Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Session 14: Moses and the Exodus
I hope this week's blog finds you happy and healthy. We had a great week in Sunday School this past Sunday. I think the total for the youth department was 58. This is good considering we usually have between 45 and 50. Let's make sure we contact any visitors that we had during the same week that they visited. Also, we need to be sure we are contacting our class members who have not been active. Hey if you will look around on Wednesday night you can find a whole lot of kids who don't come to Sunday School. They are right there inside our church building and are just waiting on an invite from you. What about this week's lesson? Post please!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I just learned something I thought was interesting. It gave me another perspective concerning the plagues God placed upon Egypt. Wiersbe writes, that the plagues were actually a "declaration of war" against the gods of Egypt. (see 12:12). The Nile River was worshiped as a god since it was their source of life (Deut. 11:10-12), and when Moses turned it into blood, God showed His power over the river. The goddess Heqt was pictured as a frog, the Egyptian symbol of resurrection. The plague of frogs certainly turned the people against Heqt! The lice and flies brought defilement to the people—a terrible blow, for Egyptians could not worship their gods unless they were spotlessly clean. The murrain attacked the cattle which were sacred to the Egyptians; Hathor was the “cow-goddess” and Apis was the sacred bull. The gods and goddesses that controlled health and safety were attacked in the plagues of boils, hail, and locusts. The plague of darkness was the most serious, since Egypt worshiped the sun god, Ra, the chief of the gods. When the sun was blotted out for three days, it meant that Jehovah had conquered Ra. The final plague (the death of the firstborn) conquered Meskhemit the goddess of birth, and Hathor, her companion, both of whom were supposed to watch over the firstborn. All of these plagues made it clear that Jehovah was the true God! We may trace these same plagues in the Book of Revelation, when God describes His final conflict with the god of this world, Satan: water to blood (Rev. 8:8 and 16:4-6); frogs (16:13); disease and afflictions (16:2); hail and fire (8:7), locusts (9:1ff); and darkness (16:10).The Egyptian magicians were able to imitate some of Moses’ miracles—turning the rod into a serpent (7:8-13) and the water into blood (7:19-25), and bringing forth the frogs (8:5-7). But they could not turn the dust into lice (8:16-19). Second Timothy 3:8-9 warns us that in the last days false teachers will oppose God by imitating His miracles. See 2 Thes. 2:9-10. Satan is a counterfeiter who deceives the lost world by imitating what God does (2 Cor. 11:1-4, 13-15).
Thanks John for the information. There were several things that really stuck with me about the lesson this week.
The first was God causing Pharaoh to harden his heart in all the plagues. All threw these chapters God tells Moses that He has hardened Pharaohs heart. Any person in their right mind would have given up long before going threw those nine plagues. Surely Pharaoh had to been asking himself what in the world am I doing. God on the other hand knew exactly what He was doing!
Back in chapter 1 starting in verse 15 Pharaoh orders all baby boys to be killed, but was not successful because God had his hand in it; however , this did set Moses up for Gods plan in his life. Then in chapter 11, the ninth plague God destroys all the newborn boys of Egypt. I think it’s safe to say in this instance that what goes around come around.
Chapter 14: 15 starts telling the story of the escape through the Red Sea. I had forgotten that the (Israel traveled at night time threw the Red Sea), and as the sun began to rise Moses raised his staff and the water rushed back covering the Egyptians and killing them.
Why night time? I know that the pillar of light moved from the front to the back of the Israelites as they traveled this time. The only reason that I can come up with is that it help the adults travel with out fear that the water would engulf them. Children on the other hand have childlike faith, and would have no problem walking threw it other than stopping to look at the fish swim by. The Egyptians would have known better than to have taken the chariots threw the thick dry sand, but God harden their hearts (Exodus 14:17 And I will harden their hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. Just a thought .
I have a Hebrew calendar for chapter 12 (when it talks about the passover )if anyone would like a copy. I also have an insert on A Hardened Heart with scripture taken from my Bible if anyone needs a copy.
Thanks John and Heather - I learned something! Please pray for Briana this week - I am going to be out of town and she will be teaching for the first time. I know she will do a great job!
John and Heather I think you covered it all. It is amazing how all the plagues tie to the gods of Egypt.
Crystal
Post a Comment