The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague and the Judgment of Decreation

Well this morning we complete chapter 8 in the book of Exodus and so we look at the fourth plague as we're marching through plague by plague the spectacle of God's judgment upon the Empire of Egypt and the great work of redemption freeing his people, purchasing his people through the blood of the Passover lamb drawing them out of their bondage bringing them through the waters of death the waters of judgment bringing them to a land where they will dwell with him as their God and he will enjoy them as his people forever.

We head into of course a new plague the fourth plague and also with that a new series of plagues if we divide the plagues into series of three leaving the tenth plague as the climax or standalone. Looking at chapter 8 beginning in verses 20 through 24 we see this plague is a swarm of flies or a perhaps a swarm of various insects.

Various swarms of various insects. Verses 25 through 28 this plague results in Pharaoh making a plea for help and even though that plea is heard through the word of the mediator verses 29 through 32 Pharaoh again hardens his heart.

So that's how we'll walk through these verses a swarm of flies a plea for help and a hardened heart. Exodus 8 beginning in verse 20. And the Lord said to Moses rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out of the water.

Then say to him thus says the Lord let my people go that they may serve me. Or else if you will not let my people go behold I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants on your people and into your houses.

The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies and also the ground on which they stand. And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms of flies shall be there in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land.

I will make a difference between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be so. The confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh resumes. That was not the case with the third plague. Aaron simply struck the ground and all of that dust turned into gnats.

Lice ticks perhaps unlikely. What have you now we have an actual showdown once again. That's part of why we're structuring this series of three. And this confrontation reminds us that Moses must stand before Pharaoh in order to declare the Word of God to this proud man.

And so often even in the midst of judgment we too must come before the powers that be and speak boldly as to the will of God even if it seems it will make no dent no deflection no effect whatsoever. Moses is having to learn how to endure in this ministry that God has given him.

He'll have to do it with the hearted heart of Pharaoh. He'll have to do it with the hardened hearts of the Israelites. Later on he'll have to stand boldly and persevere in standing boldly in order to declare God's will.

Thus says the Lord he says to Pharaoh let my people go. That's the constant refrain matching the constant refrain of Pharaoh's hardening heart. Let my people go that they may serve me again. The service here servitude or enslavement is a play on words from the Hebrew abed also translated worship.

Let my people go that they may worship me which is to serve him rather than serve Pharaoh which is to worship Pharaoh. If you don't send my people out the Lord essentially says I will send swarms upon you.

If you're not going to send then I am going to send. Of course what he sends there's no answer to. There's no industrial vats of off spray. This is not a few flies flying and buzzing around the picnic basket.

Everything is consumed according to psalm 78 devoured by these flies except in the land of Goshen. Now we're reminded that these flies just as with the lice just as with the frogs just as with the Nile turned to blood are emblematic of decreation.

We've looked at that for the past several weeks judgment as decreation where instead of man exercising dominion and bringing order and proportionality to creation now creation is chaotic. It's exercising dominion over man and bringing man to heal rather than man bringing creation to heal.

God of course is using this creative judgment to remind not only his people but confront Pharaoh with his power as the sovereign creator not only of the land of Egypt but of all that is. Therefore any aspect of creation whether sacred to the Egyptians or not can be put out of order by the touch of God by the finger of God his kingdom can be brought to bear in wrath upon the evil Empire.

He can use their precious resource of water. He can use a teeming amount of frogs or he can use great clouds and clouds of insects. But he's also confronting the idols of Egypt didn't make too much of a point of this but it is important and it wouldn't have been lost to Pharaoh and his court certainly wouldn't have been lost in the experience of the Egyptians as they connected nature to the various idols.

And so the bloody Nile representing emblematically the Nile blood of Isis. Or we saw the goddess Hekhet. And here we have the God Kepra the swarms most likely the flying insects relating to this God who was signified by the scarab beetle.

The scarab this flying insect represented to the Egyptians the the God really of eternity or immortality. The scarab most likely because of the way it would roll up dung reminded them of the sphere of the Sun which was an emblem of eternity and of the chief God of the Egyptians Ra.

And so most likely as we've seen successively to this point these plagues this judgment of God is exposing the fraudulence of idolatry and showing that in fact Yahweh has power over nature not these various gods that the Egyptians are worshiping.

John Urquhart the great Scottish commentator of a few centuries ago said the whole land would have been scattered with these sacred beetles swarming upon their grounds in their homes. No movement would have been possible for these Egyptians without crushing this insect that they had come to adore.

And we can learn from this when God overthrows idolatry. The very reverence which had been shown those idols only deepens the judgment of God. So they have to themselves step on the very things they once revered.

That's what the judgment of God does to idolaters. We might not bow down before scarab beetles in our day. But you don't have to look very far to find people who under the chastising hand of God are forced to their own ruin under the very things or by the very things they once idolized.

A man is brought to ruin by his lust or by his addiction or by his wealth. Idols do not make good masters when God's judgment falls. And in that day the Lord says I will set apart the land of Goshen. So though no house is spared though every closet in every corner of the bedroom every cabinet when you open the microwave there's more insects clouding about except in the land of Goshen.

I don't know if you were driving on the highway if all of a sudden as soon as you hit that border and the great white sign said welcome to Goshen it was like leaving the air full of insects to just beautiful Goshen.

But that's how it's depicted here. I will set apart the land of Goshen in which my people dwell. No swarms of flies shall be there in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land.

That was probably the only time in Goshen's existence that there had not been flies flying around everywhere. But Goshen has swarms of flies. You can't breathe or walk anywhere without being harassed by them.

And the land of Goshen there's no flies to be found. Must have been a great summer for God's people. And of course God is doing this as he says to make a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

I will make a difference. This is not the first time or not the last time I should say we'll see this difference. Chapter 9 chapter 11 the Lord will say the same thing. Behold I make a difference between my people and your people.

This of course is a major theme we've already seen. We began Genesis really from the start with God making a difference as a result of the fall singling out the seed of the serpent from the seed of the woman and that ran down through the very sons of Adam down through Abel and down through you know from Seth to Abel down through Noah through the Semitic line of Shem through Abraham and then within those descendants even singling out Jacob from Esau and so forth.

So we see this division this difference that God is constantly making between his people and the people of the world. And it's a reminder here that Egypt this evil Empire is signifying the fallen world or the evil world the principles and powers the serpentine fueled Empire.

That's Egypt it's the city of man. At this time Babylon will be 2 .0 a Syria Rome. God is always making a difference between his people. Interestingly the word we translate as difference here could be translated as division.

And the Hebrew is more normatively translated as redemption. Very interesting. And the Greek seems to you know there's a reason our translations of the Old Testament follow Hebrew because we believe that the writers as they were writing out the Hebrew script were inspired by God in what they wrote as they wrote it.

Anything else any other translation may be credible and may be trustworthy but we don't hold it to be the original autograph which is inspired. It's a very important point. So the Greek translation though it's ancient what we call the Septuagint though that's often trustworthy and the Apostles often quote from the Septuagint rather than from the original Hebrew.

And yet it seems that the Septuagint was trying to correct this. They chose a Greek word that has nothing to do with redemption. It's simply division or difference diastole simply division. But in the Hebrew the word is redemption which comes from pahad.

I'll give you an example of elsewhere where this is used. Look at the context. Psalm 111 verse 9. He has sent redemption. He has sent division to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.

Psalm 130 verse 7. Oh Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is loving-kindness a covenant faithfulness. And with him is abundant redemption division difference. Isaiah 50 verse 2. Why was there no man as I came when I called.

Why is there none to answer. Is my hand so short that I cannot ransom redeem divide. So everywhere we find this verb being used. It's speaking of God's great redemptive act his salvation act. And so it seems to be perhaps a play of words.

I'm making a difference between my people and your people. And that difference amounts to the fact that I am their Redeemer not just the God who commands all that I have made but the God who redeems a people he has made for himself.

The difference between Israel and Egypt of course is not just found in the plagues but as we'll see it's found in the redemption. That's really the heart of Exodus. It's the Passover and all that God will do in bringing his people out.

So we don't stop at judgment. We allow judgment to point us toward redemption. The difference of course is made here so that Pharaoh will recognize this is who the Lord is. This is what the Lord is capable of.

And yet look at the covenant faithfulness of the Lord. Pharaoh must have been beside himself. Are these Israelites so precious to you. Are they worthy of that. Have you seen them. Have you been around them.

We read already at the end of Genesis that the Israelites were abomination to the Egyptians. Pharaoh must have thought what kind of God would go to such great lengths for a people like this. Moses must have thought the same thing later on.

What kind of God would go to such great lengths for a people like this. But this is who God is. We read on verse 24. And the Lord did so so that a beautiful verse. And the Lord did so. It's a contrast between Pharaoh who keeps saying what he's going to do and never doing the things he says.

God says what he's going to do. And he always does what he says. Thick swarms of flies come to the house of Pharaoh into the servants houses into all the land of Egypt. The whole land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

So not only is the land overwhelmed it's defiled it's corrupted. The verb there is often translated laid waste. It's the same verb that is used to speak of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by God. The land utterly consumed utterly wiped away.

Laid waste. And all of this leads secondly to Pharaoh making a plea for help beginning in verse 25. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said go sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said it's not right to do so.

We would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes then they will not stone us. Will they not stone us. We will go three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice of the Lord our God as he will command us.

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. We note for the first time the magicians aren't on the scene. For the first time Pharaoh is not calling for his magicians since they now have been testifying this is the finger of God.

He doesn't want to hear from them. And with this judgment we almost think that Pharaoh is brought to a softening of heart. When we read go sacrifice to your God we're just thinking yes the confetti cannons are about to burst.

But then as we keep reading he says go sacrifice your God in the land. Well that's not what God said. God did not say let my people sacrifice in the land. He said let my people leave the land send them out of the land that they may worship me.

Moses of course is obedient to God's command and he's already noticing a sort of feigned obedience on Pharaoh's part. And so Moses is very clear. Notice just this interchange. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron.

When you're calling for these men you are apparently in the position of power. You have the power to summon them. You have the power to disperse them. Pharaoh is always surrounded by the thoughts by the enterprise of his power.

He calls and men come. He commands and men go. He raises up armies. He conquers other kingdoms. What Pharaoh says is going to happen. And yet he calls this man again under this delusion of power and authority as he's being covered in flies by the way.

And he says this go as if he has the power go sacrifice to your God in the land. That sounds like a capitulation but it's not. This is not obedience to what God has commanded. This is Pharaoh saying here's what I'll command here's what I'll offer.

It will be on my terms by my authority. And notice he does not say Yahweh go sacrifice to your God. Simply Elohim could be translated gods. He might not. He might be purposely refusing to acknowledge Yahweh.

And that's why Moses corrects him. He says it's not right. We would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God to Yahweh. You know his name Pharaoh. You know who has brought these things upon you.

You know that everything I've said has come to pass. You know that you don't have authority in this situation that you keep presuming it. Moses is essentially calling Pharaoh's bluff. But he's very gracious in the way that he does it.

He's also I think it's a thorny kind of graciousness. There's a few ways to understand this phrase abomination of the Egyptians. Well first of all we could look at it and say is it something that the Egyptians would see as an abomination as the Israelites did it.

The way that the Israelites sacrificed maybe even what they sacrificed was something that was an abomination to the Egyptians as Moses is saying to them. Let you know if we were to go in the land as you've commanded that the sacrifices that will make are going to be an abomination to your people now.

That seems to make some sense because he also says will they then not stone us all. Right. They see us. Will they not then stone us. But it may also be that in fact he's calling the Egyptian land the sort of place of Egypt the abomination of the Egyptians.

In other words they're gonna stone us because we have rival worship that is going to confront their idolatry. They're gonna see that as rival worship. They're already seeing the effects of the plague.

And if all of a sudden the Israelite slaves are there making sacrifice to Yahweh they're gonna think you're only gonna further this plague. You're gonna only further upset our God. So the rival worship may be that which is an abomination to the Egyptians.

It's hard to say either way. I think I lean to the former. But I would like to point out this. If this was true that the Egyptians and seeing the Israelites worship Yahweh would want to stone them. We can see that even though they are under God's judgment they still will follow after their own failed gods.

All their priests and all their sacrifices all their rituals all their magicians all the things that they were putting their security in have failed. They're all watching these plagues wash over them.

And the more they pray and cry out in their temples the more sacrifices they make the more they realize. There's no response there's no diminishment. Only Yahweh only the God of the Israelites is the one who can both bring and take away.

And yet that still doesn't peel them away from their idols. Though they're experiencing the judgment of God they're still trusting in and serving the gods that are failing them the idols that are crushing them.

And I see of course that as a parallel to people today they will not relent from their idolatry. Though their idolatry is bringing them only further and further into the judgment of God. They'll still zealously adore zealously serve those idols in their lives.

Judgment itself the very finger of God will not peel them away. Moses is forthright. Pharaoh is serpent-like deceitful like Satan fiddling with words you can go. Aren't I obedient. Aren't I responsive.

Is this enough to get away from judgment only in the land. On my terms by my authority. Moses essentially says no everyone in the land follows your command Pharaoh. But when your command is against God's command I follow the Lord.

Moses says as much we must follow God's command. He's implying Pharaoh you must follow God's command. John Calvin says this is so typical for the reprobate. They think that they have sufficiently done what God has required of them though they yield ever so little to him.

Right. They'll give God an ounce of the things that he commanded. And they'll say that was sufficient. Now. Now I'm good with him. Now I have a right standing with him. And Calvin goes on to say it arises.

They would do this with impunity. They would be willing to rob him of all. When the power of resisting fails them they so descend to submission in an attempt to defraud him of his due honor. You see what Calvin is saying there the very least control that they can give away.

The very least sort of pinch of ash. That's the most that an unbeliever will give to God when they're under the thumb of his judgment or discipline. There's not actually a heart that is responsive to God saying.

I see my hard-heartedness. I see that I'm wrong. I see that I'm foolish and hopeless. And I need your grace and mercy. I asked for your forgiveness. I asked for your redemption in my life. There's none of that.

There cannot be the response. I yield to you with my life. I surrender my all to you. I want my will to bend to your will. I want my desires to be your desires. I want your presence in my life. Do you see any of that in Pharaoh.

No. It's the very least. What's the bare minimum that I have to do so that I don't feel guilty in my conscience. And I can expect some type of blessing. A relief in my life. What's the bare minimum. Be very careful.

God will often give your heart's desire in that way. You want to give me the bare minimum. Very well. Your foot will slip in due time. Just enough to soothe your conscience. Not enough to change your ways.

Just enough to get in a good direction. Not enough to turn around and seek the Lord. Very well. Very well. The Lord says. Pharaoh still seems sincere. Intercede for me. Notice. He gives these terms. I will let you go.

Aren't I responsive. Aren't I obedient. I'm letting you go. Isn't that what you asked. I'm letting you go. You may sacrifice to the Lord Yahweh your God in the wilderness. I'll even come to terms. I'll use his name only.

He can't help. But have that could only not far away. It always has to be on his terms. He will not yield authority to the Lord. But he still says intercede for me. And I don't think that's insincere.

I think it was hard for him to ask something like that. But he's covered in flies. His whole empire all but the land of Goshen is covered in flies. Is he really broken. Is he really contrite. No he just wants relief from the consequences of his stubbornness.

Moses Intercedes for Pharaoh, Yet Pharaoh Hardens His Heart

And so we see him thirdly hardening his heart. Moses said indeed I am going out from you. I will entreat the Lord. And the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from fear. I love Moses. He's like you have to sit it out for the night.

I'll pray for you. Pharaoh. Yeah. You finally relent. But not very far. Okay. Well then I will intercede for you tomorrow. We can go back and forth all day long. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore and not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.

And Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. We talked about that word that idea of intercession or mediation last week. Notice the the eager humility of Moses. He's willing to intercede though Pharaoh has maltreated him.

Though he's insulted the God of the Israelites. Though he's rejected the word of this mediator. When he says plead for me Moses is willing to plead for him. Moses is shown to be merciful and gracious and compassionate.

And he's only that way because he serves a God who is merciful slow to anger quick to show mercy. But though Moses is all of these wonderful qualities qualities that Christians need by the way especially in days like this be careful that you don't get sucked into a vortex of sort of conservative rhetoric.

We're happy to see some pushback on some of the the leftist agenda and the leftist depravity. But be careful with what choruses you join among. I would say we should never have something degrading or biting.

We don't want to join our song which is the lamb song with a song of mockers and back biters. So be very careful especially with foolish joking. You know I'm saying this to myself as much I collect memes on making fun of the left.

We have to be careful. We really have to be careful lest we have a heart more like Pharaoh and less like Moses. We should be those who are pleading and interceding rather than mocking and laughing at those who are depraved and hardened in their rebellion against God.

Now well-placed humor is well-placed humor. Paul uses that against the Judaizer there is a place to make a strong point or to be bold or to point out the utter foolishness and depravity of the abominations of our society.

But not at the expense of desiring God's mercy to fall upon them. That's the key. Not at that expense I will make a difference between my people and your people. That's what I'd like to focus on. Of course we leave off the text.

Pharaoh is once again hardened his heart ripening himself for further judgment. And the fifth plague next week. But I want to camp out in the time we have left simply on this beautiful statement from the Lord.

I will make a difference between my people and your people God says to Pharaoh from this point forward I want you to be very thoughtful about what kind of power I have. Not only power to throw chaos over nature to raise up every aspect of creation and topple your empire with it but power also to spare and preserve my people.

If I have power to bring your people to ruin I also have power to preserve and save my people. And Pharaoh you don't have power to destroy my people. And you don't even have power to save and preserve your people.

That's the difference between you and me. God of course. And we're gonna look at this more intensely next week. God of course has the power to save his own. That'll be our big focus next week. The power to preserve his own.

But first in order to do that and as he does that God makes a difference. So three things. And I'm gonna elaborate a little bit and in some ways I'd like to maybe glimpse a preview of the logic of Exodus in an abbreviated way.

But first just the big picture of how God has made a difference. Three aspects. Putting it all down into a few thoughts. God has made a difference first from eternity past God has made a difference secondly in the fullness of time at the cross.

And then thirdly God has made a difference moving us by his spirit toward consummation. So from eternally past in the fullness of time at the cross and by his Holy Spirit toward consummation. That's how God makes a difference among his people.

Please notice just at the outset all of this is of God. All of this is of God. It says as much I will make a difference between my people and your people. My people God says don't make a difference by themselves.

They don't make a difference of themselves. In fact they would not be different if it weren't for me. I am the one that makes my people different. It is what I have done what I am doing and what I will do that makes my people different from any other people.

And that begins in eternity past. We've already said we've been tracing this theme of difference or separation all the way back to Genesis. But we know even in the logic of Genesis this difference the separation was in the mind of God before he made the foundations of the world.

This division is as old as eternity. If we could put it that way in the divine mind of the Lord in the purpose and decree of the Godhead the Father had chosen in Christ from all eternity those that would be made different unto him those that he in the fullness of time would come to save and move them by his Spirit through time toward the consummation in a new heavens and a new earth.

You should come to SLBC tonight. We're gonna be talking about chapter 8. We're just starting chapter 8 which is all about Christ the mediator. We'll spend a little bit of time talking about this council and covenant that existed before creation this covenant made between the Father and the Son.

So come tonight and share in that discussion. We have a lot more. We're going to talk about also about Christ as our prophet priest and king. And what that means for us and the church as well. Well God has made a difference in eternity past.

That's the only reason that there is any difference at all. Everything that happens in time and everything that will happen in redemption complete is a result of what God had purposed before he created anything.

The difference was made before anything was made. It was made in the purpose of God's decree. That means if you're a believer here this morning God had made you different before he made the foundations of the world.

It was from eternity past that God made this difference. It was not of your own doing not of your own choosing not of some radio message you heard in the back seat of your 87 Camry. And you just decided it's really time I take this thing seriously.

I'm gonna give my life to the Lord. And isn't it great that I chose to make myself different. No might have felt that way. But that's not the reality of how salvation works. God's eternal decree corresponds to the fullness of time that phrase by Paul which is used to describe what we would call the Christ event the incarnation and the life and the sacrificial atoning death and the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus in the fullness of time.

And yet in a unique way the separation was made at the cross. At the cross the cross corresponds to all of that from eternity and all that was weaving its way toward that fullness of time. And yet singularly we could say the cross in a unique way made that difference.

The difference was only in the decree of God until it was fully realized at the cross when Jesus Christ expired breathing out his last saying it is finished. And that wasn't just the crucifixion wasn't just that sacrifice.

It was all that had been worked out from eternity past to the very fullness of time in that purpose of redemption through Christ's blood the forgiveness of sins. So the cross of Jesus is everything for a Christian.

When we were powerless to save ourselves when we were no different such were some of us running in the same flood of dissipation. God made us different not only by his decree but by sending his son in the world to die in our stead to receive the wrath that was due us so that in him way that we might become the righteousness of God.

That's why we're different. And by that act we have been crucified to the world. And the world has been crucified to us. We're different if we're Christians because of the cross. The cross stands like a sentinel between the church of the redeemed in the world which rejects with Pharaoh like stubbornness the will and the wisdom of God.

The cross stands like a refuge from the great gulf of death its jaws wide open to consume. God has made a difference first and foremost by singling us out in eternity past but then in the fullness of time by securing our redemption through the blood of his son upon the cross and thereafter not patting us on the back and say I got you halfway can you go the rest.

But in that same covenant made between the Father and the Son that corresponds to this covenant of grace the blood of the Son in which we stand. He said the Son said of the Father those that he has given me I will lose none.

And for that reason it's better that I go because I'll send the helper who's not the kind of help that we typically experience. Have you ever gone to a customer service desk. Aren't you thankful the Holy Spirit is not like most customer service at most businesses.

The runaround the rolling of the eyes next you know. Well we can't do anything about that. You're passive. It's like this has been very helpful. 18 different calls constant. You know you get how many times have you been on the phone.

And they say all right. We need to connect you to a different department. You're like I've been on 45 minutes. This is the third person I've been connected to. And they're like yeah well this is the right one.

They connect you and no one picks up. You have to call and start all over again. Aren't you thankful that the helper is actually present in you not just to supplement the Christian life but to ensure that the good work that has begun in you is completed unto the day of Christ.

Because Christ will lose none that the Father has given him. And so it's a difference that is empowered and secured by the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. It's wrought out in the daily means of grace which are themselves stirred and compelled by the Holy Spirit.

It's the Spirit who convicts sends the waves as it were of grief when we're walking in ways that are unbecoming of our calling. When we're not separating ourselves from the way of the world he reminds us the blood of the Sun has made you different.

And so though we often hinder often grieve often quench often stumble. The Spirit of God abides and perseveres with his people. Not because we have done anything to merit his presence but because God has chosen to make a difference.

God has made a difference. One of the things that the Spirit draws us to is one of the great fruits of redemption. And it carries the logic of the narrative of Exodus. So this isn't the first time we'll look at these things.

In fact when we get to Exodus 20 we're gonna spend a lot of time considering this very thing. But I'd like you to just keep in front of you the logic of the narrative of Exodus God redeeming rescuing his people out of bondage and slavery already saying they're my people.

We've already known that through the storyline of Genesis they're my people. I have made them different. I am going to redeem them and bring them out of their misery bring them out of their bondage. And that redemption is going to be by the blood of the Passover sacrifice.

So the sacrificial atonement the cost of redemption comes as a result of God having made his people different in bringing them out of bondage. But then what. Then they're guided to the foot of Sinai and they're made different not only by redemption but by receiving the law of God.

And so again see the logic please. Israel is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. And then in the very place where God is their God and they are his people he gives them his law. We're going to spend a lot of time looking at that two-step maneuver and what it means for the promise of the new covenant what that means for us as Christians.

So this is just a glimpse a preview an appetizer barely even that it's when you hover your mouse over a link and it gives you this little thumbnail and you can't even see anything in it. But I want to at least get us thinking about the logic of being redeemed from the law for the law.

Okay redeemed from the law for the law. One of the ways that God makes his people different of course is not just from eternity signally and centrally at the cross and then by the Holy Spirit. But one of the effects of the Holy Spirit according to the promise of the new covenant is that the law would now be written on our hearts.

No longer will a man say to his neighbor know the Lord by extension know the will of the Lord know the commandments of the Lord. These things. You're doing wrong Fred. Don't you know what God has commanded.

No in this covenant which is in the blood of the sacrifice from the least to the greatest. They all know me they all have my presence by my spirit in their lives. And what does that correspond to my law now written on their hearts.

Now we've already established from past SLBC the law the moral demands of God is written on every heart but it's repressed in unrighteousness. It's effaced by the depravity and hardness of man by the blindness of a darkened mind.