Hope for Today

Some people think you can deal with God. They believe that if you do an evil deed, then you can do a good deed to offset it. They reason like this: at least make sure that the good you do outweighs the evil you do. Make sure that your life balance is tilted at least a little toward the good side. No, no. That won’t work. It never has worked, and it never will work.

YOU CAN’T BARGAIN WITH GOD. When you begin dealing with God, you are not in the marketplace. You are not in the place to negotiate with God. He has set the terms. Yet many think they can change those terms. They think they will be able to bargain with God. We are considering the Scripture in Exodus 10:1-20 to understand this great principle.

1. And the LORD said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

2. And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.

3. And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

4. Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:             

5. And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remains unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.

6. And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself and went out from Pharaoh.

7. And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, how long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

8. And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?

9. And Moses said, we will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.

10. And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

11. Not so: go now ye that are men and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12. And the LORD said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.

13. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

14. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

15. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

16. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.

17. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

18. And he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.

19. And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.

20. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

It is of first importance that we learn this great truth: you can’t bargain with God. He has set the terms. This Scripture contains three great and sober QUESTIONS, which we shall examine to see that you can’t bargain with God.

The first question is found in verse three,

I. How Long Will You Refuse to Humble Yourself Before Me?

This question tells us that there is an absolute God. When any man faces Him, he better remember this great truth: you can’t bargain with God. This question probes where it hurts because it strikes at the pride of the heart. God stands over and above all men. He stood over and above Pharaoh, but Pharaoh refused to humble himself before God.

The question comes to you and me today, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” That’s the question God asks of you this very moment. That’s the question He asks of every man because He stands over and above every man in the world. Those who raise themselves up against God face this question and its awful consequences. How long will you refuse to humble yourself before God?

There is only one true God. Some people think there are many gods, and you can choose which ever one you want. But I tell you, there is only one true God, and He is asking you the question He asked Pharaoh many years ago: “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?’ Yes, it is a very important question, and it tells us clearly that you cannot bargain with God.

There comes then the second question which is found in verse seven.

II. How Long Shall This Man Be a Snare unto Us?

There is a truth imbedded in this question as well. It comes out very sharply. Evil men often blame the wrong persons. Moses was being blamed for all the problems of Egypt. Pharaoh’s servants said, “He is a snare unto us.” Moses was the target of their question. They did not realize or would not admit that Moses was not to blame at all. Moses was only trying to help them recognize the God of heaven, but they refused to recognize Him.             

Instead of laying the responsibility where it belonged, they laid the responsibility on the man who was not to blame. Even today there are people who blame the wrong person. Evil men today often blame good people for the trials and troubles and conflicts of life. Really, they ought to be searching within themselves.

So, these servants of Pharaoh came to him and said, “How long will this man be a snare unto us?” They should have said, “How long are you going to resist the LORD?” But they did not place the responsibility where it should have been. They laid it on Moses. They thought they would be able, somehow, to make a bargain here.

But listen, you can’t bargain with God. There is no point in blaming the good man or your neighbor for your ills and troubles. You had better examine yourself and carry the responsibility which really is yours. You are, after all, responsible for your own troubles. When you turn your heart to God, you will find that out.

There is a third question located in verse eight.

III. How Many Will Go?

The Bible puts it in these words, “who are they that shall go?” And Moses said we’ll all go! “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go.” Moses was no compromiser. He stood right there and told Pharaoh exactly what he was going to do. He didn’t shift positions. He said, “We are all going.” Pharaoh said, “How many will go?” and Moses said, “We are all going. Everything we have is going along because we are going to hold a feast unto the LORD. We are not making any compromises at all. We are not in a bargaining position, sir.”

Then Pharaoh became angry and retorted, “You are not all going. Only the men will go. That’s all. I’ll let the men go, but I will not let the rest of you go.” And he drove them out of his presence. What a fearful price he paid for his arrogance! He thought he could bargain with the LORD, but he couldn’t. Immediately after his angry response, the locusts came as predicted. Moses went out and stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt. A strong east wind came, and it blew all day and all night, and by morning those locusts had covered the entire land of Egypt and devoured every green shoot that was left.

Wasn’t that an awful price to pay because Pharaoh thought he could bargain with God? When he saw his awful mistake, he called in Moses and Aaron and confessed that he had sinned. But it didn’t last. No, it didn’t last because just as soon as the LORD took those locusts away, Pharaoh turned his heart against God again.

You see, you can’t bargain with God. It is far better not to try. It is far better to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and acknowledge Him as the true God and the only God. When you do, He will be merciful.

He will be merciful right now if you humble yourself. Don’t blame your good neighbor for your problems. Look into your own heart and see your own needs, and don’t try for any compromises. Just come right straight to the LORD God, the God of Israel, the God of Moses, the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ.

Thank you, J. Mark, for this teaching from Exodus, and we thank you for joining us. As Christians, it is a privilege to serve and trust our God. Our God who is above every nation. As His people, it is good for us to remember the important principle in Daniel 4:17. It says, “that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men, and gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.” This verse teaches our sovereign God is over the kingdoms on earth. What happens here among our leaders is known and directed by Him.

Our leaders may be powerful and important or minor and less known, but it is our God who has placed them there, and our God is using them to accomplish His will. I admit we don’t always know how this can be, and when I don’t, I usually tell God I don’t know what this happening or why you are allowing this, but I trust you and pray that your people stay faithful. Be encouraged from this story from Exodus, that our God was in control, and the same God who was in control back then is still in control now.

Do you have any thoughts from today’s teaching? If you want to share them with us, here are a few ways you can contact us. One of the best ways is via email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, no problem, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. While you are there, please check out the listen tab and listen to other teaching. Again, the website is www.heraldsofhope.org.

This brings us to the end of today’s program. Thanks again for being there. Please join us next week for another lesson from Exodus. Go with God this week and know that He is big enough for your circumstance. Trust Him because “The Most High rules in the kingdoms of men.”

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 10:1-20 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

How many gods do you think there are in the world? One, fifty, one hundred, or more? Every religion has its own god, and some have many gods. My friend from Nepal told me that Hinduism has millions of gods and goddesses. The Bible also tells us there are many gods, but more importantly, it tells us there is only ONE true God. The rest are the creations of men.

How does the true God operate? Does He do anything in the world today? Is He concerned about what is going on? Does it make any difference to God what happens here on earth, or can men just go on their own way fashioning their own lives, forging history according to their own whims and fancy, or does God have something to do with the world and its history?

Do you have a problem with the way evil is spreading in the world? Have you ever pondered why this is? Have you wondered why God lets it go on and on? Some people say, “Why doesn’t God do something?”

The subject of my teaching is – GOD USES THE WICKED TO GLORIFY HIM. Do you believe that? Is there any question in your mind about that? A most exciting and interesting portion of God’s Word is Exodus 9:13-35 where we find that God used wicked men to glorify Him.

13. And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

14. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

15. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

16. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

17. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

18. Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.

19. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.

20. He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses:

21. And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

22. And the LORD said unto Moses, stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.

23. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

24. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field and brake every tree of the field.

26. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

27. And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

28. Entreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

29. And Moses said unto him, as soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’S.

30. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.

31. And the flax and the barley were smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.

32. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten: for they were not grown up.

33. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunder and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.

34. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he, and his servants.

35. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

From this text from the Bible, we discover the CONTROLS God placed upon wicked men to bring out His glory. God uses wicked men to glorify Him.

In the First CONTROL you Find

The Intent of God

Notice in verse fourteen what God said. “For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart…that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.” God’s intention was that Pharaoh would be forced to confess that there was no one like God. Many people in the world today believe that they can go on their own way without paying any attention at all to God. But this text tells us that God has a certain intent, and He is working it out.

God said to Pharaoh that He had raised him up so that His power and Name would be declared throughout all the earth. Now that may seem a bit strange to you, but God is in such complete control that even a wicked man like Pharaoh a tool for God’s Name to be declared throughout all the earth. Some people think that God doesn’t know what’s going on. But every person, in some sense, is God’s showcase. God demonstrates His power and glory to and through every person in some way. It may not be clear to us at the moment, but God said that He had raised up Pharaoh in order to declare His Name in all the earth. This teaches us that God is in control, and He has a certain intent that He is working out.

The Second CONTROL I have Called,

The Extent of the Plague

We call this a plague because the Lord said He was going to bring a pestilence upon the people, and it would be worse than any other had been. He said it was going to rain grievous hail – worse than it had ever been before. He said, “such as has not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.”      

There is something else in this text which I believe is very important to our understanding of God’s control—He controls the elements. The God who made the world and separated the earth from the sea and the cloud from the dry land is still in charge. In this particular case, He said He was going to make it rain grievous hail. So, God controls the elements. Certainly, He does!

God warned them to take special precautions because this was going to be worse than it had ever been. This hail would kill people and the cattle in the field. So, God urged them to bring the cattle in. Those who feared the LORD did it, and those who did not fear the LORD didn’t do it. Those who obeyed saved their servants and their cattle, and those who didn’t obey lost them.

Then Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and the hail came. The description is rather awesome. “The LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt…very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” We are also told, “And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field and brake every tree of the field.”

Now it would certainly appear that God goes to the full extent to lead men to Himself so that they might voluntarily glorify Him. It is their free choice whether they want to glorify Him, or not. And here you have the extent of the plague as another control that God has in the affairs of men.

The Final CONTROL I have Called,

The Contempt of Pharaoh

When Pharaoh saw what had happened, he called for Moses and Aaron and acted as though he had repented. I mean, he mocked it. He said, “I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.” And so, he pled that somehow the hail might cease. He said he would let them go, but we have learned that he didn’t mean it.

Moses gave him a futile warning. He said, “Look, I’ll do what you asked me to do. I’ll go out and spread out my hands before heaven, and God will stop the thunder and the rain and the hail. But I know you. I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God. You will not let the people go.” Moses knew that this was really contempt and not really the intention of Pharaoh.

And he made that fearful reversal. Once the hail ceased, the Bible tells us that he sinned yet more and hardened his heart, he, and his servants. Oh, that is very, very serious. But in it all, God was in control. Even this contempt of Pharaoh God would turn to His glory.

Pharaoh had the freedom to stand against God and not accept Him as the true God. He had the right and freedom to do that. But, oh, the result is frightening.

Wicked men glorify God because God is in control. All men someday will acknowledge Him. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess to the glory of God. Some refuse now. Some have refused. Some keep on refusing until terrible judgments are poured out, and others keep on their rebellious way.

I urge you to turn to the true God now. Acknowledge His authority and rule. Don’t be rebellious like Pharaoh. Worship and serve the God of Moses. He is my God and wants to be your God too.

Thank you, J. Mark, for this teaching, and thank you for joining us today; we trust that you have been blessed. It is a blessing to serve a God who is personal and with us; He is Emmanuel.

It reminds me of a line of poetry by Elizabeth Browning. She said, “Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” Do we look for and see God? Can you see Him in normal routine life? He certainly is present, but not everyone sees Him; we must have eyes for Him. Let’s be like Moses and see God. When we do, we will worship Him and share this good news with others, so others see our great God.

As I mentioned before, we would love to hear from you; here are some ways you can connect with us. One of the best ways is via email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, our mailing address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. If you are there, please check out the listen tab and listen to other teaching from Heralds of Hope. On our website, you will also find other resources, and we hope you find these beneficial. Again, the website is www.heraldsofhope.org.

This brings us to the end of today’s program; thanks for being there. Please join us next week as we continue our journey through Exodus. Go with God this week, and we hope you will see Him and respond like the cherubim in Isaiah. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” May we Praise His great Name.

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 9:13-35 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

With conditions as they are in the world, we often wish for assurances. Will things continue as they have in the past, or are there major changes coming? Sometimes when you and I look around us and see all the wars and violence and famines and pestilence, we feel greatly exposed and insecure. Many people all over the world felt that way during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But I am glad to tell you that GOD PRESERVES HIS PEOPLE. Perhaps it does not always appear that way, but it is really true. The Bible gives us this great consolation and truth.

God has not chosen to always keep His people from harm. Some have gone through much suffering for their faith or suffering from some terrible disease. Even now, you may be going through great distress and physical hardship. We believe that God’s love and goodness motivate Him to preserve His own. Even though we may pass through the valley of the shadow of death, we can walk without fear because God is with us. He promised to never leave or forsake us! And He promised to accomplish His work in us through our suffering. That makes the difference, because God will go with you and me through all of our trials and troubles as we trust Him.

The reality of God preserving His people is well demonstrated in the experiences of ancient Israel and ancient Egypt. We are following through the Book of Exodus in these meditations. This message is based on Exodus 9:1-12.

1. Then the LORD said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me.

2. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,

3. Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

4. And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children of Israel’s.

5. And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.

6. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

7. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

8. And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, take to yourself handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

9. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.

10. And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

11. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

12. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

In this Scripture, we see the ACTIONS God took to preserve His people in the land of Egypt.

The First ACTION God Took Was,

The Description of the Coming Event

He sent Moses to Pharaoh to tell him exactly what was going to happen. Once again, Pharaoh was given a chance to choose the way he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. The description is very clear. The LORD said, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still, Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon your cattle.”

When Pharaoh was given the choice, he was also told the outcome. God gave Pharaoh the opportunity to choose. He described for him what was going to happen. If he chose properly, he would have the blessing of God. If he chose improperly, he would have the judgment of God. The outcome was clearly set forth.

He was also told there would be a distinction between the children of Israel and the people of Egypt. God laid it out carefully. Pharaoh could not mistake what God was going to do because it was clearly stated. God was going to make a separation between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt. No cattle that belonged to the children of Israel would die.

Isn’t God gracious? He took the time to make a description so clear to this ancient ruler, Pharaoh. But you know, God does that today in His Book, the Bible. I keep reading from the Bible each week. Yes, God has given a careful description of how we ought to live, and if we don’t live that way, we’ll have to suffer the consequences just like Pharaoh did. He has told us how we can escape the coming judgment, how we can be preserved unto eternal life. So, there is a description here of a coming event. God acts this way to preserve His people.

The Next ACTION God Took Was,

The Infliction of the Promised Event

This action came with exact timing because the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.” God doesn’t have to say, “sometimes I’ll do this, and for certain areas, I’ll do this.” No, He controls all time, so He said exactly the time – tomorrow. Then the LORD did that thing on the next day. The infliction of the promised event came to pass exactly like it was described, exactly like it was predicted. There it was.

The exact territory was stated too. He said He was going to save the cattle of the Israelites from getting the same kind of sickness as the Egyptian cattle. We know that disease under normal conditions does not bother with geographic or political borders. It goes wherever it wants to. But God said He was going to make a distinction. He was going to make a difference. He was going to inflict the promised event upon the people of Egypt but not the children of Israel. Pharaoh didn’t really believe God until he had sent and checked that none of the cattle of the Israelites died.

Be sure you understand that God carries out with exact timing and exact territory the promised event which He said would come to pass. This is the action of God – the infliction of the promised event.

The Final ACTION God Took Was,

The Affliction Upon the Particular People

God had made a specific promise in connection with the disease that was going to strike the cattle. Following that, God made the same promise regarding the people. So, you have an affliction upon the particular people. What was that affliction?

Moses was told to go and get some handfuls of ashes from the furnace and sprinkle them toward heaven, causing boils and ulcers to break out upon man and beast all over the land of Egypt. That is exactly what happened. If you know anything about boils or ulcers, they are extremely painful. They are not something you want to experience.

When Moses did what God had asked him to do, the LORD brought the affliction upon the particular people whom He said would suffer that affliction. Notice that the magicians of Pharaoh’s court were singled out in their particular way, and the boils were upon them and upon all the Egyptians. The magicians and counselors apparently tried to persuade Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go, but Pharaoh would not do it. He would not listen to the LORD. He would not listen to his counselors. Instead, he only hardened his heart more.

Apparently, the affliction should have been worse in order for him to be persuaded. He saw the action of God in the preservation of His people, but Pharaoh still refused to let them go. He would not hearken unto his own men of faith, those whom he had gathered around him for counsel. When they gave him their counsel, he rejected it; he refused to listen.

Pharaoh’s rejection of God’s demands reminds me of the words of Solomon in Proverbs 29:1. “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Pharaoh’s arrogance and pride were going to end in personal tragedy for him and national tragedy for his people. God will humble those who walk in pride!

Throughout the millennia of time, God has always preserved His people, those who truly trust in Him. Today, He does that through their acceptance of the shed blood of Jesus as the only acceptable payment for their sin. By virtue of that faith transaction, they are adopted into His family and become His sons and daughters. By virtue of that same faith, they are kept by the power of God until they ultimately enter His presence and see Him face to face.

Are you one of God’s children? Do you know Him, and does He know you? If so, you can be fully confident in His ability to preserve you to the very end. But what is the key to preservation? The key to preservation is listening carefully to what God says and walking in obedience to His commands. God will demonstrate His power through you to a skeptical and an unbelieving world.

Thank you, Pastor J. Mark, for sharing this with us. Isn’t our God incredible? I like how Isaiah put it, “Behold, the nations are like a drop in the bucket, and are counted as dust on the scales.” In our eyes, nations and politics look big and very important, but to God, kingdoms and nations are very small. And if we look at the big picture, we can understand this.

What happened to Pharoah? Where is Babylon? What about the Greeks and the Romans? Governments come and go; they are “a drop in the bucket.” God’s plan is not threatened by them; He actually uses each of them to accomplish His purposes, He did it with Pharoah, and He does it today. He is the great one, and we humble ourselves in worship before His greatness. 

Blessings to you as you walk with our great God. If you have any questions or if you would like today’s teaching, just ask for it by title or passage. We also have a study guide available designed to help you learn more from each of these lessons in Exodus. It is called the Hope Herald, and if you would like one, we would be happy to send you one.

If you want to contact us for this or for any other reason, here are a few ways you can reach us. Email is a quick and easy way to contact us; our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, feel free to send us a letter. You can send it to Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Another way you can contact us is on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. While you are there, please check out our website for this teaching and other similar teaching. There you will also find other resources we hope you will find helpful. Again, the website is heraldsofhope.org.

Thank you for staying with us till the end; we look forward to being with you again next week as we continue this study in Exodus. Till next time as Paul told the Philippians, “May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” 

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 9:1-12 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

We are honored to be with you today. Each moment we have is a gift from God, and we trust He will bless you as you spend these moments with us. We are Heralds of Hope, and our goal is to use media, like literature, radio, and internet, to make disciples of Jesus Christ to accomplish the great commission in our lifetime. We know this is a big goal, but we believe if God’s people will stay focused, we can do this. 

A listener recently shared this testimony with us. “Your teachings are all inspiring, but this week was very inspiring. Since my wife and I have decided to follow Jesus, we have had to give up our house and job. We are in the process of moving for the second time in four months. Your teachings have helped us to see Jesus as He is in this time of great deception.”

Praise God, Jesus is with this couple, and they are growing in their understanding of Him; this is our goal for every listener. If you would like to share your testimony with us, we would love to hear it. We will share a few ways you can contact us at the end of the program.

Now turn to Exodus, and we will continue our journey through this wonderful book. We hope you will be blessed by this teaching; now, here is Bible teacher J. Mark Horst.

Can you tell the difference between a cow and a horse? What about the difference between a sheep and a goat, or between a camel and a donkey? You say those are stupid questions; of course, there is a difference between a cow and a horse, a sheep and a goat, and a camel and a donkey. Anybody should know that.

People from around the world contact us at Heralds of Hope. They ask questions like these: Tell me how to believe; Tell me more about God; I want you to help me because I am searching for God. Well, if you are searching for God, I want to help you see the difference between the people of God and other people.

Do you think there are no differences in religions? Some people think that. Hopefully, you are not one of them. There are very marked differences in religions, and I want to talk with you about that. From Exodus 8:16-32, we will see THERE IS A DIFFERENCE in religions.

16. And the LORD said unto Moses, say unto Aaron, stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

17. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

18. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

19. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them as the LORD had said.

20. And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh: lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, thus saith the LORD, let my people go, that they may serve me.

21. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

22. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

23. And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.

24. And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

25. And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

26. And Moses said, it is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

27. We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.

28. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.

29. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.

30. And Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.

31. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

32. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

This Scripture shows us there are certain PROOFS of difference among religions. This proof may help to answer some of your questions.

The First Proof is,

The Verdict of the Magician’s Power

The power of the magicians was limited. Up to this point, the magicians of Egypt were able to imitate the things that Moses had done when changing water into blood and bringing up frogs from the river. But this time, when Aaron struck the dust of the earth with his rod, it became crawling lice, and they could not do it. They soberly said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” They admitted that this was beyond their abilities.

Mankind can go only so far with his enchantments or with his sleight of hand tricks. This was beyond the power of the magicians. They were not able to do what Aaron had done in smiting the dust of the earth with his rod and turning it all into crawling lice.

So, they confessed they were not able to go any further. Their verdict was that this was beyond their power. There was a difference between their false religion and the true religion of Jehovah God. It was demonstrated there. Here was proof enough that there was a difference because they could not duplicate God’s power.

Here is the second proof:

The Vindication of God’s People

We learn that God sets His people apart. God does not treat His own people like He treats the wicked. God deals differently with those who trust in Him than He does with others. Here it is so clear that it is difficult for me to see how anybody could be mistaken about it, because He said, “I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell…And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.”

I believe that God still operates that way. There is a difference between those who trust in the Lord and those who do not. I sometimes explain it like this: there is a certain area where the justice of God must operate because in order to be righteous, He must also be just.

Then there is another area where the mercy of God operates because God is merciful and gracious. He could not be just if He were not merciful, you see. He could not be merciful if He were not just. The difference comes in this consideration: you make the choice into which area you come. The people of God were trusting in Him, and He said, “I am going to make a division.” He had purpose in the proof. He said furthermore, “This is the reason I am doing this to the end, that thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.”

Some people think of God as being way out there, unreachable. He is the God out there. But we know He is also the God who is present with His people. Moses showed Pharaoh that God makes a difference between His people and other people because He is in the midst of the earth.

Now you have the third proof that there is a difference:

The Violation of Pharaoh’s Promise

He said, “I will let you go…entreat the Lord for me that these flies leave.” Imagine! All the horrid swarms of flies just simply crawling all over. Now the Bible says the land was corrupted by reason of these swarms of flies everywhere. Flies are filthy disease carriers. So, when the situation got intolerable, then Pharaoh said, “Entreat the LORD, and I will let you go.”

But he did not follow through; he didn’t keep his promise. He hardened his heart again and would not let the people go. I’ve met people like that; they make promises to the Lord when life is difficult and when the situation is hard, but as soon as it is relieved, they forget. Men cannot be trusted. Like Pharaoh, they’re prone to change their mind. But God can be trusted.

There is a difference between unfaithful men and the faithful God. There is a difference, I tell you. There is a difference between the power of the magicians and the power of God. There is a difference between the people of God and the people who are not.

So, the proof is here for you. There is a difference. Human power has its limitations. Man can go so far and no farther. There is a difference between the power of God and the power of men. This is well demonstrated and proven in this text by the magicians who said, “This is the finger of God.” They could go no farther.

Further proof is that God makes a difference between those who belong to Him and those who do not. He put a distinct line between His people and Pharaoh’s people. It reminds me of the words of Abraham when he was pleading for the Lord to spare Sodom. He said, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Remember, too, there is a difference between the unfaithfulness of men and the faithfulness of God. Pharaoh demonstrated and proved it beyond doubt. At one time, he said, “Yes, I’ll let you go,” and as soon as the situation was relieved, he refused to keep his promise. But God doesn’t operate that way. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. Yes, He keeps all of His promises. God can be trusted.

Yes, there is a difference. All religions are not the same. The proof is here for you. Check it out for yourself. Trust in the God who makes the difference.

Thank you, J. Mark, for this teaching, and thank you for joining us today; we trust that you have been blessed. If you have been, we would love to hear how. Our contact information is coming. If you have any questions or comments, we would also love to hear from you. 

It is a blessing to serve a God who is personal and with us; He is Emmanuel. It reminds me of a line of poetry by Elizabeth Browning. She said, “Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” Do we look for and see God? Can you see Him in normal routine life? He certainly is present, but not everyone sees Him; we must have eyes for Him. Let’s be like Moses and see God. When we do, we will worship Him and share this good news with others, so others see our great God.

As I mentioned before, we would love to hear from you; here are some ways you can connect with us. One of the best ways is via email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, our mailing address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. If you are there, please check out the listen tab and listen to other teaching from Heralds of Hope. On our website, you will also find other resources, and we hope you find these beneficial. Again, the website is www.heraldsofhope.org.

This brings us to the end of today’s program; thanks for being there. Please join us next week as we continue our journey through Exodus. Go with God this week, and we hope you will see Him and respond like the cherubim in Isaiah. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” May we Praise His great Name. 

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 8:16-32 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

It is good to have you join us for today’s teaching from Exodus. We hope our study in Exodus will remind you that there is no God like our God. Our God is at work during every time period. I am sure the Hebrew slaves at the beginning of Exodus were wondering, “Where are you, God? Can you hear us? Do our prayers make a difference?” We ask the same questions. “God, do you see? Do my prayers matter?”

The answer for the Israelites is the same as God’s answer to you, which is the answer He always gives His children. It’s a resounding YES. God knows, and God sees. He is involved in the details of His creation. He doesn’t sleep, He’s never on vacation, and His people are special to Him; He cares about us and is with us. It might not seem like it, but the story isn’t over. Just like God showed up for the Israelites in Egypt, we trust Him with our story. We don’t know how it’s going to end, but He does, so we trust Him. 

Thanks again for joining us on Hope for Today. This program is brought to you by Heralds of Hope. We are a small radio ministry serving a great big God. Let’s go with Bible teacher J. Mark to Exodus for today’s teaching.

There are many religions in the world. Are they all the same? The obvious answer is NO. They are too different in their beliefs and practices to be the same or even to originate from the same God.

I believe God has revealed Himself in His Holy Book. I believe there is, in fact, only one Holy Book: the Bible of the Old and New Testaments. And I believe that there is only one true God: the God of the Bible. He is the One who has revealed Himself in His Holy Book.

Do you know God? Have you had any conversation or communion with Him? I want to show you that there is NONE LIKE GOD. That truth is clearly set forth in Exodus 8:1-15.

1. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, thus saith the LORD, let my people go, that they may serve me.

2. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:

3. And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading troughs:

4. And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.

5. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, say unto Aaron, stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.

6. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

7. And the magicians did so with their enchantments and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

8. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.

9. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

10. And he said, tomorrow. And he said, be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.

11. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.

12. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.

13. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.

14. And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.

15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them as the LORD had said.

In this text, we see how God provided OPPORTUNITIES to demonstrate the fact that there is none like God. You can’t find any other religion quite like this in the world. Christianity stands in a unique position among all religions. God provides us in this brief Scripture the opportunities to see how He demonstrated that He is the only true God.

In the first opportunity He gave Pharaoh

The Choice of Obedience

Moses went to Pharaoh and said, “The Lord has said, let my people go that they may serve me.” Then Moses went a bit further and added, “And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your borders with frogs,” God put before Pharaoh the opportunity to make the choice of obedience. His free will was not violated. This way, God proves that He is the only true God.

Moses set before Pharaoh the choice of obedience: you can let God’s people go that they may serve me; or, if you do not let them go, then I will bring frogs upon your land. They will come out of the river in such abundance that they will be in your house; they will be in your bedroom; they will be on your bed; they will be in the house of your servants; they will be in your ovens; they will be in the troughs where you knead your bread dough. They will be everywhere.

The Nile River was normally a source of blessing to the Egyptian people. But if Pharaoh refused to make the choice of obedience, this river would become a curse to them.

God operates that way even today. He provides the choice of obedience to every person because God has made us with the free will to choose. In this message, you are being presented with a choice: the choice of obeying the God who is the true God. No other god is like Him. Just as Pharaoh faced this opportunity with the choice of obedience many years ago, so you are facing that choice now.

Another opportunity that is demonstrated in this Scripture is

The Desire of Entreaty

The frogs came because Moses instructed Aaron to stretch out the rod of God over the streams, rivers, and ponds. Try to imagine how this must have been because frogs are cold-blooded and slimy. Picture throwing back the covers to get into bed, and there are several frogs. You walk out into the next room, and there are frogs. Frogs everywhere. They were in the house, in the bedchamber, in the bed, in the house of his servants and upon the people, in the ovens, and in the kneading troughs.

Suppose you are mixing up bread dough and PLUNK! here comes a frog right in the middle of it. Or you are ready to put the bread in the oven, and OOPS! there goes a frog right into your oven. What a disgusting time it must have been!

It is not surprising that after this, Pharaoh called for Moses and said, “Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.”

Then Moses made a bargain with Pharaoh. He said, “You choose the time.” Notice, the magicians were able to bring up frogs unto the land of Egypt, but they were not able to make them go away. The magicians imitated the miracle, but they could not control the frogs. So, when Pharaoh wanted relief from the frogs, he asked Moses to entreat the LORD.

Moses replied, “Well, when do you want this to happen? You choose the time.” And Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” You would have thought he would have said, “Immediately!” But, no, he was willing to wait overnight, so he said, “Tomorrow is the time.”

Moses answered, “It will be exactly as you have said. The LORD will hear and do exactly like you have spoken. Then you will know that there is none like the Lord our God.” God is able to act within a split second of the exact time which has been set. And He will. Now you have the first two opportunities – the choice of obedience and the desire of entreaty.

The third opportunity is seen in

The Prayer of Moses

“Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.” There was a beautiful opportunity for prayer by the man of God. God hears the prayers of His servants. If you want answers to your prayers, then you must first be in touch and communion with God and serve Him like Moses served Him.

Notice that Moses cried “And the Lord did according to the word of Moses.” I can bear testimony to the fact that when you cry unto the Lord, if you are in touch with Him, He does answer your prayers.

Is there another God like Jehovah God? No, there is not. There is none like Him. That is the point and purpose of this entire experience because Moses said, “You are going to know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.” There are plenty of gods who claim deity and supernatural powers, but they do not perform. They make their proclamations, but they cannot carry them out. So let us praise the Lord that we have the opportunity of praying to a God who hears when we pray in sincerity and in truth.

The incident closes with the picture of what happened when God acted to control the frogs. The frogs died out of the houses and out of the villages and out of the fields, and they gathered them into heaps, and the land really stank. There must have been thousands, perhaps millions, of these frogs everywhere.

Unfortunately, when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, when there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had said he would do. But this experience was to demonstrate that there is no God like the Lord God of the Bible. God gave them opportunities to prove that there is none like Him.

Let me remind you that today you have the choice of obedience, the desire of entreaty, and the opportunity of prayer. These opportunities should convince you to trust in the God of the Bible. He is the God who is above all. There is none like God.

Thank you, Pastor J. Mark, for sharing this with us. Isn’t our God incredible? I like how Isaiah put it, “Behold, the nations are like a drop in the bucket, and are counted as dust on the scales.” In our eyes, nations and politics look big and very important, but to God, kingdoms and nations are very small. And if we look at the big picture, we can understand this.

What happened to Pharoah? Where is Babylon? What about the Greeks and the Romans? Governments come and go; they are “a drop in the bucket.” God’s plan is not threatened by them; He actually uses each of them to accomplish His purposes, He did it with Pharoah, and He does it today. He is the great one, and we humble ourselves in worship before His greatness. 

Blessings to you as you walk with our great God. If you have any questions or if you would like today’s teaching, just ask for it by title or passage. We also have a study guide available designed to help you learn more from each of these lessons in Exodus. It is called the Hope Herald, and if you would like one, we would be happy to send you one.

If you want to contact us for this or for any other reason, here are a few ways you can reach us. Email is a quick and easy way to contact us; our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, feel free to send us a letter. You can send it to Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Another way you can contact us is on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. While you are there, please check out our website for this teaching and other similar teaching. There you will also find other resources we hope you will find helpful. Again, the website is heraldsofhope.org.

Thank you for staying with us till the end; we look forward to being with you again next week as we continue this study in Exodus. Till next time as Paul told the Philippians, “May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” 

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 8:1-15 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

**Read more about The Plague of Frogs.

One great truth of our times we need to keep before us is this, there will be a time of judgment. God has promised and predicted a definite time of judgment. We must remember this as we see the events in our world today. Let me help you grasp this truth as we review an event in the life of the children of Israel. When they were in the land of Egypt many, many years ago, God was preparing to bring them out.

Let us turn to Exodus 7:14-25 to learn some valuable truths regarding the judgment of God when water turned to blood.

14. And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.

15. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

16. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

17. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

18. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.

19. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

20. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

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.

22. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

23. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

24. And all the Egyptians digged round a bout the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

25. And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

This is a very interesting and informative Scripture. I want you to see that the Lord said that Pharaoh was to learn ‘who is God’ by what He was going to do. This account should teach us several valuable TRUTHS regarding the judgment of God when water turned to blood.

First there is,

The Prediction of Judgment.

When God gave us the Bible, He departed from what all other religions do. He spoke to us about impending judgment but also showed us the way to secure mercy. Because God is not willing that any should perish, He always gives a warning. In this case, He was very specific when He sent Moses to Pharaoh and told him exactly what would happen if he did not listen and obey Him. The Bible has many other passages in which this same truth is brought forth.

God sent Moses to Pharaoh to tell him precisely what He was going to do and why. In this way, God is just and also merciful because He does not pour out judgment without first warning people. Here you have the prediction of judgment. And notice the LORD always works toward the goal of all men knowing that He is God. The Bible tells us in other places that the world of nature around us is constantly witnessing to the fact of God. David, in Psalm 19, said that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament makes manifest (shows forth) His creativity. In other words, everywhere we look, there is evidence of God.

Here He is moving to bring Pharaoh to the point where he would confess that the LORD is God. That is the purpose of God in the revelation He has given us in nature and in His Word. That’s why the LORD sent Moses to Pharaoh with a word: a word which He gave him. It is the prediction of judgment. We can take comfort from this because God has told us also of other times of judgment yet to come. For example, “It is appointed unto man once to die; and after that the judgment.” But He has also told us how to escape that coming judgment.

There is another truth which we gather from this text:

The Execution of Judgment.

When God predicts that judgment will come, He carries it out. He does not waver or hesitate. He carries out what He has predicted and what He has assured men He will do. The LORD spoke to Moses and told him that Aaron was to take the rod in his hand and to stretch it out upon the waters of Egypt. God told him what the result would be, and it came to pass. All the waters that were in the river were turned to blood, so the fish that were in the river died, and the river stank. The Egyptians could not drink of the water because it was blood. That would have been an awful experience indeed.

The Nile River normally flows its peaceful way from the south to the north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River is vital to the life in Egypt today, just as it was in the time of Moses. Farmers irrigate their fields from the waters of the Nile, and ships transport their goods from place to place along its banks.

        The Nile was likewise very important in ancient times. We are informed by historians that since the Egyptians in ancient times did not know the source of the Nile, they had felt it was sacred and made it a god. It overflowed its banks every spring. Every time the snows began to melt, and the heavy rains of the wintertime came, the overflow of the Nile provided food and sustenance for the people of Egypt as indeed it does today.

However, God executed judgment upon the people of Egypt, and He turned the water of the Nile into blood. The fish in the river died, and the river stank. The fish were a source of food for them, but God was executing a judgment upon that which they had placed above Him. They had made the Nile a god when only God has the right to occupy a sacred place in the thoughts and hearts of people.

Pharaoh’s response to the prediction of divine judgment forced God to carry it out. Pharaoh would not listen and, therefore, God must do what He said He would do. And He did.

There is a third truth we get from this tremendous experience:

The Imitation of Judgment.

It seems strange to us, perhaps, that the Lord would permit the magicians, the wisemen, the astrologers of Egypt to do with their enchantments exactly as Aaron had done with the rod of God. But sometimes God permits wicked men certain liberties to carry out His purposes. In this case, it was for the express purpose that the final end might be accomplished. In other words, by letting the magicians carry out the same kind of action and turn water into blood, God prepared the heart of Pharaoh even more for His divine judgment.

Notice in this text in verse 25 that the LORD continued this judgment upon the River Nile for seven days so that the people nearly died of thirst because they couldn’t drink the water of the Nile. So they began digging along the banks of the river to find some water fit to drink.

Let us remember the particular reason behind this judgment. God was about to deliver His people, the people of Israel, from Egypt though they had been there for four hundred years. He had promised to the patriarch Abraham that He would do this in due time, and He was now carrying it out.

As we reflect upon this experience in the life of the Children of Israel, we learn some valuable truths regarding the judgment of God. When God predicts judgment, it is a fair warning. Second, God must execute judgment. He must carry out what He has promised in accordance with man’s response to Him. Third, God may permit men to imitate His judgments so that their judgment may be just. Remember, since God has spoken absolutely in His Holy Word, it is of utmost importance that you turn in simple faith and trust to Him and escape His judgment.

Thanks, J. Mark, for teaching us more from Exodus, and thank you for being there. If you would like this teaching or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us; I’ll give you our contact information shortly.

I love how Exodus teaches us that God is in control and He’s at work, He always has been, and He always will be. We can trust Him right now, no matter what we are experiencing. We won’t always understand Him, but we can trust Him. His timing might be different than ours; think about Moses. And He may not do what we think He should be doing; remember what happened to Joseph. However, we have the benefit of looking back at many years of history, and we can see God is Sovereign: His purposes will be accomplished. This is His story, and He is the author.

If you are interested, we have a study guide for Exodus available. It is a small booklet designed to help you learn more from each of these lessons. We call it the Hope Herald, and if you would like one, all you have to do is ask.

Here is how you can connect with us. One of the best ways is via email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, you could send us a letter, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. While you are there, please look around for more teaching like this. On our website, you will also find other resources available from Heralds of Hope. Again, the website is www.Heraldsofhope.org.

Thanks again for joining us for today’s program. I encourage you to join us again next week as we continue our study in Exodus. We look forward to being with you then and will leave you with a verse from I Corinthians 10, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, Do it all for the glory of God!” Blessings to you as you glorify Him.

This episode is an exposition of Exodus 7:14-25 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

Hope does not mean we ignore the conditions around us. Hope means we rise above them. It means to trust in One who controls all the conditions. It was King David who once said, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee.” That’s why I often say there is no hope except in God’s Word and through faith in God.

Moses, preparing to go before Pharaoh, received his final instructions from the Lord in this way, “Do what I tell you.” The Lord had spoken to Moses several times and said to him, “I am the Lord. Speak thou unto Pharoah, king of Egypt, all that I say unto thee.” The final instructions for Moses were to do what God told him.

Let me draw some lessons from that for you. When God has spoken, we have no other recourse than to do what He said, especially if we want the blessing of the LORD. Moses, it seems, needed to learn that truth over and over. Somehow, he was not only slow of speech and slow of tongue, but a bit slow of learning. So are we. It seems we are so slow in learning the great Bible truths, but God is patient. He keeps working with us as He did with Moses.

Exodus 7:1-13 is a very interesting Scripture. It demonstrates to us that YOU CAN’T STOP GOD.

1. And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

2. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he sends the children of Israel out of his land.

3. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

4. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

5. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

6. And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.

7. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh.            

8. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

9. When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.

10. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

11. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

12. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them as the LORD had said.

In this text, we find several different VIEWPOINTS which must bring us to the absolute conclusion that you can’t stop God.

The first viewpoint we have is,

The Promise.

Observe how carefully God arranged everything. I am impressed that God does not leave anything to chance. He knew exactly how He was going to work this out, and so He laid out the arrangement. He said to Moses, “I have made thee a god, and Aaron thy brother is thy prophet. Now then, this is the way it is going to work. I will speak to you; you will speak to Aaron; Aaron will speak to Pharaoh.” Do you get the point? Very clearly and carefully, the Lord had set up what we call “the chain of command.” There could be no variation from this. It was: God Almighty, Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh.

I want you to notice in verse 2 that God said, “You will speak all that I command you. You’ll say everything I tell you to say.” That is so important. Many people today take exception to some of the things the Lord has said and reason around them. But Moses was instructed by the LORD that there was no way that he could leave anything out. “You shall speak all that I have spoken.”

Notice also that the LORD promised that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that He would be able to multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. We’ll see in a minute why God did that. But there is a promise. He had it all arranged for them so that there would be complete assurance that it would work. You can’t stop God. When He steps out to do this or that, He will do what He has promised. He will do it.

As we look further, we see,

The Plan.

First, He was going to harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not listen. He said He was going to do that so that He could lay His hand upon Egypt and bring forth His people. God outlined this very carefully so that there could be no question about what the purpose was. We must remember that God didn’t violate Pharaoh’s choices. God only hardened Pharaoh’s heart after Pharaoh had already done that by his own will.

God didn’t harden Pharaoh just for the sake of hardening his heart, but He hardened him so He could judge him, and finally, all the Egyptians would know who God is. Look at the first clause in verse 5, “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” The actions of God always have Divine purpose undergirding them.

God’s purpose is to honor His Name and to display His glory so there can be no question about who He is and the extent of His power. He said, “They are going to know when I have stretched forth my hand and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.” There will be no question as to who God is.

No, you can’t stop God when His promise is so clearly set forth and when His plan is so carefully laid out. Sadly, too many people have yet to learn this lesson. They think they can be successful in frustrating or defeating God’s plans. They will find out to their own hurt, just like Pharaoh did, that they are powerless before Almighty God.

This leads to the third viewpoint:

The Promotion.

How was God going to carry out His purpose? He made the promise; He laid out the plan; now, how is He going to promote this? God said to Moses and Aaron, “When you go to speak to Pharaoh, and he asks you to show a miracle, then you will take the rod and cast it down before Pharaoh.” Moses would use the rod of God as a tool in God’s promotion of His power.

Earlier in the book of Exodus, when God first came to Moses there in the desert of Mt. Sinai, He asked him, “What is in your hand?” It was a rod. The LORD had said, “You are going to do great and marvelous and wonderful things with this rod.” Then he was to say to Aaron, “Take this rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a snake.” He did what God said, and immediately, it became a snake.

So, Pharaoh called in all his magicians, and they duplicated the miracle. They threw their rods on the ground, and their rods became snakes, too. I’m not sure how helpful that was, but keep in mind that the LORD was hardening Pharaoh’s heart. In this way, God could stretch out His hand with many signs and wonders. The magicians most likely did not have this power in themselves, but God, in keeping with His plan, purpose, and promotion, permitted their rods to become snakes.

What happened? Aaron’s snake swallowed all the other snakes. That implied a greater power was at work in this unusual miracle. Now you would think in that situation, Pharaoh should have believed – but he refused.

There are similar evidences all about us. We can see the hand of God in history. Men have tried to stop God but to no avail. We also see the hand of God in the present. Just like He did with Pharaoh, He sometimes uses the vilest of leaders to accomplish His purposes. And they are now aware of what is happening. We sometimes wonder how much more proof God would have to bring in order for everybody everywhere to accept Him.

God said, “They shall know that I am the LORD.” Do you know Him? I know, it’s easy to think about your neighbor, or about some other person, but the question comes to you. Do you know the LORD? If you don’t, reach out to Him today! He wants you to know Him.

Thanks, J. Mark, for teaching us more from Exodus, and thank you for being there. If you would like this teaching or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us; I’ll give you our contact information shortly.

I love how Exodus teaches us that God is in control and He’s at work, He always has been, and He always will be. We can trust Him right now, no matter what we are experiencing. We won’t always understand Him, but we can trust Him. His timing might be different than ours; think about Moses. And He may not do what we think He should be doing; remember what happened to Joseph. However, we have the benefit of looking back at many years of history, and we can see God is Sovereign: His purposes will be accomplished. This is His story, and He is the author.

If you are interested, we have a study guide for Exodus available. It is a small booklet designed to help you learn more from each of these lessons. We call it the Hope Herald, and if you would like one, all you have to do is ask.

Here is how you can connect with us. One of the best ways is via email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, you could send us a letter, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. While you are there, please look around for more teaching like this. On our website, you will also find other resources available from Heralds of Hope. Again, the website is www.Heraldsofhope.org.

Thanks again for joining us for today’s program. I encourage you to join us again next week as we continue our study in Exodus. We look forward to being with you then and will leave you with a verse from I Corinthians 10, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, Do it all for the glory of God!” Blessings to you as you glorify Him.

This episode is an exposition of Exodus 7:1-13 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.

From our study of the history of God’s people, we can learn many foundational truths. But one of them is sure, GOD DOES NOT FORGET! Men may forget, but never God. When He seems to have forgotten, it is because it takes time to work out His purposes. He is surely working behind the scenes.

This truth is illustrated in the Scripture, Exodus 6:1-13. We base our thoughts on this text.

1. 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.

2. And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:

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.

4. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

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.

6. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments:

7. And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

8. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.

9. And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

10. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

11. Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

12. And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

13. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Immediately before this reminder, Moses had complained to God that nothing was happening in the fulfillment of his call. No deliverance was in sight! Yet, in this text, we find several PROOFS which will surely convince us that God does not forget. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. His promises are not like papers to be disregarded or treaties to be broken.

In the first proof to Moses, God stated,

The Appeal to Remembrance.

God recalls the history of how He had come to the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These are the patriarchal fathers, the progenitors, the fathers of the Hebrew people. They lived long before Moses’ time. God said, “I appeared unto them by the name of El Shaddai, God the Almighty,” but as the Redeemer God, He had not come to them. Here He is telling Moses that “this is how I am going to be known from now on.” Jehovah, as defined and described in this text, means that He is the Redeemer.

So, there was the appearance of God to the fathers and the appointment of the land. God said, “I have made my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan.” That was the land in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were strangers. Their pilgrimages took them across the land from one part to the other. They had no permanent dwelling place in the land that God said He was giving to them. Now to Moses, the Lord appeals to His remembrance. He has not forgotten this agreement He made with the people of Israel and, indeed, with their fathers that the land would belong to the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob.

He further appeals to the covenant, “I have remembered my covenant.” The memory of the covenant grew out of the fact that the people of Israel were enduring great suffering. He said, “I have heard the groanings of the children of Israel, and I have come now to deliver them.” God never forgets.

Our redemption also grows out of God hearing our groanings under the burden of our sin. That’s why He sent Jesus to be our Deliverer. He rescued us from our bondage to the power of sin and set us free to worship and serve Him. We are the beneficiaries of the New Covenant, which was ratified by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

In the second proof God set forth,

The Proposal of Redemption.

The Lord referred to redemption as He was talking with Moses. Observe closely the various aspects of this redemption. He said, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians; I will rid you out of their bondage; I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”

One aspect of redemption is very clearly demonstrated here; it is deliverance. God said He is going to take the children of Israel out of Egypt, deliver them from the bondage, and bring them out with an outstretched arm. Deliverance from sin is a very important part of our redemption through Jesus Christ. The deliverance from Egypt was a type or shadow of the deliverance we experience when we place our faith in Jesus for salvation.

Another part of redemption is the distinction that it brought to the people of Israel. God said He would take them to Himself for a people, and He would be to them a God. That is a particular distinctive role that no other people of the earth have ever been called to fill in quite the same way.

Today, all Believers, according to I Peter 2:9, are “a chosen people, a holy nation, proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The Bible makes it clear in many places. However, the distinctive role of the people of Israel throughout the generations is one to which no other people have been called.

Redemption also has in it a determination because God said He would do what He had sworn to Abraham to do. Redemption means that God is going to carry out that which He has determined to do. The Lord said, “I am going to fulfill that which I have sworn to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then He said, “I will give it to you for a heritage, I am the LORD.”

So, we can depend upon this proposal of redemption because the Lord is who He is. If God were a man, then we couldn’t depend upon it. But since He is not a man, He does not forget what He has purposed to do.

There is a third proof which reveals,

The Progress of Reaction.

Moses spoke to the children of Israel in harmony with what God had said to him. But they would not listen to him because they had great anguish of spirit. They were under cruel bondage. God had spoken of a time to come, but the people could not hear that because the present was too difficult to bear.

Here is Moses’ reaction. He came to God and said, “I told you that would be the situation. I’ve gone in unto the children of Israel, and they have not listened to me. So, what can I do by going to Pharaoh?” Moses might have reminded the Lord that he had said that very thing when he was in the back side of the desert of Sinai. But God insisted; He would not take “no” for an answer. He would not permit Moses to evade his calling. Instead, the Lord said again, very emphatically, that He was surely going to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. He gave Moses and Aaron the charge to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh king that He was going to bring them out of Egypt so they could worship Him.

God always has the last word. It is clearly presented in the Bible. So, you now have the progress of reaction from the people to Moses to God. Once again, we see clearly that what God has promised He will surely do. There can be no doubt about that in our minds.

Here then, are the proofs that God does not forget: His appeal to remembrance, His proposal of redemption, and the progress of reaction. These truths are still valid today. You, too, can find in them proofs that God does not forget you.

Thanks, J. Mark, for teaching us more from Exodus, and thank you for being there. If you would like this teaching or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us; I’ll give you our information shortly.

I love how Exodus teaches us that God is in control and He’s at work, He always has been, and He always will be. We can trust Him right now, no matter what we are experiencing. We won’t always understand Him, but we can trust Him. His timing might be different than ours; think about Moses. And He may not do what we think He should be doing; remember what happened to Joseph. However, we have the benefit of looking back at many years of history, and we can see God is Sovereign: His purposes will be accomplished. This is His story, and He is the author.

If you are interested, we have a study guide for Exodus available. It is a small booklet designed to help you learn more from each of these lessons. We call it the Hope Herald, and if you would like one, all you have to do is ask.

Here is how you can connect with us. One of the best ways is via email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, you could send us a letter, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. While you are there, please look around for more teaching like this. On our website, you will also find other resources available from Heralds of Hope. Again, the website is www.Heraldsofhope.org.

Thanks again for joining us for today’s program. I encourage you to join us again next week as we continue our study in Exodus. We look forward to being with you then and will leave you with a verse from I Corinthians 10, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God!” Blessings to you as you glorify Him.

This episode is an exposition of Exodus 6:1-13 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.