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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: Let us pray. For I will pass through the land
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  Speaker 1: of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn
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  Speaker 1: in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and
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  Speaker 1: against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.
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  Speaker 1: I am the Lord. Exodus 12.12 Lord God, through Exodus
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  Speaker 1: 10 through 13.16, I will praise you for your relentless
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  Speaker 1: pursuit of my freedom. Like the blood of the Lamb
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  Speaker 1: over the doorpost in this story that was used to
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  Speaker 1: protect the children of Israel, I thank you that you
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  Speaker 1: sent the Lamb of God, Jesus, to be the protection
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  Speaker 1: over my life. Because of His sacrifice, I can live
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  Speaker 1: a life free from worry, guilt, and shame. Because of Jesus'
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  Speaker 1: sacrifice on the cross, I don't have to be afraid
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  Speaker 1: of plagues and sicknesses and diseases that may fall on
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  Speaker 1: this land. For I decree and declare that divine health
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  Speaker 1: covers me and all those around me so that we
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  Speaker 1: can live out our God-given destinies. I decree and declare
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  Speaker 1: that my health frees me from the chains of sickness
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  Speaker 1: that would try to stop the move of God in
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  Speaker 1: my life. Thank you, Lord, that the time of my
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  Speaker 1: freedom has come. Thank you, Lord, that you have divinely
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  Speaker 1: protected my family from all harm. I now know that
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  Speaker 1: nothing can stop me or hurt me because you are
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  Speaker 1: within me and all around me. So, like Moses to Pharaoh,
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  Speaker 1: I demand that any and all limitations let me go.
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  Speaker 1: 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
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  Speaker 1: you Last.
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  Speaker 2: Plague and Passover In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: the plagues God sent on Egypt. Pharaoh was warring against God.
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  Speaker 2: His heart became hard and he refused to let Israel go.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh saw himself as God's equal and would not budge
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  Speaker 2: in letting his slaves be free. In this story, we
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  Speaker 2: will learn how God does not relent trying to deliver
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  Speaker 2: his people. God would send more plagues, climaxing at one
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  Speaker 2: final act of judgment, the Passover, as inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of Exodus.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In yesterday's episode, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh again and again, repeating God's demand,
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  Speaker 3: let my people go. And each time Pharaoh resisted those words,
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  Speaker 3: God sent plagues with increasing severity, leaving Pharaoh weary and fearful.
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  Speaker 3: But it was not enough to soften his hard heart.
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll hear of how one man's stubborn determination to
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  Speaker 3: have his own way and his refusal to acknowledge God's
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  Speaker 3: power caused his entire nation, even his own family. God's
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  Speaker 3: judgment will culminate with one final plague, but God will
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  Speaker 3: instruct the Israelites on how to be spared from this
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  Speaker 3: terrible judgment. It is a story that pictures the coming
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  Speaker 3: of our Passover lamb, God's own son, Jesus Christ. Let's
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  Speaker 3: listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh's heart of stone turned to steel. He sat upon
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  Speaker 2: his throne bitterly, cursing God. His servants begged him to
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  Speaker 2: let the Israelites go. Pharaoh considered it, but the wrestlings
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  Speaker 2: of his mind and soul were too cluttered. He refused
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  Speaker 2: again and again. His pride never waned. God sent a
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  Speaker 2: swarm of locusts to cover the face of the land.
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  Speaker 2: The east wind blew and like storm clouds, the locusts
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  Speaker 2: overshadowed the land. Every fruit tree, plant, and crop of
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  Speaker 2: the land was consumed. Pharaoh begged God to stop, and
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  Speaker 2: he did, but he would not let the people go.
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  Speaker 2: Then the Lord spoke to Moses, Stretch out your hand
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  Speaker 2: towards heaven, and darkness will shroud the land. And so
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  Speaker 2: Moses stretched his hands towards heaven, and darkness seeped into
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  Speaker 2: the great city of Egypt for three days. Everything was
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  Speaker 2: pitch black, and the Egyptians could not see one another.
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  Speaker 2: The darkness of the land mirrored Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh again
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  Speaker 2: brought Moses to his throne, desiring to play God once again.
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  Speaker 2: Go with your people, Pharaoh said. Only let your livestock
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  Speaker 2: stay here, for ours have been killed by the plague.
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  Speaker 2: Moses answered, Our livestock come with us, Every animal we
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  Speaker 2: own to the last hoof will depart from here. But
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  Speaker 2: the Lord's act had hardened Pharaoh's heart. He was bitter
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  Speaker 2: and spiteful. Get away from me, he yelled. Pharaoh now
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  Speaker 2: rose from his throne and pointed towards Moses. His face
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  Speaker 2: fumed with rage and his voice trembled. His composure broke.
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  Speaker 2: If I see your face again, you shall die, he exclaimed.
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  Speaker 2: As you wish, Moses said, I will not see your
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  Speaker 2: face again. And then Moses departed. Soon after, God came
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  Speaker 2: to Moses and said, There is one more plague I
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  Speaker 2: will bring upon Pharaoh and all of Egypt. Afterwards he
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  Speaker 2: will let you go. Go before the people and ask
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  Speaker 2: that every man and woman gather silver and gold from
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  Speaker 2: their neighbor. And God gave every person favor from the Egyptians,
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  Speaker 2: for Moses was greatly feared and respected among the people.
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  Speaker 2: Moses went back before the people of Israel and spoke
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  Speaker 2: for God, saying, At midnight I will go out in
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  Speaker 2: the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land
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  Speaker 2: shall die. From the house of Pharaoh to every animal,
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  Speaker 2: The firstborn shall fall at my hand. Moses spoke with
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  Speaker 2: the intensity and gentleness of God just as he encountered
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  Speaker 2: on Mount Sinai. There shall be an outcry throughout the
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  Speaker 2: land such as there never has been nor ever will
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  Speaker 2: be again, he said. For it was believed back then
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  Speaker 2: that Egypt had their gods and the Israelites had one God.
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  Speaker 2: They did not believe there was a real separation of
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  Speaker 2: power between the two. Yet the Lord, in one final
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  Speaker 2: sweep of his mighty hand, would show the world that
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  Speaker 2: there was only one true God. The warning reached Pharaoh's ear,
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  Speaker 2: yet he did not flinch. His heart was like steel,
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  Speaker 2: yet even.
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  Speaker 1: Steel can be melted like wax.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord ordered His people to mark that month as
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  Speaker 2: the beginning of the year. On the tenth day, at twilight,
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  Speaker 2: they took a small spotless lamb for each household to eat.
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  Speaker 2: If the lamb was too large for the household, they
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  Speaker 2: would share the rest with their neighbors. In their homes,
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  Speaker 2: they would eat with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The
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  Speaker 2: next morning, they were commanded to burn whatever was left.
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  Speaker 2: They would continue this tradition as a memorial, for God
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  Speaker 2: was going to deliver his people that night. This was
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  Speaker 2: called the Lord's Passover. The Lord ordered them to take
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  Speaker 2: the blood from the lamb and spread it on the
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  Speaker 2: doorposts of their homes. Then God said, I will pass
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  Speaker 2: through the land of Egypt and strike all the firstborn.
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  Speaker 2: I will execute my righteous judgments, for I am the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: This blood on the doorpost will be a sign for you.
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  Speaker 2: When I see the blood, I will pass over you,
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  Speaker 2: and no plague will befall or destroy you. For God
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  Speaker 2: would use the blood of the Lamb as a symbol
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  Speaker 2: of favor, protection, and deliverance. A symbolic story that would
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  Speaker 2: echo into eternity. So Moses called the elders of Israel,
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  Speaker 2: and all of them made sure the people spread blood
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  Speaker 2: on their doorposts. They hid in their homes and worshipped God.
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  Speaker 2: Midnight came. Silence filled the streets, and all the lights
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  Speaker 2: had dimmed. Egyptians slept soundly in their homes. While the
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  Speaker 2: Israelites remained awake, waiting for what would happen next, God
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  Speaker 2: descended on the land. Silently He wandered through the cities,
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  Speaker 2: passing by every home. The only sound that could be
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  Speaker 2: heard were the exhaling breaths of every firstborn. They breathed
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  Speaker 2: their last as God passed through. Life exited each and
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  Speaker 2: every home that was not protected by the blood of
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  Speaker 2: the Lamb. God, the defender of Israel, had passed over.
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  Speaker 2: Every firstborn that was not protected by the blood was destroyed.
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  Speaker 2: Over eighty years before this night, the streets of Egypt
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  Speaker 2: were filled with the screams of Hebrews. They cried as
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  Speaker 2: their firstborn sons were taken and thrown into the Nile River.
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  Speaker 2: Babies squalled as they were held by their feet and
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  Speaker 2: thrown to the crocodiles. God had heard their cries and lamented, Now,
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  Speaker 2: as dawn broke after the Lord had passed over Egypt,
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  Speaker 2: the city erupted with the screams of Egyptians. The hardened
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  Speaker 2: heart of Pharaoh shattered under the hammer of God, and
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  Speaker 2: the Israelites were released from their captivity after 430 years.
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  Speaker 2: The Israelites were given silver and gold as plunder from
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  Speaker 2: the Egyptians, and they fled the land with their children
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  Speaker 2: and livestock. This day would be celebrated for centuries afterwards
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  Speaker 2: as the Passover feast, remembering God's faithfulness to his people
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  Speaker 2: and his relentless pursuit of his children.
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  Speaker 3: We open today's reading with the Pharaoh continuing to resist
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  Speaker 3: God and to deny his children freedom, even as the
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  Speaker 3: plagues bring suffering to the Egyptians. Crushed by these judgments,
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  Speaker 3: they plead with their ruler to just let the Hebrews go.
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  Speaker 3: but now he seems to be in too deep. It's
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  Speaker 3: at a point of no return. His heart is as
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  Speaker 3: hard as stone. God sends locusts to decimate farmland. The
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  Speaker 3: same God who brought Joseph to Egypt and saved the
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  Speaker 3: people from famine now has the power to bring hunger
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  Speaker 3: to the land. Pharaoh calls out to God, but his
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  Speaker 3: motives are not true adoration or contrition or repentance, just
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  Speaker 3: trying to manipulate God. He still refuses to hear and
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  Speaker 3: heed God's command. Darkness covers the land for three days.
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh is shaken and tells Moses to leave, but begs
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  Speaker 3: him to leave their animals, but Moses refuses to compromise.
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  Speaker 3: The animals must go also. Pharaoh sends Moses away in anger,
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  Speaker 3: threatening to kill him if he comes back. Moses never
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  Speaker 3: spoke to him again. But Pharaoh was about to hear
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  Speaker 3: God's voice in a way he would never forget. One
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  Speaker 3: plague remained and it would devastate Egypt with the death
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  Speaker 3: of every firstborn male. But it would bring great deliverance
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  Speaker 3: to Israel and foreshadow the salvation that would come one
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  Speaker 3: day through God's Son, who is the Passover Lamb. God's
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  Speaker 3: final warning reached Pharaoh, but again he was unmoved. He
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  Speaker 3: was in direct opposition to God. His cold, dark heart,
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  Speaker 3: bent on winning, would cost him and his entire nation dearly.
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  Speaker 3: Before the plague was to come, God gave his people
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  Speaker 3: very specific instructions about how they were to mark their
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  Speaker 3: households with the blood of a lamb and establish their
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  Speaker 3: calendar with a feast remembering this deliverance. This day would
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  Speaker 3: be observed by Israel from generation to generation to this
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  Speaker 3: very day. Generations later, during the Passover feast, God's own
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  Speaker 3: son Jesus would die as our sacrificial lamb. His blood
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  Speaker 3: was spilled out not for his own sins because he
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  Speaker 3: had no sin, but for our sins. He is the
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  Speaker 3: pure and perfect Lamb of God, and he calls upon
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  Speaker 3: us to receive him and trust him and therefore be
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  Speaker 3: delivered from the bondage of sin. The Hebrews went to
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  Speaker 3: their Egyptian captors and requested gold and silver. God granted
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  Speaker 3: favor with the Egyptians so that his children could plunder
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  Speaker 3: Egypt and have provisions for their long journey ahead. When
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  Speaker 3: the night came, all Hebrew homes had their doorways painted
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  Speaker 3: with the blood of the Lamb. As promised, God judged
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  Speaker 3: Egypt by taking the life of Egyptian firstborn males. They
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  Speaker 3: all died. God does not make empty threats. Judgment is real.
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  Speaker 3: Never doubt the judgment of a holy God. Pharaoh himself
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  Speaker 3: awakened to find his own firstborn child dead. With this,
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  Speaker 3: he finally broke and opened his hand, knowing that he
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  Speaker 3: had done battle with a powerful God, the one true God,
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  Speaker 3: and lost. The Israelites were free. 430 years after they
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  Speaker 3: arrived in Egypt, and now they had their God to
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  Speaker 3: praise for it. There was great rejoicing as they left Egypt,
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  Speaker 3: but it would not be smooth sailing, and Pharaoh would
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  Speaker 3: lash out in one final attempt to retain his control
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  Speaker 3: and destroy the people of God. We'll hear about that
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  Speaker 3: the next time. Dear Lord, thank you for teaching us
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  Speaker 3: your word today. We see your power. We see your glory.
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  Speaker 3: And yes, we see your judgment. Lord, teach us to
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  Speaker 3: love you and to fear you. Thank you, Lord God,
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  Speaker 3: for sending Jesus as our Passover lamb and to bring
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  Speaker 3: us out of the slavery of sin and give us
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  Speaker 3: eternal salvation. And it is in the name of the
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  Speaker 3: Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: resources on how to tap into God's power for successful
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: Christian living, be sure to visit jackgraham.org. God bless.
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