“Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am Yahweh.” (Exodus 10: 1-2)

“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” (Thomas Jefferson)

____________________

Facebook Group His Name is Yahweh:

I use the Facebook group His Name is Yahweh to notify people when I post a new SnyderTalk. If you are not already a fan, you should consider signing up. Click here to visit the site.

____________________

Email Distribution List:

I have created an email distribution list that I use to notify people when I post a new SnyderTalk. If you would like to be on that list, send your email address to nhsny@yahoo.com. If you know others who are interested in SnyderTalk content, tell them to send me their email address, and I’ll put them on the list.

____________________

Websites you need to see:

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel: About Israel, The Israel Project, Tourist Information, the Holocaust, Israel map, Israel’s War of Independence, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, Arab-Israel conflict, and anti-Semitism
The Temple Institute
Video: The Aaronic Blessing—This is a beautiful video rendition of The Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6: 24-26) in Hebrew and English, but notice that the title Adonai is used instead of the Name Yahweh. That is in keeping with a Jewish tradition that dates back to the mid-second century B.C., but you can be certain about this fact. Yahweh’s Name is essential to The Aaronic Blessing and should be there.
Video: He is Yahweh

____________________

Scripture:

Today I’ll show where Yahweh’s Name belongs in 1 Corinthians 10:

1 Corinthians 10

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
and all ate the same spiritual food;
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY.”
Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake;
FOR THE EARTH IS YAHWEH’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.
If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake.
But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake;
I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;
just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

____________________

SnyderTalk® Commentary:

Currently, I am putting up bite sized pieces of His Name is Yahweh in SnyderTalk Commentary. If you haven’t read it, it will be a treat for you. If you have read it, you will probably enjoy reading it again. Don’t hesitate to share it with your friends. You can download the entire manuscript for free at His Name is Yahweh, or you can buy it in Kindle format from Amazon for just $5.

I have left out several footnotes. Please go to the website His Name is Yahweh and download the manuscript. It has all the footnotes, and it’s free.

The First Plague—Turning Water Into Blood

Yahweh introduced the first plague with these words: “By this you shall know that I am Yahweh.” (Exodus 7: 17)

Moses instructed his brother Aaron to strike the Nile River with his staff, and it turned into blood. Then he told Aaron to stretch out his staff over the waters of Egypt, and all the streams and ponds in Egypt turned into blood. Pharaoh responded by asking his magicians to perform a similar sign through trickery, which they did. So Pharaoh hardened his heart, and he did not let God’s people go.

The Second Plague—Frogs

Seven days later, Yahweh instructed Moses to deliver this message to Pharaoh: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs.” (Exodus 8: 1-2)

Pharaoh refused to obey Yahweh so Aaron stretched out his staff over the rivers, ponds and streams, and frogs came up out of the water and covered the whole land of Egypt. Pharaoh asked his magicians to perform a similar feat, and they did. But he summoned Moses immediately and promised him that he would let Yahweh’s people go if Moses would ask Him to remove the frogs from the land.

Moses allowed Pharaoh to choose the specific time the frogs would be removed to show him that “there is no one like Yahweh our God.” (Exodus 8: 10) Pharaoh said tomorrow, and the next day the frogs were gone. Still, he refused to obey God.

The Third Plague—Gnats

Yahweh told Moses to instruct Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the dust on the ground, and it would turn into gnats. He did it, and gnats covered the whole land of Egypt. Pharaoh’s magicians tried unsuccessfully to copy this plague, and they went to Pharaoh and said, “This is the finger of God.” (Exodus 8: 19) Even though Pharaoh’s servants were beginning to understand that Yahweh is God, Pharaoh did not believe it, and he did not let God’s people go.

The Fourth Plague—Flies

The first three plagues showed Pharaoh that Yahweh is God, and they were inflicted on the entire land of Egypt. However, Yahweh made an important distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians during the fourth plague. He instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh that if he did not let His people go, swarms of insects would cover Egypt, but they would not swarm in Goshen where the Children of Israel lived. God said,

“But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of insects will be there, in order that you may know that I, Yahweh, am in the midst of the land. I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall occur.” (Exodus 8: 22-23)

Once again, Pharaoh refused to let Yahweh’s people go so insects swarmed throughout Egypt and devastated the land, but they did not swarm in Goshen. Pharaoh softened his position a bit after he saw the damage caused by the insects. He summoned Moses and told him that he could sacrifice to Yahweh, but he would have to do it in Egypt.

Moses responded by reminding Pharaoh that they intended to sacrifice cattle to Yahweh, and since the Egyptians believed cattle were gods, they might be attacked. Pharaoh reluctantly agreed to let them go, and Moses warned Pharaoh not to renege on his promise again. But it was no use. Pharaoh changed his mind and refused to let Yahweh’s people go.

(Some Bible translations refer to the fourth plague as a swarm of lice or flies instead of insects, and the Tanach refers to it as a swarm of beasts. I searched diligently to find out how these various interpretations were reached but was unable to find a satisfactory answer. Thus, I used the New American Standard Bible as my source document. In any event, in this plague Yahweh is demonstrating His ability to take simple dust and turn it into something powerful with which to inflict punishment on mankind—in this case Pharaoh and all of Egypt. He was also demonstrating that He distinguishes between His people and everyone else.)

The Fifth Plague—Disease on the Livestock

Yahweh told Moses to warn Pharaoh that if he refused to let His people go “the hand of Yahweh will come with very severe pestilence on your livestock,” (Exodus 9: 3) but He said that the plague would affect none of the Hebrew livestock. Yahweh gave Pharaoh a day to make up his mind, but he still refused to let Yahweh’s people go.

The next day, Yahweh inflicted a disease on the livestock in Egypt, and many of them died. Pharaoh sent his scouts to Goshen to find out if any of the Hebrew livestock had survived, and they reported back to him that all of their animals were alive and well. Still Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let Yahweh’s people go.

The Sixth Plague—Boils on Men and Animals

Yahweh told Moses to take soot from a kiln and to throw it into the air in front of Pharaoh. Immediately, it became a fine dust that covered the land of Egypt, and it caused boils to break out on men and animals. Boils broke out so badly on Pharaoh’s magicians that they could not stand in his presence. Still, he refused to accept Yahweh’s authority. Pharaoh had a stubborn, unyielding heart, and Yahweh was furious with him. For the first time, Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let God’s people go.

The Seventh Plague—Hail

Yahweh’s anger was growing by the moment, and He said,

“This time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. But, indeed, for this cause I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power, in order to proclaim My Name (Yahweh) through all the earth.” (Exodus 9: 14-16)

Yahweh instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh and his servants to bring their animals in from the fields to safety because the next day He would send a hailstorm the likes of which they had never seen. By now, many Egyptians believed Moses and feared Yahweh, and they quickly brought their animals inside for cover. Those who did not believe Yahweh turned a deaf ear to His merciful warning, and they were destined to suffer great loss.

The next day the storm began, but it was not a typical hailstorm. Hail and fire (not lightning) mixed together rained down from heaven. Ordinarily, water and fire cannot coexist, but this time they did. In the deutero-canonical book “Wisdom” that is included in Catholic Bibles, King Solomon said this about the seventh plague:

“Even more wonderful, in the water—which quenches all—the fire raged fiercer than ever (Wisdom 16: 17)….For the whole creation, submissive to your commands, had its very nature re-created, so that your children should be preserved from harm (Wisdom 19: 6)….A new attuning of the elements occurred, as on a harp the notes may change their rhythm, though all the while preserving the same tone; and this is just what happened (Wisdom 19: 18)….fire reinforced its strength in water, and water forgot the power of extinguishing it….” (Wisdom 19: 20)

What a sight that must have been! But in the land of Goshen where the Hebrew people lived there was no storm at all. For the first time, Pharaoh feared Yahweh. Hurriedly he sent for Moses and pleaded with him to ask Yahweh to call off the storm. He said, “I have sinned this time; Yahweh is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.” (Exodus 9: 27) Pharaoh told Moses that if Yahweh would stop the storm, he would let His people go.

Moses did as Pharaoh requested, but he knew Pharaoh’s fear of Yahweh was normal human fear—not fear leading to obedience to God. Sure enough, when the storm ended Pharaoh broke his word again.

With these plagues, Yahweh was demonstrating His sovereignty over the forces of nature and nature itself. He was also displaying His superiority over the most powerful principality in the world. No king or god can prevent from happening anything that Yahweh wills to happen. Yahweh is in control, and the Exodus experience became an enduring lesson for all of mankind about the omnipotence of Yahweh.

The Eighth Plague—Locusts

God told Moses,

“Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am Yahweh.” (Exodus 10: 1-2)

This would not be a normal locust infestation. They would come in such a massive swarm that they would literally cover the ground. Nothing is beyond Yahweh’s reach: not insects, not bacteria, and not viruses. By this time, Pharaoh’s servants were afraid of Yahweh, and they begged him to let Yahweh’s people go. Pharaoh called for Moses and told him he could take the Hebrew men with him but that he would have to leave the women and children behind to ensure their return. Moses rejected Pharaoh’s offer, and the locusts descended on Egypt.

The locusts devastated the remaining vegetation, and Pharaoh begged Moses to remove them. Again, he admitted that he had sinned, and he promised to let Yahweh’s people go. Yahweh caused a strong wind to blow the locusts out of Egypt, but when they were gone Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart. He did not let God’s people go.

The Ninth Plague—Darkness

Without notifying Pharaoh in advance, Yahweh told Moses to stretch out his hands and darkness would cover Egypt for three days. It was not ordinary darkness, though. It might have been a severe sandstorm, and it could have been darkness along with thick, moist air. Some people have speculated that ashes from the volcano on the Greek island of Santorini may have caused the darkness following a stunning eruption at about the time of the Exodus, but no one knows for sure. This much is certain. Pharaoh knew that his chief god, Ra the sun god, was obliterated for three days and that the people of Egypt were angry with him for exposing them needlessly to Yahweh’s unrelenting hand.

The Caldera at Santorini

Pharaoh called for Moses and told him to take all his people with him, but to leave the animals in Egypt. Again, Moses refused Pharaoh’s offer because they needed the animals to make sacrifices to Yahweh. Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, and he did not let His people go.

____________________

News Items of Interest:

____________________

His Name is Yahweh:

There is a wealth of material available for free download on www.hisnameisyahweh.org including the book His Name is Yahweh. His Name is Yahweh is also available at Amazon on Kindle for just $5. If you haven’t read His Name is Yahweh, you should. The importance of Yahweh’s Name is becoming more apparent with each passing day.