??Do you remember from our last lesson what message Moses and his brother Aaron took to the king of Egypt？“The God of Israel says, Let my people go!”
??Do you remember Pharaoh’s proud answer？“No!”
??Would you want to have to go back again and again to give the same message, knowing you would get the same answer？That’s what Moses and Aaron were commanded by the Lord to do.
??So let’s you and I quietly follow Moses and Aaron as they once again enter Pharaoh’s throne room in that splendid Egyptian palace. Let’s state the message along with Aaron, for he is the speaker：??“The God of Israel says, Let my people go!”
??“Show me a miracle, ”Pharaoh demanded. The Bible says, in Exodus 7：10, “and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent (or snake).” Imagine that snake slithering around on the palace floor. Would you and I have run away？But what is this？Pharaoh called for his wise men and magicians, and the Bible tells us that they were also able, by the power of Satan, God’s enemy, to bring forth snakes. So now there were many snakes on the palace floor! But look at what is happening now! Aaron’s snake quickly swallows up all their snakes! What does that tell us？Our God is more powerful than Satan and all his tricks!
??There is no God in all the earth like our powerful God! He is the One Who created all things by the word of His power. He is the God of Israel, and the God Who made you and loves you very much.
??And He is the God Who caused Aaron’s snake to swallow those other snakes. But Pharaoh was so proud, and still refused to let the people of Israel go. God knew this would happen. The next morning God sent Moses to the bank of the Nile River where He knew Pharaoh would be stranding. Moses told Pharaoh that because he had not listened to the true and living God, the waters of the Nile River would be turned into blood.
??It happened just as God said. The Bible tells us in Exodus 7：21, “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.” In other words, wherever the people of Egypt had a pot or jar of water, they suddenly found blood in it instead. For seven days this plague was upon Egypt. But Pharaoh still said no to God.
??God sent more plagues. He had a plan long before Moses went to Egypt, and God was simply carrying out His plan. Next, God sent a plague of frogs. There were frogs in the bread and frogs in the bed! Everyone’s bread and everyone’s bed.
??Then God sent great clouds of gnats that tormented both the people and the animals. Pharaoh kept hardening his heart and saying no to God. God wanted Pharaoh to see His power and believe on Him. God could have just taken His people of Israel out of Egypt without Pharaoh’s permission. But what did God say？Let’s read it in Exodus 8：22…God said He was doing all these things so that Pharaoh
??“may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.” Pharaoh’s pride kept him from believing and obeying the Lord.
??God sent swarms of flies, a terrible disease upon the cattle and horses, and other livestock. One special thing God also began to do was to separate the Egyptians from the Hebrews. God spared His chosen people from the plagues, but the Egyptians continued to suffer. After the disease upon the livestock, came unbearably painful boils on the Egyptian people and on their animals. Then came the most frightening hail storm ever recorded in the history of Egypt：fire even ran along the ground during this storm and the huge balls of hail broke down trees, and ruined the crops that were coming up. Still Pharaoh hardened his heart. God then sent locusts that ate up every thing the hail had not destroyed! Boys and girls, can you understand what destruction Egypt was going through？It seems Pharaoh finally understood, for Exodus 10：16 says, “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.” Oh! It sounds like Pharaoh is humbling his heart before the Lord! It is sad that Pharaoh was really lying, for he changed his mind quickly after that.
??But what IF he had really meant it when he confessed his sin？God would have shown wonderful forgiveness and grace to Pharaoh and his people. After all, every day God is forgiving people all over the world for all kinds of wrong things they think, and say and do. All people have sinned and all have the same dreadful punishment awaiting them：forever being away from God. But God says He is not willing that ANY should perish, and that is why He sent His Son Jesus to endure the suffering and punishment for our sin. I John 4：14 says, “...the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” When Jesus was nailed to the cross long ago, He was taking all the sin of the world upon Him. When He died and rose from the dead, He became the One Who could save us from our sin and take us to Heaven forever. What a great and everlasting blessing that will be for those who truly confess their sin and believe on the Lord Jesus! But Pharaoh was not truly confessing his sin. He was lying, for he did not let God’s people go.
??God then sent a plague of thick darkness that kept the people of Egypt from even rising from their beds for 3 days. They couldn’t see anything! This was the ninth plague God had sent upon Egypt!
??Over and over again God tells us in His Word His reason for all these plagues. He could have just wiped Egypt off the map! But He kept demonstrating His power so that Pharaoh and all of Egypt could understand that their gods were nothing, and turn to believe in the true and living God, so He could save them. What stood in the way of God being able to save them？PRIDE. Pride was causing their hearts to be harder and harder.
??Because of pride, Pharaoh and the Egyptians were missing the wonderful blessings of knowing the true and living God. But they were not missing His plagues! And the worst one is yet to come. But when it comes, you can be sure that Pharaoh WILL let God’s people go! What plague could have finally changed Pharaoh’s mind？Well, you’ll have to wait til next time, or you could read ahead in Exodus chapter 11 and 12!
??你还记得在我们上一次的圣经故事中，摩西和他的哥哥亚伦把什么样的信息带给埃及的法老吗？??他们告诉法老：“以色列的神这样说：‘容我的百姓去’。你还记得吗？埃及法老骄傲地回答说：“不行。”如果你知道你每一次都得到一样的答案，你还会不会一次又一次地，不厌其烦地回去说同样的话呢？可这就是神命令摩西和亚伦做的。让我们赶快跟着摩西和亚伦，当他们又一次进到埃及法老华丽的王宫里。
??亚伦对法老说：“以色列的神这样说：‘容我的百姓去’。”法老要求说：“你们行件奇事给我看看吧，”圣经在出埃及记第7章第10节说：“亚伦把杖丢在法老和他的臣仆面前，杖就变成了蛇。”想想那滑溜溜的蛇在王宫的地上乱爬，我们都得吓跑了。可是，这是什么？法老召了博士和术士来，圣经告诉我们，这些行法术的人靠着神的敌人撒但的能力，他们的杖也变成了蛇。现在，王宫的地上爬了很多的蛇。发生了什么事？亚伦的杖所变成的蛇吞了他们的蛇。这告诉我们什么呢？我们的神比撒但和他的法术更有能力！
??在世上没有别的神像我们这位大有能力的神！他用他口中所说的话创造了宇宙万有。他是以色列的神，他也是创造了你，并爱你的神。是我们的神使亚伦的杖所变成的蛇吞了其它的蛇。但是法老心里刚硬，仍然拒绝让以色列的的百姓去。这些事神早就知道会发生。第二天，神让摩西到尼罗河边，神知道法老要到水边去。摩西告诉法老，因为他没有听从这位又真又活的神，尼罗河的水要变作血。事情正像神所说的发生了。圣经在出埃及记第7章第21节说：“河里的鱼死了，河也腥臭了，埃及人就不能吃这河里的水，埃及遍地都有了血。”也就是说埃及人的水壶，水罐，水缸里的水都忽然变成血。这个灾难共有七天，但法老仍然对神说“不行”。
??神又使更多的灾难发生在埃及。早在摩西回到埃及以前，神就有他的计划，他现在正在一步步实行他的计划。神又使埃及发生了青蛙之灾。青蛙上到每一个人的面盆里，跳到面包上，甚至上到每一个人的床上。
??神又使虱子生出来，在人身上和牲畜身上都有了虱子，使他们很痛苦。可是法老心里刚硬，仍然对神说“不行。”神要让法老看到他的能力，相信他。他也可以不经法老同意而把以色列人带出埃及。但神说什么？出埃及记第8章第22节说：神说他做这一切，好叫法老知道我是天下的神。而法老的骄傲使他不能相信和顺服神。
??神又让成群的苍蝇败坏了埃及。他还使瘟疫降到牛群、羊群和牲畜的身上。神还开始把以色列人和埃及人分开。神使他的百姓不受灾害，但埃及人却在受痛苦。瘟疫的灾过后，埃及人和他们的牲畜身上，都起了疼痛难忍的疮。然后，又发生了埃及有始以来最重的冰雹，有火闪到地上，冰雹与火搀杂，很可怕。冰雹击打了田间所有的人和牲畜，还有蔬菜，又打坏了田间一切的树木。但法老的心仍然刚硬。
??神又使蝗虫吃那凡是冰雹所剩的和田间所长的一切树木。小朋友们，你能想象埃及在经历何其可怕的毁坏吗？好像法老终于明白了。出埃及记第10章第16节说：“于是法老急忙召了摩西、亚伦来，说：“我得罪耶和华你们的神，又得罪了你们。看起来法老在神面前谦卑下来。令人难过的是法老其实在骗人，因为他的心马上又变挂了。
??那么，当法老承认他的罪的时候，有没有可能他是真心的呢？如果是那样，神就会原谅他，施恩给法老和他的百姓。每一天，神都在原谅世人各种各样的罪，不管是说的，想的，还是做出来的。世上的人都犯了罪，都有同样的惩罚在等待着他们：那就是与神永远的分离。但神说他不愿意让任何一个人灭亡。这就是为什么他让他的儿子主耶稣为我们的罪受痛苦，受了惩罚。约翰一书第4章第14节说：父差子作世人的救主。许久以前，当主耶稣被钉在十字架上的时候，他背负了世上所有的罪。他死了，又从死里复活，他把我们从罪中拯救出来，又要带我们到天上和他永远在一起。那些真正承认自己的罪，相信主耶稣的人要接受多么大的福气啊！但是法老并没有真正承认他的罪。他在骗人，因为他还是不让神的百姓走。??
??然后，神又使极大的黑暗降到埃及。 三天之久，人连床都不敢起来。 他们什么也看不见。这是神在埃及降下的第九个灾。
??一次又一次神在他的话语中告诉我们他降这些灾的原因。他实在是可以把埃及完全毁灭掉，使你在地图上再也找不到这个国家。但是神一直在显示他的能力，他愿意法老和他的埃及百姓能够认识到：他们自己所供奉的神实在什么也不是，而转向这位又真又活的神，并相信他，使他能拯救他们。但是谁阻挡了神拯救的路呢？是骄傲。骄傲使他们的心变得越来越刚硬。
??因为骄傲，法老和他的埃及百姓失去了因为相信这位又真又活的神而带来的极大的祝福。但是他们并没有逃过神所降的灾难。最厉害的灾难还没有来到。 当它来的时候，你相信法老一定会让神的百姓走的。是什么样的灾难终于使法老改变了态度呢？我们要等到下一次再说。或者你可以先读一下出埃及记第11和12章。 |