God doesn’t need us, He wants us
God didn’t need Moses. God could have talked to pharaoh directly, in a dream, through an angel, through an animal, through another person.
God didn’t need Pharaoh or his permission. God could have taken his people out of Egypt in a moment, He could have destroyed all the Egyptians, sent other armies to wipe them out, sent a plague and just opened the earth and swallowed them up.
God definitely didn’t need the magicians, except maybe for some comic relief.
What God wanted was to reveal Himself to us, all of us, the Hebrews, the Egyptians, all the nations then and all the people now including you and me. God wanted us to know that He was more powerful than any Egyptian god. If they want to worship 8700 different gods, He would go head to head with their top 10. Here is a great diagram of the 10 Egyptian gods that God defeats in the 10 plagues. God didn’t want to just tell us that He was greater. He wasn’t out to brag or boast. He simply is greater and gave us the real life proof of His mighty hand.
But, I do have to admit, the magicians are my favorite part of the story. They remind me so much of people today who try to disclaim God. God turns the rivers of the Nile river (not a bucket of water, but the entire Nile river) to blood. There is a horrible stench. There is no water to drink. So what do the magicians do? They turn more water to blood. Just what they need – more water turned into blood. Next come the frogs. Frogs are everywhere, in their clothes, in their food, on them. So they turn to the magicians and what do they conjure up? More frogs. Just what they need!!! How thankful do you think the Egyptians must have been when the Magicians failed to produce yet more gnats?
But God shows that He is totally in control. Not only does he deliver the frogs, but he takes them away. This is true of every plague and every sign. Moses’ hand turns leprous and then is healed. The rod turns into a snake and then back into a staff. God actively controls all. He allowed the magicians to add to his punishment of Egypt and to be a part of hardening Pharaoh’s heart, but He did not allow them to take away anything that He ordained.
God is all powerful. It is by His love and grace that He blesses us by allowing us to be a part of revealing His glory to others.
My Answers:
5.
| The LORD | Moses/Aaron | Magicians | Pharaoh |
| You will know that I am the LORD, strike water/changed to blood, fish die, river stink, Egyptians won’t drink | Did just as the LORD had commanded, in the presence of Pharaoh and officials, blood, dead fish, stink can’t drink | Did the same things by their secret art | Heart became hard, would not listen to Moses/Aaron, turned and went into his palace, did not take this to heart. Egyptians suffered. |
| Let people go, if refuse: Plague of frogs, everywhere.Made frogs die when Moses prayed | Obeyed, stretched out hand over water, frogs came up and covered the land.Kept promise to Pharaoh of when to pray. | Did the same by their secret art, also made frogs come up on the land | Summoned M/A, pray to take away and I will let people go.But when he saw there was relief his heart hardened and he would not listen. |
| Told: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground and through Egypt the dust will become gnats | Obeyed – there were gnats | Tried, but could not produce gnats | Said, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen (as the LORD had said) |
6.
a.
This is what the LORD says
b.
Because it was God talking, not Moses
c.
God’s word is the word of God, not the men who wrote it down.
The Notes are Good 