Year 2 Day 9

Year 2 Day 9

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 7:8-13

Message - Alan Burke
Think back to Monday, I asked the question “Have you ever looked around and wondered what on earth is going on?”, today as we dive into these verses (7:8-13) they give us a clearer understanding of not only of the book of Exodus but redemptive history and what is being played out around us today. Where did we leave off, the first of eleven miracles, the staff of Aaron swallowing up the servants staffs that had likewise turned into snakes, gobble, gobble, gobble one after another. 

But there is something that we are here confronted with in this passage that doesn’t fit into our western scientific rational, it reveals to us that there is something far greater going at work in this world. Look at verse 11, it tells us…  “Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts”.

Their secret arts. 

You could call it demonic, dark magic, any number of names, but what it does here is remind us that there is so much more going on in Exodus that a mere battle for freedom from slaves against an oppressive nation. All that was being played out here was not simply a dispute between Moses and Pharaoh, a conflict between Israel and Egypt, but this was a battle between God and Satan. This was just another engagement in the invisible war that continually rages between Heaven and Hell. 

Whether Pharaoh, his wise men and sorcerers realised that they were serving Satan or not, they were controlled by “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12), evil forces that had at least enough power to perform a few miracles. Notice though, however, that the best they could do was to imitate what God did. Pharaoh’s sorcerers magicians and simply repeated Aaron’s sign. The limits of Pharaoh’s satanic power will become even more obvious as the plagues continue. His magicians and sorcerers were able to mimic some of the miracles of God, but eventually their secret arts were swallowed up by the almighty power of God. This is because Satan can only corrupt, never create. The Bible says that “the work of Satan [is] displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). Satan is always a counterfeiter, never an innovator. This victory over Pharaoh, his officials, his wise men and sorcerers, teach us that although Satan’s power is real, it is not not absolute. Satan does not have the power to overrule the sovereign God, he can only do what the Lord God allowed him to do. 

The Exodus tells us of God’s triumph over Satan, although Satan’s power is real, it is not absolute, his power over sin was vanquished through the crucifixion. His power over death was swallowed up by the resurrection. When we feel so imprisoned by our sins that we fear we are still in spiritual bondage, all we need to do is hold on to Jesus, who defeated Satan through his cross and his empty tomb. That question I began with “Have you ever looked around and wondered what on earth is going on?” Ultimately what is going on us is and invisible war, Satan still rages for he knows his time is short but he is not and will not be victorious - he is a bound and defeated foe who will know the punishment of eternal hell (Rev 20:10). 

Pray (acTS)

Sing

WSC
Q 24 How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. (John 1:18, 1 Pet. 1:10–12, John 15:15, John 20:31)
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