Episode 360 - "Swarms of flies (But not upon the Hebrews)" Exodus 8:20-32

September 12, 2026 by David Largent in Bible Study, Christian, Exodus

Ex. 8:20 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 23 Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24 And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

Ex. 8:25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 31 And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

As discussed in our previous episode, the first plague of each group of three begins with the LORD telling Moses where to go and what to say to Pharaoh, followed by a warning of what would happen if he doesn’t obey the LORD. In this plague, there would be swarms of flies. This time, the LORD announced through Moses that the Israelites would not experience this plague. It makes me wonder whether Pharaoh kept thinking that he and his people could endure the plague if the Hebrews could. Maybe he thought that, by his obstinacy, he could wear down the LORD and his people.

Pharaoh initially seems to be the one being worn down. He tries to bargain with God and then relents when Moses rejects his condition. Once again, Moses tells Pharaoh when the plague will be lifted, but this time he instructs Pharaoh not to renege on his promise. But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and did not follow through on his word.

I am struck by the seriousness of this kind of rebellion. What Pharaoh reveals is not simply pride or lack of faith. He manifests disdain for the LORD and the Hebrews. One might even observe that he has no concern for his own people in allowing, even inviting, these plagues to come upon his people. This is a far cry from the Pharaoh in power when Joseph was alive. The LORD had revealed himself by using Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Pharaoh not only trusted the interpretations. He recognized the wisdom the LORD had given to Joseph and blessed him with authority to preserve his family and all of Egypt. What a contrast between these two leaders of Egypt. Surely, Moses wrote this history to remind the Israelites that they must also respond appropriately to the LORD’s revelation and obey his word. Rejection and disdain for the LORD will result in judgment. This is a sobering thought for us today. Is it not?

Episode 303 - "Jacob fulfills his vow to the LORD" - Genesis 35:5-15

August 10, 2025 by David Largent in Bible Study, Christian, Genesis

Gen. 35:5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

Gen. 35:9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Let’s review. Jacob has returned home, back to the land of Canaan, after spending two decades working for his uncle Laban. No longer is the LORD simply his father Isaac’s God; the LORD is now Jacob’s God. After the LORD has fulfilled his promises to bring Jacob safely back home, he instructs Jacob to fulfill his vow to worship the LORD. Jacob follows his instruction to return to the place where the LORD had appeared to him when he was on the run from his brother Esau.

We pick up this story at the time Jacob and his whole household are traveling to Bethel to worship the LORD. If we aren’t thinking about the greater context of what’s been happening, some details given to us by Moses seem extraneous. What’s the point of mentioning that “a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them?” (Vs. 5) The answer lies in what happened seemingly a short time after Jacob and his household returned to Canaan, and Shechem the Hittite raped Jacob’s daughter Dinah and wanted to marry her. Jacob’s sons used circumcision, the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, to trick the Hittite men and slaughter them. Jacob was concerned that the various people groups might join forces and seek retribution. Ah! Now it makes sense, right? Moses is simply telling the reader, “This is why the various groups in that area did not pursue Jacob’s family to kill them. The LORD was protecting them while they were traveling to do what God had told them to do.” Jacob arrived at Bethel and built an altar at the place where the LORD first appeared to him.

Moses wrote that Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried. What does this have to do with anything? Is this another “insignificant” detail? I don’t think so. Soon, we’re going to read about the death of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel, who would die giving birth to one more son. Then, Moses records the death of Isaac. What I believe is happening is that Moses is giving the reader this detail to realize that time and life is moving on. Whereas the LORD had spoken to Abraham and made the covenant with him, Abraham died without receiving all the promises of that covenant. But the covenant was passed on to his seed, Isaac. Then, between Esau and Jacob, the covenant goes to Jacob. We’re seeing the passing of the former generation, and the focus should lead us to wonder, through whom, of all these descendants of Jacob, will the promised seed come? Already, a few of the older brothers have committed genocide through an abuse of the sign of the Abrahamic covenant and have likely disqualified themselves.

Genesis 35:3-15 has many parallels to Jacob’s encounter with the LORD recorded in Genesis 28:10-22. In both instances, the LORD reveals himself to Jacob, and Jacob responds by setting up a stone as a monument to the LORD and anoints it with oil. It’s not just an inclusio in the story of Jacob revealing his journey of faith, but a testament to the faithfulness of God to fulfill his promises.

This is an important lesson to Jacob and his descendants, who’ve had their own journey of faith coming out of Egypt, about to enter the land that God has promised them. We who worship the same God can also trust that our God is able and faithful to do all things he has promised.

Episode 250 - "Only Noah was left and those with him" - Genesis 7:17-24

July 27, 2024 by David Largent in Bible Study, Christian, Genesis

Gen. 7:17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

As one who’s had the privilege of studying under very accomplished scholars in the original languages of the Bible and who specialize in researching the ancient people in the Bible, one learns that even the experts disagree on interpretation and meaning at times. We can learn a lot by listening to these scholars. But we also need to discern where there is a splitting of hairs on issues that, quite frankly, are not helpful in understanding the big picture of what is being revealed. One example, in my mind, is the argument for a “local flood” rather than a global flood. This is the idea that the flood of Genesis did not encompass the world but the region where Noah lived. Scholars who hold this view have their reasons for interpreting this story as such. However, the reason why I believe it’s irrelevant is evident in this text.

In order to show this, let’s return to one of my favorite indicators that help us understand the message of this section of the flood story of Genesis. That indicator is “repetition.” Things that are repeated bring emphasis or focus upon what’s important. The first thing that I see repeated is “the waters prevailed.” This is not to say that there was a lot of water. There was a lot of water. But the point here is not the quantity of water, as it is the collective power and destructive effect that the water had upon the earth. In the beginning, God had separated the waters above from the waters below and caused the dry earth to appear (a separation of the water from the dry land). Now, the picture that is painted is one of the waters coming together to overwhelm the dry land and all life on it. The curse upon the earth was brought on by mankind’s disobedience. Now, mankind’s disobedience is being judged, seemingly, by the natural elements negatively impacted by that disobedience. Perhaps this overwhelming and chaotic scene was God’s way of saying, “I’m going to put the earth back under the chaotic, watery condition it was in before I separated the waters, brought forth dry land and filled these spheres with living things.” Humanity was given the authority to rule over creation, but in this divinely willed act, the waters prevailed and ruled over mankind and all living things on the dry land.

Verse 20 tells us that the waters prevailed fifteen cubits deep over the mountain tops. What’s the point in telling us that? It’s like the author is telling us how big this “monster” is that is prevailing. It’s certainly giving us details that nothing was going to be able to escape this judgment, with the exception of those who were on the ark. That which prevailed over all the dry land and all the living things on the dry land also bore up the ark and did not prevail over its inhabitants.

The next few verses (21-23) give us the next repetition. “All flesh died.” The statements in these few verses make it clear that nothing survived that was not on the ark, except for sea creatures. It emphasizes that what God said he was going to do, he did it exactly as he said he would.

This is where we see the pointlessness of arguing over a global versus local flood theory. Either way, the text does not seem to indicate any hyperbole, but rather a clear and precise fulfillment of God’s prophesied judgment upon the earth and the life therein.

If we need any more help, the second half of verse 23, “Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark,” tells us plainly that nothing else survived. Why? The reason that has already been emphasized to the reader is that God deemed Noah righteous. Noah was the one who did “all that God commanded him.”

The message to the reader then is, first, God perfectly and completely judges disobedience. Nothing will escape God’s notice, and he will not let some things slide. Secondly, God alone perfectly judges who is righteous. God will rescue and protect from his prevailing judgment all those he deems righteous. Romans chapter three explains that Jesus Christ alone is perfectly righteous, and those who place their trust in him have his righteousness imputed to them. Because of that, those who have trusted in Jesus can rest knowing that we will be delivered from the ultimate coming judgment and enjoy eternal life in the presence of God. What a great hope!

Episode 249 - "And the Lord shut him in" - Genesis 7:6-16

July 20, 2024 by David Largent in Bible Study, Christian, Creation, Genesis

Gen. 7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

Gen. 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in.

To begin this day’s observations of the flood story of Genesis, I want you to notice Noah’s age. When the flood began, he was six hundred years old. Just a little over a chapter ago, he was only five hundred years old. It was after he turned five hundred that he fathered his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The LORD’s instructions to him to build the ark commanded Noah to take his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law. Apparently, there are no grandchildren in the picture yet. The point I’m getting to is that it may have taken 70-80 years to build the ark according to the instructions given by the LORD. That’s a long time for the word to get out what Noah is doing and for people to come by and ask, “What’s this all about?” We don’t know that they did. But I think it’s safe to say that if anyone undertook this project today, the word would get out pretty quickly. It strikes me that God never told Noah not to allow other people on the boat. The Scriptures only tell us that God was showing grace and mercy to Noah and his family because Noah was obedient to the LORD. God was telling Noah, “This is how I’m going to deliver you and your family from this destruction I’m bringing.” While it’s outside of the context of what the Scriptures tell us explicitly, it seems entirely possible, and likely even, that if someone had heard about God’s coming judgment and repented, I think God would have spared them as well. But that’s an argument from silence. There’s no indication that happened, even though the ark was possibly under construction for 70-80 years.

I make this conjecture because people often interpret a story like this as God being mean. In reality, however, this story shows God’s patience in that he did not bring this judgment until people were so wicked that nothing God did would bring them to repentance. They had plenty of time as Noah constructed this ark to ask questions and consider the implications, yet refused to respond to God’s mercy and revelation. I think they were likely cursing God as the flood waters rose.

Much of this text emphasizes the obedience to God’s commands to Noah, his family, and the animals. They entered the ark. The other thing that is highlighted is that what God had been telling Noah for nearly 100 years was fulfilled precisely. The text is so detailed that it mentions the day the flood started, with the rain continuing non-stop for forty days. This detail is joined with a description of how violently it began. Water came from every direction. It burst forth from the ground and from the sky above. It’s a frightening scene to imagine and one that I believe should inform our thoughts about God’s wrath. God consistently shows himself to want the best for people. The Scriptures speak of his desire for us to enjoy the life he has given us, his desire to commune with us, and his patience and love for mankind. But he is also a holy God who does not turn a blind eye to rebellion, violence, injustice, and other manners of evil. He justly and righteously judges sin. We should fear that wrath and respond to his loving and patient offer to deliver us from any judgment we might deserve.

My final thought on this section is the concluding remark in verse 16: “And the LORD shut him in.” God instructed Noah to make one door on the side of the ark. Noah had put pitch on the ark's outside and inside to help waterproof it. But what about the door? How did the door get sealed after Noah and his family were inside the ark? Verse 16 tells us, “the LORD shut him in.” I think this is an important image for us as well. In Christ, we are invited to enter into the one door into God’s protection and blessing and God makes that a secure place to be. Whatever we think might be a liability, God has it covered.