(Exodus) Exodus 9:1-7
God brings judgment on Egypt's idolatrous practices, sparing His people and demonstrating His power.
In this sermon, the preacher discusses the fifth judgment in chapter 9 of the Bible. The judgment is called the murrin on the cattle, where God tells Moses to inform Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go. If Pharaoh refuses, God will bring a grievous murrin upon the cattle of Egypt. This judgment is aimed at the idolatry prevalent in Egypt, particularly the worship of animals like the black bull, Apis. Despite the clear display of God's power, Pharaoh's heart remains hardened, and he still refuses to release the Israelites.
Full Transcript
Now, we come to chapter 9, and here in chapter 9, we have the 5th judgment. Here, and this is the murrin on the cattle. And let me read this, Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle, which is in the field, Upon the horses, upon the asses, the camels, the oxen, upon the sheep. There shall be a very grievous murrin, And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, And there shall nothing die of all that is in the children of Israel. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.
And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died. But of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead.
And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. Now, you would think by this time he'd be impressed and would let them go. And the fact that it was obvious now that God is certainly in this, and that he is dealing with them.
Now again, may I say that the land of Egypt at that time was a land of zoolatry, the worship of the entire animal world. And Apis was the black bull of Egypt and was worshiped. And you find a great deal of that in that land.
And so here what you have is really the worship of a sick cow. And I call your attention to it again. God must have smiled at this because there is humor in the Bible.
And I imagine he smiled at this judgment. But you see, he's now leveling his judgments against this awful frightful institution of idolatry that was in the land of Egypt and had such a hold upon these people. And not only these people, but also upon God's people.
For they had gone into idolatry at this time as we shall see later on.
Sermon Outline
- God's Judgment on Egypt's Idolatry
- Pharaoh's Hardened Heart
- The Worship of Animals in Egypt
- The Idolatrous Practices of the Egyptians
- The Influence of Idolatry on God's People
Key Quotes
“And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died.” — J. Vernon McGee
“And there shall be a very grievous murrin, And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt,” — J. Vernon McGee
Application Points
- We must be careful not to let idolatry take hold in our lives, just like the Egyptians did.
- God's power and love for us should motivate us to obey His will and let go of sin.
- We must be aware of the influence of sin and idolatry on our lives and seek to correct it.