False Repentance

Exodus 9:27-35

“27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray to the Lord! Enough of God’s thunder and hail! I will let you go; you need stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and stretched out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and hardened his heart, he and his officials. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.”

After the seventh plague, the Pharaoh “repented”.  The act of repentance involves sincere and heartfelt regret and remorse for one's sins accompanied by actions of “turning away” from past behaviors to behaviors that are consistent with God’s will. 

The Pharaoh knew the language of repentance but the language was not sincere.  The repentance of the Pharaoh was just words.  

When the hardship of the storm and the hail had ceased, the Pharaoh lapsed into his old behavior.

There is an old saying that there are no atheists in foxholes.  When we are suffering, we often make insincere promises to God.  When our suffering ceases, we resume our lives as if we made no promises at all.  

Before we can be forgiven for our sins, we must repent, not just with words but with our hearts.  

And then the way we live must reflect our hearts.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-26

“13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues upon you yourself, your officials, and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 Indeed, by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But this is why I have let you live: to show you my power and to make my name resound through all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people by not letting them go. 18 Tomorrow at this time I will cause the heaviest hail to fall that has ever fallen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Send, therefore, and have your livestock and everything that you have in the open field brought to a secure place; every human or animal that is in the open field and is not brought under shelter will die when the hail comes down upon them.’ ” 20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried their slaves and livestock off to a secure place, 21 but those who did not regard the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the open field. 22 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that hail may fall on the whole land of Egypt, on humans and animals and all the plants of the field in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 there was hail with fire flashing continually in the midst of it, such heavy hail as had never fallen in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the open field throughout all the land of Egypt, both human and animal; the hail also struck down all the plants of the field and shattered every tree in the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, was there no hail.”

Egypt experienced the worst hail storm it had ever had.  There was thunder, lightning that flashed continually, and large hail that struck down everything in its path, animal, plant and human.  

The crops were ruined.  The pride and arrogance of the Pharaoh was slowly destroying Egypt.  Did the Pharaoh notice?   Did he not remember the bloody water, the frogs, the gnats, the flies, the dead livestock,the boils…

And now the crops?

Did Pharaoh’s pride deafen him to the misery of his people?

Christians often let their pride destroy their spiritual lives.  It happens slowly and incrementally, and despite God’s warnings to us, we are not humble enough to hear His Holy Spirit.  Our pride has quenched the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Because of this we confuse our voice with the voice of God. We think we have all the answers. We think we have all the strength.  We think we have all the wisdom.  We think we know all the pitfalls.

And before we know it, we look around and our spiritual lives are in shambles.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but wisdom is with the humble. 

(Proverbs 11:2)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

“8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become dust all over the land of Egypt and shall cause festering boils on humans and animals throughout the whole land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw it in the air, and it caused festering boils on humans and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils afflicted the magicians as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.”

Moses and Aaron took handfuls of soot from the kiln and threw it into the air, in front of the Pharaoh, himself, to show him that the one true God caused the plague and not themselves.

God caused the dust from the kiln to become boils on people and beasts throughout the land of Egypt (The Hebrew word for “boils” can also be translated “inflamed spot, and was used to describe Job’s disease (2:7-8) and Hezekiah’s illness (Isaiah 38:21)).

The kiln from which Moses and Aaron took the dust was the same kiln in which the Israelites were forced to make bricks, and was a symbol of their oppression. 

God used the source of suffering for the Israelites as the source of suffering of the Egyptians.

“There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.” (Isaiah 48:22)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Fifth Plague

 Exodus 9: 1-7

“1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 the hand of the Lord will strike with a deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.’ ” 5 The Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And on the next day the Lord did so; all of the Egyptians’ livestock died, but none of the Israelites’ livestock died. 7 Pharaoh inquired and found that not even one of the Israelites’ livestock had died. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the people go.”

During the fifth plague all of the Egyptian livestock died. The livestock of Egypt represented much of the wealth of the Egyptian people, and the very possession of cattle meant material security.  God struck at the heart of their economy and material well-being.

The Pharaoh’s reaction was to compare the losses of the Egyptians with the losses of the Israelites.  What he found would have concerned him.  The Israelites had lost none of their livestock.  They were protected in some mysterious way from the deadly disease.

And, yet again, the Pharaoh refused to believe that this was God’s hand.  Even though his people had suffered physical and material loss, the Pharaoh’s pride prevented him from admitting that there was a greater power in the world than himself.

Our pride often prevents us from developing a meaningful relationship not only with God, but with those who would help us in our spiritual journey.  

We close our minds to the possibility that God is not like us, that God wants us to change, that we need to live differently.  

But God  “….opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

“20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may serve me, 21 because if you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, and your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, as will the land where they live. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I the Lord am in this land. 23 Thus I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign shall appear tomorrow.’ ” 24 The Lord did so, and great swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and into his officials’ houses; in all of Egypt the land was ruined because of the flies. 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the sacrifices that we offer to the Lord our God are offensive to the Egyptians. If we offer in the sight of the Egyptians sacrifices that are offensive to them, will they not stone us? 27 We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he commands us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, provided you do not go very far away. Pray for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people; only do not let Pharaoh again deal falsely by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked: he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and would not let the people go.”

The Pharaoh asked Moses to pray for him even though he had no intention of keeping his promise to Moses.  As soon as God withdrew the flies, Pharaoh withdrew his promise to Moses.

Have you ever known a person who asked for prayers for themselves but took no action in their personal lives to live in a better way or to address the problems that they faced?  God does expect us to pray for others.  But God does expect us to take action to improve our lives, especially our spiritual lives.

The Pharaoh’s pattern was to tell Moses what he wanted to hear, then take actions that were inconsistent with his words.  Each time, Moses was disappointed, but God was not.  

God knew the heart of the Pharaoh. God knew what needed to be done. God knew the progression of steps that needed to be taken in order to convince, not only the Pharaoh, but also the Egyptian people, that the Israelites should be set free.

God would deliver the Israelites, but in His time, and in His way.

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)”

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Third Plague

Exodus 8: 16-19

“16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt.’ ” 17 And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came on humans and animals alike; all the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, but they could not. There were gnats on both humans and animals. 19 And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.”

Years ago, while waiting near Charleston, S.C. for a 10k run to begin, I and all the other runners were covered from head to toe with tiny gnats that we could barely see.  All the runners were so miserable that they begged for the race to begin so that we could move away from that cursed spot of the earth.

The gnats sent from God covered all of the people and animals of Egypt. It is noteworthy that God created the gnats from the dust of the earth.  It harks back to the creation, when God created humans from the dust of the earth.

The magicians could not duplicate this feat, and, to their credit, they knew that it had the “finger of God” in it; the one true God.

But the Pharaoh was not yet convinced that he faced a power greater than himself, the most powerful ruler of the world, and the divine intermediary of the gods (albeit, false gods).

My mother used to say that the reason people would not go to church was because they did not want to believe there was a power greater than themselves.  We want to believe that we are all powerful, that we have all the answers, that our future is in our own hands.

We do have the freedom to choose and make decisions, but we are all acting within the will and power of God. 

His plan will ultimately prevail.

His goodness and love will ultimately triumph over all evil.

His glory will shine forth over all worldly things.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Second Plague

Exodus 8: 1-15

“1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your officials.’ ” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and brought frogs up on the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “As you say! So that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God, 11 the frogs shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs that he had brought upon Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did as Moses requested: the frogs died in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.”

The magicians of the Pharaoh could, supposedly, make the frogs appear in the same way that God made them appear.  But they could not make the frogs go away.  Only God could make them go away.

The “divine” Pharaoh was forced to ask Moses to pray for the removal of the frogs.  Pharaoh, who was supposed to be the intermediary between the people and the “gods”, asked Moses to intermediate between Egypt and the one true God.

God was gradually bringing the Pharaoh to an understanding of who He was and who he, the Pharaoh, was in relation to the one true God.

There are people who exist today who feel and act as if they are god.  But there is no position, power, or material wealth that a human being can ever hold or possess that will elevate them to that level.

And the Pharaoh was being taught this lesson.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)