🧱 Exodus Lesson 4: Further Thought | Sabbath School Study (July 25, 2025)

🧱 Exodus Lesson 4: Further Thought | Sabbath School Study (Friday, July 25, 2025)

🖼️ AI-generated image: symbolic reflection of the aftermath of Egypt’s plagues and Pharaoh’s hardened heart

Date: Friday, July 25, 2025

Weekly Theme: Lesson 4 — The Plagues

🪔 Further Thought

As we conclude this week’s lesson, we reflect on the spiritual depth of the plagues—beyond their physical impact. Each judgment was a call from Yahweh for repentance, a rejection of idolatry, and an invitation to know Him as the true and living Elohim. Yet Pharaoh resisted until the very end, blinded by pride and hardened in rebellion.

📚 Ellen G. White offers this powerful insight in Patriarchs and Prophets:

"His [God’s] people were permitted to experience the grinding cruelty of the Egyptians, that they might not be deceived concerning the debasing influence of idolatry. In His dealing with Pharaoh, the Lord manifested His hatred of idolatry and His determination to punish cruelty and oppression. … There was no exercise of supernatural power to harden the heart of the king. God gave to Pharaoh the most striking evidence of divine power, but the monarch stubbornly refused to heed the light. Every display of infinite power rejected by him, rendered him the more determined in his rebellion. The seeds of rebellion that he sowed when he rejected the first miracle, produced their harvest." — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 268

"The Sun and moon were objects of worship to the Egyptians; in this mysterious darkness the people and their gods alike were smitten by the power that had undertaken the cause of the bondmen. Yet fearful as it was, this judgment is an evidence of God’s compassion and His unwillingness to destroy. He would give the people time for reflection and repentance before bringing upon them the last and most terrible of the plagues." — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 272

📖 Exodus 9:27 (KJBPNV)

"“‭And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time: Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked."

Though Pharaoh said the right words, we know from his continued resistance that his confession was not from a truly changed heart. He was merely trying to escape the consequences—not seeking Yahweh Himself. This reminds us that true repentance is not about words or relief—but about transformation.

💬 Discussion Questions:

1. 🪞 How does someone like Pharaoh become so hardened that he chooses rebellion in the face of overwhelming truth?
   Consider how sin, when repeatedly indulged, clouds judgment and stiffens the will. Think also of Judas Iscariot, who walked with Yeshua yet chose betrayal. What warning does this give us about willful resistance to truth?
2. 🙏 What does Pharaoh’s false repentance teach us?
   Even though he said, "I have sinned," his actions proved otherwise. How can we know if our own repentance is genuine? What fruits should true repentance bear?

💬 Call to Action (CTA):

🧎 Are there areas in your life where you are resisting Yahweh’s call? Don’t wait until calamity strikes. Let Pharaoh’s story be a warning—and Yahweh’s mercy be an invitation. Open your heart fully to Him today. 💛

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📌 Note: All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Bible Proper Name Version (KJBPNV). Images are AI-generated unless otherwise noted.