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Awesome Hands – part 50

“Smite the dust of the land”

Up until this study, we have covered two of the ten plagues that befall Egypt. In the study today, we are going to look at what happens as the Pharaoh has his heart hardened once again resulting in the Lord sending the next two plagues to Egypt.

“The Pharaoh sees relief”

 

Exo 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

As we discussed last study, and up until this next plague we are going to read about, the Pharaoh has witnessed 3 miracles and 2 plagues.

The first miracle was that of Aaron’s serpent swallowing the serpents of the sorcerers. The second was the first plague of the water turning into blood, and the third was the frogs destroyed everything on the land.

The plague of the frogs was enough for the Pharaoh to ask Moses to petition the Lord to take away the plague. However, this will not be a lasting petition once the Pharaoh gains relief, respite.

With this, the Lord is going to bring about lice/gnats/fleas. This particular plague is going to be a specific turning point however, because the magicians will not be able to duplicate this plague.

This will be the start of the magicians no longer being able to deceive with their “strange fire.”

Exo 8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exo 8:17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exo 8:18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments (H3909) to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

There is a point when we all experience in our walk with God, that the “fire which comes down from heaven,” and can be called upon by even babylonish ministers, will no longer be blessed to happen by the will of God.

It may seem odd that I am connecting this plague with the aspect of “fire from heaven,” but let us dive into the scripture to see if there is a precedent for this important connection.

If you will recall, the enchantments which are being performed up until this point actually represent those things done in secret since the Hebrew word “enchantment” used here means “secretly.”

As a reminder, here are two verses used which convey this thought.

1Sa 18:22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly (H3909), and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law.

1Sa 24:4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily (H3909).

“The finger of God”

As a result of the magicians being unable to duplicate this miracle, they refer to this as “the finger of God.”

Exo 8:19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Why is this important?

What is telling are the times we see the finger of God being mentioned in scripture.

Exo 8:19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

This is the first example, but as you will be given to see Lord willing, it is but the start of the explanation of the process the Lord uses to separate His people from the rest of the world.

This is typified by Egypt in this story and broadened in scope with the fourth plague of flies.

The next two examples help to point this out.

Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Exo 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, TABLES OF STONE, written with the finger of God.

Deu 9:7 Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.
Deu 9:8 Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Deu 9:12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.

So, we have the plague of lice coming forth from the “dust of the land” being turned into lice and being referred to as an act of the “finger of God.”

The next time we see an act of God referenced in this way, we see it referenced when the Ten Commandments are written and given to God’s people.

What then are we being taught? What are the admonitions from which we can learn from and apply to our lives today?

Luk 11:16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
Luk 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
Luk 11:18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
Luk 11:19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
Luk 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

Connecting all of these verses together, allows us to paint a very clear spiritual picture of the
sign of the times,” which is upon us when we recognize what we are being told.

Christ clearly states that He casts out devils with the finger of God, so how does this relate to the lice which have been converted from the “dust of the land,” and the very next plague which follows the lice?”

Exo 8:18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
Exo 8:19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exo 8:20 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

This time around, the Lord our God is going to make a new covenant. The making of a new covenant, of a new testament of what is going to happen is going to be shown with force of the power of God.

This can be seen in how the Lord makes a covenant with Israel via the Ten Commandments. This can be seen as Christ brings the power of the NEW Covenant that God makes with His people, via the the will of God, and the MIND that Christ ushers in with His presence on this earth.

This is all typified in the truth that the first plague was that which remained in the water. The second plague came up out of the water, and this third plague in the process makes its way via the HEAVENS, “the sky”, the wind and air and that which is ABOVE.

Do you think me crazy, a lunatic for speaking such things? What did we just read as examples of this process and did Christ speak of the same things I speak to you now?

Let us see, if the lice and flies spoken of in Exodus, are the same type and shadow of what I speak to you now.

Mat 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Mat 16:2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Mat 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Here is the “sign of the time” happening to Egypt and the people of God during this plague and the one to follow.

Exo 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, TABLES OF STONE, written with the finger of God.

Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to ALL THE WORDS, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

And the result is …

Isa 29:5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

Isa 29:6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring FIRE.

Isa 30:30 And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring FIRE, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that WALKETH righteously, and SPEAKETH uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

It is now that we have arrived at the difference in God separating His people and causing them to undergo the same plagues which befall Egypt.

It is now that we are at the start of being called out of her.

The very sign of this tremendous and miraculous event in our spiritual lives is that of the sign of Jonah.

Mat 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

In the context of this plague, here is that sign:

Exo 8:21 Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
Exo 8:22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
Exo 8:23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall THIS SIGN BE.

The Lord is the Lord our God while we are IN EGYPT. He is our God causing us to ERR while in the MIDST of the EARTH. It is the miracle of the “striking of the dust” which caused the DUST to TURN INTO something that goes into the HEAVENLIES!

It is the striking of the dust which then leads into the next progression of being separated BECAUSE we are now in the heavenlies, in type and shadow, represented by the flies which DO NOT befall the Jews.

It is the Lord alone who causes us ALL TO ERR, and it is the LORD ALONE who will cause DIVISION to happen so that He can call us forth from WITHIN the HEART of the EARTH….. the same EARTH which we previously had our treasure in.

Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Didn’t Christ do the same thing? Was He not in the “heart of the earth” and then through process taken to the “promised land?” Just where is it that Christ ascended to?

Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and ADULTEROUS generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Mat 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the PREACHING of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Mat 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up IN THE JUDGMENT with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to HEAR THE WISDOM of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

Do you doubt this? Do you doubt that you were once just like the Egyptians but it was God who by division separated you unto Himself?

Isn’t it intriguing that Christ talks about an adulterous generation seeking a sign and that same generation will be JUDGED?

Who again is it that dwells in the FIRE comfortably? The FIRE is the WORDS OF GOD!

“For I am tormented in this flame”?

 

Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

There is another mount which should connect this nicely together for all of us. It is the mount of Olives.

Joh 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
Joh 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
Joh 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
Joh 8:4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Joh 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
Joh 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
Joh 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Joh 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
Joh 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Joh 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

When God comes to separate His people, He is going to make a covenant which for all intents and purposes was designed for Israel to be faithful to. However, we know that just like with Pharaoh, the Lord hardens their stiff necks and hearts to not OBEY their Husband.

Exo 8:22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Pharaoh’s thoughts and intents are made manifest by these plagues and continues to be used to harden his heart.

Exo 8:23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.
Exo 8:24 And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

It is during this time that the flies (the positive application is that they are in the heavenlies “flying” around) DESTROY the land.

This is to say that the start of the OLD MAN being DESTROYED starts during this time. The old man and new man are having themselves separated and it is all done with the Word of God, which is also the mind of Christ, the Father’s Word.

Exo 8:25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.
Exo 8:26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

We are NOT to return to the abominations of the Egyptians and “sacrifice their abomination”. This is what the Pharaoh wants Moses and Aaron to do.

However, the Lord commands that we go to “His land”, that we process into the wilderness to start our journey to mount Sion.

Exo 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.
Exo 8:28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.
Exo 8:29 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.
Exo 8:30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.
Exo 8:31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.
Exo 8:32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

The old man simply will not give up. It will take an utter DEATH experience and killing of the “old man” and all that he represents before this battle will be over.

In the next study, we are going to continue to see how we are admonished to “live, and breath and have our being” in what the Lord commands of us. If we do not, “DEATH of the BEASTS” will be the result. What do you think Pharaoh will do?