Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Welcome to Hope for Today, a weekly Bible teaching program that will bring you hope for every day.
It is good to have you join us for today's teaching from Exodus. We hope our study in Exodus will remind you there is no God like. Like our God.
Let's go with Bible teacher J. Mark to Exodus for today's teaching.
[00:00:33] Speaker A: Some people think that they can make deals with God. They believe that if you do something evil, then you do a good deed and the good deed offsets the bad. And so they reason like this. Make sure that the good you do outweighs the bad that you do.
Make sure that your life balance is tilted at least a little bit toward the good side.
I'm sorry to tell you that won't work. It has never worked and it never will work.
That's because you can't bargain with God.
When you begin dealing with God, you are not in the marketplace. You are not in a position to negotiate with God because he has set the terms.
Yet many think they can change those terms.
They think they are able to bargain with God.
Today we're considering the Scripture in Exodus, chapter 10 and verses 1 to 20 to help us understand this important principle.
So listen carefully as I read Exodus chapter 10, beginning with verse 1 and reading through verse 20.
Here is the word of God to us.
And the Lord said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, and that I might show my signs before him, that you may tell in the ears of your son and your son's sons the things that I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them, that you may know how that I am the Lord.
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh and said unto him, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews, how long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?
Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Else if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring the locusts into your coast and they shall cover the face of the earth that one cannot be able to see the earth.
And they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remains unto you from the hail. And they shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.
And they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither your fathers nor your fathers fathers have seen since the day that they were upon earth unto this day.
And Moses turned himself and went out from Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, how long shall this man Be a snare unto us. Let the men go that they may serve the Lord their God.
Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?
And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh. And he said unto them, go, serve the Lord your God. But who are they that shall go?
And Moses said, we will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.
And he said unto them, let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go. And your little ones. Look to it, for evil is before you.
Not so, go now, you that are men and serve the Lord for that you desired.
And they were driven out of Pharaoh's presence.
And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt and. And eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.
And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt. And the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. And when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested in all the coasts of Egypt.
Very grievous were they.
Before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. And there remained not any green thing in the trees or in the herbs of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.
Now therefore forgive, I pray thee my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me this death only.
And Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.
And the Lord turned a mighty, strong west wind which took away the locusts and. And cast them into the Red Sea.
There remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
It is of great importance that we learn this simple truth. You can't bargain with God, because he is the one who sets the terms.
This scripture contains three great and sobering questions which we shall examine to see that you can't bargain with God.
The first question is found in Verse three. It is, how long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?
You know, this question tells us that there is an absolute God. And when any man faces him, he better remember this important truth. You can't bargain with him. You can't bargain with God.
This question probes where it hurts.
Why? Because it strikes at the pride of our hearts.
God stands over and above us. He stands over and above all human beings. And he stood over and above Pharaoh, too. But Pharaoh refused to humble himself before almighty God.
The question comes to you and me today.
How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?
That's a question that God may be asking you at this very moment.
And that's the question he asks every person, because he stands over and above every person in the world.
Those who raise themselves up against God face this question, and they face its awful consequences.
How long will you refuse to humble yourself before God?
You see, there is only one true God.
I know many people, maybe you're one of them, think that there are many gods, and you can choose whichever one you want.
But I'm here to tell you something. There is only one true God. And he is asking you this question that he asked Pharaoh many, many years ago.
How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?
That is a very important question.
And it tells you and me clearly that we cannot bargain with God.
And then there is a second question, and it is found in verse seven. It was the question of Pharaoh's magicians and wise men.
How long shall this man be a snare unto us?
There is a truth that's embedded in this question as well. And. And it comes out very clearly. It is that evil men often blame the wrong persons. That is, they reach the wrong conclusions.
And so they were blaming Moses for all of the problems, all of the suffering that was coming upon Egypt. And so Pharaoh's wise men and servants said, he's a snare to us.
Moses was the target of their question.
They didn't realize it, or they wouldn't admit it, that Moses was not to blame at all.
Moses was only trying to help them recognize the God of heaven. But they refused to recognize him.
Instead of laying the responsibility where it belonged, they laid the responsibility on the one who was not to blame.
You know, that happens even today.
People blame the wrong person.
Evil men often blame good people for the trials and troubles and the sufferings of life.
But really, they ought to be looking in the mirror. They ought to be searching within themselves.
So these servants of Pharaoh came to him and said, how long will this man be a snare unto us.
They should have said, how long are you going to resist the Lord?
But they didn't place the responsibility where it belonged. They laid it on Moses. They thought that they would be able somehow to make a bargain here.
But again, I say, you can't bargain with God.
There's no point in blaming the good man or your neighbor for your ills or troubles. You had better examine yourself and carry the responsibility which really is yours.
Because after all, you are responsible for your own troubles. When you turn your heart to God, you will discover that.
Then there's a third question, and it's located in verse 8.
It's the question from Pharaoh. How many will go?
The Bible puts it like this. Who are they that shall go? And Moses said, we're all going. We will go. With our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds. We will go.
Moses was not a compromiser. He stood right there and he told Pharaoh exactly what he was going to do.
He didn't shift his position. He said, we're all going.
Pharaoh said, how many? And Moses said, we're all going. Everything we have is going along because we are going to hold a feast to the Lord. We are not making any compromises at all. And we are not in a bargaining position, sir.
Then Pharaoh got angry, and he retorted, you are not all going. Only the men will go. That's all.
I'll let the men go, but I will not let the rest of you go. And then what did he do? He drove them out of his presence.
What a fearful price he paid for his arrogance. He thought he could bargain with the Lord. Immediately after his angry response, the locust came as Moses had predicted. Moses went out, stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt. A strong east wind came. It blew all day and all night. And by morning, those locusts had covered the entire land of Egypt. They darkened the ground and they devoured every green shoot that was left.
Wasn't that an awful price to pay? Because Pharaoh thought he could bargain with God.
When he saw his awful mistake, he called in Moses and Aaron and confessed that he had sinned. But it wasn't a genuine confession. It didn't last.
Because just as soon as the Lord took the locusts away, Pharaoh turned his heart against God again.
You see, friend? You can't bargain with God. It's really better not to even try.
It's far better to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and acknowledge him as the true God. And as the only God. And when you do that, he will be merciful to you.
He will be merciful right now if you humble yourself, don't blame your neighbor for your problems. Look into your own heart, see your own needs and don't try to make any compromises.
Just come right straight to the Lord God, the God of Israel, the God of Moses, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Thank you J Mark for this teaching from Exodus and we thank you for joining us. As Christians. It is a privilege to serve and trust our God, our God who is above every nation as his people. It is good for us to remember the important principle in Daniel 4:17.
It says that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men.
This verse teaches, our sovereign God is over the kingdoms on earth. What happens here among our leaders is known and directed by Him.
Our leaders may be powerful and important, but it is our God who has placed them there and our God is using them to accomplish his will.
Be encouraged in this story from Exodus that our God was in control and the same God who was in control back then is still in control now.
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This brings us to the end of today's program. Thanks again for being there. Please join us again next week for another lesson from Exodus. Go with God this week and know that he is big enough for your circumstance. Trust him because the Most High rules in the kingdoms of Amen.
