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I greet you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus, chapter 8, verses 20 to 32. The title of our message is "The Fourth Plague."

As we study the plagues in the book of Exodus, we know that ultimately the Pharaoh will be defeated by the mighty forces of light, darkness, and death—the death of all the firstborn. But long before the sky would turn dark over the land of Egypt and the angel of death would kill all the firstborn, it was actually the little things that God used to plague the Pharaoh and the Egyptians—little things like lies and flies.

As Charles Spurgeon said, allow me to paraphrase what he said: God could use lions and famines, or He could use lies and flies. In the armory of God, there are weapons of every kind, and God would often use these little things in His judgment to humble proud men. How true! Here we are going to learn how God would use the little things, like flies, to plague the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

Remember, in our previous message, we discussed how some scholars have divided the first nine plagues into three sets of three. It was like a cycle. Before the first plague in each cycle, Moses would go to the Pharaoh early in the morning. Then, before the second plague in each cycle, Moses would confront the Pharaoh at his palace. The third plague in each cycle would come without any warning or confrontation at all.

In other words, God would first send Moses to go to the Pharaoh early in the morning, and then God would send Moses to the Pharaoh's palace. Then God would strike the Pharaoh without any prior warning, and then God would repeat this cycle another two times. The tenth plague, the death of all the firstborn, which was the worst, was the climax of God's judgment, and it will stand alone on its own. That is a very good observation of the ten plagues.

So when we read verse 20, it was the beginning of the second cycle of plagues. Let us begin with verse 20: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me."

Moses was commanded to go to the Pharaoh early in the morning, and the message was always the same: "Let my people go, that they may serve me." Interestingly, this was the sixth time that Moses would tell the Pharaoh to let God's people go. In other words, this would also be the sixth time the Pharaoh would refuse to give God the glory of having His people worship and serve Him.

What can we learn from here? It is easy for you and me to point our fingers at the Pharaoh and say, "See, this man is hopelessly stubborn. He has seen the divine miracles so many times, and yet he still refused to obey." What about us? Sometimes we are just like the Pharaoh. We have heard the same message, the same commandment, the same exhortation preached to us on numerous occasions, but our hearts are so hardened that we refuse to obey. May the Lord forgive us.

There is always a consequence for disobeying God's word. Look at verse 21: "Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are."

Once I was in my room preparing my sermon, and there was a fly buzzing around. It was like every few minutes the fly would pass across the room. It was such an irritation! Every time I tried to gather my thoughts, I would hear this buzz, and then I would not be able to concentrate. It was so bad that I had to stop my work. I sprayed the whole room with insecticide until I could not hear the buzz anymore. Then I was able to resume my work.

If you have one fly buzzing around the room, it can be a distraction, right? If you have ten flies, it can be a nuisance. If you have fifty flies, it can be a real annoyance. But imagine if there are flies everywhere—in your bedrooms, in your living room, in your kitchen, in your toilet, in your garden, on the ground, in the air! It would be horrendous, wouldn't it?

The Bible says the Pharaoh's house and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and even the ground they are standing on will be filled with flies. There has been some discussion regarding what kind of flies these were. The original Hebrew word used here for flies was not limited to house flies; in fact, it could refer to several different kinds of flying insects. A number of ancient sources written in Egypt indicated that they were dog flies—those blood-sucking insects that would torment both men and animals, very similar to mosquitoes. In fact, Psalm 78 seemed to agree that it was a variety of different flies, and some of those flies were indeed blood-sucking insects.

Allow me to read for you Psalm 78:45: "God sent diverse sorts of flies among them," which means different kinds of flies, "which devoured them," which means they ate them or fed on them. But whatever the case, it was a terrible plague that had afflicted the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

Remember, the Egyptians were into pantheism; they worshipped many gods, including the gods of the flies. So the purpose of the plagues was actually God demonstrating His power over the gods of Egypt. In the New Testament, in the gospel, there was an occasion when Jesus was casting out demons, and the Jews accused Him of casting out devils through the power of Beelzebub. Luke 11:15 says, "But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of devils."

Beelzebub was translated as "the Lord of the Flies." Notice he was the chief of the devils, which means he was the leader or commander of the devils. That was why some theologians believe that Beelzebub was another name for Satan; he was very powerful. But God was going to show that Beelzebub was not in control and he had absolutely no power at all against the Lord. God would demonstrate His power in the most amazing fashion—how? By using the very thing that Beelzebub claimed to have control of: the flies.

Look at verse 22: "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end 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 this sign shall be."

The presence of the flies all of a sudden was miraculous, but the absence of the flies in a particular place was equally miraculous. In a sense, there was this miracle within the miracle. The land of Goshen was located somewhere on the eastern delta of the river. Now, it was the place where the Israelites had dwelt since the time of Joseph.

Remember Joseph? When he was reunited with his brethren, he invited them to live in the region of Goshen. Maybe you can turn with me to Genesis 45, verse 10. Genesis 45, verse 10: "And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast."

Apparently, the Israelites had been living in the land of Goshen since that time. The amazing thing about this miracle was that the flies would affect the whole of Egypt but not that particular location—the land of Goshen. The flies would only affect the Egyptians but not the Israelites, and it would happen exactly at the time God said it would: tomorrow.

So this fourth plague was miraculous in its location, in its distinction, and in its timing. No natural possibility could ever explain this divine miracle. God calls it a sign. Tomorrow shall this sign be.

Please take note of the phrase "my people" in verse 20. God says, "Let my people go." And here in verse 23, God says, "I will put a division between my people and thy people." This phrase "my people" was a reference to the Israelites. Can you imagine God calling the Israelites "my people"? They belong to me; they are my people.

And what happens when the enemy attacks God's people? Zechariah 2:8 says, "For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." The apple of the eye is the most sensitive, most delicate, and most precious part. In other words, when the enemies attack God's people, they are attacking God's most sensitive, most delicate, and precious spot, and He will surely react. Surely He would.

But the Israelites were no better than the Egyptians. Remember, initially they were slow to accept God's plan for their deliverance. At the first instance of trouble, what did they do? They blamed God for all their troubles. Later on, we are going to discover that the Israelites were divisive, rebellious, impatient, idolatrous, and they indulged in all kinds of sins you can ever think of. They were just as sinful as the Egyptians, if not worse.

But the difference was that they were God's people. As one theologian said, "This is the difference

that makes all the difference in the world." They were God's people by His choice, by His election, and God would do everything He could to protect and preserve His people. God chose them simply because He chose them; He loved them simply in order to love them.

Later on, Moses would explain to the Israelites that God did not set His love upon you nor chose you because you were great in numbers; you are the fewest of all people. But because He loved you and God will keep His covenant He had made with your forefathers. He will remember His promise, and He would deliver you out of Egypt with a mighty hand so that you will know He is God. He is a faithful God, and He will keep His covenant and mercy to all those who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations. You can read about that in Deuteronomy 7:7.

Dear friends, what is true of the Israelites is also true of you and me, the believers, the church. We are God's people by His choice, by His election, and that has nothing to do with how great we are, how smart we are, how capable we are, how wealthy we are, or how strong we are. God chose us simply because He chose us. He loved us simply in order to love us.

And God calls us "My people." Sometimes there will be enemies who would attack us, falsely accuse us, misrepresent us, maliciously slander us, or say all kinds of nasty things about us, persecute us. Are you afraid and troubled? Well, take comfort! We are God's people. We are children of God, and if we belong to Him, anyone who touches us touches the apple of His eye. Isn't that most comforting? Do know that we belong to the most sensitive, most delicate, and most precious part to the Almighty God—the apple of His eye, My people.

That was exactly what happened to Pharaoh when he refused to let God's people go. Verse 24: "And the Lord did so, and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt; and the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies." It happened exactly as God had said He would. Notice this time the Pharaoh did not bother to call for his magicians and sorcerers like the way he did in the previous plagues.

Verse 25: "And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, 'Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.'" Here, the land was a reference to Egypt. You see, Pharaoh was a very cunning negotiator. He knew that his magicians and sorcerers could not duplicate this divine miracle. He had no choice; he had to make an offer to Moses and Aaron. But even then, he proposed a compromise: he would permit the Israelites to offer their sacrifices provided it was in the land of Egypt. In other words, they would not be allowed to go into the wilderness as God had commanded. But at least they would still be able to offer their sacrifices.

Most people would immediately accept this offer, but not Moses. Moses very cleverly said in verse 26: "And Moses said, 'It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?'" Why did Moses say that? You see, the Israelites would have to offer sacrifices to the Lord, and that would include animal sacrifices like lambs, bulls, and rams. Those things were sacred in Egypt; the Egyptians worshiped those animals—they were the gods of Egypt.

So when the Israelites sacrificed those animals right before the Egyptians, most certainly there would be riots; there would be bloodshed. The Israelites would be stoned. Perhaps that was what Pharaoh had secretly hoped for, and Moses was not foolish. But most importantly, Moses knew that was not what God had commanded. God emphatically said, "Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me where? In the wilderness."

So Moses refused to compromise. "If this is not in accordance to God's command, then I cannot accept." And he said in verse 27: "We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as He shall command us."

Sometimes we tend to think and behave like Pharaoh, to strike a compromise. For example, we know that God's command is very clear. It is to do this; it is to do that. But we say, "Well, I will obey God's command—not fully, but partially."

God's Word says, "Remember the Christian Sabbath." Well, I will obey and worship God on Sundays, but not every Sunday though, especially when I'm busy or when my family is having our gatherings or when I'm on holiday. God's Word said very clearly, "You must give of your tithes and offerings." "Well, I will obey, but not based on what I have received from the Lord, but according to what I feel is right, and when I feel is right."

After all, it is the thought that counts! God's Word said very clearly, "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers." "Well, I will obey, but I still want to befriend this person and perhaps marry this person who is an unbeliever, and through my life influence him or her with the gospel and make the person a believer." Can you really do that?

All of us must bear in mind that partial compromise is not obedience; it is still disobedience. It falls short of full obedience to the will of God. God wants us to obey Him, not partially, but fully—100 percent.

Take a moment and consider this: when Jesus saves us, He did not save us partially; He saves us fully—100 percent. Jesus did not come to make us less sinful. He came that He may save us, justify us, sanctify us, and ultimately glorify us. Jesus did not come to make hell less hot for us; He came to take us 100 percent out of condemnation so that you and I will no longer be subjected to condemnation. We will not be sent to the eternal lake of fire.

And He who saves us 100 percent fully, He wants us to obey Him 100 percent and fully as well—not partially.

Verse 28: "And Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away. Entreat for me.'" Which means pray for me.

Pharaoh knew he had no choice; he had to give in. But even then, he could not resist adding one last condition: "You can go, but do not go too far away." Perhaps he wanted the Israelites to stay close enough so his army could keep an eye on them. Since this restriction did not directly contradict God's command to let His people go into the wilderness, Moses accepted this offer.

Verse 29: "And Moses said, 'Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. But let not Pharaoh do deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.'" In other words, do not continue lying, deceiving, and going back on your words to let the people go.

Verse 30: "And Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord, and the Lord did according to the word of Moses, and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one." The removal of the flies was just as miraculous as the appearance of the flies. Moses prayed to the Lord, and God removed the flies—so much so that not even one fly remained.

Did Pharaoh keep to his word? No.

Verse 32: "And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go." Why did Pharaoh make this promise to let God's people go and then go back on his words? Simply because of the plague. And once the plague was removed, it was as if Pharaoh was saying, "You can forget about me letting the people go."

Dear friends, when people face troubles and afflictions, what do they want? They want those troubles and afflictions to go away. Whether it be news of a terminal illness, the loss of jobs, family issues, and different challenges, they want those troubles to go away.

And they pray in their desperation. They will make many promises. Some of them would say, "Lord, remove all these afflictions, and I will give my life to serve You. I will give of my resources to support the gospel work. I will attend worship services and prayer meetings from now onwards; I will never miss them. I will do this; I will do that." All kinds of promises.

But once their troubles and afflictions were removed, they forget their promises. Perhaps let us end this message by searching our hearts and asking ourselves: Have we made any promises to God? Have we forgotten those promises? Have we walked away from those promises?

We must never be like Pharaoh that wants the plagues out of sight, then it was like us saying to God, "You can forget about me keeping my promises." May the Lord have mercy on us.

Let us pray. Father in Heaven, we thank You for enabling us to consider this portion of Scripture, how we are able to draw spiritual lessons from this fourth plague. Help us to learn from Thy beloved servant Moses and even from the failures, rejection, and stubbornness of Pharaoh that we will rightly apply the word of truth into our lives; that we will learn from all those good examples and also take heed of those bad examples, that we will not sin against Thee. So help us, even as we study through the book of Exodus, that we will be able to apply Thy word into our lives to the glory of the Almighty God. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.