The Plagues Continue Part 4 Series

The Story of Moses : Exodus 10

The Plagues Continue (Part 4)

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

05-25–2025

Intro

Over the past month, we have been studying God’s response to Pharaoh’s taunt:

“Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:1-2)

For 400 years, the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. We began our story of Moses with the Pharaoh attempting to kill the Jewish baby boys. The Egyptians were the original anti-semites. But that was 3,000 years ago. Aren’t you glad things have changed? Or have they?

On Wednesday of this past week, young Jewish diplomats gathered in Washington DC for an event hosted by the American Jewish counsel.

As Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, left the event, they were approached by Elias Rodriguez, who had been seen pacing outside the event earlier in the night.

He shot both of them, and even shot Sarah again as she tried to crawl away. He went inside the building and told the security guard what he had done. As he was taken into custody, people heard him yelling, “Free Palestine!”

Yaron bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose to Sarah when they traveled to Jerusalem next week.

Why were they targeted? Simply because they were Jewish. Not much has changed in 3,000 years.

Review

Over a period of nine months, the Egyptians had seen the Nile turn to blood, been inundated with frogs, been stung by gnats, been harassed by flies, lost their livestock to the plague, been infected with boils on their skin, and endured the most violent hailstorm in the history of their country.

They had cried out to their gods in vain. They were terrified of what could come next. But Pharaoh didn’t care. His heart was hard as stone.

Because of this, three more plagues would come upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. And these three plagues would show them, once and for all, that God was the only God and He alone was worthy to be worshipped.

Please turn with me to Exodus 10.

Prayer

Plague 8: Locust

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.” (V1-2)

God again tells Moses to approach Pharaoh. Moses and Aaron no longer show any fear or hesitation but boldly approach the most powerful man in the world.

God tells Moses that the plagues serve a dual purpose.

For the Egyptians, these plagues would be like hammer blows on an anvil. They would reveal the powerlessness of their so called gods and show the futility of opposing Yahweh.

But for the Israelites, it would be something to be remembered and passed down to their children and grandchildren.

“Dealt harshly” can be translated as “make a mockery of.” God took on Pharaoh and made a fool of him.

All throughout the Old Testament, God tells the Israelites to remember what He had done and to tell their children.

They were to recited the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Duet 6:4-9)

The Psalmist wrote:

“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.   I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” (Psalm 78:1-7)

Often, after God intervened and provided for them in miraculous ways, the Hebrews would stack up stones as a memorial. When the children passed that way and saw these stones piled up, they would ask their parents what it meant and they would tell them the story of God’s faithfulness.