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Plague by Plague - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: For I will at this time send all my plagues
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  Speaker 1: upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people,
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  Speaker 1: that thou mayest know that there is none like me
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  Speaker 1: in all the earth. Exodus 9.14 Dear Heavenly Father, as
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  Speaker 1: I look back on Exodus 7.8 and 9.35, I thank you, God,
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  Speaker 1: that you provide miracles for me to walk in, that
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  Speaker 1: validate your hand and calling on my life. When others
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  Speaker 1: doubt me, I will continue on my course and remain
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  Speaker 1: confident in the truth that you are with me, and
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  Speaker 1: you are with me everywhere I go. I will praise
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  Speaker 1: you in advance and thank you because, like the children
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  Speaker 1: of Israel, you won't stop until my freedom has been won.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Lord, for your divine protection around my life.
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  Speaker 1: Even when others seem to be experiencing setbacks and devastation,
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  Speaker 1: because I rely on you, and I will be unscathed
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  Speaker 1: by the threats and plans of the enemy. I confess
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  Speaker 1: that my life is in your hands, and as long
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  Speaker 1: as I live in obedience to your instructions, you will
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  Speaker 1: cause me to flourish in areas others say I will
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  Speaker 1: experience lack. I give you all the glory and honor
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  Speaker 1: for keeping me safe. for showing off in my life, family, business,
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  Speaker 1: and different endeavors. I will no longer doubt that your
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  Speaker 1: hand is upon me because my life is living proof.
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  Speaker 1: I decree and declare that the best is yet to come.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens
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  Speaker 1: your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord. by
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  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by Bibleinayear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Plague by plague. In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: Moses and Aaron entering the courts of Pharaoh. They asked
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go so they
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  Speaker 2: could worship God. But Pharaoh refused. And made life more
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  Speaker 2: miserable for the Hebrews. The people hated Pharaoh, but resented
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  Speaker 2: Moses for making things worse. Yet God was not finished yet.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, we discover the resolve of God to
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  Speaker 2: free his people. Pharaoh's hard heart would be crushed under
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  Speaker 2: the mighty hand of God.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, Simply go
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: you for your support. In our previous episode, we heard
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  Speaker 3: what happened when Moses and Aaron first delivered God's message
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  Speaker 3: to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. We saw that
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  Speaker 3: it brought only more hurt and horrible trouble to the
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  Speaker 3: people of God and that Moses, in his frustration, went
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  Speaker 3: to God and openly told him what was in his heart.
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  Speaker 3: God's response was one of patience and comfort for Moses
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  Speaker 3: and hope for the people. Today, we join Moses and
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  Speaker 3: Aaron as they return to Pharaoh to give him God's
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  Speaker 3: message again. He must let the people go or else.
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  Speaker 3: God's resolve to rescue his people would not be denied.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Darkness hovered over the heart of Pharaoh. His eyes portrayed
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  Speaker 2: a soul hardened by God himself. God knew he would
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  Speaker 2: ask for signs to prove his deity, so he gave
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  Speaker 2: Aaron and Moses miracles. They entered again into the courts
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  Speaker 2: of Pharaoh. His countenance was dark and his voice was deep.
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  Speaker 2: They did not speak. Instead, Aaron cast down his staff
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  Speaker 2: at the feet of Pharaoh. The staff bounced on the
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  Speaker 2: ground and slowly the wood began to morph into scales
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  Speaker 2: and the staff motioned back and forth. until it became
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  Speaker 2: a serpent. The serpent slithered and hissed towards Pharaoh. However,
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  Speaker 2: he did not look at the serpent and marvel. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: he saw it as a challenge. Pharaoh called over his
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  Speaker 2: wise men and sorcerers, the magicians of Egypt. With their
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  Speaker 2: trickery and secret arts of deception, they performed the same sign.
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  Speaker 2: Each sorcerer cast down their own serpents, and they surrounded Aaron's.
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  Speaker 2: Aaron's serpent staff gazed upon the other snakes, and launched
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  Speaker 2: itself towards them. In almost an instant, Aaron's serpent swallowed
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  Speaker 2: up the other serpents and came back to Aaron as
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  Speaker 2: a staff. Pharaoh's heart did not budge. Early the next morning,
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh was lounging near the Nile. The birds were chirping
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  Speaker 2: in the coolness of the morning, and Moses and Aaron
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  Speaker 2: approached Pharaoh with their staffs. Pharaoh, they shouted. God has
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  Speaker 2: said again, Let my people go. Pharaoh did not respond.
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  Speaker 2: They spoke again, saying, By this you will know the
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  Speaker 2: power of God. Aaron took his staff and drove it
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  Speaker 2: into the Nile River. A sweeping force came upon the waters,
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  Speaker 2: and Pharaoh watched as the entire river turned crimson. Blood
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  Speaker 2: had replaced the water, and the fish of the water
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  Speaker 2: turned belly up. Their rivers, canals, ponds, and pools became blood.
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  Speaker 2: Even the water in their cups leaked a deep red.
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  Speaker 2: The Nile was once red with the blood of Hebrew children,
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  Speaker 2: and now it ran red by the justice of God.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh once again turned to his magicians. By their secret arts,
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  Speaker 2: they were able to turn water red. Pharaoh was comforted
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  Speaker 2: that he could match the signs of God. He was
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  Speaker 2: deceived into thinking that He was God's equal. Little did
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  Speaker 2: he know what true power the Lord possessed. His heart
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  Speaker 2: remained hardened. For seven days the Egyptians could not drink
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  Speaker 2: from the Nile. Again Moses went to Pharaoh and said,
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  Speaker 2: God has said, let my people go. But if you
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  Speaker 2: do not, another plague will fall upon your land. Again
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh refused. The Nile swarmed with frogs, and they covered
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  Speaker 2: the entire land. The streets, homes, and cups of Egyptians
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  Speaker 2: were inundated with frogs leaping about. The magicians of Egypt
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  Speaker 2: once again explained the signs away with their secret arts,
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  Speaker 2: but the frogs did not cease. Pharaoh could no longer
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  Speaker 2: take it, and he pleaded with Moses and Aaron, Please,
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  Speaker 2: plead with the Lord to take the frogs away, Pharaoh said.
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  Speaker 2: I will let your people go tomorrow. So God caused
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  Speaker 2: the frogs to cease coming from the ground, and the
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  Speaker 2: streets stunk with the carcasses of dead frogs. When Pharaoh
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  Speaker 2: saw that there was a respite from the frogs, he
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  Speaker 2: recanted his offer to free the Israelites. His heart grew harder,
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  Speaker 2: and he continued his ongoing battle with God. God stretched
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  Speaker 2: out his hand once again, As Aaron rose his staff
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  Speaker 2: to strike the dust of the earth, the sand became
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  Speaker 2: swarms of gnats. Like a hurricane, the gnats surged the
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  Speaker 2: land of Egypt. People and animals were covered with the
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  Speaker 2: tiny insects, and it became maddening. Pharaoh, growing more panicked,
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  Speaker 2: turned to his magicians once again, but they could not
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  Speaker 2: do what God had just done. This is surely the
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  Speaker 2: finger of God, they said, but Pharaoh's heart was still
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  Speaker 2: like stone. As tyrants have done for generations, he continued
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  Speaker 2: his war against the Creator. One morning, Pharaoh was enjoying
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  Speaker 2: himself by the water. Again, Moses and Aaron rose and
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  Speaker 2: went to him. They spoke to Pharaoh, saying, God has
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  Speaker 2: commanded that you let his people go, or else there
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  Speaker 2: will be swarms of flies coming upon the land. Predictably,
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh refused. Swarms of flies surrounded the land of Egypt. However, Goshen,
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  Speaker 2: where the Israelites dwelled, was left unharmed. The swarms of
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  Speaker 2: flies ruined everything, and the Egyptians spiraled into insanity. Pharaoh
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  Speaker 2: called Moses and Aaron to plead with them. Why don't
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  Speaker 2: you go and sacrifice to your God within the land?
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  Speaker 1: He asked.
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  Speaker 2: Moses replied, Because it would not be right to do so.
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  Speaker 2: Your people would see it as an abomination. Pharaoh conceded
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  Speaker 2: and said, Enough of this. Go out into the land
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  Speaker 2: and worship your God, but do not go far. Just
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  Speaker 2: plead to the Lord to make the flies stop. So
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  Speaker 2: the swarms of flies were ceased. Unsurprising to God, Pharaoh
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  Speaker 2: once again went back on his word and did not
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  Speaker 2: allow the Israelites to leave. His hardened heart grew colder,
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  Speaker 2: and he challenged God once again. God did not relent.
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  Speaker 2: His people were suffering, and he would not deal lightly
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  Speaker 2: with tyrant kings. His heavy hand would come upon Pharaoh again.
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  Speaker 2: Moses warned him and said, Let my people go. If
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  Speaker 2: you refuse, your livestock will fall. The next day, all
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  Speaker 2: the Egyptian livestock fell to a severe plague. Horses, donkeys, camels, cattle,
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  Speaker 2: and sheep became ill and died. The stench of death
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  Speaker 2: was carried by the warm wind. The livestock of Israel
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  Speaker 2: was left alive, and Pharaoh's spite only grew. Moses and
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  Speaker 2: Aaron came back to Pharaoh. This time they took handfuls
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  Speaker 2: of soot from the furnace and threw it in the
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  Speaker 2: air before Pharaoh. In an instant the soot became boils
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  Speaker 2: breaking out in sores on every human and beast in Egypt.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh's magicians could not even stand in front of Moses
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  Speaker 2: because of the pain from the boils. Pharaoh refused still
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  Speaker 2: and God pressed in even further. Moses came to Pharaoh
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  Speaker 2: again early in the morning. God spoke through Moses, saying,'
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  Speaker 2: Let my people go so they can serve me. I
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  Speaker 2: could have eradicated you and your people from the earth,
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  Speaker 2: but I have not. I have raised you up and
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  Speaker 2: shown you my power, so that the entire earth may
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  Speaker 2: know that I am the one true God. Yet still
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  Speaker 2: you exalt yourself like a god. I will show you
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  Speaker 2: true power.' Hide yourself and your servants, for a great
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  Speaker 2: and mighty hailstorm shall pass through Egypt, a storm like
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  Speaker 2: no man has ever seen. Hide your people, for whoever
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  Speaker 2: does not seek shelter will die. And so it was.
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  Speaker 2: Whoever feared the voice of God was protected under the
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  Speaker 2: safety of their homes. Whoever paid no attention perished under
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  Speaker 2: the ice. Soon would come fire. Pharaoh begged Moses and
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  Speaker 2: Aaron to have the storm cease. I have sinned, Pharaoh cried.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord is in the right and I am in
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  Speaker 2: the wrong. Leave and I will not pursue you. Moses
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  Speaker 2: replied to Pharaoh, now confident in God's power, and said,
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  Speaker 2: The thunder and hail will cease, but I know you
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  Speaker 2: have yet to learn the real fear of God. So
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  Speaker 2: they began to leave the city. Pharaoh saw that the
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  Speaker 2: storm had stopped. He looked up to the sky, feeling
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  Speaker 2: a sense of accomplishment that he could manipulate God into
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  Speaker 2: ceasing the storm. He did not let the people go.
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  Speaker 2: God knew this would happen. Pharaoh had yet to truly
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  Speaker 2: learn how far God would go to rescue his children.
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  Speaker 3: When Moses and Aaron first appeared before Pharaoh, they came
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  Speaker 3: in the name of their God and told him to
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  Speaker 3: release the people to worship him in the wilderness. Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: wasn't impressed by this because he didn't know God. He
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  Speaker 3: was irritated. And when they came back, he was beyond angry.
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  Speaker 3: His heart was hardened. Of course, God knew that Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: worshiped many false gods. Those false gods represented themselves so-called
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  Speaker 3: with signs and wonders. And so God is about to
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  Speaker 3: attack every god of Egypt. He would show mercy. Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: and the whole world that he was not just a God,
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  Speaker 3: but the God, one and only. God turned Aaron's staff
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  Speaker 3: into a snake, but Pharaoh's sorcerers responded in kind, and
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh was unimpressed and unyielding. Moses and Aaron approached him
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  Speaker 3: again by the Nile and repeated God's command, let my
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  Speaker 3: people go. Once again, Pharaoh refused, and the river's waters
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  Speaker 3: turned to blood, killing all of its fish. But Pharaoh's
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  Speaker 3: magicians again made him believe somehow that they had power
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  Speaker 3: that could match the Hebrew God. Pharaoh believed the lie
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  Speaker 3: and would not relent. He didn't even care that the
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  Speaker 3: water in this river which brought life and livelihood to
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  Speaker 3: his people could not be consumed. He turned a deaf
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  Speaker 3: ear even to his own people who were in danger
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  Speaker 3: and distress. Next came the frogs. Then a plague of gnats,
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  Speaker 3: insects everywhere. Every time, Before God would release a plague,
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  Speaker 3: Moses and Aaron would make the demand of Pharaoh, let
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  Speaker 3: my people go. He was given an opportunity to obey,
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  Speaker 3: but he would not. His heart was as hard as stone.
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  Speaker 3: With each plague, the severity and judgment increased. Flies, sick livestock,
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  Speaker 3: boils covering the people. And every time it seemed that
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh had had enough and he would let God's people go,
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  Speaker 3: he would then harden his heart again. and go back
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  Speaker 3: on his word. Finally, God sent Moses to deliver a message.
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  Speaker 3: If Pharaoh doesn't let Israel go, God will send a
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  Speaker 3: terrible plague that will show everyone that he is truly God.
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  Speaker 3: God tells Pharaoh he's alive only because he's allowed it.
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  Speaker 3: But Pharaoh remained unrelenting. He was at war with God.
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  Speaker 3: And in all of history, no one man has gone
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  Speaker 3: to war with God and won. It would not be
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  Speaker 3: different for Pharaoh. God sent a terrible hailstone, raining ice
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  Speaker 3: on the city, killing those who did not heed God's
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  Speaker 3: warning and seek shelter. Fire filled the skies, and lightning
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  Speaker 3: and thunder lit up the heavens. So then Pharaoh admits
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  Speaker 3: his sin and guilt, promising to release his people. But
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  Speaker 3: his heart was so hard that once again he went
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  Speaker 3: back on his word. He lied to God, and he
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  Speaker 3: lied to Moses. It was all happening just as God
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  Speaker 3: had said. But even in all of this, we see
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  Speaker 3: how God is merciful and slow to anger, that he
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  Speaker 3: is patient even when people reject him. But his patience
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  Speaker 3: with Pharaoh is running out. And it's a reminder that
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  Speaker 3: God is patient, but he's not a pushover. God is
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  Speaker 3: holy and he does judge sin. And when we harden
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  Speaker 3: our hearts against his grace, there is a price to pay.
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  Speaker 3: The next time we'll hear about the final plagues, and
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  Speaker 3: the ultimate price that would be paid for doing battle
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  Speaker 3: with God. Almighty God, thank you for your relentless pursuit
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  Speaker 3: of us, just as you tirelessly pursued the children of Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you also for what today's lesson is teaching us
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  Speaker 3: about your forbearance and your patience and your grace toward us. Lord,
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  Speaker 3: give us soft hearts, not hard hearts. May we give
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  Speaker 3: our hearts to you unconditionally to know and to do
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  Speaker 3: your will In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go,
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: I wanted to let you know that the Bible in
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: can only come to you each week through the support
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: of listeners like you. Your support today is so important
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: that we want to thank you for your gift by
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: giving you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: This book is a powerful guide that shows how every
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: book in the Bible points to Christ and how you
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: can better read and understand the Bible and how God's
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: word transforms our lives. So to get your copy of
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: the Jesus book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.