competi tion, rivalry, demands and vain promise of the world. IV. T he C omplaints of the P eople . They complained bitterly and fruitlessly
LESSON V. — August 3. — T he P lagues oe E gypt .— Ps. 105:23-36. G olden T ext : He that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth him self shall be exalted. —Matt. 23:12. I. T he L esson T ext .
words like his miracles are supernatural and Divine. Moses through Aaron; God through the prophet. 2. The Outlook of Providence. God meets no surprises. He knew the course and conquest of the conflict. He told Moses, and the Word tells us, the vicissi tudes, the ebb and flow of the campaign, we should never be surprised or disheart ened at reverses, or doubtful of the tri umphant issue (John 14:29). IV. T he C ourse of the C onflict . 1. A “Sign” Demanded. “Signs” belong to the Gospel, not to the law. “Signs” can not make duty more sure. Conscience cer tifies character and conduct. He who will not do right without the goad of a miracle deserves all that Pharaoh got, and more. But God concedes to perverse sinners even in this (Exod. 10:18-20) and Aaron did the “sign”; the magicians did the same; so Pharaoh held on his way. False miracles deceive and encourage error and unbelief today. 2 . ' The Ten Strokes. . (1) The “plagues” (save the real blood) were familiar in Egypt, in kind but not in degree. A “red Nile” (like blood) due to a minute plant infesting the waters; frogs abounding; gnats (“lice”) torturing man and beast; “swarms” (“flies,” beetles) an noying them; locusts clouding the skies and devastating the crops; the “Khamsin,” an electric hot-wind, magnetizing and suspend ing in the air the blinding sands (causing “darkness that might be felt”) ; these and deadly pestilence, Egyptians well knew.
Psalm 10S is a national ode celebrating Israel’s rise, rescue and establishment for this end “to observe His statutes and to keep His laws.” This is the reason for the existence of ¿very people and Egypt’s fail ure to meet it was its ruin. Verses 23-26 cover Exodus 1:1-6:30, which we have studied; verses 27-36 cover Exolus 7-11, today’s study, including the account of the conflict between Jehovah and Pharaoh. This first conflict between Christ and anti-christ foreshadows the last (Rev. 6:1-20:15), in which blood, fire, hail, frogs, locusts, boils, and death punish the oppressor and Israel again emerges -gloriously redeemed (Rev. 11:1, 2; 14:1-3; 21, 22). II. T he C rux of the C onflict . 1. Negative. It was not the question of Israel’s release. That was incidental. Sal vation is for God’s glory. 2. Positive. It was the question : “Who is. Jehovah?” (Exod. 5:2), the answer to which must involve : What He is. The answer to these questions justified and ne cessitated the miracles of judgment and mercy, and the inspiration of the account of the campaign, for the enlightenment of all ages. III. I ncidental P oints of I mportance . 1. The Office of Prophet. Moses was as God to Aaron and to Pharaoh (Exod. 4: 16; 7:1). Aaron was as prophet to Moses (as God) and to Pharaoh. As prophet Aaron did the “signs” and spoke the words (Exod. 7:10, 19). We see that a prophet’s
Made with FlippingBook HTML5