079 - Plague #1: There Will Be Blood

You pick up your Bible. One is more here than meets the is there something here for me.

I mean it's just words printed on paper right it may look like just print on the page but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on around as we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than cut your finger. You know, the sight of blood just like you all think she's weak and you want to see one that's just the river like an island of Latvia, so did Pharaoh get woozy. Let's find out today more than Inc. well here are again rendered dining room table. Sometimes you eat and sometimes the Bible amazing yet so option across dirty and I'm sitting across from Jim and we are going to continue our romp into Exodus Exodus 7 words were rare today and we are at the beginning of the 10 plagues first first of the 10 plagues you're probably familiar with the templates but if you're if you're not, you will be because even you know I a lot of times we focus on the last play. The 10th plague is kinda what you know that's the straw that broke the camels back and is also it takes a lot of a lot of pages in exits and ureas of it's really different from the other 10 but number one is no slouch.

Now I think it raises the question in my mind why this one first. Yeah, I know you know I read these details. Maybe we'll talk about that a little bit yeah this is a jogger operates a jaw dropper.

It's a stunning thing. No slow beginning legs so yes we left off. We left off last time we left off and verse 13 of chapter 7 and you know it.

It it said what we what we will hear forever and ever. For many, many pages Pharaoh's heart was hardened, it still was hardened and so you go on to the next chapter in today.

The next chapters. The first play well I Pharaoh's heart. The condition of his heart was hardened even in the face of Moses. The staff being thrown down towering their little snakes that were taught and surrounded by an Egyptian nations. So, he saw that sleight-of-hand deal here so so so God has to ramp it up one notch, which is what is Chris's heart is still tragically hard on this is the real beginning yeah so here we go. Let's find out what this plague is and why is it interesting to be the first place you want to read for us to start nine chapter 7 verse 414 then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. He refuses to let the people go go to Pharaoh in the morning as he's going out to the water stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him and taking your hand the staff that turned into a serpent and you shall say to him. The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to you saying let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness, but so far you have not obeyed, thus says the Lord, by this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold the staff that's in my hand with the staff. I will strike the water that's in the Nile, and it shall turn to blood the fish in the Nile shall die in the Nile will stink and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile and the Lord said to Moses, say to Aaron, take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt over the rivers, their canals and their palms in all their pools of water so that they may become blood and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt evening vessels of wood and in vessels of stone while wow wow blood everywhere talk about this so I wanted to know before going too much, that in this particular case with this plague, God gives a warning to Pharaoh before the rise. He tells them exactly what's going have to want to go to happen. Here's the consequences and just you know if you get a scorecard for the 10 plagues noted which ones have warnings were were were is not a surprise.

Something that Pharaoh is informed by Moses here. God says you gotta find Pharaoh out on the river. You know, right on the Nile and Wally standing there you go up and say asked why just want you glad meeting you be there when he arrives you be there exactly so he has his face-to-face while while Pharaoh is standing on the bank of the Nile looking out this wonderful life-giving water because the now is the lifeblood of Egypt, literally. The reason Egypt arose where did was because the Nile yeah and if you geographically at the northern coast of Africa always was easy asyet the only place looks really green is worth Nile and if you think about the fact that the majority of the African continent is is flowing.

I will need to be the ones really benefit from the greatest net Nile Delta is just man out as a place to be for so you know why is Pharaoh going out to the water every morning is it today is to worship is and make a public statement now exactly don't know but we know that it was his morning habit to go out to the bank.

The Nile and God says that you going be there meet him and he needs in there while he's looking at the Nile. He tells them what's going sure you have the staff in her hand the staff. By the way, that turned into a serpent that swallowed up the other staff.

Yeah so it so it's in is a very stark warning. You know, let my people go, that might serve me, but so far you have not obeyed right you have not obeyed and so he says. So by this you shall know that I am the Lord, which you know that's an interesting echo because all we back in chapter 5 on the first confrontation, Pharaoh says I don't know this landlord I don't write you know what you're talking about. I don't know who he is. Who is this guy right in here, God, this is by repetition. We talked about last time hear God saying what you're going to know after today well and this Lord, this LORD every addition always means this is the proper name of God I am that I am statement. I like to read it as I am the God who is who is who is present currently actively present right so he says you will know that I am that God so this is this is Pharaoh being warned that from the events that are to come down in second you're going to have an education. Education is who this Yahweh is well and was going out to the river every morning to worship as we said last week, the God of the Nile crocodile God then this is a good statement that's is not your know I'm the God who is right, not that crocodile now. Whatever you're looking at right now. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. In fact, he will Moses tell him is that God saying that he's going to make the Nile useless to you useless to terrifying. It's going to be a source of death. It's terrifying and and also as he spans his eyes look across the immensity of this river. This is up big River at the immensity of this river is thinking to himself, whose powerful enough to negate the better rise of this river to; so the whole river. If this is different than turning staffs and snakes. This wartime a whole river. This is impossible.

Also, it's a big play right at the beginning so God predict what's going to happen. And guess what happens is we said you know the Nile was the lifeblood of Egypt to these two ideas recur in this chapter the water the water. The water times the water and blood blood blood will even ancient peoples understood water is life is water you can live especially there and Vlad means life if you pour out the blood, then the animal, or you are dead right. If so, those two ideas both speak of life and death yeah and you don't have to be a scientist understand this, especially if you're an agrarian society that relies on water to stay alive and irrigate crops and blood that keeps alive animals. This imagery is not lost on this is powerful is very visual very re-visual. So do they do it well. Let's talk a minute how specific ideas before they actually okay because he tells Pharaoh the fish will die right now yeah on the water they depend on the fish right will stink there going to not be able to drink. And the Lord says take your staff stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, the rivers, the naturally occurring that canals those are human dog canals right to lead to irrigation ponds and all their pools of water, so natural water man engineered places for water and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt. Evening vessels of wood in vessels of stone to consider that about that was a significant vessels that would let himself down yet. So even water that you not from a that's not flowing in the river right that you have collected and kept in your house for drinking, cooking, and in a vessel that you use water right but the difference between wooden stone will become much later in the law when it becomes clear that stone vessels are the clean vessels that's true yeah and when vessels are the everyday common vessel. So God says you know, no matter how you keeping it. What is mine. Yeah. So whether it's water that's currently flowing, or where this one of you pre-collected. It doesn't matter it all become blood. So if you pre-collected now water at two beds, not to be. This is still to be subject to this problem yeah this is pretty visual and it's can affect everybody very, not just hardhearted Pharaoh.

It's very visual and the whole idea about the fish dying in stinking mean that that you're going to see death "right to massive all the fish in the Nile say the water looked like blood right.

It says a couple of times. The water became blood. Now you can you can only imagine how awful that smelled yeah this is this is start. This is why I'm saying this first billing is no is no lightweight. This is this is stunning.

If I get your attention. This is just absolutely stunning and it's a it's a national threat to the people of Egypt who live and die based on the water coming down this so this is this is a gigantic threat yeah it is such a the Nile as a source of life is such a big deal. I had to go read up on this. I knew that there were a handful of gods that were associated with the now, not just one. I mean, yeah, there's a bunch filters a bunch of and several of them show up as guardians of the Nile, so some of you know, these are like protectors of the Nile. So the Niles document go dry have a protector for that. There's one that has to do with just being the spirit of the Nile. There is some Cyrus which is a very popular guy. We almost there were no spouse ours, Cyrus. It was said that the Nile was his bloodstream that the blood that flowed through his silent self so the lifeblood of Osiris himself is the Nile. So what happens when what happens when that stream actually turns into blood. It looks like Osiris is guy's imagery, and you know they found an ancient papyrus is they found song hymns written down, that are hymns to the Nile so so there is so much there is so much invested in terms of this being the absolute source of life and if we did not have this year we would look like a rock or Libby.

I mean it would just it would would be better off so this is our life, our life comes from the not so that actually answers question number one. Why is this the first plague yes like God's just striking at the very heart of the nation. What they regard as their source of life without the Nile, Egypt would not you think that's life for you. Let me show you. I am the God who is and yet in their mind to think and whose powerful enough to reverse. It is the mighty Nile is huge. It's Africa's watershed are you kidding me. Yeah, I mean this is predictable and I yeah and it nurtured civilizations there on the Nile Delta for a long time thousand severely you want all the civilizations we know about so I mean it's it's it's worked out well so for Moses and Aaron. These guys who were once slaves to these superior people leave names when they come up and say you know you better watch out God's going to turn off the Nile for you. Wash sure so it's nice to give him a warning. I don't think it's going to change his mind. Well it's interesting to say he's going to turn it off know what was flowing and there is no longer to be watered down off their usefulness to some in my will not be there as well is my problem opening some confusion because later on in the Scriptures got actually does turn off the rivers doesn't do that here. The flow continues.

It's just no longer life-giving.

It's not life-giving good good qualification okay so well thought out the text with some action burst. Once a matching so Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded and in the sight of Pharaoh in the side of the servants, he lifted up the staff struck the water in the Nile and all the water in the Nile turned into blood and the fish in the Nile died and the Nile stink so the Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt, but the magicians but the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened and he would not listen to them. There's that willing work and he would not listen to them as the Lord, as the Lord had said. He predicted this and so 23 so Pharaoh turned and went into his house and he did not even take heed and he did not take even this to his heart just didn't penetrate what I can house response. 24. There's a workaround but not a great one and all. The Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile 25 seven full days passed after Lord instructed Nile 70s when it's very clear, very, says the Lord struck the Nile even though it was Aaron who wielded the staff right right right smack the water I you know you and staff for minute. Yeah, you got some thoughts on well you know what you have said that you did. I probably don't have anything to add to yours. Well, what was was interesting was interesting and it caught my eye.

If you go back to verse 19 take you staff and stretch out your hand that stretch out your hand is almost always mentioned when it when they use them for something stretch. I have scan interesting so we get this picture of them sort of waving it, but the actual word for staff means. It means to extend it means to extending its fundamental so for instance a branch on a tree that extends the tree so any branch you take off is called step because it's an extension of the tree. Even though the tribes of Israel. We talk about a tribe by name. It's a word right, it's an extension of the history of the families and stuff like that. So when I see a phrase that says take your staff and stretch out your hand. It's like extend your staff and stretch your hand, it's like you see this composite action of this thing, which is an extension by etymology and then also stretching his hand out in a way, it sure looks like a picture of God himself reaching out from where he isn't touching because the staff is an extension thing and Aaron's arm is an extension thing it's it's kind of metaphorically sort of like the finger of God visibly coming down and touching so well that magicians are going to use that very phrase. Later on, they are plagues, yeah, but I was thinking about the staff being the symbol of authority symbol of leader you write the one holding the staff is the one in charge right right & talked about this before the seven writing right which is symbol of his power. So here we have the staff, which identifies a family tree or a leader of a family.

Not that the leader of the family of God, right will extend his authority over Anna, and I think it's fascinating as it is an irony again is if you look at the staff from an ancient perspective as a scepter, a scepter of the power of God. What a great thing.

It is the scepter self is not fancy and goldplated light on the other if justice it's a stick off a tree and and so it's God's way of saying you know even the most common of medium like this know it's not about the scepter self. It's about doing this right so I think it is just I think that's why the staff starts to play such a central role in every time God acts God acts through motion of this quote unquote very common scepter. This is branch is just a visual picture. It's not a magic tool and in itself is not a wielder of magic and that that's why they use this word. I mean this the staff this rod this day. I think it's better translated just stick.

He's got this stick. I would say well that's just a stick. What kind of magic part is about well you know a lot of people who like to talk about magic stories and stuff like that will say will stick is everything. Not as a representative thing. It's a representative thing is no magic parents that magicians were able to duplicate this trick yeah they by the way that a little better if every piece of water they know is already turned to blood.

Where did they get the water that they did their trick with well there. They dug it up along the Nile so the people who were digging up for that they so what you can say is okay. They duplicated the trick. However, God change the entire Nile into blood. All they did was took some water that they dug out of well and turned wholly different thing on scale measure altogether well and it says seven full days rice and couldn't undo the train right right and that would've been the Hetrick if they could undo they could make water look like blood but they couldn't undo it yet in a course for the people who are suffering because of this there saying we don't care if you took some well router and turned into a couple blood, which is what is coming there.

It is at some very weak kind of imitation and the not really getting in reversing anything. They're not really doing anything productive for the people, but in a way they think that this somehow can influence Pharaoh and say look, we can do this to course on his own mind he saying he can't change the no undercut the authority of the God who is doing right right right now he has magicians who do tricks we can do tricks to but but the scale difference is so different. I mean, it is just like you know that the the serpent eating all the other serpents that I think that's the bigger miracle here as he ate a whole roomful serpents so that's a really big get the big deal here is okay you can take a couple water out of a photo of a well and by trick returned it but you can you undo the Nile can't do that. So God is clearly showing himself as being incomparable. Regardless of the Hetrick's that they do for Pharaoh doesn't work. Seven full days so they they this wasn't just something that happened on Tuesday and by Wednesday. Everything was fine right this is something that they endured. This is something that they could actually have enough time to say fair.

You need to change this right and you know Wednesday would turn the Thursday return Friday and still no change and in their minds.

This might've been something that stuck for ever. They have no clue that this might actually reverse at some point so it's it's definitely terrifying and something that they would demand a Pharaoh who they saw as a God himself. If you are God yourself get out there and reverse this and Pharaoh can reverse it and always magicians Kimberly no one can reverse it.

But the people are saying you need to reverse us are all going to die. So this isn't just kind of plan here. This is big deal. After going on for week of thinking maybe this is the end of life for us. Well, and seven full days that week. You know, we know from the rest of Scripture that seven is a hugely significant number right and while it has not appeared yet in Exodus. It's going to and as they are going farther into that when I get out of Egypt, but this must sing seven full days write the whole process. The whole working out completeness of the effect yeah is that the idea was seven and a completed process thing has run its course.

You got me to full impression, you know.

Does it strike your attention that God allowed all these innocent people to suffer.

Well what he's doing is he's challenging where they place their trust. That's right, and Pharaoh had always says I'm your God, I'm working and I'm your God you know and I and I'm uniquely connected all the other gods. I'm uniquely connected with the gods that guard the Nile right are you really so it's really is challenging everyone's theology this point everyone's means it's it's really an in-your-face kind of thing. And like we said before, without the Nile Egypt doesn't exist. This is its this is its life. So God starts the plague was saying.

I can turn off your very source of life. That's how powerful I am something as big as the Nile is a huge amount water so yeah this is this is this just isn't an irritation.

This is actually this is a blow against life itself, as they see it, and that the deed is that they trust times are why wasn't this one enough. Why did we go to the last time I know it should. This should open it and yet that's why Pharaoh's reaction in 23 games my mind right absent, I mean blows mine mine Pharaoh turned went into his house and he didn't take even this to heart rate 11 let them eat cake and he turned around he goes and was I mean it's it's so heartless is just astonishing to me. This is the style that statement. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened comes right after that magicians do their little trick right like I didn't okay didn't do anything but Dell didn't do anything you didn't do anything.

But you know this. This playing opens with God statement Pharaoh's heart is hard is tough. It is obstinate. It is resistant and look what I'm gonna do tell you what to do, do it and Pharaoh's heart means hardened right mirror Jesus said, you know that these people would not be convinced even somebody rises from the dead NIGHT was so wet in the direction of a determined heart not to believe it becomes only harder in the face of increased evidence that some say in this. That points to the fact were talking about willfulness or not. Not really in evidence thing when someone when someone challenges you and says oh I should turn the entire Nile in the blood and it happens. Why wouldn't that be enough evidence for you. I mean, really, and is not just a trick because this will actually snuff out the Egyptian nation if it persists, why wouldn't it be enough so that dentist dentist tells you, really, how far advanced. Pharaoh's hardness what he just turned his back on walks inside spouse. That's what he does.

I done that is such a descriptive phrase every time I read that it just stuns me.

It just stuns me.

What a heartless guy. I mean he's further gone than I thought he was well and here we come to see the beginning of this this pattern that's kind of recur. God had told Moses, I will harden Pharaoh's heart. He said that back in the previous chapter in back in chapter 4 and then here at the beginning of this passage. He says Pharaoh's heart is hardened. He makes this statement of his condition. He doesn't claim responsibility just as Pharaoh's heart is obstinate and then at the end of this passage, Pharaoh's heart is remaining obstinate and so God will continue to present opportunity so you have to keep going. He has to keep going, so it brings the plague number two and I would think this should of done it.

It's really should've done it right here and so so the people are crying out for a Savior that will save them from this really evident death because the Nile becomes useless to this point, they're probably looking at the management magicians write the midget yes this back yeah you guys are the ones who told you had connection with the God so right tell him this is a bad deal and write what did those five or six gods were so save the Nile today. I'll just fail, and what what's going on.

This is real. This is a shaker. This is a real shake and again I don't know why this wasn't sufficient. This this really should've done it, but it's going take a while. Well, we are running out of time again and next time Rinne turn the page into chapter 8 and after plague number one comes plague number two and it it almost becomes comical with the plagues come up next again I'd I really don't know why I don't know why. First I so hard it has to continue because the should've really been quite so Rita had you and I might might mention just really quickly a video that we saw some years ago about seven years ago called patterns of evidence. Exodus there's three or 4 pounds evidence series patterns of evidence exit is made in 2014 by he talks about a lot of the history and the historical misunderstanding about the inside that mentioned papyrus that you can find in a museum in Europe, partners, and interestingly enough, it mentions the Nile being turned so it's a fascinating thing.

If you can find could be a fun watch Jim graduate this summer to push on on production of mainstream church sitting solely responsible for its content. To contact us with your questions or comments