YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

December 26, 2004 an underground 9.0-magnitude earthquake shook the Indian Ocean generating tsunamis that caused one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. Eleven nations suffered many deaths from these tsunamis. They included such nations as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, and even African nations - Somalia, Tanzania, and Seychelles close to 300 miles away. At the end of the year, the death toll was expected to push to more than 200,000 people. Deaths from resulting disease epidemics pushed the death toll much higher.

Regardless of the natural disaster - and there are terrible disasters almost constantly - people suffer. News reports show the sad, anguished faces looking for their loved ones. This is horrible beyond belief. No matter what nationality you are, when disaster hits, you hurt.

The plagues that God brought on Egypt, because Pharaoh would not allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness and worship Him, were devastating to that nation. The Egyptian people suffered greatly from them. But God wasn’t finished because Pharaoh kept reneging on his word. God said, "I will send just one more disaster on Pharaoh and his land, and after that he will let you go; in fact, he will be so anxious to get rid of you that he will practically throw you out of the country.”

God always sees the big picture. He looked ahead and could see what the Israelites would need. They were poor slaves without money or fine earthly possessions. So God told Moses to prepare the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors for costly gold and silver jewelry. God had one final disaster to bring on Egypt, and they would be anxious to get rid of the Israelites. As a matter of fact, the Egyptians would practically throw them out of the country.

Because of the type of person Moses was, he was highly respected among the Egyptian people and revered by Pharaoh's officials. God caused the people of Egypt to be very favorable towards the Israelites. Have you ever asked God for a favor in the eves of a person or group - maybe your teacher or employer when you want time off for the Feast?

Think about it. What kind of man did Moses have to be for the Egyptians to hold him in such high regard and Pharaoh's officials to revere him? We've learned in a previous seminar that "God resists the proud." Don’t you resist the proud too? Isn't there something about a proud, self-righteous, know-it-all person that gets under your skin? You'd probably rather not see her coming. We certainly don't want God running from us when we come to Him in need.

Numbers 12:3 tells us what kind of man Moses was. "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” He was not proud or haughty, not arrogant or assertive. Moses was a servant of God's people. Do you remember what we learned last week about servants? Servants think more about others than themselves. Servants focus on others, not themselves. This is true humility: not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. They are self-forgetful. Paul said, "Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." This is what it means to 'lose your life' - forgetting yourself in service to others. When we stop focusing on our own needs, we become aware of the needs around us.

Jesus "emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant" (The Purpose Driven Life). Going before Pharaoh, and repeatedly giving him bad news, was not some kind of glamorous joy ride. Moses didn't want this job, but God called him through the burning bush to save His people from slavery. This was a self-sacrificing job that did his self-esteem no good. Israel recognized this and had the highest regard for him.

Now Moses announced to Pharaoh, "Jehovah says, 'About midnight I will pass through Egypt. And all the oldest sons shall die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest child of Pharaoh, heir to his throne, to the oldest child of his lowliest slave; and even the firstborn of the animals. The wail of death will resound throughout the entire land of Egypt; never before has there been such anguish, and it will never be again.’"

Moses told Pharaoh God promised to completely protect the Israelites through this disaster. Not even a dog shall move his tongue against them, nor shall any of their animals die. Why? To show the Israelites that Jehovah makes a distinction between His people and the Egyptians. After this disaster, the officials will run to Moses bowing low and begging, “Please leave at once, and take all your people with you." Then, red-faced with anger, Moses stomped from the palace.

What do you think? Would Pharaoh listen this time and let God's people go worship Him? No, but it did provide God with the opportunity to do mighty miracles to demonstrate His power. "So although Moses and Aaron did these miracles right before Pharaoh's eyes, the Lord hardened his heart so that he wouldn’t let the people leave the land."

This is high drama. Pharaoh had to have wondered if the heir to his throne would be dead in less than 24 hours. How did the people of Egypt react when their firstborn sons and even animals died because Pharaoh was so self-willed and stubborn? The saga will continue in the next seminar.