Yahweh Is Greater Than All
So last week, Pastor David Mathis, toward the end of his sermon, said something about where we are here in the story of Exodus — and I just want to mention it again this morning at the start. Pastor Mathis said that Chapter 6, with the genealogy of Moses and Aaron, is kind of like an intermission in the narrative, and then as Chapter 7 opens we sort of turn the corner because Moses moves forward with obedience and “the dominoes begin to fall.”
And when Pastor Mathis said dominoes, he meant plagues. If you’re familiar with the book of Exodus or even the Bible in general, you’ve probably heard something about these plagues before. There are ten disastrous plagues that God brings upon the land of Egypt, and we’re going to read all about them from Chapters 7–12.
And because this is such a dense portion of Scripture I just want to give you a heads up for how we’re planning to work through these chapters over the next few weeks:
Today, we’re going to cover nine of the ten plagues in one sermon.
Then next week Pastor Joe is going to do one sermon on the Tenth Plague, and
then the next week there’s going to be one sermon on the pillar of fire, and then the next week there’s going to be one sermon focusing on the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and what that means.
And then by November 17, God willing, we will be crossing the Red Sea. But we’re not there yet.
First, we’ve got to turn that corner, and push that first domino, and that’s the sermon today. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in these chapters, but there are three main things we learn here, and I want us to slow down and look at these three points:
Obedience is greater than fear
Precision is greater than power
Yahweh is greater than all
Let’s pray:
Father, thank you for this moment when we gather together around the Bible. This morning as your Word is opened before us, we ask that you would open our hearts to your Word. We believe, by your grace, that you have good for us here. Accomplish that good, in Jesus’s name, amen.
#1. Obedience is greater than fear.
Take a look for a minute at Chapter 7, verse 1. It might help to pretend that there’s no chapter break here. What God says here in verse 1 is actually the answer to Moses’s question in Chapter 6, verse 30, which Pastor Josh read. This is all one conversation between God and Moses that goes back to the end of Chapter 5. Here’s that conversation:
Remembering the Context
Remember that at the end of Chapter 5, after Pharaoh refuses to listen to Moses but oppresses Israel more, Moses turns to Yahweh and says: What are you doing, Yahweh? Why did you ever send me? This is not working out.
And then in Chapter 6, verse 1, Yahweh answers Moses. He knows that Pharaoh didn’t listen to Moses — and that Pharaoh won’t listen to Moses — but that’s not the end of the story. Yahweh is going to make his name known by setting Israel free through great acts of judgment on the Egyptians (Chapter 6, verse 6). And therefore, Yahweh commands Moses to tell Pharaoh: Let my people go!
And, as we saw last week, Moses balks at this. He stutters here. He’s reluctant once again to follow through with his commission, and Chapter 6, verse 30 exposes the reason for his doubt. Moses thinks this is a worthless endeavor. He says, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?” In other words, this not going to work! Me, with my uncircumcised lips, talking to Pharaoh, will not get the job done. Pharaoh will not listen to me.
Yahweh Confirms the Fear
And Yahweh then answers this in Chapter 7, verse 1. In short, Moses is right. Pharaoh is not going to listen to him. Look at Chapter 7:
And the Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt Pharaoh will not listen to you. (Exodus 7:1-4)
Yep, Moses, you’re right. Pharaoh is not going to listen. In fact, I’m going to compound my signs and wonders in Egypt; I’m going to pull out all the stops, and still, Pharaoh is not going to listen to you.
This is Moses’s greatest fear. Yahweh confirms that Moses’s greatest fear is exactly what’s going to happen. Pharaoh will not listen.
Moses and Aaron Did So
But then in verse 6 there’s this important note in the text. It’s a break from the conversation between Yahweh and Moses, kind of like an editor’s note. We’re told in verse 6, simply: “Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as Yahweh commanded them.”
And this is important because for the first time in this story we see Moses take the next step without any push back. There are no excuses. No reluctance. The “if-and-but” going on here. Why?
Why does Moses do just as Yahweh commanded him?
It’s because for the first time Moses understands that Pharaoh not listening is part of the plan.
I think Moses, before now, has had a one-dimensional view on how all this should go: He’s supposed to tell Pharaoh what Yahweh says, Pharaoh does it, and we’re good.
The worst-case scenario for Moses is for Pharaoh to not listen to him — because that will mean the oppression increases. We’ve already seen this twice. Moses knows that Pharaoh feeling threatened by Israel is dangerous for Israel. Pharaoh not listening means more than not listening. There are consequences when you demand something of the world’s highest earthly power and he disagrees. Moses is afraid of that disagreement … but it’s part of Yahweh’s design.
All Meaningful Obedience
And that’s what Yahweh is doing in these verse five verses. He’s letting Moses in on what he’s going to do. Yes, Pharaoh is not going to listen to you — verse 4:
Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. (Exodus 7:4-5)
And now Moses sees the big picture. He understands that Yahweh is actually at work in all of this. Hear this: God is actually at work in the thing Moses most fears, and therefore Moses’s action, his submission to the plan, overcomes the fear that had previously held him back.
Moses’s obedience becomes greater than his fear.
And we can learn something here.
Because all obedience, if it is meaningful obedience, is greater than fear.
Think about this: isn’t fear the main thing that tries to keep us from obedience?
And when I say “obedience” I’m talking about God’s calling on us to do the right thing. So much of this is spelled out for us in the Bible — but then there are the hundreds of ways we must apply the Bible to everyday life. There are your situations and your challenges and all the details — and what makes it so hard to obey God in the thick of all that is fear.
We are afraid that obedience will cost too much. We are afraid that obedience might cause “that thing” to happen — what if Pharaoh won’t listen?
But we need to remember that God has a plan. God has a design for this world. He has a purpose to make his name known. God will display his glory for the ultimate blessing of his people, and everything that happens — big or small, good or bad, success or failure — it’s all working toward that goal…
So you plant the church even though it might not grow.
You foster the child even though it might break your heart.
You give financially even though it might mean missing out on something else.
You do the hard thing, you take the risk, you swim in the deep end — because you know that God has a plan and God is at work.
Obedience is greater than fear.
That’s what is happening in Exodus Chapter 7, and that is what happens in all meaningful obedience.
Okay, here’s the second thing we learn here.
#2. Precision is greater than power.
And for this point, we going to jump straight into the plagues. We’re going to come back to verses 8–13, but for now let’s skip to Chapter 7, verse 14.
Now in most English Bibles, there are some helpful headings in these chapters that tell us what plague is going on. So if you’re looking at your Bible, you probably see above verse 14 the heading, “The First Plague: Water Turns to Blood.” That’s helpful. It helps us track where we are, and we’re going to use that as we walk through the next few chapters and look at each plague.
But before we do that I want to highlight the purpose and nature of these plagues.
We see the purpose is straightforward in Chapter 7, verse 5. Yahweh will do these great acts of judgment so that the Egyptians will know that he is Yahweh.
It’s important to keep in mind that the plagues do not make Pharaoh release the people of Israel. God is clear about that in verse 3. He says: I’m going to multiply signs and wonders; I’m going to do these incredible things; and still Pharaoh will not listen.
So the purpose of the plagues is not persuasion, it’s revelation. Pharaoh is not going to listen, but he is going to see. He’s going to understand what it means that Yahweh is Yahweh. That is the purpose of the plagues, and, like we saw a couple weeks ago, that purpose statement gets repeated over and over again in these chapters. All of this, Yahweh says, is so that they may know I am Yahweh.
But how does he do that? We know the purpose of the plagues, but what is the nature?
When I was a freshman in college, I had this Religion 101 class — and I know this sounds a little strange, but there are people who make whole careers out of teaching the Bible as if it’s not a supernatural book. They learn the Bible so that they can dispute it, and every story has a twist. My Religion 101 class was like that, and I remember when we got to Exodus and the plagues, apparently there are some to think there is a naturalistic explanation for what’s going on here.
They say: the water turning to blood was actually caused by the soil, and the frogs multiplying was because amphibians bred well in that soil, and so did the gnats, and then the flies were attracted to the dead frogs, and livestock and boils are related to a disease from the flies which came from the frogs which came from the red soil (like a Dr. Seuss book).
Naturalists basically look at this ancient account and see natural occurrences that hysterical religious folks have overblown. Some people think there’s nothing special going on here.
But, the truth is, if we’re really paying attention to the text, the only option for how to understand these plagues is that Yahweh caused them from A to Z. These are not ironic happenings in nature, but these are the results of Yahweh’s sovereign word — and we see that not mainly in the power of these plagues, but in their precision. Each plague becomes more and more precise.
Here’s what I mean:
Plague #1
The Nile turns into blood, but it wasn’t just the Nile, it was every piece of water that belonged to the Egyptians, even their vessels of wood and vessels of stone (see 7:19). This means that even their Yeti’s became full of blood. Everything that was water anywhere turned to blood. That’s pretty precise.
Plague #2
This is the frogs, and this really got under Pharaoh’s skin because in Chapter 8, verse 8 Pharaoh asked Moses to plead with Yahweh to make the frogs go away. But notice how Moses responds in verse 9. He says to Pharaoh: Let me know WHEN you want me to ask Yahweh to take the frogs away. And you would think Pharaoh would say Right now! But Pharaoh actually says Tomorrow.
I think he is testing Moses here. Is Yahweh really so sovereign that he can control nature within all the details of space and time? The answer is Yes. That’s the point of the frogs. That is how, Moses says in verse 10, that “you may know that there is no one like Yahweh our God.” It’s the precision.
So you want it to be tomorrow, Pharaoh? Okay, tomorrow it is. Tomorrow the frogs in your house and your servants’ houses — all the frogs everywhere, besides in the Nile, all the frogs will die.
And one frog in the palace look at another frog and said, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we croak.” And they did.
Plague #3
And then the third plague is the gnats, and the thing special about the gnats is that this is the first plague that the Egyptian magicians can’t mimic. Somehow, the first two plagues were things that the Egyptian magicians could do. Whether it was slight of hand, or some demonic influence, the magicians could make water red and they could breed frogs fast. But the gnats. They couldn’t do gnats, and so the magicians said to Pharaoh: Okay, look, this is the finger of Elohim. We’re definitely not dealing with just magic here. There is a God behind this.
But they still didn’t understand who. So we keep going.
Plague #4
This is the flies. And the thing about these flies is that they were everywhere in Egypt except in the land of Goshen where the people of Israel lived. That’s in Chapter 8, verse 22. Again, it’s precision. And it’s by this precision, verse 22, “that you may know that I am Yahweh in the midst of the earth.” Yahweh, again, is sovereign over space and time. Because he is Yahweh he can say “here but not there.”
Same with the livestock in the fifth plague.
Plague #5
All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not a single one of the livestock of Israel died. Yahweh took out the livestock — that’s power. But it was only the Egyptian livestock — that’s precision.
Same thing with the boils.
Plague #6
There were sores that came over all the Egyptians, and it was so severe that the magicians who had been standing around the palace, commenting on the plagues, they couldn’t stand around anymore. They have to leave. So Pharaoh is losing people. Things are reducing here.
Plague #7
The seventh plague was hail, and this plague was cranked up a notch. In verse 14 Yahweh says “I will send all my plagues on you yourself” — in Hebrew this means “on your heart.” It emphasizes the personal dynamic going on here. This plague is more cutthroat. It’s like all the plagues are rolled into one, and it’s target is Pharaoh’s chest.
And when Yahweh sent the hail, it wasn’t normal hail. It was hail and fire together in verse 24. It was hail like hell raining down from the sky, and it completely decimated everything it touched. It destroyed every person and animal it hit, and even the plants and trees. But it didn’t come near the people of Israel. Precision.
And this is where it gets extremely intense. Look what Pharaoh says in verse 27.
Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; Yahweh is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.” (Exodus 9:27)
This is important because Pharaoh is speaking in moral categories. He admits that he has sinned, and the category of sin can only exist when you have a recognition of authority. Pharaoh is beginning to understand that Yahweh is not just another god like the gods of the Egyptian pantheon. This God of the Hebrews, he’s different.
But Moses knows he still doesn’t get it. So there’s more.
And each time, you’ll notice the text says that Pharaoh hardened his heart, or strengthened his heart, or sometimes Yahweh himself hardens Pharaoh’s heart. This is a big deal, and it’s such a big deal that we’re going to do a whole sermon just on that. But for now just note that it’s happening.
Plague #8
The eighth plague is the locusts. But before the locusts come there is a warning. In verse 4 Moses tells Pharaoh: If you refuse to let Israel go, tomorrow will come the locusts, and the locusts will clean up after the hail. Whatever the hail didn’t destroy, the locusts will take care of that.
The implications here are obvious. After hail and locusts, all the crops would be gone, which means the economy of Egypt would be evaporated. So this isn’t just natural catastrophe, this is financial ruin — and that gets the attention of a guy like Pharaoh.
We can imagine that Pharaoh had used the economy to boost his ratings with the public — but not anymore. Pharaoh’s servants knew this, and so they urged him to let the men of Israel go. And finally, Pharaoh begins to come around, but he doesn’t want to release all of Israel, he wants to make a deal. He asks Moses in verse 8: Okay, okay, how many are we talking? Who would you like to take?
And Moses says everybody. We’re all going because this is a feast with Yahweh.
But Pharaoh says No. He will not let Israel go. And so the locusts come. With precision. Just like Yahweh said. And they ate everything. Not a green thing remained, verse 15 says.
Plague #9
The ninth plague is darkness. What was already true metaphorically, became actual. Darkness is everywhere in Egypt for three days, and it is darkness so dark that nobody could see anybody. But the people of Israel had light where they lived (10:23). Again, precision.
It’s the kind of precision the defies any kind of natural occurrence. None of this is a coincidence. There is not a circle of life thing going on here.
Yahweh is intervening into the natural world, he is reaching into space and time, and he is causing each of these things to happen with scrupulous intention: Here, not there. Those, not these. Tomorrow, not today.
And it’s important to see that this is what makes his name known. This is how Pharaoh — and all of us — will know that he is Yahweh. It’s not by divine muscle, it’s by divine meticulousness. Because precision is greater than power.
Yahweh is that kind of sovereign. He is sovereign over details. Over moments. Over inches.
See, Pharaoh knew about magic and powers. He believed in all kinds of gods, and he believed that the gods did things in the world — but he did not understand how the holy sovereignty of Yahweh who puts all little “g” gods to shame.
Now, if we skip ahead to Chapter 12, verse 12, we can read about this. The tenth plague, which we’ll see next week, was the plague to end all plagues, and when Yahweh comments on that plague he says: “on the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am Yahweh” (see 12:12). This is part of how Yahweh makes his name known. He executes judgment on the little “g” gods of Egypt — which he has done by precision over power. So there’s a message. The message behind precision being greater than power is that Yahweh is greater than all.
And that’s the last point.
#3. Yahweh is greater than all.
That is the substance, or the message, of Yahweh making his name known. It’s that he is in a category by himself. He’s not like what you think. He is greater. That is the lesson Pharaoh must learn, and it actually came before the first plague, but Pharaoh just missed it. Turn back now to Chapter 7.
Remember there’s the first sign that Moses is supposed to do in verse 8. The Lord tells Moses that Pharaoh is going to ask him to prove himself. Pharaoh is going to want to see Moses do a miracle to know that he’s legit. And the miracle is that Moses is going to tell Aaron to throw down his staff and it will become a serpent. So they do that. But then in verse 11 Pharaoh summoned the magicians and they did the same thing. And we’re supposed to see a parallel here.
Back in verse 1 Yahweh told Moses that Moses was going to be like God to Pharaoh. Moses will dictate, Aaron will do. So Moses represents God, Aaron is like his prophet. And that happens here. Moses says to cast down the staff, Aaron casts down the staff.
Pharaoh Attempts to Rival Yahweh
Now notice what Pharaoh does. Pharaoh summoned the magicians, and told them to cast down their staffs, which also became serpents.
And if we’re paying attention here, we see that Pharaoh is trying to go toe-to-toe with Moses. He is directing the magicians like Moses directed Aaron. But the thing is, Moses here is acting like God. Which means, this isn’t about Pharaoh and Moses, this is about Pharaoh and Yahweh. And once again, just like we saw in Chapter 5, Pharaoh is putting himself forward as Yahweh’s rival. Pharaoh is contesting the authority of Yahweh — Look, he says, we can make serpents too. Staffs into snakes is no big deal. Watch this.
We kind of have to wonder why the Lord would give Moses a sign that was so easily copied. This first sign could have been anything, but Yahweh makes it something that Pharaoh can mimic. Why do that? Well, the staff turning into a serpent is not the whole sign. The sign isn’t over yet. Look at the last part of verse 12: “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” That’s the sign.
Devouring the Powers of Egypt
A staff represents rule and authority, and here the message is clear: The rule and authority of Yahweh devours all the powers of Egypt. Yahweh is greater than all. And Pharaoh could have seen that here, but what Pharaoh misses in Chapter 7, verse 12 will be shown ten more times. So that he and everyone will know that Yahweh is Yahweh. Yahweh is greater than all.
That’s the purpose here, and it is the most relevant thing for you today. Yahweh is greater than all. Whatever you’re going through, whatever challenges you’re up against, Yahweh is greater.
Even greater than your worst enemy.
Sometimes it can feel like we have a lot of enemies. It can seem like a lot is against us, but I want you to know that your worst enemy is sin and death. That’s been our worst enemy since Genesis 3, but the good news is that Yahweh is greater.
How great?
So great that all of your sins have been paid for.
In Colossians 2, Paul gives us this image: He says: “God made us alive with Christ, forgiving us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands” (Col. 2:13–14).
A record of debt is a pretty specific list. We assume it includes everything that has to do with cost: where, when, how, all of it. We’re not talking about a generic matter of sin, but these are trespasses plural. It’s your record, man. It’s my record. It’s everything that really stands against us. And Paul says that God took that record and he set it aside, nailing it to the cross. That’s precision.
Do you know that if you trust in Jesus it means that when Jesus died for you, he died precisely for you?
He paid precisely for your sins, every single one of them, and he put the devil to shame. Yahweh is greater.
But not just over sin, also over death. Because on the third day, when Jesus was raised from the dead, that resurrection was God the Father highly exalting him, bestowing on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus — listen — every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess the Jesus Christ is Yahweh, to the glory of God the Father.
Yahweh is greater than sin and death. Yahweh is greater than all.
The Table
And that is what we celebrate at this Table. Jesus gives us this Table to remind us of his death. The bread represents his body, and the cup represents his blood, and as we eat and drink we are symbolizing our faith. We are recognizing our union with Jesus … that his greatness is for our good. His supremacy is for our salvation. And so we give thanks.
If you give thanks to Jesus this morning, if you trust in him, we invite you to this Table.
