WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.960 Picture this, two million slaves breaking free from the world's 2 00:00:03.960 --> 00:00:08.759 superpower in a single night. Imagine the seas splitting in half, 3 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.839 bread falling from heaven, and a mountain literally on fire 4 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:16.800 with God's presence. The Book of Exodus isn't just another 5 00:00:16.920 --> 00:00:21.760 Bible story. It's the greatest liberation narrative ever told and 6 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.280 the foundation stone of Biblical faith. Here God transforms from 7 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:30.559 a distant promise into an active deliverer, revealing his character 8 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:34.320 through miracles that define nature itself. This is where the 9 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:38.960 Ten Commandments thunder from Sinai, where the passover Lamb foreshadows 10 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:43.679 Christ's sacrifice, and where God's glory descends to dwell among 11 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:48.079 his people. Every prophecy about Jesus, every symbol of salvation, 12 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:52.880 every pattern of worship finds its origin in these explosive 13 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:57.280 forty chapters. Exodus reveals why God chows Israel, how he 14 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.880 keeps his promises, and what it truly means to be redeemed. 15 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.959 Prepare to witness the book that shaped civilization and still 16 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.680 transforms lives today. Years had passed since Joseph saved Egypt 17 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:13.040 from famine. A new king rose to power who didn't 18 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:16.439 know Joseph's story. The Israelites had grown from a small 19 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:20.840 family into a huge nation. Chapter one, verse seven tells 20 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:25.040 us the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became 21 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:28.719 exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 22 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:34.280 This wasn't just normal growth. This was explosive multiplication that 23 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:39.359 caught everyone's attention. The transformation was remarkable. What started as 24 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:42.680 seventy people who came to Egypt with Jacob had become 25 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:47.400 hundreds of thousands. They filled entire regions of Egypt. Their 26 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:51.439 children were strong, their families were large, and their numbers 27 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:54.359 kept growing. It was as if God had turned on 28 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:59.239 some supernatural blessing that made them multiply faster than any 29 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:03.480 other people group in history. The new pharaoh looked at 30 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:08.039 these people and got scared. What if they joined Egypt's 31 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:11.840 enemies during a war. What if they decided to leave 32 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:15.879 and take their skills with them. His fear turned into action. 33 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:20.520 Chapter one, verse ten records his worried thoughts, come, we 34 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:23.360 must deal shrewdly with them, or they will become even 35 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:27.240 more numerous, and if war breaks out, we'll join our enemies, 36 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:30.759 fight against us, and leave the country. This pharaoh didn't 37 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:35.280 remember how Joseph had saved Egypt from seven years of famine. 38 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:38.719 He didn't care that the Israelites had been peaceful neighbors 39 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:43.080 for generations. All he could see was a potential threat 40 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:48.639 growing stronger every day. His advisers probably whispered in his 41 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:52.039 ear about the dangers of having such a large foreign 42 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:56.000 population in their land. Vere makes people do terrible things. 43 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:01.120 Pharaoh's solution was simple but cruel, turn the Israelite into slaves. 44 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.680 He appointed slave masters over them and gave them back 45 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:09.000 breaking work. They built entire cities for Pharaoh, including Pithom 46 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:13.120 and Rameses. The work was hard, the hours were long, 47 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:17.159 and the treatment was harsh. Chapter one, verse eleven tells 48 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:20.520 us they put slave masters over them to oppress them 49 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:24.360 with forced labor. The Egyptians made their lives bitter with 50 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:27.319 harsh labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds 51 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:31.400 of work in the fields. But something amazing happened. The 52 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:35.560 harder the Egyptians worked them, the more the Israelites multiplied. 53 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:40.840 Chapter one, verse twelve shows this supernatural phenomenon. But the 54 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:44.319 more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. 55 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:48.400 So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. God's blessing 56 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:51.840 on his people couldn't be stopped by human cruelty. This 57 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.960 made Pharaoh even more afraid. He decided to get creative 58 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:59.919 with his cruelty. Chapter one, verse sixteen shows his net 59 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.639 next evil plan. He told the Hebrew midwives, when you 60 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:07.199 are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, 61 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:09.960 if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him, 62 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:12.159 but if it is a girl, let her live. He 63 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:15.680 wanted to wipe out an entire generation of Hebrew boys 64 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.399 before they could even walk, but God had other plans. 65 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:24.720 Two Hebrew midwives, Shiprah and Poor, chose to fear God 66 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:28.839 more than Pharaoh. They refused to kill the babies. When 67 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:32.439 Pharaoh questioned them, they gave him a clever excuse found 68 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:35.959 in chapter one, verse nineteen. Hebrew women are not like 69 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.399 Egyptian women. They are vigorous and give birth before the 70 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:44.120 midwives arrive. God blessed these brave women for their courage. 71 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:48.759 These women understood something important. There are times when obeying 72 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:53.319 God means disobeying human authority. They risked their lives to 73 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:58.399 save innocent babies. Chapter one, verse twenty shows how God 74 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:02.360 rewarded their faithfulness. So God was kind to the midwives, 75 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:06.079 and the people increased and became even more numerous. Not 76 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:09.160 only did God protect them, but he continued to bless 77 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:13.959 the Israelites with even more children. Pharaoh's frustration grew. He 78 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.680 made his final desperate command in chapter one, verse twenty two. 79 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:22.279 Every Hebrew boy that is born, you must throw into 80 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:26.279 the nile, but let every girl live. This was genocide, 81 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:30.920 the planned destruction of an entire people. Pharaoh had escalated 82 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:36.360 from forced labor to systematic murder. Every Egyptian citizen was 83 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:41.000 now commanded to become part of this horrible plan. Right 84 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:43.680 in the middle of this horror, a baby was born 85 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:48.480 who would change everything. Chapter two, verse two tells us 86 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:52.519 about this special child. She became pregnant and gave birth 87 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:54.839 to a son. When she saw that he was a 88 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:58.800 fine child, she hid him for three months. This baby 89 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:02.199 was Moses, though we don't learn his name yet. There 90 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.199 was something special about this child that made his parents 91 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:08.480 willing to risk everything to keep him alive. The parents 92 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:11.439 belonged to the tribe of Levi, and they had faith 93 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:14.959 that God would protect their son. For three months, they 94 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.360 managed to keep the baby hidden but babies grow and 95 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:25.040 they get louder. Eventually, hiding became impossible. They had to 96 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.480 make the hardest decision any parent could face. His mother 97 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:32.439 couldn't hide him anymore, listened to her desperate plan in 98 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:35.800 chapter two, verse three, But when she could hide him 99 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:38.680 no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and 100 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:41.839 coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the 101 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.680 child in it and put it among the reeds along 102 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:48.519 the bank of the Nile. She was following Pharaoh's command. Technically, 103 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:51.560 she was putting her son in the nile, but she 104 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:55.439 was also trying to save his life. This wasn't just 105 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:58.920 throwing a baby into the river. She carefully water proof 106 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:02.279 the basket with t and pitch, just like Noah had 107 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:05.920 done with the ark. She placed it strategically among the reeds, 108 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.279 where it would be protected but also visible to the 109 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:14.519 right person. Moses's mother was taking a calculated risk based 110 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.319 on faith in God's protection. God had arranged for the 111 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:21.000 right person to be in the right place at the 112 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.399 right time. Chapter two, verse five shows us the miracle. 113 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.720 Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the nile to bathe, 114 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.639 and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She 115 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:36.920 saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female 116 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.839 slave to get it. The very daughter of the man 117 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:44.040 trying to kill Hebrew babies found this Hebrew baby. When 118 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:48.319 she opened the basket, the baby was crying. Something touched 119 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:52.920 her heart. Chapter two, verse six tells us she felt 120 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:56.480 sorry for him. This is one of the Hebrew babies, 121 00:07:56.839 --> 00:08:00.000 she said. Even though she knew this child was supposed 122 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:04.240 to die by her father's command, she chose mercy over law. 123 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:08.000 Moses's sister, Miriam, who had been watching from near by, 124 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:12.079 quickly offered to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. 125 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:17.680 The princess agreed, and amazingly, Moses's own mother became his 126 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:21.560 paid nurse. Chapter two, verse ten shows how Moses got 127 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:24.879 his name. When the child grew older, she took him 128 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:28.720 to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named 129 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:32.279 him Moses, saying I drew him out of the water. 130 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:37.120 The name Moses means drawn out, and it would prove 131 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:40.840 to be prophetic. This child, who was drawn out of water, 132 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:44.639 would one day draw his entire nation out of slavery. 133 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.240 Moses grew up in Pharaoh's palace, but he never forgot 134 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:52.200 his true identity. Chapter two, verse eleven shows us a 135 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:56.240 moment that changed his life. One day, after Moses had 136 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:58.840 grown up, he went out to where his own people 137 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:02.159 were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw 138 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:05.240 an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 139 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:09.960 The sight of injustice stirred something deep inside him. Moses 140 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:12.480 looked around to make sure no one was watching, then 141 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.360 killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 142 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.159 But secrets have a way of coming out. The next day, 143 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.080 when Moses tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews, 144 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:25.919 one of them challenged him with the words found in 145 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:30.720 chapter two, verse fourteen, Who made you ruler and judge 146 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:33.600 over us? Are you thinking of killing me? As you 147 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:38.399 killed the Egyptian, Moses realized his secret was out. When 148 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:41.559 Pharaoh heard about the murder, he tried to kill Moses, 149 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:45.039 but Moses ran away to the land of Midian, where 150 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:48.240 he married a woman named Zippora and became a shepherd. 151 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:52.559 For forty years, he lived a quiet life, far from 152 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:56.200 the palace and the problems of Egypt. He probably thought 153 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:59.000 his days of trying to help his people were over, 154 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:03.080 but God was just getting started. Chapter three, verse one 155 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.399 sets the scene for one of the most important moments 156 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:10.399 in history. Now, Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, 157 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:13.879 his father in law, the priest of Midian, and he 158 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:16.679 led the flock to the far side of the wilderness 159 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:20.559 and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. It was 160 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:24.360 just another ordinary day of shepherding until Moses saw something 161 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.240 that shouldn't have been possible. Chapter three, verse two describes 162 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:30.919 the miracle there. The Angel of the Lord appeared to 163 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.679 him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses 164 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:36.919 saw that though the bush was on fire, it did 165 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:41.879 not burn up. Fire that didn't destroy. This was clearly supernatural. 166 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:45.600 Moses curiosity got the better of him, and he decided 167 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:49.639 to investigate. As he got closer, God spoke to him. 168 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:52.320 The voice from the bush gave him a command in 169 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:56.919 chapter three, verse five, do not come any closer. Take 170 00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:00.000 off your sandals, for the place where you are stand 171 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:03.759 unding is holy ground. Moses was standing before the God 172 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:07.000 of his father's and he was terrified. He hid his 173 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:10.000 face because he was afraid to look at God. Then 174 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:14.440 God revealed his mission. Chapter three, verse seven contains God's 175 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:18.159 heart for his people. I have indeed seen the misery 176 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:20.840 of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying 177 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:23.919 out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned 178 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:28.799 about their suffering. God had been watching and listening all along. 179 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:32.399 He was ready to act, and he wanted Moses to 180 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:37.080 be his instrument of deliverance. Moses's response wasn't what you 181 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:40.080 might expect from a hero. Instead of jumping at the 182 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:45.000 chance to save his people, he started making excuses. His 183 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.919 first objection came in chapter three, verse eleven. Who am 184 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:51.559 I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the 185 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:57.360 Israelites out of Egypt. Moses felt completely inadequate for such 186 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:01.440 a huge task. God's answer was simple but powerful, found 187 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:04.799 in chapter three, verse twelve. I will be with you, 188 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:07.440 and this will be the sign to you that it 189 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:10.240 is I who have sent you. When you have brought 190 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:13.000 the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on 191 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:17.759 this mountain. God wasn't asking Moses to do this alone. 192 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.759 He would be right there with him every step of 193 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:25.440 the way. But Moses wasn't convinced. He had another worry. 194 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:29.039 In Chapter three, verse thirteen, Suppose I go to the 195 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:32.440 Israelites and say to them, the God of your father's 196 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:35.120 has sent me to you, and they ask me what 197 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:38.799 is his name? Then what shall I tell them? Moses 198 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:41.360 wanted to know exactly who was sending him on this 199 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:46.720 impossible mission. God's answer revealed his eternal nature. Chapter three, 200 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:49.919 verse fourteen contains one of the most important statements in 201 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:54.039 all of scripture. God said to Moses, I am who 202 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:56.840 I am. This is what you are to say to 203 00:12:56.879 --> 00:13:01.600 the Israelites. I am has sent me to you. This 204 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:06.080 wasn't just a name, It was a declaration of God's eternal, 205 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:10.799 unchanging existence. Moses still wasn't ready to say yes. In 206 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:14.480 chapter four, verse one, he voiced another fear. What if 207 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.720 they do not believe me or listen to me and 208 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:20.320 say the Lord did not appear to you. Moses was 209 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.960 worried about credibility. How could he prove that God had 210 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:29.080 really spoken to him. God gave Moses three miraculous signs 211 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.600 to convince the people. First, his staff would turn into 212 00:13:32.679 --> 00:13:36.279 a snake and back again. Second, his hand would become 213 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:41.200 leprous and then be healed. Third, if they still didn't believe, 214 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:45.440 he could turn nile water into blood. These weren't just tricks, 215 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:49.720 they were supernatural proofs of God's power. Even with these 216 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:55.120 amazing signs, Moses tried one more excuse. Chapter four, verse 217 00:13:55.159 --> 00:14:01.120 ten shows his final objection, pardon your servant life. I 218 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:05.440 have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since 219 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:08.600 you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of 220 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:12.039 speech and tongue. Moses was convinced he wasn't a good 221 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:16.480 enough speaker for such an important job. God's patience was remarkable, 222 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:22.159 but his answer was firm. Chapter four, verse eleven reminds 223 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:26.039 Moses of a basic truth. Who gave human beings their mouths? 224 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:29.440 Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight 225 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:32.519 or makes them blind? Is it not I? The Lord? 226 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:36.960 The God who created mouths, could certainly help Moses know 227 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:42.600 what to say. God's patience had limits. When Moses suggested 228 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:46.639 in chapter four, verse thirteen that God should send some 229 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:50.679 one else, the Lord became angry. But even in his anger, 230 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.600 God provided a solution. He told Moses that his brother 231 00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:57.360 Aaron was already on his way to meet him, and 232 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:01.919 Aaron would be moses spokesman. The reunion between the brothers 233 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:06.799 after forty years was emotional. Chapter four, verse twenty seven 234 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:10.600 tells us the Lord said to Aaron, go into the 235 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:14.639 wilderness to meet Moses. So he met Moses at the 236 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:18.279 Mountain of God and kissed him. Aaron had no idea 237 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:21.159 what God had planned, but he was about to become 238 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:25.120 part of the greatest rescue mission in history. Moses told 239 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:30.000 Aaron everything God had said and showed him the miraculous signs. 240 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:36.080 Together they traveled to Egypt to begin their mission. Chapter four, 241 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:40.639 verse twenty nine describes their first step. Moses and Aaron 242 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:44.759 brought together all the elders of the Israelites. These were 243 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:47.960 the leaders of the Hebrew people, and they needed to 244 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:52.360 be convinced. First, Aaron spoke for Moses, telling the elders 245 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:56.200 everything God had said. Then Moses performed the signs God 246 00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:59.600 had given him. Chapter four, verse thirty one shows the 247 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:03.600 people response and they believed. And when they heard that 248 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:06.639 the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, 249 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:12.399 they bowed down and worshiped. The people were ready. Now 250 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:16.360 came the hard part. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh 251 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:20.320 with a simple request found in chapter five, verse one. 252 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:24.240 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, 253 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:28.200 Let my people go so that they may hold a 254 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:31.679 festival to me in the wilderness. They weren't asking for 255 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:36.720 permanent freedom yet, just a three day religious celebration. Pharaoh's 256 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:40.720 response was exactly what you'd expect from someone who thought 257 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:46.039 he was a god himself. Chapter five, verse two records 258 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:49.399 his arrogant reply, who is the Lord that I should 259 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:52.360 obey him and let Israel go? I do not know 260 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:55.879 the Lord, and I will not let Israel go. Pharaoh 261 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:59.240 had just declared war on the God of Israel. Moses 262 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:02.759 and Aaron tried to reason with him, explaining in chapter five, 263 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:06.279 verse three that the God of the Hebrews has met 264 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:09.440 with us. Now let us take a three day journey 265 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:13.759 into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our god, 266 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.920 or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword. 267 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:20.240 They were trying to warn Pharaoh about what might happen 268 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:25.359 if he refused, but Pharaoh wasn't interested in warnings. Instead, 269 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:31.200 he made life harder for the Israelites. Chapter five, verse 270 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.680 seven shows his cruel response, you are no longer to 271 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:38.000 supply the people with straw for making bricks. Let them 272 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:41.759 go and gather their own straw. The Israelites had to 273 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:44.359 work just as hard, but now had to find their 274 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:49.319 own materials too. The Israelite foremen were furious they had 275 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:53.440 been beaten because they couldn't meet their impossible quotas. Chapter 276 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:57.279 ub verse twenty one shows their anger toward Moses and Aaron. 277 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.440 May the Lord look on you and judge you. You 278 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.920 have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials, and 279 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:07.279 have put a sword in their hand to kill us. 280 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.599 The rescue mission seemed to be making things worse, not better. 281 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:15.839 Moses was devastated. He went back to God with his 282 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:20.160 complaint in chapter five, verse twenty two, Why Lord, why 283 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.119 have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why 284 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:25.480 you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to 285 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:28.279 speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, 286 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:32.160 and you have not rescued your people at all. Moses 287 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:36.519 felt like a failure. God's response in chapter six revealed 288 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.359 his bigger plan. Chapter six, verse one contains a promise 289 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:44.319 that would change everything. Now you will see what I 290 00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:47.480 will do to Pharaoh. Because of my mighty hand, he 291 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:50.720 will let them go. Because of my mighty hand, he 292 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:54.440 will drive them out of his country. God was about 293 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:58.799 two demonstrate his power in ways that would shock the world. 294 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.720 Then God minded Moses of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, 295 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:08.359 and Jacob. Chapter six, verse four shows the scope of 296 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:13.079 God's promise. I also established my covenant with them to 297 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:17.200 give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 298 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:21.359 This wasn't just about freedom from slavery. This was about 299 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:27.160 fulfilling promises made centuries earlier. God revealed more of his 300 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:33.880 character to Moses. Chapter six, verse six contains multiple promises. Therefore, 301 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:38.039 say to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I 302 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:41.079 will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 303 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.200 I will free you from being slaves to them, and 304 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:47.039 I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with 305 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:51.440 mighty acts of judgment. God was about to show everyone 306 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:54.960 exactly who he was, but the people had lost hope. 307 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:59.839 Chapter six, verse nine shows their discouragement. Moses reported this 308 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:03.000 to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him 309 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:07.599 because of their discouragement and harsh labor. Sometimes people are 310 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:10.519 too tired and hurt to believe in good news. God 311 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:13.640 told Moses to go back to Pharaoh again, but Moses 312 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:17.599 had his own doubts. Chapter six, verse twelve shows his reasoning. 313 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.319 If the Israelites will not listen to me. Why would 314 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:25.240 Pharaoh listen to me? Since I speak with faltering lips. 315 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:29.759 Moses was still worried about his speaking ability. God's answer 316 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:33.039 was to give Moses and Aaron a clear command found 317 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:36.839 in chapter six, verse thirteen. Now the Lord spoke to 318 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:41.359 Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 319 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:44.839 and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. 320 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:48.240 There was no room for doubt. This was a direct 321 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:52.200 order from God. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron 322 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:56.039 was eighty three when they stood before Pharaoh the second time. 323 00:20:56.839 --> 00:21:01.079 Chapter seven, verse one reveals God's strategy. Then the Lord 324 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:04.599 said to Moses, see, I have made you like God 325 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:07.559 to Pharaoh and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 326 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:12.200 Moses would represent God's authority and Aaron would be his spokesman. 327 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:16.319 God made it clear that this wouldn't be easy. Chapter seven, 328 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:19.279 verse three contains both a warning and a promise. But 329 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:22.599 I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my 330 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.880 signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. 331 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.559 God was going to use Pharaoh's stubborn heart to display 332 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.079 his power to the world. When Moses and Aaron appeared 333 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:38.359 before Pharaoh again, he demanded proof of their divine authority. 334 00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:42.920 Chapter seven, verse nine shows he wanted to see a miracle. 335 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:48.079 When Pharaoh says, to you perform a miracle, then say 336 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:51.480 to Aaron, take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, 337 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.559 and it will become a snake. God was ready to 338 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:58.119 provide the proof. Aaron threw down his staff and it 339 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:02.400 became a snake, but Pharaoh wasn't impressed. Chapter seven, verse 340 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:06.599 eleven tells us he summoned wise men and sorcerers, and 341 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:09.960 the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their 342 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:14.640 secret arts. Egypt had its own version of supernatural power, 343 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:18.480 and they seemed to match God's miracle, but God's power 344 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:23.400 was superior. Chapter seven, verse twelve shows the outcome. Each 345 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:26.480 one threw down his staff and it became a snake, 346 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:31.720 but Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. God's snake ate 347 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:35.640 the magician's snakes, proving that his power was greater than theirs. 348 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:40.880 Still Pharaoh refused to listen. Chapter seven, verse thirteen tells us, 349 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.200 Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen 350 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:47.200 to them, just as the Lord had said, the contest 351 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:51.200 between God and Pharaoh was just beginning. God told Moses 352 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:54.079 to meet Pharaoh by the Nile River the next morning. 353 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:58.279 Chapter seven, verse seventeen contains the warning for the first plague. 354 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:02.519 This is what the Lord says. By this, you will 355 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:05.799 know that I am the Lord. With the staff that 356 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:08.640 is in my hand, I will strike the water of 357 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:13.000 the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The 358 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:16.480 Nile was sacred to the Egyptians. God was about to 359 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.759 attack their most important resource. Aaron stretched out his staff 360 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:25.200 over the waters of Egypt, and everything changed. Chapter seven, 361 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:29.559 verse twenty describes the miracle Moses and Aaron did just 362 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:33.599 as the Yule Lord had commanded. He raised his staff 363 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.480 in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck 364 00:23:36.519 --> 00:23:39.240 the water of the Nile, and all the water was 365 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.440 changed into blood. The river that gave life to Egypt 366 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:47.480 became a source of death. The blood plague was devastating. 367 00:23:48.359 --> 00:23:52.519 Chapter seven, verse twenty one shows the complete scope. The 368 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:55.839 fish in the Nile died, and the river smelt so 369 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.519 bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood 370 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:02.799 was everyone where in Egypt. The entire water system of 371 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:07.559 Egypt was contaminated, But again Pharaoh's magicians seemed to match 372 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:12.079 the miracle. Chapter seven, verse twenty two tells us the 373 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:16.000 Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, 374 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:19.759 and Pharaoh's heart became hard. He would not listen to 375 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:23.920 Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Pharaoh 376 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:27.519 used this as an excuse to ignore God's power. The 377 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:30.359 Egyptians had to dig along the Nile for drinking water. 378 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:35.559 For seven days, they lived with the consequences of Pharaoh's ardheart. 379 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:39.319 Then God sent Moses back with a new warning about frogs. 380 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:44.119 Chapter eight, verse two contains God's second ultimatum. If you 381 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:47.039 refuse to let them go, I will send a plague 382 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:50.359 of frogs on your whole country. This wasn't going to 383 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:53.200 be a few frogs by the river. This was going 384 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:58.160 to be an invasion. When Pharaoh refused again, Aaron stretched 385 00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:02.279 out his staff over the waters. Chapter eight, verse three 386 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:07.240 describes what happened. So Aaron stretched out his hand over 387 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:10.480 the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and 388 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:16.160 covered the land. Frogs were everywhere in houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens, 389 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:21.759 and kneading troughs. Once again, the magicians duplicated the miracle. 390 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.000 Chapter eight, verse seven tells us the magicians did the 391 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:30.000 same things by their secret arts. They also made frogs 392 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:32.720 come up on the land of Egypt, but making more 393 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:36.359 frogs wasn't helpful when the country was already overrun with them. 394 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:41.759 This time, Pharaoh seemed to crack under the pressure. Chapter 395 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:46.640 eight verse eight shows his desperate plea Pharaoh summoned Moses 396 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:50.920 and Aaron and said, pray to the Lord to take 397 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:53.960 the frogs away from me and my people, and I 398 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:57.960 will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord. 399 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:03.119 He was ready to negotiate. Moses gave Pharaoh the honor 400 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:06.279 of choosing when the frogs would die. Chapter eight, verse 401 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:11.839