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??Do you remember from our last lesson what message Moses and his brother Aaron took to the king of Egypt？“The God of Israel says, Let my people go!”
??Do you remember Pharaoh’s proud answer？“No!”
??Would you want to have to go back again and again to give the same message, knowing you would get the same answer？That’s what Moses and Aaron were commanded by the Lord to do.
??So let’s you and I quietly follow Moses and Aaron as they once again enter Pharaoh’s throne room in that splendid Egyptian palace. Let’s state the message along with Aaron, for he is the speaker：??“The God of Israel says, Let my people go!”
??“Show me a miracle, ”Pharaoh demanded. The Bible says, in Exodus 7：10, “and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent (or snake).” Imagine that snake slithering around on the palace floor. Would you and I have run away？But what is this？Pharaoh called for his wise men and magicians, and the Bible tells us that they were also able, by the power of Satan, God’s enemy, to bring forth snakes. So now there were many snakes on the palace floor! But look at what is happening now! Aaron’s snake quickly swallows up all their snakes! What does that tell us？Our God is more powerful than Satan and all his tricks!
??There is no God in all the earth like our powerful God! He is the One Who created all things by the word of His power. He is the God of Israel, and the God Who made you and loves you very much.
??And He is the God Who caused Aaron’s snake to swallow those other snakes. But Pharaoh was so proud, and still refused to let the people of Israel go. God knew this would happen. The next morning God sent Moses to the bank of the Nile River where He knew Pharaoh would be stranding. Moses told Pharaoh that because he had not listened to the true and living God, the waters of the Nile River would be turned into blood.
??It happened just as God said. The Bible tells us in Exodus 7：21, “And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.” In other words, wherever the people of Egypt had a pot or jar of water, they suddenly found blood in it instead. For seven days this plague was upon Egypt. But Pharaoh still said no to God.
??God sent more plagues. He had a plan long before Moses went to Egypt, and God was simply carrying out His plan. Next, God sent a plague of frogs. There were frogs in the bread and frogs in the bed! Everyone’s bread and everyone’s bed.
??Then God sent great clouds of gnats that tormented both the people and the animals. Pharaoh kept hardening his heart and saying no to God. God wanted Pharaoh to see His power and believe on Him. God could have just taken His people of Israel out of Egypt without Pharaoh’s permission. But what did God say？Let’s read it in Exodus 8：22…God said He was doing all these things so that Pharaoh
??“may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.” Pharaoh’s pride kept him from believing and obeying the Lord.
??God sent swarms of flies, a terrible disease upon the cattle and horses, and other livestock. One special thing God also began to do was to separate the Egyptians from the Hebrews. God spared His chosen people from the plagues, but the Egyptians continued to suffer. After the disease upon the livestock, came unbearably painful boils on the Egyptian people and on their animals. Then came the most frightening hail storm ever recorded in the history of Egypt：fire even ran along the ground during this storm and the huge balls of hail broke down trees, and ruined the crops that were coming up. Still Pharaoh hardened his heart. God then sent locusts that ate up every thing the hail had not destroyed! Boys and girls, can you understand what destruction Egypt was going through？It seems Pharaoh finally understood, for Exodus 10：16 says, “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.” Oh! It sounds like Pharaoh is humbling his heart before the Lord! It is sad that Pharaoh was really lying, for he changed his mind quickly after that.
??But what IF he had really meant it when he confessed his sin？God would have shown wonderful forgiveness and grace to Pharaoh and his people. After all, every day God is forgiving people all over the world for all kinds of wrong things they think, and say and do. All people have sinned and all have the same dreadful punishment awaiting them：forever being away from God. But God says He is not willing that ANY should perish, and that is why He sent His Son Jesus to endure the suffering and punishment for our sin. I John 4：14 says, “...the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” When Jesus was nailed to the cross long ago, He was taking all the sin of the world upon Him. When He died and rose from the dead, He became the One Who could save us from our sin and take us to Heaven forever. What a great and everlasting blessing that will be for those who truly confess their sin and believe on the Lord Jesus! But Pharaoh was not truly confessing his sin. He was lying, for he did not let God’s people go.
??God then sent a plague of thick darkness that kept the people of Egypt from even rising from their beds for 3 days. They couldn’t see anything! This was the ninth plague God had sent upon Egypt!
??Over and over again God tells us in His Word His reason for all these plagues. He could have just wiped Egypt off the map! But He kept demonstrating His power so that Pharaoh and all of Egypt could understand that their gods were nothing, and turn to believe in the true and living God, so He could save them. What stood in the way of God being able to save them？PRIDE. Pride was causing their hearts to be harder and harder.
??Because of pride, Pharaoh and the Egyptians were missing the wonderful blessings of knowing the true and living God. But they were not missing His plagues! And the worst one is yet to come. But when it comes, you can be sure that Pharaoh WILL let God’s people go! What plague could have finally changed Pharaoh’s mind？Well, you’ll have to wait til next time, or you could read ahead in Exodus chapter 11 and 12!
