Mother’s day is not a day of celebration for everyone. Some of you may have lost your mothers through death, divorce, or distance. Some of you may want to be mothers but for various reasons are unable.

This study is about a godly woman who is an example for all women, no matter whether you are a mother or not and whether you have a mother or not, for, no matter what your circumstances may be, all of you have an influence on someone else – men, women, and children.

You will remember well the story of Joseph. Joseph was greatly loved by his father, Jacob, but hated by his brothers, who sold him to traders, who, in turn, took him to Egypt where they sold him to Potiphar. Eventually he was raised to the highest position in the land. A famine in Egypt led to Joseph’s food storage plan. People from all over came to buy their food, including his family who were eventually reunited with him and settled in Goshen. While Joseph was Prime Minister, Egypt prospered economically and Jacob’s descendants multiplied greatly, but then a new king came into power who had not known Joseph. He was afraid of the power of the Hebrews, so he set taskmasters over them to afflict them and keep them in servitude. Suddenly, they were stripped of freedom and prosperity and plunged into forced labour and poverty, but the more they were afflicted the more they spread and grew. And as they suffered, they wished for a deliverer to relieve their distress.

In order to stop their population growth the king secretly ordered the midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys, but the midwives feared God and disobeyed the king (Ex. 1:16-17). So, the king openly intensified his plan and commanded all the people to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth (Ex. 1:22). The prophecy of Genesis 15:13-14 had come to pass - the Hebrews were “resident aliens… in a land that does not belong to them.” But hard times don’t erase God’s promises, harsh treatment doesn’t escape God’s notice (Heb. 4:13b), and heavy tests don’t eclipse God’s concern.

In the midst of this terror, we come to the story of Jochebed, Moses’ mother. It’s amazing how much we learn in the O.T. about people who are unnamed and silent. Neither Moses’ parents nor his sister, not even Pharaoh’s daughter, are named here. It seems that the Spirit of God keeps them in the shadow to allow the light to shine on the God of Amram and Jochebed. Jochebed is not well-known like Sarah or Rachel. Yet more than any other, she set the foundation for Moses’ faith and she did it under the most adverse circumstances in Hebrew history.

Our subject in this study is “Courageous faith.” In our passage we will see that Jochebed demonstrates the principle that God honours the courageous faith of a godly woman. In her, we see the concern of a godly woman, the love of a godly woman, the faith of a godly woman, and the reward of a godly woman.

I. The Concern Of A Godly Woman Experienced (2:2a)

“She conceived and bore a son” (2:2a). Perhaps Jochebed worked in the brick kilns as a Hebrew slave (cf. Ex. 1:10-14). It was a very oppressive, hateful environment. No evident miracles took place there during the day. The more bricks they made the more was demanded of them and the less straw they were given with which to make them.

The day came when Jochebed discovered that she was pregnant for the third time. Miriam had been born perhaps 7-12 years before, and Aaron about 3 years before. Then began the long wait to discover if this was a boy or a girl, and during those 9 long months she would have had many concerns.

1. She would have been concerned about the conflict in Egypt. At the time of Moses’ birth, the forces of good and evil were in open conflict in Egypt. The king was opposed to the Israelites, fearing that they might rebel against them (1:10). The midwives were opposed to the king and they defied him successfully (1:17). Now all the Egyptian people were under royal orders to oppose the Israelites by killing all the new born Hebrew baby boys (1:22).

Jochebed would have been concerned about that. And...

2. She would surely have been concerned about her pregnancy. What must she have thought during each day of her pregnancy? The threat of death hung over her like a cloud. Every pregnancy had the sentence of death hanging over the child if it was a boy. Those were not the days for renting a mobile sign and putting it on your front lawn announcing, “It’s a boy!” She would have heard the daily wails of other Hebrew mothers as they delivered their babies, only to hear the dreaded news. And she would have seen the Egyptian attendants throwing Hebrew babies into the river. The suspense of those months was broken only by the anxiety and anticipation.

Then, as the days of her pregnancy advanced...

3. She would have been concerned about the birth. Every birth carries with it certain anxieties mixed with a certain awe and wonder at the miracle of childbirth. Every birth is, after all, a miracle. Some births just defy circumstances as God exercises his providential care and control. One of my cousins was born 17 years after his parents had been married – long after they had concluded that they would not be able to have a child! Another family relative was told that her unborn baby would have Downe’s syndrome and that she should have an abortion. Today that baby is a beautiful, normal young adult!

Jochebed’s anxiety of 9 months finally gave way to the pain of childbirth, and the pain of childbirth gave way to the relief of delivery, and the relief of delivery was shattered by the shock of the news – it’s another boy! Jochebed’s concern of nearly a year had become reality. Now she would oppose the king, determined that Moses should live.

Such were the natural concerns of a caring, godly woman. But her concerns gave way to...

II. The Love Of A Godly Woman Proven (2:2b)

Upon Moses’ birth, Jochebed “saw that he was beautiful” (2:2b). Undoubtedly, every mother thinks her baby is the most beautiful in the world. But this comment about Moses is recorded 3 times in Scripture, so it evidently has more meaning than simply that the child was good looking.

This beauty was more than skin deep. This child was to his mother’s natural eyes a beautiful baby boy, but to her eyes of faith he was also a special baby before God. God had provided him and God would providentially protect him. He was “beautiful in God’s sight” (Acts 7:20). Jochebed knew that he was a special gift from God and that God had a unique role for him.

All Christian parents ought to see their children as special gifts from God, whose lives they are to shape and mould to serve God. The training that children receive in their early years sets the pattern for their lives. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

Nothing is more important than for parents to train their children spiritually so that they are raised for God. Someone once said: “First talk to God about your children. Then talk to your children about God.” John Wesley said: “I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians of England.”

First, then, we see the concerns of a godly woman. Those concerns then give way to love, and that love is strengthened by…

III. The Faith Of A Godly Woman Tested (2:2c-3)

While Jochebed loved with a mother’s heart, she also acted with the faith of a godly woman.

1. A godly woman’s faith trusts implicitly. “She hid him for three months” (2:2c). By faith, Jochebed now defies the king’s commandment. Having recognized that the <“child was beautiful in God’s sight,” Jochebed began to act in faith.

It would have been very difficult to hide a newborn baby for 3 months, but there would be more to the future of this child than just another infanticide. Even though she didn’t know what the outcome of her actions would be, she trusted God implicitly for the future.

St. Augustine’s mother agonized for her son’s salvation. She implicitly trusted God that he would save her son. During Augustine’s years of reckless living, his mother wept and prayed for him. Later Augustine would write in his Confessions: “My mother had now come to me, resolute through piety, following me over sea and land…full of confidence, she replied to me, she believed in Christ that before she departed this life, she should see me a…believer... Fountains of mercies poured she forth more copious prayers and tears, that Thou wouldest hasten Thy help and enlighten my darkness.” Reflecting on his mother’s faithfulness, Augustine wrote: “It is impossible that the son of these tears should perish.”

Even though Jochebed couldn’t have known what a great man Moses would become, it was faith that drove her to hide Moses for three months. What she did know was that a day would come when she wouldn’t be able to hide the baby any longer. And so not only does a godly woman’s faith trust implicitly, but…

2. A godly woman’s faith plans wisely. “When she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch” (2:3a). Her plan of faith defied all her motherly instincts. It defied natural affections when she put Moses in the ark. It defied reason when she placed Moses beside the river - after all, that was the very place where the babies were being drowned! (1:22). I think that Jochebed took that full three months of waiting on God to conceive this plan.

Here we see the providence of God directing her in every detail: (a) The stream that carried the ark to its appointed landing place. (b) The bulrushes that provided protection. (c) The princess taking her bath at the right time, at the right spot. (d) The princess’s curiosity which changed to compassion. She knew her father, Pharaoh’s, edict but her heart was touched not only by the baby’s cry and, perhaps also, by the extent to which a Hebrew mother would go to save the life of her child. (e) The intervention of Moses’ sister and the return of the child to his mother. And, ultimately, (f) even Pharaoh himself took Moses into his own palace.

Jochebed’s faith was accompanied by a well thought-out plan, which she carried out with great skill. Trusting God involves thinking, planning, and applying. Acting in faith includes foresight and wisdom, not simply hindsight and wishful thinking.

Notice that a godly woman’s faith not only trusts God implicitly and plans wisely, but…

3. A godly woman’s faith acts bravely. “She placed the child in it (the papyrus basket) and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile” (2:3b). Now Jochebed did the unthinkable - she gave up her baby. Everything within her would have screamed out against such an action but her faith was rooted in the providence of God, faith that God would work all things out according to his purposes.

She bravely faced danger when she laid the ark in the reeds beside the river. She put him into the river in a basket of bulrushes and then she waited to see what God would do. This was an act of ultimate commitment. Ironically, it complied with Pharaoh’s edict to put the babies in the river, except that this didn’t lead to death.

She bravely faced her fears by faith and she became the preserver of a boy who became one of the world’s greatest figures. She trusted God to protect and preserve her child in this most unlikely of habitats and nothing would stop her from protecting the child’s life - not a murderous king, nor a crocodile-infested river. And because of her bravery and faith, she is listed in the Hebrews Hall of Fame: “By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because…they didn’t fear the king’s edict” (Heb. 11:23).

God is fully trustworthy even in the face of life-threatening danger. It’s fear that holds us back from trusting Him, but faith gives birth to courage. That’s why the people of faith in Hebrews 11 were tortured, mocked and scourged, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, and killed with the sword (11:35-37). It was faith that spurred them on, as Paul says: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (2 Tim. 1:7).

Waiting is tough but waiting in faith is tougher as we wait for God to do His work. Jochebed did everything she could, then she set that little ark by the river and waited. There was nothing more that she could do but wait. Trusting as we wait is the secret.

When a godly woman’s love is proven and her faith is tested, God responds with…

IV. The Reward Of A Godly Woman Granted (2:4-10)

Jochebed is rewarded in that...

1. Her plan worked flawlessly. Pharaoh’s daughter took pity on the baby even though he was a Hebrew. What relief must have swept across Jochebed and Miriam when they saw Pharaoh’s daughter’s reaction. And God rewarded Jochebed by permitting her to raise Moses during his formative years - and she even got paid for it (2:9).

Perhaps Jochebed had about 5 years to pour her life and faith into her son. These were the years when he would have received his basic childhood instruction about God and about faith. No wonder Moses grew up to be the man he was with a mother like that. He practiced her implicit faith in God and he acted with her fearless courage. Jochebed and Amram were not afraid of the king (Heb. 11:23b) and Moses, later in his life, wasn’t afraid of the king either (Heb. 11:27a).

This godly woman was rewarded by God in that her plan worked flawlessly. And also in that...

2. Her children followed her faith. God honoured her love, faith, and courage. Aaron became Israel’s first high priest and founder of the Aaronic priesthood. Miriam became a gifted poetess and musician. Moses became the great leader of God’s people out of slavery and wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. From Adam to Christ none was greater than Moses.

In Moses’ life we see so many striking antitheses:

a) The child of a slave…but the son of a queen.

b) Born in a hut…and lived in a palace.

c) Inherited poverty…but enjoyed unlimited wealth.

d) Leader of armies…and keeper of flocks.

e) Mightiest of warriors… and meekest of men.

f) Educated in the wisdom of Egypt…but lived by faith.

g) Fitted for the city… but wandered in the wilderness.

h) Tempted with the pleasures of sin… but chose to suffer for righteousness.

i) Backward in speech… but talked with God.

k) Carried a shepherd’s rod… but wielded divine power.

l) A fugitive from Pharaoh… but an ambassador from heaven.

m) Giver of the law… but the forerunner of grace.

n) No one was present at his death…but God buried him.

Final Remarks

What an example Jochebed is of a godly woman, a godly woman whose concerns were overshadowed by her love for her child and her faith in God. A godly woman who was rewarded with children who followed her faith and her God. A godly woman who demonstrated courage in the midst of danger, who trusted God without knowing the outcome. A woman who knew the truth that He who is for us is greater than all the forces of evil against us (Rom. 8:31).

And the good news is that the God of Jochebed is our God! He still preserves our children, still provides courage, and still rewards faith. Jochebed’s God is still “able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).

To every woman today, whether you are a Sunday School teacher, aunt, friend, grandmother or mother, you can have the same impact on the children whom you influence in your life. And when the chips are down and you face challenges as to how to give these children good advice, how to protect them in times of danger, how to teach them in a way that will serve them well when they grow up, know this: God is still sovereign and in control of their lives.

Can you trust them to God? Do you believe that He will care for them just as Jochebed believed that God would care for the ark in that river? What relief and peace comes from resting confidently in the providence of God. God works in our children’s lives as providentially as He moved in Moses’ life, and He controls the actions and thoughts even of unbelievers to accomplish his will. When we have done all that we can in any task or situation, then we must wait and trust everything to God.

We must never deny or forget the providence of God by which He sovereignly cares for and controls all things in carrying out of his grand design. Around the cradle of bulrushes was the shield of God, just as an army of horses and chariots of fire were all around Elisha. But, like Elisha’s servant, we often fail to see it (2 Kings 6:15-17).

No matter what the circumstances or the forces that are marshalled against us, God’s sovereign purposes will be done for the God of Jochebed still lives!

Since our last sermon in this series, Moses has now returned to Egypt (4:18-28), having been fully informed by God that persuading Pharaoh to let the Israelites go would not be easy (4:21). Additionally, on the way back to Egypt, Aaron came out to meet him (4:27-28), just as God had previously told Moses (4:14), and Aaron began to act as Moses’ mouthpiece in communicating with the Israelites (4:29-30). Despite Moses’ fears as to how the Israelites would react to him and the questions they might ask, the “people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped” (4:31). What a wonderful response! How that must have encouraged Moses to take the leadership as God had commissioned him to do.

At their first meeting with Pharoah Moses and Aaron said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness” (5:1). To this Pharoah replied, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (5:2). Pharoah’s arrogant response echoes Moses’ question to God in 3:13, except that Moses’ question to God has to do with who God is, whereas Pharaoh’s question is not generated by any desire to know God or even to know his name. Indeed, Pharoah’s question seems to be rendered with cynicism, ridicule, and scorn. He did not know God and did not want to know God. Furthermore, as God had warned, Pharoah would not let Israel go because God had hardened his heart (4:21).

This issue of God hardening Pharoah’s heart needs to be addressed since it raises the question of why God would do that and then turn around and punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We need to understand at the outset that Pharaoh was a wicked and ungodly ruler. He and his predecessors had kept the Israelites in brutal slavery for 400 years. You remember that when Moses was born, the Pharoah had ordered that all Israelite babies were to be killed at birth (Ex. 1:16). Indeed, it would have been perfectly just for God to have destroyed the entire nation of Egypt for being a wicked regime in opposition to God and His chosen people.

And so this hardening of Pharoah’s heart was a bilateral act – Pharoah hardened his own heart (Ex. 8:15, 32) and God hardened his heart (Ex. 9:12). Remember that God, in his grace, gave Pharaoh repeated warnings of judgement, despite which Pharoah chose to pursue his hard-hearted, cruel course of action. So, we must conclude that Pharoah brought judgement on himself.

Let this be a warning to us. If you choose to harden your heart, God may harden it even further, even as He waits in grace for you to comply with His demands. Pharoah received what he deserved and, in the process, God did what He said He would do, so that “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them” (Ex. 7:5; cf. 14:18). By so doing, God brought glory to himself, as the apostle Paul reminds us, “ ¹⁷ For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. ¹⁸ So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom. 9:17-18). Remember, this is God’s sovereign right. He has no obligation to us to act or not act in any particular way.

Pharoah’s response to Moses was to accuse the Israelite slaves of laziness – that’s why they wanted to go out into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God (5:5, 8b). As a result, Pharoah placed an even heavier burden on the Israelites than before, demanding that they make more bricks without providing them with any raw materials - they would have to gather their own straw now (5:6-9). This, of course, brought a swift reaction by the Israelites against Moses and Aaron (5:20-21) and a negative reaction by Moses to God, accusing Him of not delivering his people as He had promised (5:22-23).

How often do we, like the Israelites, react to circumstances even though we don’t know what God is doing or going to do? How often do we, like Moses, blame God for not keeping his word, even though present circumstances are all part of God’s plan?

In his grace, God reminds Moses, “I am the LORD” (6:2), and, interestingly, He tells Moses that He had revealed to him something that He had not told even Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. To them He had revealed himself as God Almighty, “but I did not make my name the LORD known to them” (6:3). In other words, Moses knew God as the covenant-keeping God of Israel, a revelation that his forefathers did not know and which ought to give Moses far more faith than could be expected of them. Further, God reminded Moses, “I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners” (Ex. 6:4), a covenant which, despite appearances, God was about to fulfill. This message Moses was commissioned by God to tell to the people (6:6-8). “But they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor” (6:9).

Nevertheless, despite their harsh response to Moses, God was about to work on their behalf in a way that had not been experienced ever before, a work that would radically and permanently change their onerous circumstances.

Thus begins the extraordinary saga of God’s deliverance of his people by the ten plagues. The theological principle that we learn from this episode is that sometimes God exercises his power in creation to display and demonstrate that He is the LORD. We find this principle summarized in Ex. 7:3-5: “ ³ I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put my hand on Egypt and bring the ranks of my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. ⁵ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them” (cf. also Ex. 9:16; 8:19).

Therefore, through the ten plagues in Egypt, God did indeed accomplish his purposes: (1) to execute judgement on Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Ex. 3:19-20); (2) to redeem his people, Israel, from slavery (Ex. 3:7-10; 6:6-8); and (3) to demonstrate unequivocally that He is the supreme One (Ex. 6:7; 7:5, 17; 8:22; 10:2; 12:12; 14:4 etc.).

As we examine these judgements on Egypt, consider how they may be a forerunner of the even more devastating judgements that God will execute on the earth at the end of this age. I will cover the tenth plague on its own in the next sermon in this series. For this sermon, let’s briefly review the first nine plagues…

I. Water Turned To Blood (7:14-25)

Taking his staff in hand, Moses was instructed by God to meet Pharaoh at the mighty river Nile, where evidently Pharaoh bathed or carried out some sort of ritual each morning. There, Moses was instructed by God to confront Pharaoh with his disobedience and to advise him that, through his staff (that Moses had previously turned into a serpent), God would judge the land by turning the waters to blood, such that the fish would die and the water would be unusable: “ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in wooded and stone containers” (7:19b).

All of this was to be done upon Moses’ order, by Aaron extending the staff over the waters of Egypt, which he did and “^20b all the water in the Nile turned to blood. ²¹ The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt”(7:20b-21).

Three things to notice. First, despite his previous claims to not be able to speak well, Moses is clearly God’s spokesperson and Aaron is his helper. Second, the very river in which the Egyptians drowned the Hebrew babies is the river which God curses by turning to blood such that, instead of being the source of life-giving water for the Egyptians, it became the source of death. Clearly, this was God’s retributive justice on the Egyptians.

You would think that such miraculous action would have produced an immediate response of submission by Pharaoh, but such was not the case. In fact, strangely, Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated this act “^22b by their occult practices. So Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. ²³ Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn’t take even this to heart” (7:22-23), despite the effect on all the Egyptians, who had to dig alongside the Nile to get drinking water for seven long days (7:24-25).

So, what’s going on here with the magicians of Egypt? How is it that they could duplicate God’s miraculous action? In fact, they had already done so before when, Moses and Aaron first requested permission from Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, failing which God would “bring out the ranks of my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment” (7:4). In response to Pharaoh’s demand to prove such a claim, as God had instructed them they cast down their staff and it became a serpent. And, lo and behold, the magicians of Egypt did the same (7:11)! Now, they do it again, turning water into blood. This happens three times in total (the staff turned into a serpent, the water to blood, and the plague of frogs) before they lost their power.

How do we explain this? Some try to explain it by saying that it was a sleight of hand, or somehow the magicians coloured the Nile with red dye. This is far-fetched and lacks biblical support. Others argue that they only did this to a small amount of water, as the Nile itself was already turned to blood. But this does not adequately explain what happened. The way the text reads does not necessarily imply that the magicians entirely duplicated Moses’ miracle either in its extent or its means. But whatever they did certainly convinced Pharaoh that their powers were equal to Moses’ (and, by implication, to God’s), but at that point Pharoah probably didn’t need much persuasion.

Whatever the magicians’ power enabled them to do, the plain, natural reading of the text is that they turned water to blood. The most plausible explanation, therefore, is that they derived their power from Satan (cf. 2 Thess. 2:9; Mk. 13:21-22; Matt. 7:22; Matt. 24:24; Rev. 13:13; Rev. 16:14; Eph. 6:12). For this reason, because Satan’s power is limited and can only be used to the extent that God permits, (1) the magicians could not reverse their actions; (2) they did not perform their feat in the same way as Moses (i.e. by stretching out a staff over the waters); and (3) they were only able to duplicate the first two plagues after which their powers ceased (8:18). Let us not underestimate the power of Satan. Remember that, with God’s permission, Satan caused Job’s suffering, but let us also remember that God places limits on Satan’s power - He only lets Satan go so far.

II. The Frogs (8:1-15)

Following Pharaoh’s refusal to let the Israelites go after the first plague, God gives him a second chance to comply (8:1). Pharoah’s second refusal is met by the plague of frogs, which would swarm into and throughout every household. Again, as we noted above, the Egyptian magicians duplicated this plague by their occult powers (8:7). In response to the first plague, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Apparently the effect of the waters being turned to blood was not sufficient for him to comply with Moses’ request. But this time, Pharaoh requested that the Lord remove the plague and he would let the Israelites go to worship the Lord (8:8). Apparently Pharoah didn’t care about the first plague’s impact on the lives of the people, but this time the plague directly affected him.

In order to demonstrate to Pharaoh that the Lord was completely in control of this situation and that the removal of the frogs was not a coincidence, Moses gave Pharaoh the option of specifying when the removal of the frogs should occur. “Tomorrow, he answered” (8:10). And so it was that the next day, the Lord removed the frogs from everywhere except the Nile where they belonged. “But when Pharoah saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (8:15).

III. The Lice (8:16-19)

This time, Pharaoh is not consulted or given any opportunity to let the Israelites go. Once more God tells Moses to have Aaron stretch out his rod, this time over the dust of the earth, the result of which is the plague of insects – sometimes called lice, gnats, mosquitoes, or fleas – that filled the land. If the invasion of frogs into every household was not enough to convince Pharoah to let the Israelites go, then perhaps an invasion of fleas into every aspect of Egyptian life would – into their clothing, homes, and bodies, both human and animal. They would itch and scratch day and night.

Unlike the previous two plagues, the Egyptian magicians were not able to duplicate this plague. At least the magicians have the honesty and insight to admit to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God… But Pharoah’s heart hardened and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (8:19).

IV. Flies (8:20-32)

Pharaoh’s hardness of heart continues despite three plagues. This fourth plague introduces the provision that the plague would affect all of Egypt but not the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived – “²² But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where my people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land. ²³ I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow” (8:22-23). This would demonstrate to Pharaoh that God was in control of this phenomenon; it was not a coincidence.

And just as the Lord had said, so the swarm of flies came. “Thick swarms of flies went into Pharaoh’s palace and his officials’ houses. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies” (8:24). In response Pharaoh, for the first time, grants permission for the Israelites to worship God as long as they stay within the boundaries of Egypt, a condition which is not acceptable to Moses, saying, “We must go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he instructs us” (8:27). Pharaoh concedes to their request, adding “but don’t go very far” and “make an appeal for me” (8:28) - presumably an appeal for God to remove the swarms of flies. Moses agrees to this arrangement but warns Pharaoh not to change his mind (8:29). Moses keeps his part of the bargain but Pharaoh did not keep his. Instead he “hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go” (8:32).

These interactions with Pharoah are clearly showing that for Pharaoh this is a power struggle motivated by pride – who is the supreme ruler, Pharaoh or God? Pharaoh cannot appear weak to his people or he would lose their respect and subservience. Isn’t this altogether so common with us as well? Oh, we don’t manifest it in quite this way, but we are so reluctant to cede control of our lives to God. We have our own plans for our lives, which often do not comport with God’s plans for us. But ultimately, God always wins. Let us never forget that, because we could save ourselves a lot of heart ache if we willingly and quickly submit to God’s purposes for our lives.

V. Death of Livestock (9:1-7)

This is described as “a severe plague” (9:3). Again, Moses predicts two aspects of this plague which should surely convince Pharaoh that this is from God. First, as with the previous plague, this plague would only affect the animals owned by the Egyptians, not those of the Israelites (9:4). And, second, this plague would occur specifically on the following day (9:5). Both of these conditions were designed to show that God was the author of this plague, not nature or any other force.

The plague took place exactly as Moses had said. “But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go” (9:7).

VI. Boils (9:8-12)

In the presence of Pharaoh, Moses, in obedience to God’s instructions, threw ashes into the air and it became fine dust that settled over the land of Egypt, causing boils to break out on humans and animals throughout all the land of Egypt. This time, not only are the Egyptian magicians unable to duplicate it, they themselves are afflicted by it to the extent that they could not stand before Moses because of the boils. Perhaps also the magicians could not stand before Moses because they were ashamed of their impotence and because they knew that Moses’ power came from God alone. Once before they had confessed to Pharaoh that the plagues were “the finger of God” (8:19). Armed with this renewed conviction, they now evidently appeal to Pharaoh for him to withdraw from this battle, which he could not win. “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had told Moses” (9:12).

Hardness of heart surely causes people to press ahead in defiance of logic and evidence, in open rebellion against God’s authority.

VII. Hail (9:13-35)

Now we see that not only is God bringing these plagues upon Egypt (1) to secure the release of his people from slavery in Egypt, (2) so that they can worship him in the wilderness, (3) to reveal to them that “I am the Lord” (cf. 7:17; 8:22), the sovereign Lord, the supreme, all-powerful Creator and Ruler of the universe, but also (4) that they “will know there is no one like me on the whole earth” (9:14). Pharaoh and his magicians cannot withstand the power of God. And no matter how many times Pharaoh continues to rebel against God with a hardened heart, ultimately God will achieve his purposes and Pharaoh will have to acknowledge and bow to the sovereign power of God and to acknowledge the utter uniqueness of God, that there is no one like him “on the whole earth.”

Such is the severity and destruction of this plague of hail that Pharaoh, in his desperation, seems to be softening in his attitude, confessing to Moses: “I have sinned this time. The Lord is the righteous one and I and my people are the guilty ones” (9:27). Further, he agrees to release the Israelites: “I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer” (9:28). But we have seen this before - an appeal to God in order to stop the plagues, but then another hardening of his heart against God. Will this be any different? No! Despite the fact that Moses always does what he says he will do and appeals to God to withdraw the plague, nonetheless, as Moses warns Pharaoh, “as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD God” (9:30).

And, sure enough once again, “³⁴ When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his officials. ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he did not let the Israelites go, as the Lord had said through Moses” (9:34-35).

One wonders at this point how hard the human heart can be. Without submission to God’s rule, the human heart can act in ways that defy logic and evidence. But more than that, I think what is going on here is not only the demonstration of the wickedness of the human heart, but the sovereign purposes of God, which are being revealed and carried out in spite of the opposition and rebellion against God of, probably, the most powerful ruler on earth at that time. These prolonged and repeated plagues and Pharaoh’s utter rebellion against God are all designed by God to manifest His supreme power, repeatedly and clearly. That surely is the overriding purpose here.

VIII. Locusts (10:1-20)

Now God’s overriding purpose in the plagues is stated overtly: “ ¹I have hardened his (Pharoah’s) heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of mine among them, ²and so that you may tell your son and grandson how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them, and you will know that I am the LORD” (10:1-2). If the plague of hail was devastating, then the plague of locusts would be even more so. Indeed, Moses told Pharaoh: “ ⁵They will eat the remainder left to you that escaped the hail; they will eat every tree you have growing in your fields. ⁶They will fill your houses, all your officials’ houses, and the houses of all the Egyptians – something your fathers and ancestors never saw since the time they occupied the land until today” (10:5-6). To this dire warning, Pharaoh’s officials react in abject fear, saying to Pharaoh: “How long must this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Don’t you realize yet that Egypt is devastated?” (10:7).

So, Pharaoh tries to make a compromise with Moses. He will grant limited permission – the Israelite men only may go and worship the Lord but not the women and children (10:10-11). I suppose that Pharoah’s scheme was that if he could keep the women and children there, then the men would be sure to come back. But Moses was having nothing of it. No compromise! No negotiations! It was God’s way only. Not only did Moses demand that men, women, and children go, but also their flocks and herds (10:9). Remarkably, once again, Pharaoh drives Moses and Aaron from his presence – the conversation is at an end. And the plague of locusts begins. “Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again” (10:14). They covered the entire land of Egypt such that the land was black and by the time they were finished, “they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt” (10:15).

Once more, Pharaoh confesses his sin against the Lord and against Moses. He pleads for forgiveness and for Moses to intercede for him before the Lord to “take this death away from me” (10:17). Notice that he does not request that it be taken away from “us,” but “from me.” The only person Pharoah cares about is himself. Let the people suffer, but let him be protected. Graciously, the Lord causes the removal of the locusts by a strong west wind, blowing them into the Red Sea. “Not a single locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not let the Israelites go” (10:19-20).

IX. Darkness (10:21-29)

This time, there was no warning issued to Pharaoh. Surely, the plague of darkness was not only physical but also reflected the spiritual darkness that was over all the land of Egypt, “a darkness that can be felt” (10:21-22). For three days, no one could see their hand in front of their face. So thick was the darkness that they could not move from where they were. “Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived” (10:23).

Wouldn’t you think that, by now, the intensity and scope of the plagues, together with the clear demarcation between their effects on the Egyptians and the Israelites, should have awakened Pharaoh to the reality of what God was doing? But no, he again tries to negotiate with Moses. “Go, worship the Lord. Even your families may go with you; only your flocks and your herds must stay behind” (10:24). But again, Moses would hear nothing of it. It was all or nothing. They needed their herds and flocks to offer burnt offerings to the Lord and they would “not know what we will use to worship the LORD until we get there” (10:26).

But one more time, “the Lord hardened Pharoah’s heart and he was unwilling to let them go” (10:27). In fact, Pharoah become even more resolute, threatening Moses with death if he ever saw his face again (10:28). I love Moses’ reply: “As you have said…I will never see your face again” (10:29). Little did Pharaoh know how true and how utterly devastating that statement would turn out to be.

Final Remarks

So, nine plagues of increasing intensity fail to subdue Pharaoh’s hard heart. He will not relinquish control. This seems to be the root issue – control, power and pride. This is a standoff between Pharaoh, a finite human being, and God himself, the infinite, sovereign ruler of the universe. Remember our thesis that sometimes God exercises his power in creation to display and demonstrate that He is the LORD. He certainly demonstrated His supremacy through these plagues in response to, and in spite of, Pharaoh’s rebellion and hardness of heart, and He will do so again at the end of this age.

From our vantage point, we wonder what Pharaoh was thinking. But when you stop and think about it, Pharaoh is just manifesting the wickedness that lies in every human heart – independence from God and rebellion against God. This has been the story of the human race from the beginning. It was human rebellion against God’s authority and the insistence on human independence that caused sin to enter the world in the first place. In direct defiance of God’s command that “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17), Adam and Eve ate of it anyway. This was the very first demonstration of the self-will and rebellion of the human heart.

We may well ask, “Why?” Why would Adam and Eve do that, when God had given them a perfect paradise to live in and enjoy? When there was only one restriction placed on them? And here we must consider two reasons. First, God created human beings with the freedom to choose whether to obey him or disobey him. This was necessary in order for God to have a people to voluntarily and freely love him. Second, Satan entered the scene with his wicked deception, promising Adam and Eve greater enjoyment and greater powers if they disobeyed God – “When you eat it (the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden) your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Ever since that fateful day when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, the human race has suffered the consequences of separation from God and a rebellious spirit against God.

So, let this be a lesson to us, to be on our guard against hardness of heart. Remember the admonition of the apostle Paul to “no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts” (Eph. 4:17-18). Remember what Jeremiah said: “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). And let us adhere to the warning of the writer to the Hebrews who quotes David in Psalm 95:7-8, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 4:7).

None of us likes tests. I remember in school the dread that struck my heart whenever a teacher would enter the classroom and announce that we were having a test. Unscheduled tests really reveal whether you have been paying attention or not. Though we do not like them, is it not true that life is full of tests, not just academic tests but physical tests and experiential tests? Every time we make a decision, we face a test of sorts - what car to buy, who to marry, what college program to take.

Tests actually strengthen us. If you don’t push yourself to exercise, you’ll never develop muscles. If little babies don’t fall, they will never learn how to walk. If children don’t jump from a high wall, they will never learn to trust tehri dads to catch them. If you don’t sweat over the books, you will never pass exams. Tests enable us to deal with life’s pressures and to mature in our outlook and relationships. In other words, test mature us.

That’s the way it is with spiritual tests as well. That’s why God passes s through deep waters sometimes, so that our faith grows under the stress, so that our trust in God becomes strong, so that we learn much abut our selves and about God.

Throughout their wilderness journey, the Israelites faced many tests. In this passage, we will see the Israelites quickly transition from the triumph of the Red Sea to the tests of thirst and hunger. These tests go right the heart of basic human existence – food and water. The primary lesson that we learn from this significant event is that if we fail the test, God still responds with grace and faithfulness. Notice first…

I. God Responds To Our Bitter Complaints With Sweetness (Ex. 15:22-27)

Hardly had the Israelites departed from Egypt, after God had secured their freedom from slavery in Egypt by the ten plagues, culminating in the death of the firstborn at the Passover, than the people began to grumble. Looking behind them they saw the Egyptians pursuing them and they were terrified (14:10). On the one hand they cried out to the Lord for help, but on the other hand they complained to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” (14:11). Any thankfulness they may have had to God for His deliverance or to Moses for his leadership was gone. Thus began a 40 year cycle of their complaints, Moses’ intervention on their behalf, and God’s gracious provision.

Hardly had they experienced a further demonstration of God’s power and faithfulness in the crossing of the Red Sea (14:15-31), which they celebrated by worshipping God with great enthusiasm (15:1-21), than three days later, as they journeyed in the wilderness without finding water (15:22), “they came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter” (15:23). That’s how quickly life’s circumstances can change. Joseph experienced this when his brothers sold him to Midianite traders who, in turn, sold him to Potiphar in Egypt. One day Joseph was the favorite, preeminent son of his father, made evident in his royal clothing, and the next he was sold like a chattel and reduced to slavery.

How do you explain this? Why would God miraculously deliver the Israelites one day at the Red Sea, and three days later, when they desperately needed water, bring them to a place of bitter water that they could not drink? Is God cruel and malevolent? Would He tempt the Israelites with exuberance one day and desperation the next? No! Of course not. That would be contrary to God’s nature and character.

So, how do you explain this? Often we can’t - our theological system fails to adequately address this mysterious issue of how God works in the world. The great hymn writer, William Cowper, faced this dilemma in his own life, at one time being confined to an insane asylum, struggling with intense depression for much of his life, even trying repeatedly to end his own life. Yet, he was also a deep theological thinker, expressing his thoughts about the vicissitudes of life most succinctly in the hymn, “God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.”

While there are many experiences in life that we cannot adequately explain, one thing we do know with absolute certainty is that God is good, gracious, and kind at all times. Everything He does and that He causes us to experience is for our ultimate good and blessing (Rom. 8:28). It may not seem that way at the time, but later we can look back and see how God used those circumstances for our good.

1. God blesses us with refreshment for our spirit (15:23-25a). First there was no water at all (15:22); then “they came to Marah” (15:23). They must have breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the water at Marah. But their relief soon changed to frustration when they discovered that the water was bitter. How bad is that! – to be desperately thirsty in the desert and when you finally find water, you discover that it is undrinkable. If there is one thing you need in the desert, it is water. I have spent quite a bit of time in Burkina Faso in west Africa, teaching pastors and helping to establish a Christian education centre there. Burkina is sub-Saharan, basically desert, with sometimes unbearable heat and blowing dust. One of the first thing you have to get used to there is to carry water with you wherever you go.

The intuitive human response to tests is to complain. Finding that the water was undrinkable, the Israelites “grumbled to Moses, ‘What are we going to drink?’” (15:24). Their victory song had suddenly changed to a bitter complaint. I think we can understand that, from a human perspective, thirst in the desert would have been a life-threatening obstacle. But one wonders why or how they could have so soon forgotten God’s great power, of which they had so recently been the blessed recipients. Did they not remember how just three days earlier on the shores of the Red Sea, they had openly and jubilantly praised God, the God who had drowned Pharaoh’s chariots and army in the sea, the God who was their strength, their song their salvation, the God who they confessed was a warrior, whose right hand shattered the enemy etc. (15:1-4)? And could not such a God as this also provide water to quench their thirst?

But, such is the fickleness of the human heart. How quickly we forget God’s wonderful provision and grace in days gone by! That was then and this is now. And the “now” always seems to take precedence over, and obscure, the “then.” Effectively, our hearts seem to mirror the bitterness of Marah’s water. Indeed, is that not what was displayed at the cross? When Jesus cried out on the cross, “I’m thirsty,” those who were nearby “fixed a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth” (Jn. 19:28-29). What cruelty, to offer a dying man sour wine to quench his thirst! And yet the bitterness of the sour wine was a reflection of the bitterness of their wicked hearts.

I suppose too, the Israelites’ experience here at Marah is not unlike many of our own experiences. We benefit from God’s boundless grace and mercy and forgiveness every day, and yet when we come to a Marah in our lives, we so quickly forget God’s power and goodness to us, instead becoming consumed with the bitterness of the moment. And many of life’s experiences are bitter, we would not deny that. Such is the consequence of living in a sinful, fallen world. But should we not turn immediately to the God of our salvation, the God who has provided for us all along the way, the God who has delivered us over and over again “with a strong hand and an outstretched arm” (Ps. 136:12)? Is He not sufficient for the bitter Marah experiences just as He is for the mighty Red Sea victories?

But notice that, despite our complaints, God extends his grace toward us. He doesn’t say, “When they stop complaining I’ll do something. Look what I just did for you! How much more do you want?” No! At Marah he hears our cry and refreshes our spirits. “So (Moses) cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable. The Lord made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there” (Ex. 15:25). God often uses the most unlikely instruments to accomplish his purposes. Moses’ rod was a most unlikely instrument for parting the waters of the Red Sea. And now, instead of his rod, it’s a tree which, when Moses threw it into the water, it became sweet.

There is a divine purpose in tests. God uses tests to prove the genuineness of our faith and, ultimately, to bring glory and honour to the name of Christ. God tests our faith to see if we truly love and trust him in any and all circumstances. That’s why he tested Abraham’s faith in commanding him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise. Effectively, through tests God asks us, “Do you love me more than anything or anyone else?” as he asked Simon Peter (Jn. 21:15). The big question is: Do we love God only in the good times, or at all times? Do we trust him only after a Red Sea victory, or also at the bitter waters of Marah?

When gold is refined by fire and the dross is removed, only what is pure remains. That’s the point of tests, it seems to me. “⁶ In this (i.e. salvation) you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” ( 1 Pet. 1:6-7).

I think the problem is that we misunderstand the nature of the Christian life. We expect that our lives as Christians should be one continuous mountaintop experience, free from troubles and trials. After all, has not God said, “I will never leave you or abandon you” (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6)? Does the Bible not say that “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19)? Yes, but Jesus also warned “you will have suffering in this world” (Jn. 16:33). What we want is the conquering, not the suffering. And I understand that, but it’s not reality. In fact, in my experience, we face more defeat and hardship than we do victory and success. So what is our encouragement under such circumstances? How do we deal with life and especially when we fail the test. Well, we have Jesus’ own encouragement: “Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (Jn. 16:33). Furthermore we have the assurance that if we may fail the test, God still responds with grace and faithfulness.

The key, it seems to me, is to turn the bitterness of Marah into the beauty of Jesus, not by complaining against Him, but by drawing close to Him, by “spreading the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14f.). During my ongoing struggle with the long-term effects of Lyme disease (28 years and counting as of this writing), I have found that I have learned more about God and his goodness in the dark days than I could have ever learned in the light. In fact, on one of those dark days, I wrote this poem to express my innermost feelings:

“In Quietness And Confidence” (Isa. 30:15; Psalm 23)

You make my way perfect, as you guide me with your eye;
You whisper, “Come this way and in green pastures lie.”
You help me climb to heights that men have never trod;
You draw me to your presence to feel the heart of God.

As I rest in you, Lord, I know that you are there;
As I wait upon you, Lord, I know your tender care;
For it’s only when I’m quiet, peaceful, and still,
That I learn the truth about you and your perfect will.

Lord, I want to know you more dearly every day,
To be more like you as I tread this earthly way.
Lord, I want to serve you with vigor and with grace,
Then hear your sweet “Well done” and see your blessed face.

Then, free from all the troubles of this present place,
I’ll revel in the sweetness of your strong embrace.
I’ll praise you, precious Saviour, in your home above;
I’ll rest from all my labor and glory in your love.

You see, the truth is that God does not leave us alone in the darkness of life’s experiences nor in the bitterness of Marah, but, in the midst of those circumstances, he draws near to us and reminds us that he has not changed, his promises are true, so that in the midst of trials we can say with the Psalmist, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). Remember, that God himself experienced unimaginable sorrow when he gave his one and only Son to be our Savior. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself endured incomprehensible suffering at the cross. In the words of the prophet Jeremiah, He said, “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see! Is there any pain like mine, which was dealt out to me, which the Lord made me suffer on the day of his burning anger?” (Lamentations 1:12). Again, in the words of the Psalmist, “All your waves and billows have swept over me” (Ps. 42:7).

Well, not only does God bless us with refreshment for our spirits, but also…

2. God blesses us with a promise for our journey (15:25b-26). “^25b The Lord made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there. ²⁶ He said, ‘If you will carefully obey the Lord your God, do what is right in his sight, pay attention to his commands, and keep all his statutes, I will not inflict any illnesses on you that I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you’” (Ex. 15:25b-26). Having made the bitter water sweet, God declares to the Israelites the purpose of this test at the waters of Marah. He wants their undivided obedience and loyalty, no matter what their circumstances may be. In return he promises the Israelites that he will protect them from the plagues that he had inflicted on the Egyptians.

What a promise for the journey. “If you are obedient and if you trust me, I will not exempt you from tests, but I promise you this, you will experience none of the diseases which I brought on the Egyptians.” Why? “Because I am the Lord who heals you.” “I’ll heal your thirst. I’ll heal your ailments. You will not die out here in the wilderness.” Far better to be in the wilderness with a gracious, all-powerful God than in Egypt with Pharaoh’s task-masters. But to experience the abundant blessing of God, the Israelites would have to trust Him.

Similarly, should we face bitter disappointments or unexpected challenges, God will faithfully lead us through them to the other side. But he demands our unswerving obedience and loyalty all the way through. Notice that the covenant is conditional. If you…then I.” Don’t think that you are entitled to God’s blessings. Don’t think that because you’re a Christian, God will automatically intervene on your behalf. Don’t presume on God’s grace. God wants us to trust him before he blesses us. He wants us to demonstrate our love and obedience. This faith-life is not a one-way street. This isn’t an all-benefits insurance policy. The life of faith is one that demands our fidelity to God based on his word, his grace, and his faithfulness.

In fact, the circumstances we face in life are often the very means by which God tests our obedience and loyalty. Do you see how sickness, sorrow, disappointments, economic downturns, career interruptions, relationship tensions etc. are all used by God to test the reality of our faith, which is manifest either in complaining or obeying? We only enjoy the Lord’s promises to the extent that we obey him, trust him, and love him, no matter what. That’s when we experience and realize afresh that “I am the Lord who heals you.” He “heals” us of our “bitter waters” - sicknesses, sadness, separations, setbacks, defeats, despair, and disappointments - by pouring the healing balm of his Holy Spirit into our lives. If you want to receive the Lord’s blessing, then you need first to obey him. In this passage we learn that “just as obedience is the proper expression of faith so also faith makes obedience possible” (J. A. Motyer, “The Message of Exodus,” 183).

So, first, God blesses is with refreshment for our spirit. Second, He blesses is with a promise for our journey. And third…

3. God blesses is with an oasis in our desert (15:27). After journeying for three days in the wilderness they found no water until they came to Marah, where the water was bitter and the people complained. But God made the bitter water sweet and he made an ordinance and a statute for them there (15:22-26). That was a big test, which is now followed by a big blessing. “Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy date palms, and they camped there by the water” (15:27). Healing the bitter water of Marah was good. But how much better were the twelve wells of Elim! One well would have been good enough, but the abundant grace of God supplies twelve – one for each tribe. The wilderness thirst could kill you, but the water is life-giving. The blazing sun was exhausting, but the seventy palm tress shaded them from the heat. This was an oasis in the desert.

Isn’t it true that after our times of testing, God grants us oases in the desert? After the darkness comes God’s glorious light. After the tears comes God’s gracious comfort. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). After the worry comes God’s wonderful relief. After the doubt and confusion comes God’s abiding truth. After the temptation comes God’s powerful deliverance. God was true to his word. His provision was abundant. Truly, with the Psalmist we can say: “ ¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. ² He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. ³ He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:1-3).

Well, the test of bitter waters reminds us that if we fail the test, God still responds with grace and faithfulness. First, then, there is the test of thirst at the bitter waters where God responds to our bitter complaints with his sweet blessings. Then, second, there is the test of hunger where…

II. God Responds To Our False Accusations With Faithfulness (Ex. 16:1-36)

From the bitterness of Marah to the blessing of abundance of Elim’s oasis (15:27), the Israelites now move on to the barrenness of the wilderness of Sin (16:1). Thus, the vicissitudes of wilderness life continue, that never-ending cycle of ups and downs and the accompanying responses. “¹ The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. ² The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!’” (Ex. 16:1-3).

Only a month and a half after they had left Egypt and things aren’t looking good for the Israelites. Despite the great victories that they had seen God accomplish on their behalf, they fail to trust him when faced with thirst and now with hunger. Isn’t it peculiar that our intuitive response when things don’t go our way is to wish for the good old days? The Israelites actually wished that they had died with their stomachs full in Egypt under Pharaoh, rather than face hunger in the wilderness with God. Suddenly, Egypt never looked so good. The years of cruelty were so soon forgotten. Present circumstances quickly overshadowed their previous misery and suffering in Egypt and their cries for deliverance from their Egyptian oppressors. Evidently, the Israelites still did not trust God. Though God had proved himself absolutely trustworthy, they proved themselves consistently untrusting. The Red Sea deliverance was just a distant memory now.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of viewing life through the “if only” lens. If only I had done this or that. If only so-and-so had not treated me like that. An “if only” life is full of regrets rather than thankfulness. Oh, I don’t deny that life has a way of dealing us some hard knocks. And I don’t doubt that there are things we all have done or said that we wished otherwise. That’s not what I am talking about. There is a place for regret, but regret must be dealt with by repentance and reconciliation. If you live your life always looking through the rearview mirror, you can so easily become paralyzed by resentment and revenge. Instead, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” ( 1 Jn. 1:9), thus enabling us to live with freedom and joy.

“If only” can soon lead to false accusations against those we think have wronged us. “You brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger” (16:3b). But despite our false accusations, God still responds with his constant and gracious provision. In so doing, He again tests their faith. Notice two characteristics of God’s provision…

1. God tests their faith in the trustworthiness of his word (16:4-18). “ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day… On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days” (16:4-5). In response to their complaint, God acts with grace, promising to provide enough food to satisfy each person’s hunger every day. Food would literally rain down from heaven each day. Just enough - no more and no less.

“This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions” (16:4b). This test of faith had to do with the quantity of food and the regularity of the food supply. Would God provide enough food for each person? And would he supply it every day? Their faith in this regard would be tested as to whether they would follow God’s instructions to gather only enough food for that day and to gather only enough for each person. The test really is would they hoard some food, just in case there wasn’t enough or just in case it didn’t come very day? It is easy to see how they could wonder whether there would be enough for everyone every day. It certainly would raise the question as to how God was planning on supplying this food, out there in the wilderness every single day? You can see how some might decide that they would get there before everyone else, just to be sure that they got enough for themselves. And you can see how some might take more than they needed, just to be sure if the supply failed to come every day.

So, Moses and Aaron assured Israel that God would provide. In fact that very evening “‘you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because he has heard your complaints about him...’ Moses continued, ‘The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and all the bread you want in the morning, for he has heard the complaints that you are raising against him’” (16:6-8). It seems that all these tests of faith relate back to the Lord’s deliverance of them out of Egypt. The question seems to still linger: Did their exodus convince them once and for all that the Lord is God? It seems that over and over again Moses has to assure them, and God has to prove to them, that their exodus was orchestrated and carried out by God – no one else. In fact, their exodus was designed to convince them of who God is.

But apparently the exodus itself was not enough. They needed to be reminded over and over. And so God says, “At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God” (16:12). Surely, that would convince them. Of course, God kept his word. That evening quail covered the camp and the next morning there were fine flakes on the desert surface which, Moses explained, “‘is the bread the Lord has given you to eat’” (16:13-15). So each person gathered what they needed, two quarts per person (16:16-18).

So, despite their fickle and, often, false accusation and complaints, God graciously provides for their needs. He keeps his word. The question is whether they would believe it and obey it. Hence, first, God tests of their faith as to the trustworthiness of his word. Second…

2. God tests their faith as to the nature of his provision (16:18-30). Only enough for each person for each day was provided - they were not to store it up (16:19) for two reasons: (1) To prove whether they trusted God to provide; and (2) To prove their obedience as to the nature of the food he provided. Of course, God kept his word and provided for each person’s need, so much so that “the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat” (16:18). But there remained the fact that this food could not be stored up. It had to be gathered every day. “Moses said to them, ‘No one is to let any of it remains until the morning’” (16:19).

I know what I would be tempted to do and so do you – gather as much as you could because this abundance might not last. We’re so prone to skepticism and distrust, even when God has proven himself over and over to be faithful. “We’ve seen this before,” you would say, “What’s here today is gone tomorrow. The land of Goshen looked oh so good to Jacob – but it didn't last. So set some food in storage while the going is good. Make hay while the sun shines.” Or, you might say: “OK, we’ll just do what the Lord said and only gather enough for one day, but we’re going to ration it so it will last longer just in case the supply gets cut off – after all, you never know, this might not last forever.”

And that’s exactly what they did. They were commanded to eat everything in the day they gathered it – not to leave any of it until the morning, “But some people left part of it until the morning of them left part of it until the morning and it bred worms and stank (16:20). They had never seen quail before, nor had they ever eaten manna, so I suppose it never occurred to them that it had to be stored in a fridge - except, when they gathered double the amount on Fridays to last them through Saturday. In that case, Moses told them how to prevent it from spoiling. On Friday, they were to bake the bread they needed for Saturday and “bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning” (16:23). And guess what? When they did that, it didn’t breed worms or stink (16:24).

So, the question is: Will they trust God every day? Some of them did not, so they went out looking for food on Saturday, the day of rest, but they didn’t find any (16:27). There seems to be always this underlying distrust of God, a “we-know-better-than-God” attitude. They probably thought: “This food might not keep coming so here’s our chance to get ahead of the game. Let’s go out and gather food on Saturday, even though we shouldn’t and even though we don't need it!” And that brought a sharp rebuke from the Lord: “‘ ²⁸ How long will you refuse to keep my commands and instructions? ²⁹ Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.’ ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day” (16:28-30). Notice that this no ordinary bread. It was like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey (16:31) – “angel” food (Ps 78).

How good is God’s constant provision! Not just to supply food consistently and abundantly, but tasty food. And they ate it every day for 40 years until they reached Canaan. They didn't have to work for it – it was delivered to their doorstep every day. I remember when I was a boy, milk and bread was delivered to the door every day. So, this was the first fast food home delivery program. They didn’t have to grind it, knead it, or bake it. It was the best fast food ever known.

But despite God’s constant provision, they hated the food. First they grumbled because they were hungry. Then they grumbled because it was always the same – they wanted the variety of Egyptian food - cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (see Num. 11:5-6).

Talk about self-centeredness! They don’t thank God for his faithful, unfailing, abundant supply. Instead they said, “We just don't like it! It’s yukky!” Doesn’t this just show us our own hearts, so often? God graciously and faithfully and abundantly provides for our needs and we fail to acknowledge his provision. Sometimes we even grumble about it! This really challenges my own heart. Do I really recognize that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17)? Do I really appreciate the common grace of God that sends the rain on the just and the unjust, so that I can have food to eat and water to drink?

First, then, the test of faith at Marah: God responds to our bitter complaints with his sweet blessings. Then, the test of faith in the Wilderness of Sin: God responds to our fickle accusations with his constant provision. Finally, the test of faith at Rephidim...

III. God Responds To Our Angry Demands With Grace (Ex. 17:1-7)

Previously they had water at Marah, but it was bitter – they complained and God made it sweet. Now, at Rephidim they have no water at all. Ironically, Rephidim means “resting place,” but what God intended as a place of rest became for them a place of angry rebellion. Their complaints have escalated to angry demands – “Give us water to drink (17:2). They were so angry that they were ready to stone Moses (17:4). But, as Moses rightly pointed out, they’re complaint to him was actually “testing the Lord” (17:2b). They were doubting God, not Moses. Moses was only God’s appointed leader, who spoke to the people for God.

To test God is serious. They were challenging God as to his goodness and his power. “Give us water to drink,” they angrily demanded. So rebellious had they become that Moses feared for his life (17:4). And God responded to their angry demands by manifesting his abundant grace (17:5-7). In producing water from the rock…

1. God manifested grace through his divine power (17:5). Again, God uses Moses’ rod as the instrument to perform this miracle and in so doing to manifest his power. “⁵ The Lord answered Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go.”

If it is hard to make bitter water sweet, how much harder is it to produce water from a rock? Rock is the most unlikely place to find water. But the God who produced plagues in Egypt and parted the Red Sea is the God who can produce water from a rock. What greater manifestation of divine power could there be than this?

If the people didn’t trust God, Moses did, for he immediately and fully obeyed what God commanded, even though it must have seemed impossible.

2. God manifested his grace in his divine presence (17:6a). “⁶ I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb.” God did not send Moses alone. Perhaps this was His grace to Moses, given the anger of the people - God himself would stand there in front of Moses. In God’s power and with God’s presence Moses would be the instrument of divine intervention on their behalf, an intervention which they did not deserve, but which God graciously provided.

3. God manifested his grace by his divine protection (17:6b). “…when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Instead of God striking the Israelites for their unbelief and rebellion, God instructed Moses to strike the rock, out of which God graciously produced life-giving water. The rock, in this sense, acted as their substitute.

The apostle Paul relates this incident to the cross where God struck Christ, “the Rock” of our redemption (1 Cor. 10:4), thus protecting us by the rod of His judgement falling on Christ instead of on us. At the cross, Christ took our place as our Substitute, so that we would not have to bear God’s just punishment for our sins. At the cross, blow after blow of God’s wrath was poured out upon Christ instead of on us. Christ protected us from the penalty of our sins when he took the punishment of God that we deserved, dying the death due to us. Consequently, from our Rock flowed the life-giving spiritual water of redemption. From Him poured out a fountain of living water, which if a person drinks of it, he / she will never thirst again, for it will spring up into eternal life (Jn. 4:14). That’s why Jesus could cry out: “³⁷ If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (Jn. 7:37-38). This is God’s gracious protection and deliverance of us through Christ.

Moses “named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (17:7). Massah means “tempted” or “testing” and Meribah means “protest” or “contention.” Here the Israelites complained to Moses, which, by inference, was a protest against God.

The Israelites’ spiritual blindness and rebellion are shocking. “Is the Lord among us or not?” They actually doubted God’s presence among them, even though it had been manifested to them over and over again. This was a direct insult to God by denying the obvious and inferring that what God had done was not good enough. They thought they deserved better.

Could they not remember? Or was it that they thought God could save them once but not now? Perhaps they were like those who don’t believe in the eternal security of the believer. They believe that God can save us but he does not preserve us, that somehow God acts for our redemption but later changes his mind and lets us go. What an indictment to have Moses permanently name this place after their doubt and rebellion against God, a permanent epitaph to their unbelief – testing followed by contention.

Final Remarks

These then are the principles we learn from this passage…

I. God Responds To Our Bitter Complaints With Sweetness (Ex. 15:22-27)

II. God Responds To Our False Accusations With Faithfulness (Ex. 16:1-36)

III. God Responds To Our Angry Demands With Grace (Ex. 17:1-7)

Tests assail us all in our Christian life. You may be going through serious testing right now - tests in your marriage, tests in your attitudes, tests in your habits, tests in your employment or schooling, and you want to hang on to things as they were before. But that’s not how it works. We have to move on from Egypt to the Red Sea to Marah to Elim, to the wilderness of Sin, to Mt. Sinai and, ultimately, to Canaan. The grace and power of God that he demonstrates on our behalf to deliver us from Egypt are sufficient and available to carry us through this journey. That’s our comfort and source of courage for the tests that come our way as we travel home to heaven.

More often than not we react to God’s tests like Israel with bitter complaints, false accusations, and angry demands. That’s the course we take when we fail the test - complaints lead to accusations which lead to rebellion against God. And we repeat this cycle over and over. Like Israel, we don't seem to learn the lesson.

It’s one thing to know God and his truth; it’s another thing to put it into practice. You can say, “Yes, I trust God for everything in my life.” But do we? That takes strong faith. Like Israel, we cry to God for deliverance from taskmasters but then we complain and rebel over a much lesser test. You would think that thirst and hunger would be insignificant for Israel compared to their beatings in Egypt. But when put to the test, they hanker for Egypt.

Tests are meant to prove whether we believe or not, whether we truly trust God or not, whether we truly love God or not. This was God’s purpose for the tests of the Israelites in the wilderness, as Moses reminded them: “Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commands. He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat…so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:2-3).

So often we are like them, aren’t we? All of a sudden, our previous circumstances look good and we want to go back to the diet of Egypt. When we get out into the wilderness, our previous circumstances begin to look so attractive. If we don't learn from our wilderness tests, then God will repeat them until we get it. Thank God that he is not fickle and failing as we are, but even if we fail the test, He still responds with grace and faithfulness.

Let’s learn to enjoy what God gives us. If it’s manna, then let’s accept it from him with thanks. If it’s quail, then let’s accept it from him with thanks. Let us never forget that everything we have and are comes from Him, as Moses taught the Israelites: “When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases, be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God…You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth” (Deut. 8:11-20).

Our last study in this series was titled, “A 40 Day Meeting with God” (Ex. 19:1-25). At that meeting Moses received from God the ten commandments and additional laws (Ex. 21-23) that would regulate the life of the nation of Israel.

Then, “Moses came and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people responded with a single voice, ‘We will do everything that the Lord has commanded’” (Ex. 24:3). Notice the emphasis here on “all.” There was full disclosure, full agreement, full commitment, and full unity. And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord and built an altar at the foot of the mountain (24:4). Young men offered burnt offerings and peace offerings there and Moses sprinkled half the blood on the altar and put half the blood in basins (24:5-6). Moses then read from the Book of the Covenant and, again, the people affirmed their obedience to the covenant (24:7). Then, Moses took the blood from the basins and sprinkled it on the people (24:8). They were a holy people set apart for God.

But notice how quickly everything changes, from unity and commitment to rebellion and idolatry. Our subject is “The sin of idolatry.” And the overriding message that we learn from this passage (Ex. 32:1-14) is this: We are so prone to forget God and turn to new gods of our own making. But God does not change – his grace remains. Notice firstly that…

I. If You Lose Sight of God, Idolatry Can Easily Overtake You (32:1-6)

Moses’ meeting with God lasted a long time, close to 6 weeks (ch. 24-32) and the people got impatient. At last they gave up hope of ever seeing Moses again (32:16). They didn’t believe he was coming back. Clearly, they mistrusted Moses as their leader. They thought that he had abandoned them: “We don’t know what has happened to him” (32:1). Moses’ lengthy absence probably confirmed in their mind what they had accused him of all along, that he had brought them out into the desert to die. So, their allegiance to Moses and Moses’ God was abandoned. “Let’s start over,” they probably said. “This is a new day.”

That’s when they turned to Aaron. They wanted a new leader and they wanted a new god. That’s how fickle people are. If their leader is absent for an extended period of time, they soon give him up and all that he stood for, and they soon turn to someone else to lead them. They give up their leader and their leader’s God. All that Moses had done for them – gone. All that Moses taught them – gone. All their commitments to keep God’s covenant – gone. How soon people forget and turn after other leaders and other gods. We are so prone to forget God and turn to new gods of our own making.

Perhaps Aaron became proud that they had turned to him. Maybe his popularity went to his head, after all this was a big position over so many people and we know from the rest of the story that both he and his sister, Miriam, resented Moses’ leadership position. Perhaps Aaron reasoned: “I am as good as my brother anyway, so why not take over? The people are right – Moses isn’t coming back. We just have to get on with our lives – we’ve waited long enough.” So, they appoint Aaron as their new leader with a new god.

At the top of the mountain Moses was receiving God’s instructions about the design and construction of a tabernacle where they would worship the one, true living God. While at the foot of the mountain, the Israelites and Aaron were discussing the construction of a new, inanimate god of gold. This was a direct violation of the commandment that they had just received (Ex. 20:3-5, 23). And this was a direct violation of the covenant which they had just made – namely, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded us” (Ex. 24:3).

There’s no more talk or thought of the God of the mountain, the God whom they could not see, the God whom they could not approach on top of a mountain which they could not even touch. No, they wanted a god they could see and touch. So they reduced God to an idol of their own creation, just like the idols of the pagan Canaanites all around them. Idolatry quickly and easily overtook them when they turned away from God and God’s leader.

This sudden reversal comes as such a shock to us. The reversal of Israel’s covenant with God, rejecting God and turning to idolatry. And the reversal of Aaron’s loyalty to Moses without so much as even a hesitation about becoming their new leader and providing their new god. This sudden reversal came less than 40 days after they had initially made their covenant with God. Moses had barely gone back up the mountain than (1) Israel turned their back on him and adopted a new leader and (2) Israel turned their back on God and adopted a new god. Evidently, the absence of godly leadership was the primary factor in Israel’s practice of idolatry. When Moses was present, he kept them connected to God, for he was the mediator between them. Any previous talk of abandoning God and going back to Egypt had been counteracted by Moses. But not so with Aaron. He made no attempt to restrain them.

So, the opportunity to apostatize was there. Moses was absent and the opportunity and motivation for rebellion and idolatry were present. Perhaps the volatility and violence of the people scared Aaron into doing what they wanted. This was, after all, a protest movement as the people “gathered around Aaron” (32:1). This was like a mob scene, an “Occupy Sinai!” movement, a riot.

Israel’s sudden rebellion against God should not amaze us. Such a sudden reversal in their relationship to God springs from what is common to man – viz. human depravity. Human depravity is rooted and manifested in disobedience, self-will, rebellion. And that’s the problem to this day. We don't want to submit either to God or to God’s leaders. We want our own way.

The sudden fall of the Israelites can be true of us. As our thesis states: We are so prone to forget God and turn to new gods of our own making. Just give Satan a moment’s advantage through your sinful flesh and you’ll find out how suddenly your relationship with God can change. It’s not a long process. It’s not necessarily the end of a long path pursued - it can happen so quickly. That’s how it is when our sinful flesh is allowed to be active.

So, “whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). You can utter such spiritual talk and be so devoted today and yet utterly fail God tomorrow. I’ve seen it. The human heart is “more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). We must understand and acknowledge that. So, don't trust yourself but stay close to God, for, as Moses told the Israelites, “the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you” (Deut. 31:6).

So, the opportunity to apostatize was there and Aaron capitulates. He did exactly what they wanted. He capitulates to the invitation to be their leader and he capitulates to their demand for a new god: “Come, make gods for us” (32:1), they said. Aaron would be a replacement for Moses and the new idol would be a replacement for God. This was to be their new mascot. Moses had “brought them up from the land of Egypt” (32:1) but from here forward the new idol would lead them to conquer and populate the new land of Canaan. This was to be their new life! Forget about Egypt and Pharaoh and the Red Sea. “Let’s live the good life with food and drink, play and religion. That’s what life’s about!” or so they thought.

Idolatry always seems to lie latent in the human heart, ready to spring up at any moment and take control. It was so in the history of Israel (cf. Josh. 24:14; Amos 5:25-26; 1 Sam. 8:8). Lack of faithfulness to God was always just beneath the surface and could be triggered by the slightest provocation. And isn’t it just the same with us?

Aaron now leads them in the new direction that they demanded. “Take off the gold rings that a are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me” (32:2). There’s no evidence of any thought given to this, no consideration of the consequences. This is not wise, godly, thoughtful leadership. The idea of a calf was Aaron’s, the mode of making it was Aaron’s, the actual fabrication of it was Aaron’s. So, they willingly donated all their earrings and Aaron melted them down and carved it into a golden, molded calf.

And they said the most heinous, blasphemous, rebellious words you can imagine: “Israel, this is your god that brought you up from the land of Egypt” (32:4). No longer was it Moses and Moses’ God who brought them up from Egypt, but this graven idol has completely taken their place. Aaron solemnized the whole occasion by building an altar of sacrifice, just as Moses had done for God in Ex. 24:4. And Aaron proclaimed a solemn “festival to the Lord” (32:5), just as Moses had done in Ex. 24:11. Can you imagine!

The people are so excited, that “early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings” (32:6), just as they had done in Ex. 24:5. But this is not godly, reverent worship like that in ch. 24. Now, “the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to party” (32:6). The outward appearance of a worship service degenerated into a disorderly party, perhaps even an orgy with illicit sexual activity and drunkenness (that is certainly the implication).

Sometimes, religious gatherings can have the appearance of worship but underneath be blatantly evil. You can have a form of godliness but deny its power. You can make your external behavior look ever so good but when the heart is unrestrained, when there are no godly leaders to give orderly oversight, then the evil of the human heart soon manifests itself in all its unvarnished ugliness.

The Israelites here were really no different from the ungodly Canaanites whose land they would inhabit. Their pagan behavior was identical to the pagan Canaanites. We need to take heed of this, that we don't take pride in our form of gathering while abandoning in our hearts the One to whom we are gathered, that we don’t parade the external trappings of religiosity while nurturing internal spiritual rottenness.

Picture the scene that is painted for us here. At the top of the mountain - the fire of God’s glory, the object of worship is the living God, a solemn meeting concerning the law of God written in stone, and the plans for the tabernacle where God would dwell among his people. While at the foot of the mountain, a fire for melting their gold, the object of worship is a dead idol, and the meeting is one of an undignified frenzy of uncontrolled people.

This is idolatry. Idolatry is the replacement of God with something else to which you bow down as though it were God, the replacement of the invisible God with a visible substitute. So, who or what are you following? Are you devoted to following God no matter what? Are you following the faith of godly leaders? Or, have you abandoned the old paths for something new? If you do not remain true to God, idolatry will overtake you. And…

II. If Idolatry Overtakes You, You Will Incur God’s Anger (32:7-10)

The all-seeing eye of our omnipresent, omniscient God knew all that was going on at the base of the mountain. There is nothing hidden from God’s eyes. You may think God can’t see you, but he can. “No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account” (Heb. 4:13).

Israel had forgotten God and his great deliverance, but He had not forgotten them. God knew that they had turned away from him to an idol. “‘Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly’” (32:7) God said to Moses. They are not a holy nation anymore; they are a corrupt people. “They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them” (32:8a). They had turned away from God, abandoned Him.

Sin quickly manifests itself in disobedience. Sin quickly turns us away from God, for God and sin cannot coexist. Sin blinds our minds such that God’s grace is so quickly forgotten, God’s redemption is so quickly forgotten, the joy of God’s salvation is so quickly forgotten.

They had replaced God with an idol. “They have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, this is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt’” (32:8b). How quickly the living God is replaced by a dead idol! How quickly the miraculous works of God are attributed to a golden calf!

Remember: We are so prone to forget God and turn to new gods of our own making. This is all due to the sinful condition of their hearts. “They are indeed a stiff-necked people” (32:9). This is the root cause of the trouble. God has put his finger on the problem - the will. This is not only the Israelites’ problem - it has been the problem of the entire human race beginning with the fall. Disobedience! Rebellion! Debauchery! Idolatry! They all go together. This is the sin of self-will. What they were doing manifested who they truly were. This wasn’t something new or startling to God. He had seen and heard their attitudes ever since he brought them out of Egypt.

God knew they had turned away from him to an idol and He became angry with jealousy. The consequences of the sin of idolatry are (1) separation from God - they are no longer God’s people, but Moses’ people (32:7) – and (2) the judgement of God, because God is a jealous God who brooks no evil, tolerates no divided loyalty. God in effect said, “That’s it, Moses. I’ve seen enough of this stiff-necked, stubborn, rebellious, thankless, idolatrous people. “Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation” (32:10). This is what God threatens to do – to destroy them, wipe them out and start over again, promising to Moses what he had originally promised to Abraham to “make of you a great nation” (32:10). Was this just? Yes it was! Did God do it? Not immediately.

Why did God not do it immediately? Evidently because he did not intend to or else he would not have told Moses about it and then tell him to go down to them. This is like a warning shot across the bow, which in God’s grace gave them opportunity to repent. “Leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them” (32:10). But Moses didn't leave God alone and as a result God’s anger did not reach boiling point and the people were not destroyed – at least not right away. God gave opportunity to Moses to intercede for Israel based on which God’s anger was assuaged, for now.

First, if you lose sight of God, idolatry can quickly overtake you. Second, if idolatry overtakes you, you will incur God’s anger. Third...

III. If You Incur God’s Anger, Your Only Recourse Is To Plead For God’s Grace (32:11-14)

Now we read in 32:11-14 the words of a great leader, an intercessor, an advocate at God’s right hand. Notice, Moses makes no appeal to the recently ratified covenant. He didn't remind the people of the covenant they had just signed, nor does he express amazement at how quickly they had abrogated the agreement, nor does he remind them of the covenant’s terms and conditions, all of which were clearly spelled out. Why? Because the covenant would only condemn them - they would never be able to keep it.

Moses’ only appeal was to the character and grace of God. That’s the only place we can fly to when we sin – not seeking to be justified by works but by faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:16). We cannot possibly live up to God’s standard; the law will always eventually condemn us. We can only cling to the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ revealed most fully at the cross. Remember our thesis: We are so prone to forget God and turn to new gods of our own making. But God does not change – his grace remains.

Now listen to one of the greatest speeches ever made. Moses pleads with God on behalf of the people not to destroy them (32:11-14). He advocates on their behalf, acts in their defense. He says, “They are your people, God (not mine). You brought them out of Egypt (not me) with great power and a mighty hand.”

Moses’ Argument #1: “If you abandon them now, what will the Egyptians say? They’ll say that you brought them out of Egypt to do them harm, to kill them, in fact, in the mountains. They’ll say that you delivered them from Egypt to wipe them off the face of the earth” (32:12).

Moses unspoken aside is: But that’s not what you said to Pharaoh, is it? That’s not why you brought them out at all, is it? You brought them out of Egypt so that they could be your exclusive people, one nation under God, who could worship you in the desert. So, God, please turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people” (32:12).

Moses’ Argument #2: “What about your promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? ‘You swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever’ (32:13). What about that, God?”

Moses’ intercession is based on the character of God. God would not fail to keep his covenant with Israel, even if they failed. God would not let his character be ridiculed by the Egyptians. God would not fail to keep his promises to the patriarchs. God would not wipe them out because the Messiah could not come through Moses - he was of the tribe of Levi and the Messiah would come through Judah (cf. Ex. 2:1-2 vs Gen. 49:10), so God would not wipe them out.

God delights to relent from his judgement in response to an intercessor, a mediator. Just as Jesus interceded before God as our Mediator, so did Moses on behalf of Israel. God responds to our Kinsman Redeemer.

This teaches us something about intercessory prayer. When we recount the facts to God, make the arguments to God, and plead with God to “turn” (32:12). Then, God responds to the effective fervent prayer of a righteous person (James 5:16). Thus, Moses’ intimate knowledge of God enabled him to present a powerful argument to God and thus to mediate God’s forgiveness and the people’s restoration. This just shows the value and power of knowing God!

Moses knew full well that God would not destroy the people he just saved, despite their disobedience and idolatry. God would not abort the work he began – he will complete what he begins. He will lead them victoriously into Canaan. He cannot deny himself.

And so God relented. A powerful argument by a powerful advocate is followed by a powerful response from an all-powerful God. “So the Lord relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people” (32:14). Don’t ask me how this works - how God’s man can intercede on behalf of God’s people and God himself relents – but that’s what happened. That’s the efficacy of intercessory prayer.

Final Remarks

Remember my sermon-in-a-sentence that I stated at the beginning: We are so prone to forget God and turn to new gods of our own making. But God does not change – his grace remains. If you take your eyes off God, you can easily fall into idolatry. Don’t think that the Israelites’ sudden transfer of loyalties from God to idols couldn’t happen to you, because it could. Don’t think that the Israelites’ debauchery and party behavior couldn’t happen to you, because it could.

In fact, perhaps there are idols already in your life. They might not be physical idols of wood or stone but idols that you have set up in your heart. Anything that comes between us and God is an idol. Anything that prevents God from having first place in our life is an idol. That makes this passage a bit more personal doesn’t it?

Perhaps we all need to examine our hearts in order to identify anything that has priority over God in our lives - be it our money, our jobs, our ambitions, our leisure, our recreation, our attitude - and we need to judge it before the Lord and get rid of it. We serve a jealous God who does not brook divided affections. We serve a jealous God who does not tolerate lukewarmness. The Thessalonian believers “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). Let’s make sure that we do not turn from God to serve dead idols.

Praise God we serve a God who is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love” (Ps. 145:8), a God who is “⁴ rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,” a God who “⁵ made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses” (Eph. 2:4-5). Thank God that “where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more” (Rom. 5:20). Thank God that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).