The Investigation
Exodus 9:1-7 | Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
We must trust in God alone, because he always disciplines out of mercy and protects out of love.
I. God is Judge: disciplines out of mercy (vv. 1-3)
Even in this fifth plague, God demonstrates his mercy. This is only the fifth plague, but it is the seventh time God has warned Pharaoh, giving him a chance to repent. Furthermore, other places in the Bible, such as Jeremiah 18:7, show us that when we repent, God relents his judgment. Although it at times seems harsh, God disciplines because he loves us even more than we love ourselves, so he disciplines us to turn us from that which is self-destructive. Even when our suffering has not been brought on by our own sin, repentance is always appropriate, because repentance is turning to God.
II. God is Protector: protects out of love (vv. 4-7)
Verse 4 says that the Lord will put a division (or literally, “redemption”) between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. Jude 5 shows us that this redemption is Jesus Christ: "Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” With the same hand that he exercises judgment on those who will not repent, God also exercises protection for those who do repent. When Herod issued a decree to kill all male babies after Jesus’ birth, Jesus’ family fled to Egypt. Jude 5 shows us that Jesus leads his people out of Egypt. It shows us that Jesus enters into whatever we experience and leads us out of it. It also shows us that whatever the reason is for our suffering, it can’t be that Jesus doesn’t care. He has proved his love by experiencing all the suffering we experience so that we could be saved. His suffering gave us the chance to repent.
Discussion Questions
- Disciplines out of Mercy:
a. To what do you generally attribute your suffering? (ex: personal sin, lack of God’s goodness, etc.)
b. If God disciplines us out of mercy, how can this change our perspective on his discipline?
c. Read Jeremiah 18:5-10. What must we do when God disciplines us? - Protects out of Love:
a. What generally keeps you from repenting?
b. How does Jesus’ suffering demonstrate his loving desire for you to repent?
c. How does God’s protection give us assurance in the midst of suffering?