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Last Plagues and Passover - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night,
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  Speaker 1: and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
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  Speaker 1: both man and beast. And against all the gods of
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  Speaker 1: Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. Exodus
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  Speaker 1: 12.12 Lord God, through Exodus 10 through 13.16, I will
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  Speaker 1: praise you for your relentless pursuit of my freedom. Like
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  Speaker 1: the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost in this
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  Speaker 1: story that was used to protect the children of Israel,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that you sent the Lamb of God, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: to be the protection over my life. Because of His sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: I can live a life free from worry, guilt, and shame.
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  Speaker 1: Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, I don't have
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  Speaker 1: to be afraid of plagues and sicknesses and diseases that
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  Speaker 1: may fall on this land. For I decree and declare
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  Speaker 1: that divine health covers me and all those around me
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  Speaker 1: so that we can live out our God-given destinies. I
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  Speaker 1: decree and declare that my health frees me from the
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  Speaker 1: chains of sickness that would try to stop the move
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  Speaker 1: of God in my life. Thank you, Lord, that the
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  Speaker 1: time of my freedom has come. Thank you, Lord, that
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  Speaker 1: you have divinely protected my family from all harm. I
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  Speaker 1: now know that nothing can stop me or hurt me
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  Speaker 1: because you are within me and all around me. So,
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  Speaker 1: like Moses to Pharaoh, I demand that any and all
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  Speaker 1: limitations let me go. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to you.
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  Speaker 3: Last Plague and Passover In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 3: about the plagues God sent on Egypt. Pharaoh was warring
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  Speaker 3: against God. His heart became hard and he refused to
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  Speaker 3: let Israel go. Pharaoh saw himself as God's equal and
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  Speaker 3: would not budge in letting his slaves be free. In
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  Speaker 3: this story, we will learn how God does not relent
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  Speaker 3: trying to deliver his people. God would send more plagues,
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  Speaker 3: climaxing at one final act of judgment, the Passover, as
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  Speaker 3: inspired by the book of Exodus.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 2: Bible in a Year. In yesterday's episode, we heard how
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  Speaker 2: Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh again and again, repeating God's demand,
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  Speaker 2: let my people go. And each time Pharaoh resisted those words,
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  Speaker 2: God sent plagues with increasing severity, leaving Pharaoh weary and fearful.
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  Speaker 2: But it was not enough to soften his hard heart.
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  Speaker 2: Today we'll hear of how one man's stubborn determination to
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  Speaker 2: have his own way and his refusal to acknowledge God's
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  Speaker 2: power cost his entire nation, even his own family. God's
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  Speaker 2: judgment will culminate with one final plague, but God will
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  Speaker 2: instruct the Israelites on how to be spared from this
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  Speaker 2: terrible judgment. It is a story that pictures the coming
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  Speaker 2: of our Passover lamb, God's own son, Jesus Christ. Let's
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  Speaker 2: listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh's heart of stone turned to steel. He sat upon
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  Speaker 3: his throne bitterly, cursing God. His servants begged him to
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  Speaker 3: let the Israelites go. Pharaoh considered it, but the wrestlings
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  Speaker 3: of his mind and soul were too cluttered. He refused
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  Speaker 3: again and again. His pride never waned. God sent a
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  Speaker 3: swarm of locusts to cover the face of the land.
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  Speaker 3: The east wind blew and like storm clouds, the locusts
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  Speaker 3: overshadowed the land. Every fruit tree, plant, and crop of
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  Speaker 3: the land was consumed. Pharaoh begged God to stop, and
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  Speaker 3: he did, but he would not let the people go.
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  Speaker 3: Then the Lord spoke to Moses, Stretch out your hand
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  Speaker 3: towards heaven, and darkness will shroud the land. And so
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  Speaker 3: Moses stretched his hands towards heaven, and darkness seeped into
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  Speaker 3: the great city of Egypt for three days. Everything was
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  Speaker 3: pitch black, and the Egyptians could not see one another.
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  Speaker 3: The darkness of the land mirrored Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh again
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  Speaker 3: brought Moses to his throne, desiring to play God once again.
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  Speaker 3: Go with your people, Pharaoh said. Only let your livestock
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  Speaker 3: stay here, for ours have been killed by the plague.
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  Speaker 3: Moses answered, Our livestock come with us. Every animal we
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  Speaker 3: own to the last hoof will depart from here. But
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  Speaker 3: the Lord's act had hardened Pharaoh's heart. He was bitter
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  Speaker 3: and spiteful. Get away from me, he yelled. Pharaoh now
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  Speaker 3: rose from his throne and pointed towards Moses. His face
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  Speaker 3: fumed with rage and his voice trembled. His composure broke.
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  Speaker 3: If I see your face again, you shall die, he exclaimed.
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  Speaker 3: As you wish, Moses said. I will not see your
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  Speaker 3: face again. And then Moses departed. Soon after, God came
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  Speaker 3: to Moses and said, There is one more plague I
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  Speaker 3: will bring upon Pharaoh and all of Egypt. Afterwards, he
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  Speaker 3: will let you go. Go before the people. and ask
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  Speaker 3: that every man and woman gather silver and gold from
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  Speaker 3: their neighbor. And God gave every person favor from the Egyptians,
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  Speaker 3: for Moses was greatly feared and respected among the people.
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  Speaker 3: Moses went back before the people of Israel and spoke
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  Speaker 3: for God, saying, At midnight I will go out in
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  Speaker 3: the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land
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  Speaker 3: shall die. From the house of Pharaoh to every animal,
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  Speaker 3: the firstborn shall fall at my hand. Moses spoke with
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  Speaker 3: the intensity and gentleness of God, just as he encountered
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  Speaker 3: on Mount Sinai. There shall be an outcry throughout the land,
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  Speaker 3: such as there never has been, nor ever will be again,
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  Speaker 3: he said. For it was believed back then that Egypt
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  Speaker 3: had their gods and the Israelites had one God. They
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  Speaker 3: did not believe there was a real separation of power
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  Speaker 3: between the two. Yet the Lord, in one final sweep
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  Speaker 3: of his mighty hand, would show the world that there
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  Speaker 3: was only one true God. The warning reached Pharaoh's ear,
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  Speaker 3: yet he did not flinch. His heart was like steel,
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  Speaker 3: yet even steel can be melted like wax. The Lord
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  Speaker 3: ordered his people to mark that month as the beginning
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  Speaker 3: of the year. On the tenth day, at twilight, they
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  Speaker 3: took a small spotless lamb for each household to eat.
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  Speaker 3: If the lamb was too large for the household, they
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  Speaker 3: would share the rest with their neighbors. In their homes,
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  Speaker 3: they would eat with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The
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  Speaker 3: next morning, they were commanded to burn whatever was left.
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  Speaker 3: They would continue this tradition as a memorial, for God
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  Speaker 3: was going to deliver his people that night. This was
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  Speaker 3: called the Lord's Passover. The Lord ordered them to take
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  Speaker 3: the blood from the lamb and spread it on the
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  Speaker 3: doorposts of their homes. Then God said, I will pass
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  Speaker 3: through the land of Egypt and strike all the firstborn.
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  Speaker 3: I will execute my righteous judgments, for I am the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: This blood on the doorpost will be a sign for you.
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  Speaker 3: When I see the blood, I will pass over you,
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  Speaker 3: and no plague will befall or destroy you. For God
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  Speaker 3: would use the blood of the Lamb as a symbol
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  Speaker 3: of favor, protection, and deliverance. A symbolic story that would
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  Speaker 3: echo into eternity. So Moses called the elders of Israel,
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  Speaker 3: and all of them made sure the people spread blood
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  Speaker 3: on their doorposts. They hid in their homes and worshipped God.
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  Speaker 1: Midnight came.
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  Speaker 3: Silence filled the streets, and all the lights had dimmed.
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  Speaker 3: Egyptians slept soundly in their homes. While the Israelites remained awake,
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  Speaker 3: waiting for what would happen next, God descended on the land.
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  Speaker 3: Silently He wandered through the cities, passing by every home.
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  Speaker 3: The only sound that could be heard were the exhaling
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  Speaker 3: breaths of every firstborn. They breathed their last as God
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  Speaker 3: passed through. Life exited each and every home that was
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  Speaker 3: not protected by the blood of the Lamb. God, the
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  Speaker 3: defender of Israel, had passed over. Every firstborn that was
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  Speaker 3: not protected by the blood was destroyed. Over eighty years
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  Speaker 3: before this night, the streets of Egypt were filled with
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  Speaker 3: the screams of Hebrews. They cried as their firstborn sons
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  Speaker 3: were taken and thrown into the Nile River. Babies squalled
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  Speaker 3: as they were held by their feet and thrown to
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  Speaker 3: the crocodiles. God had heard their cries and lamented, Now,
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  Speaker 3: as dawn broke after the Lord had passed over Egypt,
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  Speaker 3: the city erupted with the screams of Egyptians. The hardened
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  Speaker 3: heart of Pharaoh shattered under the hammer of God, and
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  Speaker 3: the Israelites were released from their captivity after 430 years.
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  Speaker 3: The Israelites were given silver and gold as plunder from
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  Speaker 3: the Egyptians, and they fled the land with their children
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  Speaker 3: and livestock. This day would be celebrated for centuries afterwards
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  Speaker 3: as the Passover feast, remembering God's faithfulness to his people
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  Speaker 3: and his relentless pursuit of his children.
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  Speaker 2: We open today's reading with the Pharaoh continuing to resist
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  Speaker 2: God and to deny his children freedom, even as the
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  Speaker 2: plagues bring suffering to the Egyptians. Crushed by these judgments,
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  Speaker 2: they plead with their ruler to just let the Hebrews go.
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  Speaker 2: but now he seems to be in too deep. It's
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  Speaker 2: at a point of no return. His heart is as
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  Speaker 2: hard as stone. God sends locusts to decimate farmland. The
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  Speaker 2: same God who brought Joseph to Egypt and saved the
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  Speaker 2: people from famine now has the power to bring hunger
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  Speaker 2: to the land. Pharaoh calls out to God, but his
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  Speaker 2: motives are not true adoration or contrition or repentance, just
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  Speaker 2: trying to manipulate God. He still refuses to hear and
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  Speaker 2: heed God's command. Darkness covers the land for three days.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh is shaken and tells Moses to leave, but begs
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  Speaker 2: him to leave their animals, but Moses refuses to compromise.
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  Speaker 2: The animals must go also. Pharaoh sends Moses away in anger,
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  Speaker 2: threatening to kill him if he comes back. Moses never
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  Speaker 2: spoke to him again. But Pharaoh was about to hear
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  Speaker 2: God's voice in a way he would never forget. One
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  Speaker 2: plague remained and it would devastate Egypt with the death
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  Speaker 2: of every firstborn male. But it would bring great deliverance
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  Speaker 2: to Israel and foreshadow the salvation that would come one
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  Speaker 2: day through God's Son, who is the Passover Lamb. God's
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  Speaker 2: final warning reached Pharaoh, but again he was unmoved. He
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  Speaker 2: was in direct opposition to God. His cold, dark heart,
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  Speaker 2: bent on winning, would cost him and his entire nation dearly.
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  Speaker 2: Before the plague was to come, God gave his people
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  Speaker 2: very specific instructions about how they were to mark their
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  Speaker 2: households with the blood of a lamb and establish their
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  Speaker 2: calendar with a feast remembering this deliverance. This day would
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  Speaker 2: be observed by Israel from generation to generation to this
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  Speaker 2: very day. Generations later, during the Passover feast, God's own
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  Speaker 2: son Jesus would die as our sacrificial lamb. His blood
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  Speaker 2: was spilled out not for his own sins because he
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  Speaker 2: had no sins, but for our sins. He is the
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  Speaker 2: pure and perfect Lamb of God, and he calls upon
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  Speaker 2: us to receive him and trust him and therefore be
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  Speaker 2: delivered from the bondage of sin. The Hebrews went to
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  Speaker 2: their Egyptian captors and requested gold and silver. God granted
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  Speaker 2: favor with the Egyptians so that his children could plunder
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  Speaker 2: Egypt and have provisions for their long journey ahead. When
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  Speaker 2: the night came, all Hebrew homes had their doorways painted
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  Speaker 2: As promised, God judged Egypt by taking the life of
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  Speaker 2: Egyptian firstborn males. They all died. God does not make
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  Speaker 2: empty threats. Judgment is real. Never doubt the judgment of
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  Speaker 2: a holy God. Pharaoh himself awakened to find his own
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  Speaker 2: firstborn child dead. With this, he finally broke and opened
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  Speaker 2: his hand, knowing that he had done battle with a
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  Speaker 2: powerful God, the one true God, and lost. The Israelites
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  Speaker 2: were free. 430 years after they arrived in Egypt, and
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  Speaker 2: now they had their God to praise for it. There
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  Speaker 2: was great rejoicing as they left Egypt, but it would
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  Speaker 2: not be smooth sailing, and Pharaoh would lash out in
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  Speaker 2: one final attempt to retain his control and destroy the
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  Speaker 2: people of God. We'll hear about that the next time.
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  Speaker 2: Dear Lord, thank you for teaching us your word today.
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  Speaker 2: We see your power. We see your glory. And yes,
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  Speaker 2: we see your judgment. Lord, teach us to love you
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  Speaker 2: and to fear you. Thank you, Lord God, for sending
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  Speaker 2: Jesus as our Passover lamb and to bring us out
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  Speaker 2: of the slavery of sin and give us eternal salvation.
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  Speaker 2: And it is in the name of the Lamb of
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  Speaker 2: God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 2: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 2: Download the Pray.com app and make prayer a priority in
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  Speaker 2: your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with
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  Speaker 2: a difference in someone's life. And if you want more
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  Speaker 2: resources on how to tap into God's power for successful
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  Speaker 2: Christian living, be sure to visit jackgraham.org. God bless.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative health care
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