WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:00.880 How could they do that? 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:04.840 This is the Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind, 00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:06.980 and coming to you from Riverside, California, 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:08.900 podcasting since 2004, 00:00:09.520 --> 00:00:11.500 I'm your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:14.380 This is the podcast that comes to you every single day. 00:00:14.620 --> 00:00:15.880 We're reading the Bible in a year. 00:00:16.379 --> 00:00:17.660 I'm so glad you're here. Welcome. 00:00:18.020 --> 00:00:20.420 Website is LifespringMedia.com. 00:00:20.840 --> 00:00:22.800 Today is National Bubble Wrap Day. 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:24.740 Who doesn't like the satisfaction 00:00:25.090 --> 00:00:27.040 of popping those little plastic bubbles? 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:29.060 And did you know that it was originally 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:35.820 invented as a 3D wallpaper? Yeah, who knew? Well, that was obviously a flop, but today it's mostly 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:41.520 a stress relief tool for anybody unboxing a package. This is The Law Monday. We'll read 00:00:41.860 --> 00:00:46.920 Exodus 5 through 8. I'll share some comments on the reading, the verse of the day, and we'll find 00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:51.740 out what happened on this date in church history. Let's begin. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for 00:00:51.760 --> 00:00:55.940 our time together. We thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, for giving it to us so that we 00:00:55.960 --> 00:01:01.540 would be able to know who you are, to be able to know what pleases you and what displeases you, 00:01:01.930 --> 00:01:06.420 to be able to find out, Lord, that you gave everything so that we would be able to spend 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:11.080 eternity with you. Thank you, Lord. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:01:13.940 --> 00:01:19.400 Exodus chapter 5. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, 00:01:19.940 --> 00:01:25.920 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. Let my people go so that they may hold a festival 00:01:25.960 --> 00:01:32.140 to me in the wilderness. Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? 00:01:32.580 --> 00:01:38.920 I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go. Then they said, The God of the Hebrews is met 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:44.540 with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our 00:01:44.740 --> 00:01:51.300 God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword. But the king of Egypt said, Moses and Aaron, 00:01:51.580 --> 00:01:55.820 Why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work. 00:01:56.460 --> 00:02:01.700 Then Pharaoh said, Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from 00:02:01.860 --> 00:02:07.720 working. That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the 00:02:07.820 --> 00:02:13.180 people. You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks. Let them go and 00:02:13.320 --> 00:02:19.099 gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don't reduce 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:24.920 the quota. They are lazy. That is why they are crying out, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 00:02:25.540 --> 00:02:30.140 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working, and pay no attention to lies. 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:35.860 Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, This is what Pharaoh says, 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:41.180 I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:47.099 but your work will not be reduced at all. So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:52.820 stubble to use for straw. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, Complete the work required 00:02:52.870 --> 00:02:58.080 of you for each day, just as when you had straw. And Pharaoh's slave drivers beat the Israelite 00:02:58.260 --> 00:03:02.660 overseers they had appointed, demanding, Why haven't you met your quota of bricks yesterday 00:03:02.670 --> 00:03:08.380 or today as before? Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh, Why have you treated 00:03:08.470 --> 00:03:17.080 your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, Make bricks. Your 00:03:17.660 --> 00:03:23.660 Pharaoh said, Lazy, that's what you are, lazy. That is why you keep saying, Let us go and 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:29.440 sacrifice to the Lord. Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your 00:03:29.600 --> 00:03:34.660 full quota of bricks. The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, 00:03:35.100 --> 00:03:38.200 You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day. 00:03:38.980 --> 00:03:43.240 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:47.920 May the Lord look on you and judge you. You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh, 00:03:48.420 --> 00:03:51.220 and his officials have put a sword in their hand to kill us. 00:03:52.540 --> 00:03:56.980 Moses returned to the Lord and said, Why, Lord, have you brought trouble on this people? 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:01.280 Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, 00:04:01.430 --> 00:04:05.180 he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all. 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:06.960 Exodus chapter 6 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:12.580 Then the Lord said to Moses, Now you will see what I do to Pharaoh, 00:04:12.940 --> 00:04:15.600 Because of my mighty hand he will let them go. 00:04:16.180 --> 00:04:19.019 Because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country. 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:22.760 God also said to Moses, I am the Lord. 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:27.060 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty. 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:31.900 But by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself fully known to them. 00:04:32.440 --> 00:04:37.840 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:43.000 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are enslaving, 00:04:43.640 --> 00:04:45.200 and I have remembered my covenant. 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:51.760 Therefore, say to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the 00:04:51.900 --> 00:04:52.720 yoke of the Egyptians. 00:04:53.620 --> 00:04:58.340 I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:00.620 arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:05.420 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. 00:05:05.880 --> 00:05:11.040 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:16.520 Egyptians, and I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, 00:05:16.840 --> 00:05:22.260 to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:27.340 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their 00:05:27.460 --> 00:05:33.400 discouragement and harsh labor. Then the Lord said to Moses, Go tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 00:05:33.580 --> 00:05:39.180 to let the Israelites go out of his country. But Moses said to the Lord, If the Israelites will not 00:05:39.260 --> 00:05:43.020 listen to me, why should Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips? 00:05:44.520 --> 00:05:48.820 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, 00:05:49.520 --> 00:05:54.500 and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. These were the heads of their families. 00:05:55.400 --> 00:06:00.800 The sons of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were Hanok and Paliu, Hezron and Carmi. 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:08.760 These were the clans of Reuben. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, 00:06:08.960 --> 00:06:14.780 and Shal, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon. These were the names of the 00:06:14.880 --> 00:06:22.780 sons of Levi, according to their records, Gershon, Kohath, and Mereri. Levi lived 137 years. 00:06:24.020 --> 00:06:30.080 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei. The sons of Kohath were Amram, 00:06:30.440 --> 00:06:38.460 Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. The sons of Mererai were Malai and Mushi. 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:45.140 These were the clans of Levi, according to their records. Amram married his father's sister, 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:53.680 Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. The sons of Izhar were Korah, 00:06:54.040 --> 00:07:00.080 Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:07.300 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amenadab and sister of Nashon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:15.080 Eleazar and Ithamar. The sons of Korah were Azur, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:21.680 clans. Eleazar, son of Aaron, married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:25.680 These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan. 00:07:26.900 --> 00:07:29.960 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:33.060 Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions. 00:07:34.140 --> 00:07:36.540 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 00:07:37.020 --> 00:07:41.100 about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, this same Moses and Aaron. 00:07:41.840 --> 00:07:45.000 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, he said to him, 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:49.620 I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I tell you. 00:07:50.320 --> 00:07:56.520 But Moses said to the Lord, Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me? 00:07:57.300 --> 00:07:58.580 Exodus chapter 7 00:07:59.580 --> 00:08:06.460 And Yahweh said to Moses, See, I have made you as a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:14.720 You will speak all that I will command you, and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh, and he will release the Israelites from his land. 00:08:15.400 --> 00:08:20.520 And I myself will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and I will make my signs and my wonders numerous 00:08:20.630 --> 00:08:25.920 in the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will put my hand into Egypt, 00:08:26.310 --> 00:08:31.260 and bring out my divisions, my people, the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with great 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:37.460 punishments. And the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out my hand over Egypt, 00:08:37.979 --> 00:08:44.320 and bring the Israelites out from their midst. And Moses and Aaron did it, as Yahweh commanded them, 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:45.360 So they did. 00:08:46.140 --> 00:08:51.080 And Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:57.480 And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, Do a wonder 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:02.880 for yourselves, you will say to Aaron, Take your staff and throw it before Pharaoh, and it will 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:03.640 become a snake. 00:09:04.660 --> 00:09:08.540 And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded. 00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:14.080 And Aaron threw his staff before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a snake. 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:22.260 And Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did likewise with their secret arts. 00:09:22.880 --> 00:09:28.620 Each threw down his staff, and they became snakes, and Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 00:09:29.400 --> 00:09:33.600 And Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said. 00:09:34.900 --> 00:09:40.680 And Yahweh said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is insensitive. He refuses to release the people. 00:09:41.160 --> 00:09:46.300 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Look, he is going out to the water, and you must wait to meet him 00:09:46.330 --> 00:09:51.460 on the bank of the Nile. And you must take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 00:09:52.040 --> 00:09:57.280 And you must say to him, Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, 00:09:57.760 --> 00:10:03.500 Release my people, that they may serve me in the desert. And look, you have not listened until now. 00:10:04.380 --> 00:10:11.080 Thus says Yahweh, By this you will know that I am Yahweh. Look, I am about to strike with the 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:17.120 staff that is in my hand, the water that is in the Nile, and it will be changed to blood. And the 00:10:17.280 --> 00:10:22.640 fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to 00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:28.740 drink water from the Nile. And Yahweh said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your staff and stretch 00:10:28.850 --> 00:10:33.760 your hand out over the waters of Egypt and over their rivers, over their canals, and over their 00:10:33.920 --> 00:10:39.840 pools, and over all of their reservoirs of water, so that they become blood. And blood will be in 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:46.140 the land of Egypt, and in vessels of wood and of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh had 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:51.080 commanded. And he raised the staff, and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of 00:10:51.220 --> 00:10:56.540 Pharaoh, and before the eyes of his servants. And all of the water that was in the Nile was changed 00:10:56.820 --> 00:11:03.280 to blood. And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank. And the Egyptians were not able 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:09.820 to drink water from the Nile, and the blood was in all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:15.480 likewise with their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he did not listen to them as 00:11:15.640 --> 00:11:22.020 Yahweh had spoken. And Pharaoh turned and went to his house, and he did not take also this to heart. 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:28.140 And all of the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they were unable to drink 00:11:28.300 --> 00:11:35.100 from the water of the Nile. And seven days passed after Yahweh struck the Nile. Exodus chapter 8 00:11:35.800 --> 00:11:42.480 And Yahweh said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus says Yahweh, Release my people, 00:11:42.660 --> 00:11:48.760 so that they may serve me. And if you are refusing to release, look, I am going to plague all of your 00:11:48.880 --> 00:11:54.260 territory with frogs. And the Nile will swarm with frogs, and they will go up and come into your 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:59.940 house and into your bedroom, and onto your bed, and into the house of your servants, and among your 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:05.720 people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. And the frogs will go up against you, 00:12:05.880 --> 00:12:12.120 and against your people, and against all of your servants. And Yahweh said to Moses, Say to Aaron, 00:12:12.780 --> 00:12:17.740 Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, 00:12:18.400 --> 00:12:23.460 and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of 00:12:23.520 --> 00:12:29.920 Egypt. And the frogs went up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did likewise with their 00:12:29.920 --> 00:12:32.940 And they brought up frogs over the land of Egypt. 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:43.960 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Pray to Yahweh and let him remove the frogs from me and from my people, and let me release the people so that they can sacrifice to Yahweh. 00:12:44.660 --> 00:12:48.360 And Moses said to Pharaoh, I leave to you the honor over me. 00:12:49.160 --> 00:12:54.980 When shall I pray for you and for your servants and for your people to cut off the frogs from you and from your houses? 00:12:55.630 --> 00:12:57.260 They will be left only in the Nile. 00:12:57.820 --> 00:12:58.840 And he said, Tomorrow. 00:12:59.560 --> 00:13:05.000 And he said, Let it be according to your word, so that you will know that there is no one like 00:13:05.180 --> 00:13:10.380 Yahweh our God. And the frogs will depart from you and from your house and from your servants. 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:15.740 They will be left only in the Nile. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. 00:13:16.380 --> 00:13:20.400 And Moses cried out to Yahweh over the matter of the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh. 00:13:21.400 --> 00:13:25.480 And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died from the houses, 00:13:25.900 --> 00:13:30.840 from the courtyards and from the fields. And they piled them in countless heaps, and the land 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:36.400 stank. And Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he made his heart insensitive, and he did not 00:13:36.560 --> 00:13:42.160 listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. And Yahweh said to Moses, Say to Aaron, 00:13:43.040 --> 00:13:47.580 Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, and it will become gnats in all the land of 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:53.199 Egypt. And he did so, and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and he struck the dust of 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:59.160 the land, and it became gnats on the humans and on the animals. All of the dust of the land became 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:04.880 gnats in all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring out the 00:14:05.020 --> 00:14:10.100 gnats, but they were not able, and the gnats were on the humans and on the animals. And the 00:14:10.280 --> 00:14:16.459 magicians said to Pharaoh, It is the finger of God. But the heart of Pharaoh was hard, and he did not 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:22.700 listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. And Yahweh said to Moses, Start early in the morning, 00:14:23.060 --> 00:14:28.400 and stand before Pharaoh. Look, he is going out to the water. And you must say to him, 00:14:28.830 --> 00:14:35.080 Thus says Yahweh, Release my people, so that they may serve me. But if you are not about to release 00:14:35.170 --> 00:14:40.980 my people, look, I am about to send out flies among you, and among your servants, and among your 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:47.260 people and in your houses. And the houses of Egypt will fill up with the flies, and also the ground 00:14:47.540 --> 00:14:53.180 that they are on. But on that day I will distinguish the land of Goshen, where my people are staying, 00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:58.940 by there not being flies there, so that you will know that I am Yahweh in the midst of the land. 00:14:59.640 --> 00:15:04.680 And I will put a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will be tomorrow. 00:15:06.060 --> 00:15:11.860 And Yahweh did so. And a severe swarm of flies came to the house of Pharaoh, and the house of 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:17.260 his servants, and in all the land of Egypt. And the land was ruined because of the flies. 00:15:17.959 --> 00:15:23.920 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and he said, Go, sacrifice to your God in the land. 00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:31.339 And Moses said, To do so is not right, because we will sacrifice to Yahweh our God a thing 00:15:31.380 --> 00:15:37.820 detestable to the Egyptians. Look, if we sacrifice before their eyes the thing detestable to the 00:15:37.880 --> 00:15:43.060 Egyptians, will they not stone us? We will go a journey of three days into the desert, 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:48.140 and we will sacrifice to Yahweh our God according to what He says to us. 00:15:48.920 --> 00:15:54.660 And Pharaoh said, I myself will release you, and you will sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the 00:15:54.680 --> 00:16:02.960 desert. Only surely you must not go far. Pray for me. And Moses said, Look, I am going out from you, 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:08.200 and I will pray to Yahweh so that the flies depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his 00:16:08.340 --> 00:16:14.600 people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh again deceive us by not releasing the people to sacrifice 00:16:14.760 --> 00:16:20.920 to Yahweh. And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. And Yahweh did according to the 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:26.560 word of Moses, and removed the flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:32.860 was left. And Pharaoh made his heart insensitive also this time, and he did not release the people. 00:16:34.760 --> 00:16:39.100 Do you like magic tricks? Ever since I was about six years old, I have been a fan. 00:16:39.580 --> 00:16:43.340 The first time I remember seeing a magic trick was when I was with my parents somewhere, 00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:48.520 and an old guy on the street showed me a quarter in his hand. He put the quarter in the pocket of 00:16:48.540 --> 00:16:53.460 his trousers and then pulled the quarter out from the bottom of his pocket right through the material 00:16:53.490 --> 00:17:00.080 of his pants without making a hole. From that moment on, I've been fascinated with magic tricks. 00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:06.220 I remember there used to be a mail-order catalog from a guy named Vic Lawston out of Fort Lauderdale, 00:17:06.439 --> 00:17:11.459 Florida. I subscribed to that catalog, and when it came, I would just look through that thing 00:17:11.670 --> 00:17:16.560 cover to cover, wishing I could order all of those tricks to amaze and astound my friends. 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:18.480 I actually did order a few of them. 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:21.420 And then when I got a little older on a trip to Disneyland, 00:17:21.650 --> 00:17:24.439 I discovered that there were two magic shops in the park. 00:17:25.199 --> 00:17:28.760 There's one on Main Street, and there used to be one in Sleeping Beauty's Castle. 00:17:29.460 --> 00:17:30.540 That was my favorite one. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.760 And by the way, did you know that Steve Martin used to work in one of those magic shops? 00:17:35.320 --> 00:17:35.380 Yeah. 00:17:36.320 --> 00:17:38.780 And I loved watching magicians on stage, too. 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:42.320 I remember seeing several big names perform in person. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:45.520 Harry Blackstone Jr., David Copperfield, and others. 00:17:46.100 --> 00:17:51.160 It's amazing how if you suspend disbelief, the tricks they do can seem real. 00:17:51.820 --> 00:17:54.120 But once you know how the tricks are done, the magic is over. 00:17:54.780 --> 00:17:58.820 That's okay, though, because it's fun to watch their craftsmanship to see how they do it. 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:03.140 But still, sometimes, even though I know how many of the tricks are done, 00:18:03.450 --> 00:18:06.420 every once in a while I'll see a trick that I just can't explain. 00:18:07.300 --> 00:18:12.500 There seems to be no way that this illusion could be done without some sort of black magic, 00:18:12.820 --> 00:18:14.820 which, of course, I don't condone. 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:24.600 Now today, in chapters 7 and 8, we read that the Egyptian sorcerers were able to duplicate the miracles that God did through Moses and Aaron. 00:18:25.340 --> 00:18:26.280 How could they do that? 00:18:27.040 --> 00:18:28.740 Well, scholars differ in their answers. 00:18:29.350 --> 00:18:30.800 Can you guess what their answers are? 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:32.600 There's basically two possibilities. 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:36.640 The first possibility is that they actually did miracles. 00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:41.780 And the second possibility is that they faked them, that they did magic tricks or illusions. 00:18:42.940 --> 00:18:45.700 So let's quickly tackle the second possibility. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:50.940 The first miracle that we read about was turning Moses' staff into a snake. 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:55.160 Some have said that this could have been some sort of snake-charming trick, 00:18:55.520 --> 00:18:59.700 where the snake was somehow trained to appear to be a rigid staff, 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:04.540 and then at some command the snake would relax and just do what snakes do. 00:19:05.280 --> 00:19:08.360 Turning the water to blood could have just been done with dye, 00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:12.280 and the plague of frogs might just be explained by saying, 00:19:12.620 --> 00:19:17.640 well, there was a plague of frogs everywhere that God had miraculously caused. So how would they 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:24.380 know now that there were more frogs everywhere? Eh, I don't know. So now let's look at the first 00:19:24.620 --> 00:19:31.160 possibility. The sorcerers really did miracles. Is that possible? Can people really do miracles? 00:19:31.840 --> 00:19:35.880 Miracles that aren't from God? Well, let's look at what the scripture says. 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:44.220 Satan is called the father of lies in John 8.44, and we're told in 2 Corinthians 11.14 that he can 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:50.460 make himself appear as an angel of light. 2 Thessalonians 2.9 says that the Antichrist, 00:19:50.530 --> 00:19:55.680 quote, will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders, unquote, 00:19:56.300 --> 00:20:02.760 and that he'll do it through the power of Satan. Jesus says in Matthew 24.24 that in the end times, 00:20:03.100 --> 00:20:09.240 false prophets will, quote, appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, unquote. 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:14.920 So it turns out that it actually is possible that the Egyptian sorcerers did do miracles 00:20:15.280 --> 00:20:21.360 as they were enabled by Satan. But we must also understand that even though the enemy is powerful, 00:20:22.080 --> 00:20:29.659 his power is limited. There are things that he cannot do. What limits him? God does. Just as we 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:35.260 read in the book of Job, God limited Satan in what he could do to Job. Maybe God allowed the miracles 00:20:35.420 --> 00:20:40.520 to be performed by the Egyptian sorcerers for the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. But remember, 00:20:40.940 --> 00:20:45.480 when the miracle of the gnats happened, the sorcerers were not able to duplicate it, 00:20:45.660 --> 00:20:50.860 and they told Pharaoh that it is the finger of God. So I don't think that we can be dogmatic 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:56.980 and declare that one explanation of how they did the miracles is definitely the answer. I tend to 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:00.860 lean toward the thought that they actually did do the miracles, because we do know that, 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:06.820 as Ephesians 6.12 says, For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil 00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:12.240 rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:18.540 and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. So how do you think it was done? Do you think it 00:21:18.540 --> 00:21:24.860 was real, or do you think it was just illusions? Our reading tomorrow is 1 Samuel 21-25. 00:21:30.540 --> 00:21:32.820 Today's verse of the day is Exodus 6-5. 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:38.080 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, 00:21:38.430 --> 00:21:40.100 and I have remembered my covenant. 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:42.160 Exodus 6-5 00:21:47.760 --> 00:21:53.180 On this date in church history, January 26, we see how God uses both the boardroom and 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:54.800 the boat to expand His kingdom. 00:21:55.280 --> 00:22:02.200 First, let's go back to 1859. In Chicago, industrialist Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the 00:22:02.360 --> 00:22:08.640 mechanical reaper, married Nettie Fowler. While Cyrus revolutionized farming, Nettie became one 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:14.140 of the most significant philanthropists in evangelical history. Her stewardship funded 00:22:14.140 --> 00:22:19.520 the global missions of D.L. Moody and built the infrastructure for 20th century evangelism. 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:23.320 She proved that the fruit of industry could fuel the fire of the gospel. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:27.100 But shifting from the American Midwest to the shores of a new continent, 00:22:27.490 --> 00:22:32.160 on this same day in 1788, the first fleet arrived in Australia. 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:37.840 Among the convicts and Marines was Richard Johnson, an evangelical Anglican chaplain. 00:22:38.340 --> 00:22:41.180 He held the first Christian service on Australian soil, 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:45.180 marking the start of organized Protestantism in the South Pacific. 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:49.780 Two very different beginnings, one in marriage, one in a new land, 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:53.140 and both dedicated to expanding the kingdom of God. 00:22:54.760 --> 00:22:56.840 lifespringmedia.com slash support. 00:23:05.580 --> 00:23:08.480 Well, beloved, in a magic show, the fun is the mystery. 00:23:09.060 --> 00:23:12.360 But in our walk with God, the real joy is in the truth. 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:16.540 Pharaoh's magicians could copy the plague, but they couldn't cure it. 00:23:17.020 --> 00:23:20.860 Only God has the power to both bring the judgment and offer the grace. 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:26.900 Don't settle for the magic of the world when you can have the miracle of a relationship with the Creator. 00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:30.220 Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:31.800 Thank you so much for being here. 00:23:32.220 --> 00:23:33.000 I'm Steve Webb. 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:33.900 Bye. 00:23:35.420 --> 00:23:41.140 All the programs in the Lifespring Media family are made possible by your value-for-value support. 00:23:41.770 --> 00:23:42.240 Thank you. 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:51.560 The Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is a Lifespring Media production hosted by Steve Webb, the OG Godcaster, since 2004.