When the Lord God sent Moses
in Exodus chapter 3 to deliver Israel out of Egyptian bondage,
He sent him with these words found in verses 19 and 20. I am sure, I am sure that the
king of Egypt will not let you go. No, not by a mighty hand. and I will stretch out my hand
and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst
thereof, and after that he will let you go." The Lord God of
the Hebrews sent Moses to Pharaoh determined to harden Pharaoh's
heart so that he might perform wonders in Egypt by which he
would manifestly display himself as the God of the Hebrews, and
manifestly display his distinguishing grace, by which he ever distinguishes
and separates his elect from the rest of Adam's fallen race. The title of my message tonight
is, Wonders in the Land of Ham, Distinguishing Grace Displayed. in the deliverance of God's people
is what's set before us here. You'll remember that Noah's cursed
son, Ham, is held before us in the ninth chapter of Genesis
as the representative of all the reprobate in this world,
those of the earth whose existence is only that they might serve
the benefit of God's elect. Ham shall serve his brethren,
servant of servants shall he be. There are two and only two
distinct classes of people in the whole world. The sons of
God and those who are spoken of through the scriptures as
those men and women whose father is the devil. Those who are the
seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. God's elect,
whom he has created to possess all things, represented in Shem,
and represented in Japheth, who shall inhabit the tents of Shem,
the true Israel of God, and then those who are represented by
Ham, the cursed of the race, who shall never obtain mercy,
but shall only serve God's purpose of grace, for the good of his
people in time and eternity. The deliverance of Israel out
of Egypt is specifically spoken of in Psalm 105. I want you to
turn there. It is specifically spoken of
as that which the Lord God accomplished by performing His wonders in
the land of Ham. Psalm 105, verse 23. Israel also came out of Egypt,
and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his
people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate his people. God did that? That's what the scripture says.
To deal subtly with his servants. He said, Just as surely as he
turned the Egyptians to hate Israel and deal subtly with them,
so he sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
They showed his signs among them and wonders in the land of Ham. That is exactly how God always
saves his elect. He openly displays his sovereign
love and distinguishing grace toward his chosen by performing
wonders here in the land of Ham. This is held before us throughout
the Old Testament as a matter of unceasing praise among God's
saints. The psalmist David frequently
speaks of it in the songs of praise that we find in the Psalms. Moses spoke of it in Deuteronomy
chapter 6. Nehemiah spoke God's praise in
performing these wonders when he was building the temple of
God and called on Israel to sing God's praise with him. Jeremiah
spoke these words, describing God's wonders in the land of
Ham, even as he was preparing Israel for the time when they
would be brought down into bondage again by the Babylonians, but
brought up again by the hand of God's grace. Servant Stephen,
the first martyr of the gospel church, as he was being stoned
to death by the seed of Israel after the flesh, spoke of God's
performing these wonders in the land of Ham to deliver his true
Israel by his mighty grace, which was a picture of the salvation
of all God's elect in all the ages of the earth. The Lord said
to Moses back here in our text, I am sure, I am sure that the
king of Egypt will not let you go. No, not by a mighty hand. He will not let you go. God said,
I'm sure of it because I've ordained. He will not let you go because
I've purposed it. He tells us in Romans 9, and
we'll see it again here in Exodus. The scripture saith unto Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might
show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. He says this is the only reason
Pharaoh existed. This is the only reason I set
him on the throne in Egypt, so that I might show my power in
destroying him and the Egyptians to the saving of my people, that
my name might be known everywhere." He succeeded, didn't he? That
was his purpose and that was his intent in raising Pharaoh
up. No mighty hand could bow the
heart and bend the will of the obstinate king of Egypt except
one. Indeed, our text might better
be translated this way. I am sure that the king of Egypt
will not let you go except by a mighty hand. The hand that
forced Pharaoh to let Israel go is the hand of him who swore
by himself that he would save his people. Read on. God doesn't
say, but I will stretch out my hand. He says the next word,
and. Pharaoh will not let you go except
by a mighty hand, and I, the one whose mighty hand I speak
of, will stretch out my hand. Pharaoh was raised up by God,
and his heart was hardened by God for this specific purpose,
that God might show his mighty hand, his mighty power in the
saving of his people. Then he says, I will smite Egypt
with all my wonders." We commonly refer to them as the plagues,
the ten plagues that are recorded for us in Exodus 7-13. And I would greatly encourage
you to sit down as early as you can after hearing this message
and read those chapters at one setting, Exodus 7-13. These things
commonly known as the ten plagues and spoken of in the scripture
as the ten plagues, God speaks of as his wonders in the land
of Ham. And they are sung about as God's
wonders. Wonders performed against the
Egyptians. Wonders performed for his people. Wonders of condemnation against
the Egyptians. Wonders by which the Egyptians
were forever damned. And wonders by which Israel was
delivered and saved. May God the Holy Spirit be our
teacher as we look at them together. These wonders God performed in
the land of Ham. Now we'll look at them individually.
as we come to them in our study of the book of Exodus. But tonight,
I think it would be helpful to look at them all together. Understand
that these ten plagues, these wonders, are set before us in
the scriptures. You can read it in Revelation
chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11. They're set before us in all
those places in the book of Revelation as things that were typical of
God's wonders in the land of Ham throughout the ages, these
wonders by which he brings judgment upon the reprobate and displays
his distinguishing grace upon his elect. As our mighty Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ, goes forth throughout the ages conquering
and to conquer, subduing all his enemies beneath his feet,
he performs wonders in the land of Ham, as he subdues his enemies
either by the irresistible force and power of his judgment, or
by the equally irresistible force and power of his free saving
grace. Do you mean, pastor, that if
God's going to damn someone, they can't resist it? You know
that, don't you? You know that, don't you? And
if God's going to save you, You can't resist it. I want you to
know that. I want you to understand that.
He said to his son, set thou on my right hand until I make
thine enemies thy footstool. I preach these things wherever
God opens the door and I often look at folks and I can see it
written on their faces if they don't tell me before I get done
preaching or as soon as I get done preaching. I never heard
tell of a God like that. Did you ever read this book?
Turn to Isaiah chapter 45. Let me show you. Isaiah 45. Don't
take my word for anything. See what God says. He's not like
folks think He is. The God of glory is God indeed,
and He shall subdue all His enemies beneath His feet, either in wrath
or in mercy. one way or the other, but subdued
they shall be. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 20. Assemble
yourselves and come, draw near together ye that are escaped
of the nations, they that have no knowledge, set up the wood
of their graven image, and pray unto a God that cannot save. Now listen to me. A God who can't
save without your permission, your will, or your work is a
God who cannot save. They pray unto a God that cannot
save. Read on, verse 21. God speaks,
Tell me, ye, bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together,
who hath declared this from ancient time, who hath told it from that
time. Have not I the Lord, and there
is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior? There is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.
Now look what he says as a result of the declaration that he is
God. I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth
in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee
shall bow, and every tongue shall swear or confess. That includes
you and me, your mama and daddy and mine, your sons and daughters
and mine. That includes every knee and
every tongue. Surely shall one say, in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength. They're going to bow
to Him in grace, confessing Him as the Lord our righteousness,
the Lord our strength, the Lord our shield, the Lord our Redeemer.
Even to Him shall men come. Men shall come to him, all of
them, one way or another will come to him, and all that are
incensed against him. What does the book tell us about
Adam's race? It tells us, Rex, that we all
are born in this world with a carnal mind that is enmity against God. Every son of Adam, every daughter
of Adam is incensed against God, incensed against God, but all
that are incensed against Him shall bow to Him, shall bow to
Jesus Christ, either seeking His mercy or in the terror of
His wrath, but all shall bow. Even to Him shall men come, and
all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed in the Lord. shall all the seed of Israel
who are numbered among those who live in this world with hearts
by nature incensed against God, you too, all Israel shall be
justified and shall glory. The Lord God performed these
ten wonders in the land of Ham, these ten plagues upon the Egyptians,
And they came in succession, one after another. They came
one right after the other. With just brief, short periods
in between. Because you see, God gives obstinate,
God-hating rebels space for repentance. But they won't repent. They won't
repent. Each plague came one after the
other, and each one was a more severe form of judgment, coming
nearer to the life of men. And still they repented not.
Pharaoh continued to harden his heart in obstinate rebellion
because he is incensed against God. You see, judgment, judgment,
Never, never brings repentance. It won't happen. Won't happen. Never. Well, I know lots of people
who when they had some close call with death, boy, they had
a near brush and that turned their hearts. It won't happen.
God says otherwise. God says otherwise. I don't chase
ambulances. Faithful preachers won't chase
ambulances. Leave it to money-grubbing lawyers.
Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Oh,
we've got to strike while the iron's hot. When God makes the
iron hot, he's already struck. No, we don't chase after men
and try to twist their arms and seize the opportunity because
now all of a sudden they're scared to death. They came close to
meeting God. Now we've got to repent. All such repentance is
fake. It's repentance of the flesh
that will be condemned in the end. Let's see if I can make
good on that. Listen to the Scripture. Romans chapter 2 verse 4, it
is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance. It is the goodness of God that
leadeth thee to repentance. Not only is it God's act of goodness,
it is the goodness of God revealed in the sacrifice of His Son that
leads men to repentance. The Apostle Paul writes again
in 2 Corinthians, just listen, Godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world
worketh death. You read through these seven
chapters, Pharaoh repented and repented and repented and repented
and never repented. His repentance each pretense
of repentance, only more fully hardened his heart in obstinate
rebellion against God. By these ten wonders performed
by God in the land of Ham, he finally destroyed Pharaoh and
the Egyptians and saved his people Israel. So it is now, so it shall
be forever, to the praise of the glory of His grace. ask you
to follow along. I can't possibly read all the
references to which I'll point you, so you just pick them up
as we go along. We're going to start in Exodus chapter 7. The
first wonder God performed in Egypt was turning the waters
of the Nile River into blood. Look at verse 17. Thus saith
the Lord, in this thou shalt know that I am the Lord. I will
smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which
are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood, and the fish
that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink, and
the Egyptians shall loathe to drink the water of the river."
That which distinguished Egypt even above its science was the
Nile River. Oh, how they gloried in that
river. All the life of Egypt depended
on that river, and God made it loathsome in their eyes, caused
the river to stink with death, so that throughout this plague
of the water being turned into blood, everything depending on
water died in Egypt. Can you imagine the stink? I
can't help pointing out this fact. It seems clearly indicated to me
in this first wonder wrought by Moses. Everything in the law
is death and condemnation. It is called the ministration
of death. If Moses stretches his rod and
touches you, you're dead. Everything that men look at as
being a blessing, oh, how God's blessed us, how He's blessed
our nation, how He's blessed my family, look at all that God's
given me, shall be a curse forever. Oh, but if Christ stretches forth
the hand of His grace and touches you by His grace, Everything
you thought surely indicated his wrath and fury and the curse
shall be turned blessing to you. Everything. Everything. Moses
turned the water into blood. The Lord Jesus turned the water
into happiness. His first miracle, he turned
water into wine and made merry the hearts of the people at the
marriage feast. Look in chapter 8 of Exodus.
The second plague was that of frogs. Verse 6, Aaron stretched
out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came
up and covered the land of Egypt. A striking progression of judgment
was sent to Israel. The first was remote and distant. It was confined to the Nile River.
And all the waters where folks dug around the Nile trying to
find something to drink, it was still confined to the water.
But here in this second plague, the frogs come up and cover the
land. Just how much are we to understand
that? What do we understand by that? Listen to this. The psalmist
says in Psalm 105, Their land brought forth frogs in abundance
in the chambers of their kings. So that when God sent judgment,
He brings now these filthy, unclean frogs across the land, into their
houses, even into their bedchambers, even into the king's bedchamber,
were frogs. What a horrible state. Then in
chapter 8, verses 16 and 17, God performed another wonder.
Horrible, disgusting, filthy. The other plagues had been on
their water and on their property, but this one brought judgment
upon every man, every woman, every child among the sons of
Ham, and even upon every animal they possessed. Verse 60, The Lord said to Moses,
Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the
land, that it may become lice throughout the land of Egypt.
Don't ever imagine that God speaks in hyperbole. He's telling us
exactly what took place. 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, and all the dust of
the land became lice throughout the land of Egypt." Pharaoh's magicians were finally
stumped. They had been imitating Moses
and Aaron, but now they could not even imitate what was happening. And they were finally forced
to confess, this is the finger of God. And Pharaoh's heart was
hardened. And he hearkened not to the voice
even of his magicians. We're told in verse 19, as the
Lord had said he would. Look at chapter 8, verses 20
and 21. The fourth wonder. God calls flies to swarm in Egypt. Now, try to get the picture. Try to get the picture. Flies
were everywhere. Everywhere. Disgusting. Filthy. Smelly. Biting flies. Darkened the sky. Covered the land so that even
as you walk across the ground, you're just walking across flies. Biting everywhere. Filthy, disgusting
flies. I said everywhere, but that's
not quite the case. Verse 22, God says, I will sever in that
day the land of Goshen. I'll put a difference between
Israel and Egypt that you can't help but see. When He sent flies
everywhere, now listen to me, He cast, as it were, an invisible
net over all the land of Goshen where the Israelites dwelt. They
didn't, one of them, use a fly swatter. An invisible net, but a net that
nobody could fail to observe. Read what it says. No swarms
of flies shall be there to the end that thou mayest know that
I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division
between my people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign be. Oh, how wonderfully protected,
how marvelously blessed, how securely kept were God's people
Israel when He sent judgment upon the Egyptians. Will you
hear me, children of God? Hold your hands here and turn
to Malachi chapter 3. How wondrously protected, how
marvelously blessed How securely kept are God's elect in this
world. What tokens, oh, what tokens
of everlasting love, distinguishing grace, and constant mercy have
marked our lives. Malachi chapter 3, verse 17.
God says, They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that
day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them. I will spare them. Jeremiah said,
or not Jeremiah, Ezekiel, he said, I watched God destroying
all these people and behold, I was kept alive. I will spare
them. As a man spareth his own son
and serveth him. Then shall you return and discern
between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth
God and him that serveth him not. All right, back here in
Exodus 9. God set an appointed time. This
time He said, now Moses, go tell Pharaoh tomorrow at an appointed
time so that you can't possibly mistake that I'm the one who
does this. Nobody going to say this was Oh, it's just a freak
chance. This is just as fate would have
it. This is just, these things happen,
you know. God said, do you watch? Tomorrow
at 12 o'clock noon is what I'm going to do. I'm going to send
pestilence. pestilence throughout the land
of Egypt. Pestilence that will affect every
man, every woman, every child, and every animal in all the land
of Egypt so that all the Egyptians will lose their cattle and their
flocks through this pestilence. I will send this terrifying pestilence
everywhere except in the land of Goshen, where my people dwell. And the Israelites didn't lose
a calf from their herds, or a lamb from their flocks. Now look at
verse 1, chapter 9. Then the Lord said unto Moses,
Go unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the
Hebrews. Don't you love that? Don't forget
to keep reminding Pharaoh, I am 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, and upon the horses, upon the asses, upon
the camels, upon the ox, and upon the sheep. There shall be
a very grievous murrine. And the Lord shall sever between
the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there shall
nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. And the
Lord appointed a set time. He appointed a set time. 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
heartened, and he did not let the people go. O children of
God, how we ought to rejoice in our God's constant, discriminating,
providential grace. He says, The plague shall not
come nigh thee. For this shall every one that
is godly pray unto the Lord in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely the floods of great waters,
they shall not come nigh unto him. As the earth bore part in
the curse because of man's sin, so even the earth, the base creatures
of the earth, bear part in the ultimate redemption of our souls
by Christ Jesus. For the whole creation groweth
and prevaileth, the Spirit of God says. waiting for the redemption
of our bodies, waiting for the resurrection day, when God shall
make all things new. And then in chapter 9 of Exodus,
verses 8 through 12, the sixth plague upon the Egyptians is
seen in God's judgment even more heavily and boils, breaking forth
with blames upon man and upon beast. As is described here,
Something caused a universal, previously unheard of epidemic,
a disease breaking out upon every man and every beast in the land
of Egypt. Running boils covered them. What caused it? God caused it. He said, Aaron, get you a handful
of ashes and throw them in the air. And God calls this horrible,
obnoxious plague to come upon the Egyptians. Oh, what a horrible
thing it is to have the Lord God of the Hebrews for your enemy. Read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy.
God says, I'll curse you when you rise up in the morning and
curse you when you go into the field, and curse you in your
harvest, and curse you in your drink, and curse you when you
come to your house at night, and curse you when you lie down.
I will curse you in your wife, and curse you in your son, and
curse you in your daughter. Everything is cursed to you who
harden your hearts against Him. The seventh plague, chapter 9,
beginning at verse 13, was a plague of thunder, lightning,
rain, and hail. God sent over all the land. Before
sending this horrible storm in the fury of His wrath, God plainly
told Pharaoh, He plainly told it. that there would be a continual
succession of plagues upon him until finally he was cut off
from the face of the earth. And then he told Pharaoh exactly
why he raised him up. He said to him in verses 14,
15, and 16, he said, I'm doing this and I'm going to cut you
off with this succession of plagues that my name and my power might
be known in all the earth. But again, The Lord graciously
displayed His love and mercy toward His chosen. And His chosen
were preserved from the thunder, and the lightning, and the rain,
and the hail, the fire that consumed all the crops in Egypt. God preserved
His people from them. And in verse 20, there's still
another display of grace. Great distinguishing grace. Some
of Pharaoh's servants believed Moses' report. And they said, go out and get
our servants and tell them to come home right now. And tell
them to bring the cattle and lock them up in their stalls.
We believe God. You remember when God finally
brought Israel out of Egypt after these plagues were over? There
was a mixed multitude who went with them. Gentiles. Egyptians, now numbered by God
among the Hebrews. These representing God's elect
scattered among the nations among all the Gentiles, of whom God
said to His Son, I will give thee for a covenant of the people,
and unto you shall the Gentiles seek. Then in chapter 10, the
eighth plague was a plague of locusts. locusts covering the
land, devouring all the vegetation that was left by the fire and
the hail. God sends this plague of locusts,
and Moses, the man of God, was commanded to tell Israel that
the Lord had hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he might openly
display his love toward Israel in showing these signs and wonders
before them. The Lord said to Moses, verse
1, going in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and
the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before
him. I hardened his heart and the
hearts of his servants, so that I could show everybody my wonders
in the land of Ham, and that thou mayest tell in the ears
of thy son. I did this so that in days to
come you can set your son on your knee and your grandson after
him, and you can say to him, what things I have wrought in
Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them, that you may
know that I am the Lord." The plague of locusts was so
grievous that the earth was covered with them. The sky was darkened
by them. But there were no locusts found
in the land of Goshen. And then the ninth plague. A
plate of darkness. I won't read verses 21, 22, and
23. Let me just describe it for you. For three days, there was nothing but darkness
in Egypt. For three days, no human being
in the land of Egypt could see another human being. Well, why
didn't they light a torch or light a candle? Because God sent
darkness. For three days, nobody dared
venture out of his tent's door in the land of Egypt. The darkness
was so thick and so heavy that it's described here as felt. Oh, what a picture of the horrible
darkness suffered by the damned in hell forever. Felt darkness. But again, Israel was spared. We're told in verse 23, but all
the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Oh, thank God for His distinguishing
grace. And then the last and tenth wonder
wrought in the land of Egypt, in the land of Ham, the tenth
display of God's distinguishing grace. The Lord destroyed the
firstborn, both of man and beast, in every house of the Egyptians. in every house of the Egyptians. Look at verse 30. Just look at
the last sentence. For there was not a house where
there was not found, or where there was not one dead. Who can imagine the cries, the
screams, the shrieks that must have been heard in the land of
Egypt at that midnight hour when God destroyed the firstborn of
every house. Now everything here clearly is
typifying God's wondrous work of redemption and salvation by
Christ. The lamb that was slain and eaten,
whose blood was sprinkled on the doorpost and the lentil,
is Christ our Passover, who was sacrificed for us. The sprinkling
of the blood, portraying the sprinkling of the blood of Christ
upon the hearts of God's elect, what it gives them life and faith
in Christ. The eating of the lamb roast
with fire in expectation with a staff in their hand, their
shoes on their feet, and their coats on their back, ready to
go out of Egypt, portrays the believer eating Christ's flesh
and blood by faith taking His righteousness and His blood atonement
as their own, believing Him. In a word, all of Egypt's destruction
was performed by God to vividly portray the salvation of our
souls by Christ, by His sacrifice for us. But let me call your
attention to what we just read in verse 30. In all the other
plagues, I've kept emphasizing There were no frogs in Goshen.
There were no lice in Goshen. There was no darkness in Goshen.
In all these other plagues, Israel was spared, but not here. The firstborn in every house
in all the land of Egypt died. But Brother Don, None of the
children of Israel died. The firstborn in every house,
even of Israel, died. Died that night in the firstling
of the flock, in the lamb of the first year, representatively
died in him, just as we really and truly died under the wrath
of God when Christ Our Passover, God's firstborn, the firstling
of God's flock, was sacrificed for us. Wondrous grace. This is our salvation. Christ,
our Passover, is sacrificed for us. This is our security forever. Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed
for us. The Lord God says, And the blood
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are. And
when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of
Egypt. And thus God performed and is
performing, and shall perform wonders in the land of Ham, until
all Israel shall be saved, until the last of his elect hath been
called by his distinguishing grace to the praise of the glory
of his grace." What does all that mean to me? He who gave Egypt for you, He who gave his Son for you will
withhold nothing from you. Not now, not tomorrow, not forever. Amen. Number 34 in your hymn book.
Number 34, immortal, invisible.