There Is No Compromise with God
This blog post is Part 18 of a series entitled "From Fear To Freedom" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN.
Message Date: June 23, 2024
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A son with long hair asks his father, “Now that I am 16, can I drive your car?” The father says, “I tell you what, if you get your grades up, mow the yard each week, and cut your hair, you can drive my car!” A few weeks go by and the son comes to his dad, “Father, you’ll be so proud of me! I made all A’s this month, I’ve been keeping the yard mowed, so… can I use your car this weekend?” The father said, “Son, I am so very proud of you. You worked hard to get your grades up. The yard sure is looking great. But son, we made a deal that you would get your grades up, keep the yard mowed, and cut your long hair. You have not cut your hair. So son, I am sorry, but you cannot use my car.” The son, assuming his father would say such, responded, “But father, I’ve done some research and I’m pretty sure that in the Old Testament, they did not have barbers. So Moses probably had very long hair. So I’ve decided that I’m gonna be like him!” The father responded, “Sounds great son! I am pretty sure Moses walked everywhere he went!”
As I have studied over the past weeks, I have been tempted numerous times to skip over these plagues in an attempt to get on with the story. I too know that, on the surface, there is the presumption among some that there is not much to the plagues with which one may relate as 2024 humans living our lives today. After praying liberally about this, I want to offer these three quick thoughts:
1. God is never not in control.
No matter how bleak my situation may appear, and too no matter how painful the circumstances I endure, God is always in control… even when my life feels so very much out of control.
2. Pain is an important part of my life story.
I, like many of you, have dealt with pain for much of my adult life. Interestingly, pain often serves as a sensory in one's life alerting you and me to a very real issue or dilemma in need of attention. This reality is so very true with Moses and his personal journey from fear to freedom. Pain is a hallmark of the story. And the further we travel with Moses, the more we realize pain is a necessary companion that cannot be avoided. The question in the story is not: “Will pain be a part of my life?” Instead, the true question: “Will I allow such pain to nudge me closer to, or pull me further away, from God?
3. There is no compromise with God.
The more we learn about the King of Egypt, the more we too begin to realize this is a man coming to terms with the fact that the God is greater than all of Pharaoh’s gods. Once the Pharoah understood that God was more powerful than he, the King attempted to negotiate with God to broker a compromise of a meeting in the middle. There is no compromise with God. Period. God's ways are not our ways. Man cannot set the rules. And working to oppose the sovereign will of God is a very foolish act that will usher in one’s demise. I too want to say this… There are no two teaching series the same here at Donelson First. Some serve to remind us of God’s goodness. Other series we have studied have been incredibly convicting, challenging, and heart-wrenching. Some have been squarely focused on the family. Last year, our series, May I Ask A Question, tackled over 60 questions you submitted on a plethora of topics asking me to answer. And too, some have … orthodoxy. Some too have Donelson First… This series on the life of Moses is so very different on every level. We are examining verse by verse the life story of a man who, by my estimation, lived 3,500 years ago. And we are doing so through a very methodical deep-dive into biblical theology of the Old Testament.
But what we are seeing, and I will tell you, this has been most fascinating to me, is how God so clearly orchestrated all that is happening in the world at this moment in time, and He did so meticulously connecting the dots over generation after generation from Abraham, Issac, Jacob and now Moses… doing so while staying true to His Word and His covenant He made with Abraham under the stars hundreds of years before… and too, what absolutely blows my mind is how very real and relevant this study is for our lives today!
The ancient Egyptians worshipped approximately 80 different gods. These 80 gods were categorized into the three main forces in Egyptian life:
1. The Nile.
2. The land.
3. The sun.
Egyptians worshipped these three main forces. And here is why. First, if it were not for the Nile, Egypt would merely be another hot, desolate, dry part of the desert that stretches across North Africa to the west and across the Gulf of Suez to the Arabian Desert to the east. Each year, the Nile overflows its banks, dumping all along the banks of the Nile a very rich soil carried down by these waters from central Africa. The Nile therefore contributes to the land producing an extremely fertile and beneficial soil to this part of the world. From these rich soils, the Egyptians produce crops that feed the entire region. The year-round warm sun supports the growth of these land crops. So together, the water of the Nile, the rich land, and the sun provide a trifecta of amazing for the entire nation of Egypt. What you are going to see is that each plague is directed against one or more of these three forces. We have so very much to read today. Let’s begin!
Exodus 7:15-24
Plague One: Blood
Directed at: The Nile
False god(s): Osiris, Khnum, Hapi
God’s first plague was against the Nile. God sent Moses and Aaron to meet Pharaoh. Notice the “who” and “where” of this moment when God chose to inflict upon the Egyptians plague one. They did so while in the presence of the Pharaoh as he is on the banks of the Nile. Why is it important? Well… again, this is why we deep dive so often @ DF! Osiris was considered to be one of the greatest gods in all of Egypt. He was considered to be an extremely powerful god of the entire waters of the Nile. Then there was the god Knum, the god of Nile sources, who, it was believed, kept the waters of the Nile moving. And too, the god Hapi, the spirit of the Nile in Upper Egypt. It was believed this god protected all of the wildlife in and around the Nile that was a great source of nutrients and protein for the Egyptian people. Why would the Pharaoh be on the banks of the Nile? Unlike others, the King did not bathe at the river. He bathed in his palace. And all Saturday Night Live fans from the 80’s know that, too, unlike the Motivational Speaker Chris Farley, the Pharaoh did not live in a van down by the river! Look again at verse 15:
Exodus 7:15
It appears this is a morning ritual for the King to go to the banks of the Nile. What is he doing? Most likely he is engaging in the act of Nile worship. As I've already shared with you, the Nile is a main force worshiped by the Egyptians. This would be the case even for the Pharaoh himself. An important ritual was for the Egyptians to stand before the river praying: praying for protection; praying for blessings; praying for power. The Egyptians would pray to the god of the Nile, Osiris, to the god of the Nile sources, Knum, and to the spirit god of the Upper Nile, Hapi. So Moses and Aaron speak to the Pharaoh and then Aaron raises his staff, stretches his hands out over the waters of Egypt, and immediately the water is changed to blood.
I have spoken in tremendous detail of the effects all of the plagues have on the nation of Egypt. But, the obvious effects: The water smells. The fish died. The smell is so bad the Egyptians cannot even drink the water. Look at verse 21 and imagine what this must have been like. All of the streams and canals and ponds and reservoirs and even vessels of wood and stone holding water turned blood red!
Exodus 7:21
Where was the god Osiris? Where was the god Khnum? Where was the god Hapi? The Nile, once a source of life, has immediately become a source of death to all in Egypt.
Plague Two: Frogs
Directed at: The Nile
False god(s): Heket
The second plague, frogs, is directed at The Nile.
Exodus 8:1-6
Brynnan and I have gigged quite a few frogs through the years. Our record from several years ago: 24 frogs in one night! Anyone here like frog legs? I have no problem at all killing a frog… Many ancient Egyptian artifacts carved in the shape of frogs have been discovered over the years. One great goddess of Egypt, Heket, was often pictured with the body of a human and the head of a frog. One thing that is truly amazing about God is his sense of humor. I find this plague, though vile and atrocious, too as one fully displaying God’s humor. The Egyptians revered the frog. The frog was a sacred animal. Therefore, the frog could not be killed. So imagine this… Scripture says the frogs were everywhere… in the waters, Egyptian homes, in their bedrooms, on their beds, in their food and had made their way into their ovens. The frogs even infiltrated the homes of the officials and even the palace of the King. No one was immune to this plague! And again because this animal was revered by Egyptians, the Egyptians could not kill a frog… … and it appears, were not even supposed to touch a frog! I bet this plague made the entire nation of Egypt quite jumpy!
Plague Three: Gnats
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Geb
God's third plague was against the land, specifically the most fertile soil in the world. As we have studied earlier in the series, from this soil grew so very many things: vegetables, fruit, grain, and all types of plants.
Exodus 8:16-19
The Egyptian god of the Earth, Geb, was powerless against this third plague. With each of these plagues, God continues to display his power, a matchless power that none of the Egyptian false gods could match. Notice again verse 19:
Exodus 8:19
This is the first time we read where the Egyptian magicians are unable to duplicate what God is doing. They then rightly surmise that what the entire nation of Egypt is witnessing is the powerful hand of Jehovah God.
Plague Four: Flies
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Khepri
Exodus 8:20-32
Notice several things. First of all:
Flies / Egyptian/ noun, plural = swarms of insects
The goddess, Khepri, was the Egyptian false god of insects. Once again, another god proven powerless to an almighty God. Did you notice again in verse 20, the Lord told Moses to get up early and to confront Pharaoh as he goes back to the river. We see this is a morning ritual for the King of Egypt to go to the Nile to worship. This act speaks once again to the callousness of the heart of this man. In Exodus 8:19, Scripture tells us that “Pharaoh’s heart was hard…”
Hard /Hebrew/ verb = in need of repair
Thus far in the story, there have been three horrific plagues that are desolating the nation of Egypt plague by plague. Yet, this man continues to stay the course worshiping these false gods. Plague #4 is directed squarely at the land and once again a slap in the face to the Egyptians. You see, just as was the case with the plague of frogs, so very many insects, specifically the fly, were considered to be a god to the ancient Egyptian people. Therefore, they could not kill these insects, only endure them. We too, for the first time, are made privy to a very important piece of information that must have left the Egyptian people perplexed, and most likely too, amazed! Do you see it?
Exodus 8:22-23
Once again we see God doing something only God can do. Not only did this distinction display the true power of God Almighty, but it too sent a very strong message to God's people, the Israelites, who are still in slavery at this point. As the Hebrews looked across the landscape into Egypt, it was impossible to miss the effects these plagues were having on this once all-powerful nation. God’s people were visibly seeing the protection, even while still slaves, God was orchestrating over His people!
Plague Five: Livestock
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Apis
There were more than 2,000 gods, false gods, worshipped by the Egyptian people in Ancient Egypt. They had a false god for just about everything. For animals alone, there were more than 100 gods, and many of these gods were associated with the rich and vibrant land that originated from the Nile Delta at the southern end of the Mediterranean Sea and traversed downward throughout the nation of Egypt. Plague number five was a direct assault squarely upon this plush land.
Exodus 9:1-7
What is interesting about this plague is that it did not kill all of the animals. We will see with plague number seven, God offers a warning to the people of Exodus to bring their animals in from the fields, or they will surely die. Nonetheless, this was an extremely difficult plague inflicted upon the people of Egypt. Many of these animals killed would have been animals the Egyptians relied upon for countless needs of transportation, industry, and nourishment. Too, the most worshiped creature in ancient Egypt was the bull. A bull represented authority and power. Yet, these animals, these so-called “gods,” were dead. But notice verse 7:
Exodus 9:7
Plague Six: Boils
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Apis
Exodus 9:8-9
I've tried to imagine what it would've been like to have blisters all over one's body. The closest thing I can think of is the incessant amount of pimples I had growing up. I had so many pimples you could literally play connect the dot on my face. Even unto this day I still have pimples! How ironic is this plague of boils. Notice in verse 8 how God tells Moses to take “handfuls of soot” to toss in the air. From this soot, a fine dust consumed all of Egypt – all of Egypt! You see it was the religious practice of the Egyptians to take soot ashes from their burnt offerings and to then throw these ashes into the air believing they would be dispersed as a blessing across the land. And when these ashes would fall on any Egyptian, they would consider themselves to be very blessed and protected. Of course, this is another display of the magnificence of God – the commanding of a plague across the entire Egyptian people that made a mockery of, and showing the falsity of, an ancient Egyptian religious ritual. And then, there is plague seven.
Exodus 9:19
Plague Seven: Hail
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Tefnut, Shu
Tefnut was the Egyptian god of moisture. I’m not sure why there was such a false god as Tefnut. Egypt had almost zero moisture falling from the sky each year. It does not rain, and especially, it just does not hail in Egypt. Even today, the city of Cairo receives less than 2 inches of annual rainfall and never, ever frozen water in the form of hail. With the events surrounding this plague, we see several things we have not yet witnessed:
1. Pharaoh is warned. Moses gives Pharoah a warning that all livestock and produce of the field should be gathered into a safe shelter, or they will die.
2. Some of Pharaoh’s officials fear God.
Exodus 9:20-21
And then the worst storm the people of Egypt had ever seen struck their nation:
Exodus 9:23-26
Plague Eight: Locusts
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Geb
Exodus 10:3-6
Devastation. Complete devastation. A plague of locusts is such a terrible devastation that it is actually mentioned as a part of the book of Revelation:
Revelation 9:1-10
Plague Nine: Darkness
Directed at: The Land
False god(s): Ra
The ancient Egyptian sun god, Ra, was considered to be the most powerful and most revered of all the gods. But she had no power against the Jehovah God. Plague nine comes without any warning. It was sudden without any announcement. Complete darkness descended on the land and remained for three days.
Exodus 10:21-23
What must these three days have been like for the Egyptians? To live in complete darkness, yet to look across the land into the places where the Israelites lived and to see life; light; as if nothing had changed at all for them. This is such a devastating read for us today church. The realization that God uses Moses to completely ravage this land at the command of His voice is an understatement. Those who survived these first nine plagues will never again be the same. The plagues pretty much speak for themselves. Desolation. Heartbreak. Incessant pain. Confusion. Anger. Hunger. Loneliness. And, sadly, as we will see next week, the worst of the plagues is yet to come!
So, what can we glean from this today? Here are 4 take homes:
1. A calloused heart is a destructive force.
Church have you ever paused to consider over and again we read where the king of Egypt possesses a hardened, or calloused heart. But what is interesting… with every plague handed down to the nation of Egypt, have you noticed to whom the plagues have been directed?
Not merely to Pharaoh. But to whom? Upon whom? The entire nation of Egypt. Over and again we read verses such as:
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land." Exodus 9:8-9
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt - darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. Exodus 10:22
The callousness of my heart is as a cancer to my life.
Such an inward disposition projects an insensitive and unsympathetic disregard for truth and for others that infects my thoughts, my choices, my family and, ultimately, my influence. I want to encourage you to consider your own heart. As you do, answer this question: Is it possible that I possess a calloused heart in some area of my life?
2. A spiritual war is ever before us.
Right before the first plague is released on Egypt, God says this:
Exodus 7:4
Divisions / Hebrew/ = a throng of heavenly armies; armies with a focus on great power to conquer.
Church, I am reminded that, just as was the case for God’s people in Egypt, so too are we in the midst of a mighty spiritual war even unto today.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
3. The plagues are not merely a punishment. The plagues too serve a purpose.
Exodus 7:17
“By this you will know that I am the Lord!” Interestingly, though the plagues served as judgement upon a sinful King and nation, the purpose of these plagues was mostly directed at the nation of Israel. God was not merely punishing the people of Egypt. He was preparing the people of Israel, His people, to leave this land and to do so completely yielded to Him. Remember there is a fear riddled throughout this story. And we have seen this fear among the nation of Israel surface as God's people have complained to Moses and have complained about Moses. God's purpose in this moment is in directing the attention and complete loyalty of the nation of Israel upon Him; helping them to see that there is freedom on the other side of fear when their dependence is on that of Holy and righteous and sovereign God. May we, His Church, experience this same freedom in our lives today.
4. Opposing God will break me.
What I am so clearly learning from this story is that God will always get what God wants – always. Pharaoh wanted to compromise with God. This is a very foolish thing to do.
Opposing God will always break me.
We see today that the nation of Egypt was obsessed with her false gods. How interestingly, we too will soon see, God will begin the 10 Commandments with this very first commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. It is easy for us to accuse the Pharoah of pride and arrogance; of narcissism and vanity. After all, his country has been ravaged. Yet, at this point in the story, he remains determined. What we have to be careful of as humans, specifically as followers of the Christ, is repeating the same mistake of arrogance in our own lives. There is but one God. He is unrivalled, all-supreme, and supernatural, and His authority should never be questioned… not even by a King.
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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.