26 February, 2019, PSC Cafe Connecting Group
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+5-11
Potential Discussion Questions:-
We have seen judgement on unrepentant people groups in Noah's time (Genesis 6-7), Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), Sodam & Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29). And now again judgment is coming on Egyptians.
The commonality between the people groups in the judgments, reported in the book of Genesis, and the Egyptians here is that all these people went far far away from God and His righteous ways, without repenting in due time.
(There were judgments on individuals too, such as Cain - Genesis 4)
Be assured / do not be mistaken - days of evil entities are always numbered and God will hold everyone accountable for their respective evil act. A lot of people in this world do not get this!
(For "How and when does God bring judgement in TODAY's time?", see below on "the ten plagues" )
Here we see God's people suffering, persecuted, and under severe bondage / oppression. Apparently so severe, that Moses wonders if they are dead under the cruelty of Pharaoh (Exodus 4:18).
In the broad sense, we also are always suffering and are in some kind of bondage / oppression (say, of some spiritual kind) here on earth in our earthly bodies, since the days of "The Fall (Genesis 3)". First of all, we are all under the severe curse of the "The Fall" (Genesis 3), from which we are all seeking freedom.
Then, in this world, there is something called "bondage to sin", which separates one from God:-
Galatians 4:8 "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ". Galatians 4:3 “In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world” . 2 Peter 2:19b “For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved”. Romans 6:6 “that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin”
So bad is bondage to sin, that Jesus says in Matthew 5:29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. "
In short, bondage to sin leads a person to eternal hell! That's how bad the bondage to sin on earth is. Jesus came to free a person from this bondage so that one can escape the punishment of hell and rather have eternal life.
Then there is oppression that Satan and his army brings on people (Ephesians 6), in form of "spiritual warfare". When we walk in sin, we give Satan foothold in our lives (Ephesians 4:27). Revelation 12:9:- " ... that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray ..". 2 Corinthians 4:4:- "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. "
Paul encourages us in Romans 8:19-22, as we seek freedom from all our sufferings and bondages / oppression (i.e., as in Revelation 21:4 "... there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain ... "):- "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. "
The enslaved Israelities could not save themselves and needed a Saviour, and so do people who are under the curse of the Fall and under the bondage to sin.
Anyone who would look at the enslaved Israelities would feel very sorry for them. Maybe that is why God got angry with Moses, when Moses tried to refuse God's (Exodus 4:13) call for him to lead Israelities out of bondage. God may have been like "these people need big help immediately and you are saying no??". God may have felt the same when Jonah tried to run away from his calling. Anyways, when we look around and see sea of people under the bondage to sin, we should feel much more sorry and concerned than one would feel about the the enslaved Israelities. Because people under the bondage to sin are headed to eternal hell. Like God called Moses to partner with Him in redeeming the enslaved Israelities, God is calling the Christians to partner with him in redeeming the world. The call is recorded in the Bible as "The Great Commission" (Matthew 28:16-20).
Moses / Aaron symbolizes Church today, called to preach the Gospel as per "The Great Commission" (Matthew 28:16-20).
Pharoah & his people represent unsaved people, today, who are also heavily influenced by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Gods of Egypt represent all those false gods and idols that people worship today. For some "money" or "social status" could be an idol.
Ten plagues symbolize judgement that is to come on unrepentant. God gives a person time to repent, but not unlimited time. Even today, you never know how and when God can judge someone because of their unrepentant sin(s). Apart from this we know for sure two extremely severe judgments are coming on the unrepentant:- (1) The Great Tribulation, (2) The final Judgement.
Apart from the fact that his heart was hardened, Pharaoh may have thought that the God of Moses is powerless as for such a long time Egyptians had enslaved and mistreated God's people, but they kept prospering and nobody judged them for that in all this time till now! Many unrepentant souls think the same way today ...
God brought judgement on Pharaoh not just so that Pharaoh may release the enslaved Israelites. But also, so that Pharoah and His people may know who really God of Moses is, as a Lord of all. The judgments were also on all the gods of Egypt (what do these gods represent today?).
Exodus 12:12: "I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt”,
Exodus 18:11: "I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”,
Exodus 9:14: "... so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. ",
Exodus 9:29: "... so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s ",
Exodus 9:27: " ... The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. "
MISC
There maybe some truth in that (For instance, Heqet is a goddess from times of ancient Egypt associated with fertility and was frog headed, and frog was also associated with fertility. In this light, why is frog chosen here as a plague creature among all other creatures? It is also claimed that frogs appeared in large number along the Nile at certain time of the year). But it is not entirely clear to me.