Women’s core bible study – the book of john

Wednesday October 31, 2012 Exodus 9:13 – 10:29 I. Who Are the Warrior Kings?
A. Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.” 1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) 2. “And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) “And God said to him [Abraham], ‘Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.’” (Genesis 17:4) 3. “For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.” (Exodus 9:15); “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39) 4. “Then the I AM said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of
his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the I AM.’” (Exodus 10:1-2) 1. Son of Amon-Re, the supreme deity, the god who created himself and all things. “The rising sun reaffirmed the life-giving power of Amon-Re. Sunset represented death and the underworld, but the rise of Amon-Re offered the hope of resurrection. For the Egyptians, it was matter of faith that the eternally rising sun could never be destroyed.” (Ryken, p. 304) 2. Personification of universal order, the maintainer of Ma’at a. Ma’at – cosmic balance, “Egypt’s very ideas of creation, order, and harmony in the b. When a person died, their heart was weighed against the feather of truth and righteousness (Ma’at) “Even in death there had to be harmony, stability, and order.” (Currid, p. 118) c. “Every Pharaoh had the obligation to reestablish and reaffirm Ma’at upon accession to the 3. “The Egyptians believed that Pharaoh’s heart was the foundation of their society and the source
of all human progress. Thus they considered Pharaoh to be their god, and Pharaoh agreed…by setting himself against Israel, Pharaoh was setting himself against God. He was exalting himself to the place of deity.” (Ryken, p. 280) II. The Third Great Battle Begins or “Pharaoh will spend approximately eight of the most
dreadful weeks he has ever known.” (Longman, p. 414)
A. Battle 3, Part 1, Hail – “He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?”
1. Who is in charge: 9:16 “God has caused you to stand” – You are standing before me in my court, 2. God gives 24 hours’ notice 3. The Expected Morning Forecast a. The Delta (where the Israelites were in Lower Egypt) receives an average of 10 inches of Wednesday October 31, 2012 Exodus 9:13 – 10:29 b. Upper Egypt usually gets only one inch or more each year, and many years no precipitation c. Late storms occur in late spring or early autumn, not November to March 4. “The Way We Do Things” – livestock were usually left out of doors from January on
5. The Heart Test (Will you believe me or what you know?): “Now therefore send, get your
livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.: (Exodus 9:19) a. Believers: “Then whoever feared the word of the I AM among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses. (Exodus 9:20) b. Unbelievers: literally in verse 21 – “they did not set their hearts on God’s word” (Ryken, p. a. The word kol (all, everything) is used 5X to emphasize the range of devastation b. 9:23 “and the I AM sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth (literally: “and fire c. 9:24 “there was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail (literally: fire taking a. 9:25 “The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree in the field.” (literally: smashed every tree) [Enns] b. Flax – no linen garments for the priests; Barley – no beer, horse feed, or poor man’s bread a. Those in Egypt who believed God’s word were spared b. Wheat and spelt were young plants and should have been destroyed, but were not harmed. c. 9:33 “So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the I AM, and the thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.” d. 9:26 “Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.” B. Battle 3, Part 2, Locusts – “Before them the land is like a garden of Eden, behind them, a desert
waste – nothing escapes them.” (Joel 2:3b) 1. 10:3b The Heart Test Part 1: ‘Thus says the I AM, the God of the Hebrews, “How long will
you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may serve me.” 2. God gives 24 hours to repent
3. 10:7 The Heart Test Part 2: “Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be
a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the I AM their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” a. “He assumed that he and God were on more or less equal terms, and therefore he could negotiate from a position of strength. But there would be no compromise. God does not discuss terms; he dictates them. What he demanded in this case was nothing less than Pharaoh’s unconditional surrender.” (Ryken, p. 298) b. He assumed that it was enough to bargain for the men of Israel and leave the families behind Wednesday October 31, 2012 Exodus 9:13 – 10:29 1) God was gathering a people, a community, not just men 2) Worship is for the whole family (2 Chronicles 7:4-10; Ezra 10:1-5; Nehemiah 8:1-8) a. 10:5 literally: And they shall cover the eye of the ground” – all the ground will be covered so b. 10:14-15 Total Devastation - “The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” c. Wheat and spelt destroyed – now there is the potential for famine, starvation, economic and 10:18-19 “So he [Moses] went out from Pharaoh pleaded with the I AM. And the I AM turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.” C. Battle 3, Part 3, Utter Darkness – “Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the I AM is
coming. It is close at hand – a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.” (Joel 2:1b-2a); “Will not the day of the I AM be darkness, not light – pitch dark, without a ray of brightness?” (Amos 5:20) 1. Three days of darkness so overwhelming it can be felt – the only other time this word is used in the Old Testament in in Judges 16:26 when blind Samson asks to feel the pillars of the Philistine temple (Currid, p.225) 2. The Heart Test: God has shown what Pharaoh’s heart and all of Egypt’s hearts really look like –
darkness and heaviness. There is no Ma’at in this man. There are no super men, or unconquerable powers before the face of a Holy God; only God remains. 3. Pharaoh is still bargaining – take the kids, but leave the livestock 4. God’s Judgment a. Pharaoh and Amon-Re are defeated. The hope that all things are okay, that death can be conquered, that chaos can be held at bay – these things that made Egyptian life safe and secure, are undone in three days. The I AM prevents Amon-Re from shining and being worshiped. He cannot rise and give life. “His realm is death, judgment, and hopelessness.” (Currid, p. 225) b. “The plague of darkness proved God’s absolute power over creation. God can unmake what he has made.” (Ryken, p. 307) Egypt has become chaos. c. Pharaoh kicks out the only person (Moses), on pain of death, who could bring him into the 10:23b “But all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” Wednesday October 31, 2012 Exodus 9:13 – 10:29 III. The I AM Reveals His Heart
A. The I AM shows Egypt and Israel His uniqueness and His omnipotence 1. God could have wiped Egypt off the face of the earth 2. Pharaoh is only on the throne because God allows it 3. Devastation will only fall on those whom He is judging 4. The I AM is the total ruler over all creation B. The I AM warns the undeserving/offers opportunities for repentance to the undeserving C. The I AM shows mercy even in His judgment D. The I AM desires to reveal Himself to the nations – not just the people of Israel, but they are the first of a great people of God that He will call from many nations 1. 9:16”But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be 2. The Gibeonites say to Joshua: “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the I AM your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt.” (Joshua 9:9 – although they are lying about how far they have traveled out of fear of Israel) 3. The Philistines say in 1 Samuel 4:7b-8 when the ark is brought to the soldiers’ camp, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.” 4. Israel delivered from Egypt is intended to proclaim God to the nations. Out of Israel will come the greatest king, Christ, and “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there in no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11b-13) IV. The I AM is in a covenant relationship with His people
A. The Heart Test: As His covenant community, Israel is tasked with telling God’s great story to
children and grandchildren “how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the I AM.” (Exodus 10:2b) 1. Deuteronomy 6:20-25 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the I AM our God has commanded you’? Then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the I AM brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the I AM showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give our fathers. And the I AM commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the I AM our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the I AM our God, as he has commanded us.” 2. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 “For you are a people holy to the I AM your God. The I AM your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the I AM set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the I AM loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the I AM has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Wednesday October 31, 2012 Exodus 9:13 – 10:29 B. “The Exodus was not just any old story; it was the story, the story that shaped the Israelites into the people of God. It was the story of their salvation. It was a true story, a story based on the facts of history. It was a story that explained everything the children of God needed to know. It explained who they were: the people of God, delivered from slavery. It explained who God was: the Lord God of Israel, the God of all power and glory. It explained where they came from: out of Egypt. It told them where they were going: into the land of promise. And it explained what their purpose was: They were saved for God’s glory.” (Ryken, p. 294) C. God offers a Heart Test with a Promise
1. Deuteronomy 10:16 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer 2. Jeremiah 31:31-33 “Behold, the days are coming, declared the I AM, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the I AM. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the I AM: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 3. Through Christ, their story is our story, and He offers us in the new covenant a Heart Test with
a promise: Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am
gentle and lowly I heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.
Wednesday October 31, 2012 Exodus 9:13 – 10:29 Bibliography
Currid, John D., Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 1997. Currid, John D., Exodus, Volume 1, Chapters 1-18, Enns, Peter, The NIV Application Commentary - Exodus, Grispen, W. H., Bible Student’s Commentary – Exodus, Longman III, Tremper, and David E. Garland., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Gen-Lev, revised ed., Ryken, Philip Graham, Preaching the Word, Exodus – Saved for God’s Glory, Wells, Bruce, with John H. Walton, general editor, Zondervan Illustrated Backgrounds Commentary,
Questions for Further Thought:
A. How serious were Pharaoh’s confessions of sin?
B. Like the story of the Exodus, we who are in Christ have a great rescue story, and we are commanded to
tell it (Matthew 28:18-20). How is Exodus our story? How is Exodus shaping you? Discuss the many ways we can tell our story of rescue and redemption.

Source: http://www.newlife-pca.com/files/womensbiblestudy/Exodus_Lecture_7.pdf