In the last session, I explained God called Moses to save the Israelites, showed him evidences of being with him, and sent him to Egypt. Now, Moses was to go before Pharaoh, convey God’s command of setting them free and allowing them to serve Him, and bring them out of Egypt. From a physical perspective, this was impossible. It was very unlikely that Pharaoh would listen to Moses’ words.
Moreover, Moses was of the Hebrews or the people of Israel who were enslaved in Egypt. He committed a crime and ran away from Egypt. He was a mere shepherd tending his sheep. There was no way Pharaoh would listen to him. Back then, by enslaving the Israelites, Egypt was enjoying many benefits, setting up huge structures and farming without labor costs. Even if Moses demanded, Pharaoh had no reason to give up his rule over the people, let alone benefits from their hard labor.
Requested Pharaoh to give up the Israelites would be considered insane or rude, so it was highly likely that Moses would be killed. But, God gave Moses this promise so that he could boldly go before Pharaoh. “Certainly I will be with you.” Namely, God assured him that He would be with him, guarantee his words, and let him manifest His power. In doing so, God certifies that Moses’ commands were not words of his own but they came from God, the LORD of hosts.
For Moses who was concerned about his lack of eloquence, God thoughtfully set up his brother Aaron who spoke fluently as his prophet. Relying on God’s promise, Moses departed for Egypt. Subsequently, he performed God’s power a lot, finally bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.
Today, we’ll go over the works of power Moses performed and delve into their spiritual meaning. I pray in our Lord’s name that this message will help you put trust in the almighty God and fully accomplish Father God’s providence through confessions and deeds of faith.
Arriving in Egypt, Moses met the elder of Israel and notified them that God heard their cry and that he was sent to save them from their afflictions. God showed them various signs as the evidence. Who would’ve believed him merely through his words? That’s why God demonstrated the evidences of His being with him.
As the Israelites heard Moses’ words and witnessed the signs, they thanked God for considering them and worshipped Him. They were excited about leaving Egypt and heading for the new place. However, things didn’t go smoothly as they expected. As Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh, conveyed God’s command, and demanded that he set the Israelites free, Pharaoh rejected it just as they were worried.
The Bible says, But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)
Saying this, he imposed harder labor them. Other verses say, So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, 7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.” (Exodus 5:6-9) The Israelites faced harsher labor and they got beaten for not satisfying the quota.
Because they heard that God considered them, they expected Pharaoh to liberate them right away. But as they faced severer hardships, they were deeply disappointed. Even though Moses talked about God’s promise, as they faced harsher reality, they didn’t believe him. Rather, they complained that they suffered even more because of Moses. (Throughout Manmin’s history, there have been many cases where people heard of God’s covenants and rejoiced, expecting that they would be fulfilled right away and soon began to complain. And, they ended up losing faith.)
Brothers and sisters, the Bible says, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” If we have faith, we can just believe in His promise. If He says He’s given us, we can just believe it and act with faith. Then, the way will be opened when the time comes. Even though the situation seems miserable right now, God says we’re prosperous because He’s with us. He says like, “Even though your situation seems miserable, you’re being prosperous. Because there’s Father God’s will and providence in it, things will turn out to be prosperous.
Once God has said something, He’ll surely do it. He never changes His heart and has no craftiness like men. Once He decides to do something, no one can stop Him ever. If we obey with faith and show deeds, it will be fulfilled for sure.
Because the Israelites heard of God’s promise and witnessed the evidences manifested through Moses, they should’ve kept their faith no matter what. While they expected the promised to be fulfilled immediately, they faced harsher reality. Disappointed, they distrusted Moses whom they had believed to be their leader. This indicates what their faith was like at the time.
They had little knowledge about God. All they knew about God was that He appeared to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and that He would save them from Egypt and lead them into Canaan. If compared to today’s believers, they were mere novice believer who just started attending church. Knowing their level of faith, God didn’t blame them. He began to manifest His works through Moses. They were the famous Ten Plagues in Egypt.
Until Pharaoh obeyed God’s command and let the Israelites go, God inflicted the Ten Plagues upon his entire nation one by one. It started with minor ones. As they refused to repent after suffering minor plagues, the plagues intensified leading them to death after all. I hope that you won’t consider this message just their story of Exodus but think that it all relates to you. This message doesn’t just apply during the Exodus but until the time God’s redeeming work, the human cultivation is over.
The First Plague was the Plague of Blood. As Moses stroke the water with his staff, all the water in the Nile turned to blood. The fish in it died and the stench from water permeated throughout the nation. The Egyptians urgently had to dig wells to get drinkable water. After Moses brought down the plague, the Egyptian magicians did the same.
From the fact that the magicians also turned water to blood, you shouldn’t be misconceived that the enemy devil can perform power. Power belongs to God alone. Then, how could the magicians and sorcerers turn their staff into serpents, turn the water into blood, and make flogs come up?
In the ancient societies were magicians and sorcerers that worshipped supernatural things and they performed sacrifices before idols. They used tricks and hypnosis, told fortunes by inspirations from evil spirits, and cursed people. Years ago, in Korea were also people possessed by demons and dancing on the sharp blades of straw cutter. But, the Egyptian magicians could imitate only the first two plagues. As Pharaoh saw his magicians turning water into blood, he hardened his heart and didn’t listen to Moses.
So, the Second Plague was inflicted. As Moses warned, countless flogs came up from the river and swarmed the entire nation. Gross-looking flogs filled the streets and they went into their houses, on their beds, and even into their kneading bowls. Tormented by swarms of flogs all over the place, Pharaoh finally called Moses and promised that if he removed the flogs, he would let the Israelites go. Moses affirmed that the flogs would disappear from the following day and it happened according to his word.
The Bible says, But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:15) As soon as he was relieved of that trouble, he changed his mind and insisted on holding the Israelites. We’ve seen many of such cases throughout the history of Manmin. There were people who said, “Senior Pastor, if I’m healed of this, I’ll work faithfully for His kingdom and diligently attend services. They made such earnest confession and got healed. But not long after that they left.
After Jesus healed the ten lepers, only one of them came back and glorified God. It’s the same. They led a fervent Christian life for some time but gradually lost their fervor and thanksgiving and say that living a Christian life is difficult. God healed them and allowed them to meet Him so that they would lead a good Christian life and enter heaven. God didn’t heal them to see them leaving Him and walking towards hell again. But many people change their heart after they receive blessings, become the head, or find peace in their life.
Thus, we should quickly cast off this change of heart. God already knew Pharaoh would change his mind. Plagues continued until Pharaoh obeyed God’s command. The third plague was the Plague of Gnats. As Moses commanded Aaron to strike the dust of the earth with his staff, all the dust turned into gnats and they were on men and beasts.
Dust that is lifeless and useless turned into animated gnats that feed on the blood of animals causing itchiness and inflammations. The Egyptian magicians tried to imitate them but failed. Turning the dust of the earth into animated gnat is the area that only belongs to God the Creator. A work of creation which is possible only with God was beyond their ability.
Even with highly advanced medicine and science, man cannot revive a dead person or create something out of nothing, which is the area that only belongs to the Creator. Once a person’s optic nerves die and he becomes blind, his dead nerves cannot revive no matter how advanced medicine has become.
It cannot make a person with ruptured eardrums hear well. It cannot do anything with tissues or cells that have become degenerated or bones that have been bent for 10 or 20 years. The same goes for paralyzed body parts. Until they become stiff, we can try massage or medication. But once they’ve become completely stiff and degenerated, we’re helpless. But God is not.
So, the Egyptian magicians confessed to Pharaoh that they weren’t capable of doing such a work and that it was the power of God. Namely, even the magicians acknowledged God saying that it was possible only by God. Nevertheless, Pharaoh didn’t relent, so Egypt continually got stricken with plagues.
Even today, such astounding works of creations possible only with God are taking place at this church on numerous occasions. A person’s leg was lengthened, and degenerated bones were relaxed and made people walk. And the blind, the mute and the deaf began to see, speak, and hear through prayer with the handkerchief of power. Such works; reviving the dead, signs, and wonders are the area that only belongs to God.
The fourth plague was the Plague of Flies. Swarms of dirty flies filled the palace of Pharaoh and his servants’ houses as well as his people’s houses. It would be unpleasant to see a fly conveying all kinds of germs hovering over our food. How disgusted and distressed you’d be to see numerous flies around you. Pharaoh called Moses and promised to let the Israelites go if he removed all the flies, but as the flies were gone, he again didn’t keep his word.
Consequently, the Plagues of Pestilence and Boils were inflicted and tormented livestock as well as people in all over Egypt. Even after all these plagues, Pharaoh didn’t relent. As the seventh plague, hail, thunder, and lightning was sent down from heaven, ruining all the fields and killing animals and people that were outside.
Even the crops that survived this plague of hails all disappeared by the next plague, the Plague of Locusts. As these horrible plagues continually stroke the nation, Pharaoh said like, “I’ll let them go if you stop the hail, if you remove the locusts.” But once the plagues stopped, he changed his mind. Due to Pharaoh’s such hardened heart, Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky. Then, light disappeared from all the land of Egypt. For three days, there was no light from the sun and the moon. Due to thick darkness over the land, they couldn’t see one another. Neither could they go out of their houses. It was the Plague of Darkness.
Brothers and sisters, we’re now talking about the plagues inflicted on Egypt thousands of years ago. Through this, we have to be reminded that the great power of the almighty God was manifested on all over Egypt through a man of God, Moses. It was the power of God.
Another thing we need to realize is that God had the ten plagues recorded in the Bible to notify us of why people face disasters and how they can escape from their afflictions. The plagues represent all kinds of afflictions facing mankind today. As the Bible says, “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified,” spiritually, Egypt signifies the world filled with sins and evil. Just as Pharaoh opposed God and suffered the plagues, people who dwell in sins in this evil world are tormented with various tribulations, and they’re all included in the Ten Plagues.
Let us briefly go over the spiritual meanings of the Ten Plagues. During the Plague of Blood, people suffered from shortages of drinkable water, one of the essentials in life. So, it concerns minor troubles happening in our everyday life, in our families or workplaces. As for the Plague of Flogs, flogs are an abominable reptile as mentioned in the Old Testament and they signify Satan spiritually. The Plague of Flogs refers to a situation where your life is under Satan’s work in all aspects; your family, workplace, etc. As Satan works and causes disorder, you find your life unbearable.
The Plagues of Gnats refers to a situation where insignificant matters like dust, things which had been lying dormant, suddenly magnifies into a big trouble causing you a lot of agony and distress. For example, trivial things between brothers or a husband and a wife can lead to a fierce fight. Up to the level of the Plague of Gnats, you can escape from troubles right away if you repent. (and turn from your ways)
But, from the Plague of Flies and above, you have to repent thoroughly because you’ve built up a pretty high wall of sins. Flies form around dirty places and convey diseases flying here and there. Spiritually, people convey evil words originating from their dirty hearts, which becomes a snare to them. As a result, their children, spouses, workplaces, etc suffer from diseases or disasters.
Even while they continually suffer from such plagues, if they don’t turn from ways, they get stricken by greater ones, like the plagues of pestilence, boils, hails, locusts and so on. The plagues intensify.