The Ten Plagues
Water to blood and Frogs
Having explained why God used ten plagues we shall now consider each of the plagues, their implications and the lessons they teach us. Remember that each plague teaches us some truth about the power of the blood. It would be helpful to read Exodus chapters 7 to 12 before starting this section.
1. Water to blood - Exodus 7:1-25
2. Frogs - Exodus 8:1-14
Our deliverance (like the Israelites) is all wrapped up in blood.
The first plague seemed to have no effect on Pharaoh (Exodus 7:23). His magicians had imitated it. The second plague definitely caught his attention (Exodus 8:8).
As we start to understand and use the blood of Jesus as Christians we will become more and more effective with it as our faith and experience in the Lord grows. Do not get discouraged if satan seems not to move as you hold the blood of Jesus against him.
Remember the magicians imitated the first two plagues (Ex 7:22, 8:7). This did not hinder Moses. We need to stand our ground against satan. Each plague brought Israel nearer to their deliverance. Each time we plead the blood our salvation is nearer than we can see.
Satan may contest our authority but he cannot withstand it. Persistence is the key to victory. This is what the first plague teaches us.
3.Lice
Exodus 8:16-19
The blood exposes the powers of darkness
Exodus 8:19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said. (NIV)
The third plague was lice on man and beast. The magicians could not imitate it. Rather they declared "This is the finger of God."
The blood always exposes the powers of darkness. If Pharaoh (or even some of the Israelites) had any doubt with regards to whether Moses was sent by God or not they had their evidence now. This plague had showed Pharaoh and all on lookers who was in control.
When Jesus walked the earth his presence exposed the demonic forces
Mark 3:11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." (NIV)
Today the blood of Jesus continues to exposes the forces of darkness. When we are not sure of the spirit behind a manifestation or gift in operation we can always test it by pleading the blood. The third plague separated the men from the boys - so to speak. The enemy could no longer imitate the plagues. The power in the blood will always reveal the truth from the demonic.
4.Flies
Exodus 8:20-32
This plague reveals to us satan's three deadly weapons
A) Compromise - Go sacrifice to your God in the land - Exodus 8:25-28
Exodus 8:25-26 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land." 26 But Moses said, "That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? (NIV)
Pharaoh was hoping on getting the Israelites to compromise. In effect he was saying "Stay in Egypt and serve your God". Moses was wise enough to resist this temptation. Moses was aware that serving God in the right way is very important.
As believers today we need to be aware of the power and destruction of compromise (2 Corinthians 6:11-16). Compromise is knowingly doing the right thing in the wrong way.
God had specifically asked Moses to take Israel into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord there. Pharaoh was asking them to sacrifice in Egypt.
Doing the right thing in the wrong way displeases God and partly serves satan.
It puts us under Satan's domain and out of God's protection. Imagine Moses taking permanent abode in Goshen (Egypt) and trying to worship God there. We know it would be a worthless cause. It would have robbed the blood of its effect.
Living a life of compromise will drastically reduce the authority we have as Christians. If we expect to see the power of the blood evident in our lives and ministries we must refuse to compromise.
Notice what Moses said in Exodus 8:26. Compromise is the worst of two worlds. You live outside God's will and protection and open yourself to the attacks of the devil. Compromise is sometimes a result of our wanting to please our flesh, or enjoy the 'pleasures' of the world and serve God at the same time. Jesus was very clear about the implications of this.
Matthew 6:24 " No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (NKJV)
B) Fear - Beware for evil is ahead of you - Exodus 10:8-11
Exodus 10:8-10 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the LORD your God. Who [are] the ones that are going?" 9 And Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD." 10 Then he said to them, "The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. (NKJV)
Pharaoh's next tactic was to use fear. In effect he was saying "Don't go into the wilderness. there's a lot of evil out there, you are safe with me."
There was nothing further from the truth.
Satan still uses this tactic today. He uses the bondage of fear to stop Christians from stepping out in faith into the ministry and doing what God has called them to do.
Many of us never evangelise because of fear. And some never see the full potential and power in the blood because of fear. Fear that it will not work. Fear is of Satan (2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:8)
Fear is like a rope which Satan uses to tie us down. Fear causes us to focus on what Satan is doing or can do. Fear is the opposite of faith. Faith causes God's power to work on our behalf. Fear stops it. We should resist fear just like Moses did.
C) Lukewarm attitude - Don't take your livestock Exodus 10:24-26 The half-hearted approach.
Exodus 10:24-26 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you." 25 But Moses said, "You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 26 "Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there." (NKJV)
Pharaoh was in effect saying "Go and worship God in an unsacrificial way".
If we are to serve and worship God properly it will involve sacrifice on our behalf. Satan's most effective weapon today is keeping Christians in a lukewarm state. He causes us to have an unsacrificial approach to serving God. We do the right thing, even in the right way but only when and if its convenient. There are so many excuses as to why we can't witness, pray, read our bibles, attend church regularly, etc.
Lukewarmness is so subtle we sometimes don't recognise it. It starts with satan convincing or deceiving us into giving God second place in our life. Once he can get us to do this often enough we won't even notice it. A lukewarm attitude creeps in.
Lukewarmness is a refusal to live a sacrificial life for the Lord. If we refuse to live sacrificial lives for the Lord, we will allow Satan to have a hold over us and God's power will not be able to work on our behalf.
5.Livestock diseased
Exodus 9:1-7
Satan is moved by the truth and not facts
Exodus 9:7 Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go. (NIV)
Moving on to the fifth plague. The Egyptian animals were diseased. Pharaoh inquires about the scope of the death of the livestock. He received the facts - Egyptian livestock dead, Israelites livestock alive. But his heart was still hardened. The facts did not move him.
The same is true of satan today. He knows you are a child of God redeemed by the blood of the lamb. He knows you have authority over him and that at the name of Jesus he must flee. Yet he is not moved by these facts. Satan will not stop oppressing you simply because he knows (and you know) these facts. It takes the truth to move satan.
Jesus made this plain when he said
John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NIV)
Notice it was the Jews who had believed in Him that Jesus spoke to. Jesus knew it takes more than believing to have the truth set you free in every area of your life.
We need to hold on to ( abide in, remain, continue, tarry, endure) the teachings of the Bible if we are to see the truth set us free and work on our behalf. We need to study, pray, and meditate on the facts of the blood until it's truth dawns in our hearts, breaking and defeating the hold of satan completely over our lives.
Reading this book will give you many facts and some truth. Studying, meditating and praying over the word and facts about the blood will produce truth. Truth is a product of the Holy Spirit. Truth comes with time. It comes with persistence. Truth is life and like all living things it grows and dies. The more time you spend with God, the more your faith will grow and a greater understanding of the truth will be available to you. Facts are kept in our head. Truth is kept in our heart.
Satan looks at the facts but is moved and defeated by the truth.
Next > The Ten Plagues continued.