Exodus Sermons (written)

Exodus 10:12-20
The Plague of Locusts, Part II

In 2013, the most recent major plague of locusts filled the Middle East. It wasn’t by any stretch comparable to the plague described in the Bible or some other plagues which have come about in recorded history, but photos from it still showed an impressive amount of locusts suddenly showing up in various places.

Over Egypt, they estimated an infestation of about 30 million locusts. Just before the Passover in Israel, a portion of them flew over the border and covered about 2000 acres in the south of the land. With modern pest control, the infestation quickly died out, but it made for great new stories, especially because it occurred so close to Passover.

In our ongoing look into the plagues on Egypt, we’re also getting closer and closer to the first Passover. Seven plagues are behind us and the eighth is just about to start. And despite it being the greatest plague of locusts ever to come upon the earth, it will still not have a permanent effect on Pharaoh.

When reading Exodus, he sounds like a nut job because he keeps refusing to yield to the Lord. When you read it, it almost seems impossible that someone could act this way. And yet, Pharaoh is simply a picture of any one of us or any group of people at any given time.

We can laugh at the stupid man because we see the whole story in front of us, but he was really no different than Israel. They got many of the same punishments as Pharaoh and they still wouldn’t yield to the Lord. And really, how much worse was this when they were the Lord’s people and had the Lord’s word right there in front of them!

Text Verse: “I blasted you with blight and mildew.
When your gardens increased,
Your vineyards,
Your fig trees,
And your olive trees,
The locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to Me,’
Says the Lord.” Amos 4:9

The words of Amos go on citing the measures the Lord took to get Israel to repent. And yet time and again, they wouldn’t listen. Eventually, the sobering words of the Lord show the utter frustration He had at their continued rebellion as He cried out, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (4:12)

I can’t think of a more terrifying thought, and yet every person on earth will eventually hear the same words. Some will be ready and some won’t, but we will all be meeting our God someday. The terms on which we meet Him depend solely on our relationship with Jesus Christ.

For Pharaoh, the Lord will continue to demonstrate that He alone is God and that the gods of Egypt are merely false gods. And for us, He has proven this so powerfully through His word that we are simply left without excuse if we ignore it and turn our hearts away from Him.

And so let’s not do that. Instead, pay heed to His superior word. In order to do that, we need to know it. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

II. The East Winds Brings Destruction (verses 12-15)

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts,

In the previous verse from last week, Moses and Aaron had suffered the disgrace of being driven from Pharaoh’s presence. Because they are the representatives of the Lord, it was an act against Him. This is no different than treating an ambassador from another country with disgrace.

The treatment of the representative reflects upon the people or authority that the person represents. To expel an ambassador is thus intended as an action against the one whom the ambassador represents. To expel Moses and Aaron can only be viewed as a defiant action against the Lord.

Therefore, the Lord will now act once again, multiplying His wonders in the land of Egypt. And so He instructs Moses to “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts.” Mentally, we can picture what this would entail.

Moses would raise his arms to the heavens and draw them out in the direction of all four quarters as if beckoning the great army which God has prepared for the moment. It will be, as Pharaoh was already told, locusts.

To repeat so you remember, locusts are seen throughout the Old Testament and they are especially highlighted in the book of Joel. Their Hebrew name is arbeh. But the root of arbeh is what gives substance to their name. It is ravah and means “multiply.”

Thus, the very name, “locust” implies astonishing numbers. As we saw, in Joel the Lord calls them “My great army.” The great army of the Lord will now rain destruction from the heavens. Their devastating power will come heavily upon the land with the sole purpose of consuming everything they encounter.

^{12 (con’t)} that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—

Last week, in verse 5 it mentioned that the locusts “shall eat the residue of what is left” and it specifically mentioned the trees. Now it uses a general word to describe every green thing – esev. It is the same word which was used in the plague of hail. There it said –

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.’ ²³ And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.” Exodus 9:22-25

The plague of hail wrought its damage on the trees and herbs, and now these words are used again to show that although the hail did great damage, some plants survived. These will now be consumed by the grand plague of locusts.

The Hebrew word for “come upon” is alah. Here it gives the general idea of rising like clouds as they are carried in by the wind. From a distance, one would only see a great black cloud coming upon the land. If you didn’t know what it was, it would be a most terrifying sensation.

One might think some type of supernatural hostile force was coming upon the land or that the earth itself was rising like a black dust cloud to consume whatever was in its path. Even someone who knew what the cloud was would surely feel panic in the moment before it arrived. The cloud would come and the damage will be immense…

^{12 (con’t)} all that the hail has left.”

The stretching out of the hands over Egypt was symbolic. It meant that there would be complete coverage of the country, just as there was with the hail. Whatever was spared in that plague will again be susceptible to further destruction. But because there was so much damage already from the hail, the locusts would have less to eat than they otherwise would have.

Because of this, what was left would be at even greater risk than by a normal plague, and Pharaoh has already been told that this will be greater than any other known plague up to that point. He should have heeded, but the hardened heart is like an iron wall. And Pharaoh’s heart was very hard.

Pharaoh’s heart is hard and his mind is fixed
And many pains he has brought on himself and his land
First he relents and then hardens, his actions are mixed
And so again and again he receives a punishing hand

First it was blood, then frogs, and then the lice
Those didn’t work, nor did the flies or the death of the livestock
And the boils and the hail could not have been nice
Now maybe the locusts will his heart finally unlock

They are coming and they will cover the land
What hasn’t been destroyed will now be chewed away
Another plague from God’s powerful hand
Another plague which for an end Pharaoh will pray

¹³ So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt,

As instructed, so Moses does. Like the plague of hail, Aaron isn’t mentioned. Instead it says that Moses took the action. There has been a marked shift in the initiation of the plagues, as least from how the Bible records them. Moses, whose name means “He who draws out,” will once again draw out a terrifying plague upon the land of Egypt.

^{13 (con’t)} and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night.

Moses is very careful to describe the details of how the Lord worked this great miracle. Because locusts plagues are not entirely uncommon, this one is again natural enough to be dismissed as chance timing by a hardened heart, but it is supernatural enough to be seen as a true miracle by one who understands God’s foreknowledge of such events when they occur.

The true miracle is just that – the event was foretold by the Lord and it will come about exactly when He directs it to occur. The Pulpit Commentary notes that –

“Locusts generally come with a wind; and, indeed, cannot fly far without one. An east wind would in this case have brought them from northern Arabia, which is a tract where they are often bred in large numbers. Denon, the French traveller, notes that an enormous cloud of locusts which invaded Egypt during his stay, came from the east.”

Because the verse tells us that the wind blew all that day and all that night, it is telling us that the locusts could easily have been carried a very great distance without any trouble at all. There was a devastating date with destiny for these destructive demons and there was no delay in their duly-timed arrival…

^{13 (con’t)} When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

While speaking to Pharaoh through Moses, the Lord said this in verse 4 – “…if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.” Exactly as prophesied, so it occurred. Only a truly hardened heart could continue to fight against such precise warnings with such devastating results.

Before we go on, I want to read you this entire verse again and then read you Exodus 14:21. There you will see the similarities in how God performs the miracles –

“So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.”

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.” Exodus 14:21

Both times an east wind is used to produce the miracle. God’s use of the east wind in the first instance was to destroy Pharaoh’s land of Egypt while continuing to work towards securing Israel’s freedom. His use of this same east wind later was to actually secure freedom for Israel and at the same time to destroy Pharaoh and the Egyptian people.

There are both similarities and contrasts, but in both the glory of the Lord is revealed.

¹⁴ And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt.

The same word for “territory” which was used to describe the coverage of the plague of frogs is used again here. It is gebul and it means “borders.” In other words, the land within the borders is what was infested. Wherever anything green was within the borders it was plagued with locusts.

After their long flight, they are said to have rested there. This is the same word for “rest” as was used for example, after the flood of Noah. As the flood ended, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. In the same way, the locusts have been on a long, divinely-directed journey, and they too will now rest and reinvigorate themselves.

^{14 (con’t)} They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they,

In verse 6, Moses told Pharaoh this –

“They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.”

Exactly as had been prophesied, so it came about. In fact, the words used to describe the coming of the locusts are kaved meod – “very heavy.” The sheer numbers of them would have been such a weight and a burden on the already devastated land that it would simply groan from the arrival of this new plague.

But there is more than just a plague which had never been seen before. The Bible describes it as a plague which is unique for all time…

^{14 (con’t)} nor shall there be such after them.

There is no reason to not take these words literally. The Bible says that this plague was immense and that there would never be such a plague like it again. It doesn’t specify only Egypt. It simply says that this is the big one for all time.

In Joel 2:2, it uses similar words, but the locusts referred to in Joel are metaphorically being used of men. The army of the end times prophesied in Joel will be comparable to the locusts of the book of Exodus. As often happens in the Bible, things from nature are used both literally and in metaphor for us to see how the Lord’s hand works in redemptive history.

As this is the greatest plague of locusts ever, then in order to understand how immense it must have been, we can read Benson’s comments on other plagues which have been documented in history –

“In the year 1527 great troops of locusts were brought by a strong wind out of Turkey into Poland, which country they wasted; and in 1536 a wind from the Euxine Sea brought such vast numbers into Podolia, that, for many miles round, they destroyed every thing. And “in the year 1650, a cloud of locusts was seen to enter Russia in three different places; and from thence they spread themselves over Poland and Lithuania, in such astonishing multitudes that the air was darkened, and the earth covered with their numbers. In some places they were seen lying dead, heaped upon each other to the depth of four feet; in others they covered the surface like a black cloth; the trees bent with their weight, and the damage which the country sustained exceeded computation.” Benson

If this plague upon Egypt is truly the greatest ever seen, imagine the horror of the devastation which must have been wrought.

¹⁵ For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened;

This verse could actually mean one of two things. It either means that as they arrived the entire earth was darkened by their blotting out the sun, or that when they arrived, the entire earth was covered with them. Actually though, both would be the case. Albert Barnes notes one example from history of the first case –

“Travelers mention a cloud of locusts extending over 500 miles, and so compact while on the wing that it completely hid the sun. This passage describes a swarm unprecedented in extent.”

Charles Ellicott notes one example from history of the second –

“The steppes were literally covered with the bodies of these insects. . . . The whole face of nature seemed to be concealed as by a living veil.”

The locusts over Egypt were numerous enough to blacken out the sun as they flew and they were numerous enough to cover the land completely as they rested. And the word used for “cover” in the Hebrew shows that either is possible.

When the flood of Noah covered the earth, the same word was used. Likewise, in the 147th psalm the word is used to indicate clouds which cover the earth. Therefore, this is certainly speaking of the entire cycle of the visit of the locusts, both over and on the land.

^{15 (con’t)} and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left.

The Pulpit commentary notes that –

“….if these terrible columns stop half an hour on a spot, for everything growing on it, vines, olive-trees, and corn, to be entirely destroyed. After they have passed, nothing remains but the large branches and the roots, which, being underground, have escaped their voracity.”

The locusts in Egypt were certainly famished from the long flight and were thus ready to devour everything that they came to. I don’t suppose that unless we actually saw such a sight, that we could even imagine how utter the devastation must have been.

And as we think about it, we have to keep reminding ourselves that 1) this was purposed by God to show His power over Egypt and Egypt’s false gods, 2) that it was His intent through this to secure the release of His people, and 3) that it could have been avoided if Pharaoh simply yielded to the demand of the Lord.

And for each of these points, we can look both to parallels in the end times and what will occur there, and also to individual instances in every life on earth. God shows His power for exactly the same reasons in both of these.

What is amazing is that even though this is true, and we have the written record of it from the past, most people in the world fail to see it in themselves, and the world of the end times will collectively fail to see it as they head off to their own doom.

^{15 (con’t)} So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

Verse 15 shows the victory of the Lord over the false Egyptian gods Nut, the sky goddess, and Osiris, god of crops and fertility. Nut was unable to stop the advance of the Lord’s locust army, and Osiris was unable to save the crops and the fruit trees from their complete devastation.

In chapter 9, the Lord said, “…at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). The Lord spoke and He continues to demonstrate that His spoken word is true.

How can anyone be as obstinate as Pharaoh?
Who could continue to harm himself and not relent?
One plague after another, and he still won’t let Israel go
Will he continue until the Lord’s arrows are all spent?

His quiver is full and will never grow empty
And it is only we who suffer as we fight against His word
But He is gracious and forgives, hoping we will see
And acknowledge that He alone is the Lord

Let us not be like Pharaoh and continue to fight
But instead let us respond to His loving call
Take advantage of the day, for soon comes the night
Now is the time and in heaven there is room for us all

II. The West Wind Brings Relief (verses 16-20)

¹⁶ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste,

Something new is added into this call. It reads that he called for them “in haste.” The word is mahar and it means “hurriedly” or “quickly.” Unlike the previous summons, there is a sense of true urgency in the action. It is as if he has finally been terrified enough to rush towards relief.

At this point he could only imagine what it looked like under the covering of the locusts, but he probably figured there was something left to save. Thus he sends for them hurriedly. He really has no idea just how bad it already was. This is important to consider later when he hardens himself again.

No matter what though, he now calls for Moses and Aaron. The Geneva Bible insightfully and correctly states that –

“The wicked in their misery seek God’s ministers for help, even though they hate and detest them.” Geneva

Maybe this has happened to you as well, but I cannot tell you how many times someone has emailed me with a request for prayers or advice who are either unsaved or who are believers who are not living for the Lord. Sure enough, when things go bad, the first thing they do is email or call, looking for me to intercede to God for them or to give them advice as to what they should do.

Very few, if any, ever accept the advice and act on it, and always they want to go back to doing exactly what they were doing before the troubles came. Literally, I don’t think I could count the number of times I’ve seen this. And frequently it will happen multiple times with the same person.

Jesus says that a dog will return to his own vomit, and that a sow will return to her wallow after having been washed. I’ve had both dogs and pigs and so I can say that’s true. And I’ve seen it in humans enough to know that His words are vindicated in the people He created.

^{16 (con’t)} and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

His words here improve on what he said during the plague of hail. Then he said “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.” Now he doesn’t try to blame anyone else. He is the leader and the responsibility for the sin is his alone.

He also notes the double fault. He sinned against the Lord by not obeying what he was commanded to do, even after having been given sure proofs of the Lord’s deity. And he sinned against Moses and Aaron for first promising action and then refusing to hold to his spoken word.

This is now the fourth time he has asked for a plague to be ended, but the Lord who reads the heart and who knows the man, already knows what the outcome will be once this plague is removed as well.

His words here are almost identical to those used in the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15. Let’s look at them side by side –

“I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.” (Pharaoh)

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ Luke 15:21

In both accounts, mercy is granted, but we can only hope that the end turned out better for the lost son than what we will eventually see in Pharaoh. The Lord is gracious and merciful, but He is not a cosmic pushover. All wrongs must be judged and a persistent belligerence towards him will eventually end badly for the offender.

¹⁷ Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once,

This is now the fourth time that Pharaoh has asked for Moses to intercede to the Lord for him. So far he has yielded and asked for relief from the frogs, the flies, and the hail. Now the locusts have brought him to this point once again.

In his words, he says “forgive my sin only this once.” Sure enough, he is using his only free pass and he knows it. With just two plagues to go, he will never be recorded as asking for the removal of a plague again.

^{17 (con’t)} and entreat the Lord your God,

Pharaoh again acknowledges the name Yehovah and that He is their God. And not only that, he acknowledges that He has the power to remove what has come upon him. In other words, he knows that the Lord is the initiator of the action and that He also has the power to end it.

In this is the implied understanding that the Lord has once again defeated the false-gods of Egypt. What is beyond odd is how he continuously vacillates between accepting this knowledge and then fighting against it. But it is, as I mentioned earlier, not that uncommon among many people.

They cry out for relief with the understanding that a higher power has the ability to fix the problem, and then they completely walk away from Him when the problem is solved. I see it so often that as I was typing this sermon, name after name and face after face came to mind of people who have done exactly as Pharaoh is shown to do here.

^{17 (con’t)}  that He may take away from me this death only.”

“This death,” or literally “the death” is a way of personifying the tragedy which surrounds him. The fruit trees are being destroyed, the crops are being destroyed, and in turn, the livelihoods and maybe even the lives of the people are being destroyed.

Death is permeating the land as a live force which, if not stopped, will eventually consume all life, either directly or indirectly. He feels certain that if this death is removed then life will be restored. If it is not, all will be lost.

¹⁸ So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.

We should note here that no promise of release was given. Pharaoh simply asked for the ending of the plague and admitted his sin, but he never said to Moses that Israel will go. It may be that he was hoping Moses would simply believe this was implied, or it may be that he was so overwrought with the locusts that he just never brought it up.

Either way, Moses never asks for the release, knowing that such a promise wasn’t to be trusted anyway. He knew that the Lord had a plan and that the Lord would direct his steps through the execution of it. And so there was no need to belabor the point.

He therefore magnanimously turned away without any rebuke or accusation and complied with Pharaoh’s request. As John Lange says about this –

“It is, first, an expression of divine forbearance; secondly, the attestation of the miracle displayed in the plague of locusts.” John Lange

The Lord is again the great victor and he is also known to be the merciful pardoner of sin. As His representative, Moses simply went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord graciously responded…

¹⁹ And the Lord turned a very strong west wind,

By the direction of the Lord, an east wind blew them into Egypt and by the direction of the Lord, they are blown out of Egypt. The word translated here as “west wind” here is ruach yam; literally “wind of the sea.” A very strong sea breeze came up as directed by the Lord in order to effect His purposes…

^{19 (con’t)} which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea.

The wind was so strong that the locusts were literally licked up into it. With their bellies full and with nothing more to be eaten, they responded to both the divine call and the natural forces of the winds and they blew toward the Red Sea.

The Hebrew word for “blew” is taqa. It is a word which indicates a resounding thrust, such as a sword, or a noise such as a clap, a blow, or a blast. It is what a trumpeter would do when blowing out a signal on a trumpet. It is used to describe the noise of the trumpeters as they circled Jericho. In this, the symbolism is marvelous.

Just as armies are called to formation and led into or out of battle by such a blast, the Lord’s locust armies are also directed toward the ending of their mission with such a blast. And their final destination is the Red Sea.

Without a continued wind, the locusts will eventually drop into the sea, exactly as the Bible describes here. A man named Pallas notes that in 1799, “Great numbers of them were carried [from the Crimea] by northerly winds into the sea, where they perished, and were afterwards washed on shore in heaps.”

One mighty army has now met its end in the Red Sea. It is almost a foreshadowing of the destruction of Pharaoh’s own armies in that same place in their not too distant future. The patterns are rich and they are exciting.

^{19 (con’t)} There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt.

As unlikely as this may seem, it is known that locusts travel in ranks and with this, combined with the immense west wind, the locusts would have risen together and departed to wherever they were being led. Confirming this, Solomon bears out the orderly nature of the locust in Proverbs 30 –

“The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks.” Proverbs 30:27

There is no reason to assume that this is unreasonable.

*²⁰ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

The Hebrew reads, “And hardened the Lord the heart of Pharaoh…” Again as always, this needs to be evaluated from the surrounding narrative. One might assume that the Lord has actively hardened his heart, but there are a few things to consider.

The first is that Pharaoh would only now see that it was too late for the vegetation. By the time the call was made, everything was gone, before that though everything was covered with locusts. There would be no way to tell the extent of the damage until the locusts were gone.

Now that there were no more crops or trees or grass, Pharaoh would consider that there was nothing further which could be taken from him. So it didn’t matter if he kept the Israelites; he had nothing to lose. Thus, the action is active by Pharaoh and passive by the Lord.

Secondly, as we saw, there was no promise of release. Therefore, he couldn’t be considered as a liar once again when he said nothing one way or another. Again, it is an active hardening by Pharaoh and a passive one by the Lord.

And third, the very words from Pharaoh’s mouth acknowledged that the plague of locusts was from the Lord. It is he who is now rejecting what he already knows to do. This is exactly the same as those who would email or ask for prayers or advice from the Bible and then turn around and ignore one or both, even after things are resolved.

It isn’t the Lord who turns them away from Him, it is they who turn. The Bible says that exactly the opposite is true of the Lord –

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

It is impossible that the Lord would contradict Himself, even for a stubborn fool like Pharaoh. And so the hardening is an active one by Pharaoh in response to the Lord’s promptings, just as it is with all those who act in the same manner around us.

Even though the Lord knows how Pharaoh or any other person will respond, it doesn’t mean he is to blame for that response. It is up to us to open our hearts to Him and to be reconciled to Him. He has already made the offer in the sending of His Son. What more does He need to do? What He expects is that we now respond to that offer and receive that Gift. If you have never taken this most important step, please let me tell you what you need to know…

Closing Verse: “The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

Next Week: Exodus 10:21-29 (The Plague of Darkness)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Plague of Locusts

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand
Over the land of Egypt for the locusts, in this be deft
That they may come upon Egypt the land
And eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left

So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt
And the Lord brought an east wind, on the land it was focused
All that day and all that night the wind whipped
When it was morning, the east wind brought the Locust

And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt that day
And rested on all the territory of Egypt; they were very severe
Previously there had been no such locusts as they
Nor shall there be such after them, in days distant or near

For they covered the face of the whole earth
So that the land was darkened; of light it was bereft
And they ate every herb of the land, bringing terrible dearth
And all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left

So there remained nothing green
On the trees or on the plants of the field
Throughout all the land of Egypt
The locusts continued, refusing to yield

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron hastily it’s true
And said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you

Now therefore, please forgive my sin, I’m such a clod
Only this once is my plea
And entreat the Lord your God
That He may take away this death only, from me

So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord
And the Lord responded to Moses’ entreated word

And the Lord turned a very strong west wind that day
Which took all of the locusts away

And blew them into the Red Sea
There remained not one locust in all of Egypt’s territory

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart
And he did not let the children of Israel go
Just as the Lord knew from the very start
A process which you and I very well know

It is our hearts which condemn us when we fail to heed
When we hear but ignore God’s precious word
But if we at some point acknowledge our great need
That is when we will finally bow to the Lord

And He is merciful and will freely forgive
When we call on Jesus, He will save our wayward soul
At that moment is when we truly do begin to live
And we are inscribed on heaven’s glorious scroll

Thanking You Jesus for your gracious saving hand
And opening to us wide the gates of Your heavenly land

Hallelujah and Amen….

 

 

Exodus 10:1-11
The Plague of Locusts, Part I

At the time of Pharaoh, he was the leader of the greatest nation on earth. He had complete control over the nation, something he had inherited from a previous Pharaoh who listened to a wise young Hebrew man concerning a devastating famine which was coming upon his land.

Since then, the Hebrew people had been a part of the population and their efforts had continued to make the nation great, having built store cities for it and having remained productive members of the society, even if they remained apart from them culturally.

However, the dynasty of this Pharaoh has become an enemy of the Hebrews instead of their ally. He has continually made decisions which have been harmful to them. In turn, he has only brought hardship on himself. Little by little, his power has been slipping away because of the devastations which the Lord has brought on him.

Today, we will see him continue down this stubborn path and eventually he will come to complete ruin. He has set himself against the Lord and against the Lord’s people, banging his head against an unyielding wall. It is the mark of a true dolt, but it isn’t uncommon in history and it is no different than what is happening in the world today.

Text Verse: “For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
^10 ‘He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.'” Deuteronomy 32:9, 10

Pharaoh is stubborn and each time he sets himself against the word of the Lord, he only hurts himself and his people more. If that doesn’t sound like a perfect parallel of our nation today, you probably aren’t paying attention.

How we treat the Lord, how we treat the Lord’s people, and how we respond to His judgments are all gauges of what the future holds for us. This is especially true with the leaders of a nation. They represent that nation and therefore that nation will collectively suffer because of the leader’s decision.

Is it too late for our own land? Only time will tell, but we’ve been warned several times in the past 15 years. How many more warnings do we need? And when the tribulation period comes, it will only be worse. Locusts are coming upon Egypt and they will be coming upon the world of the end times.

This is what the Bible proclaims and this then is exactly what has happened and what will happen. It’s as sure as His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Locusts to Cover the Face of the Earth (verses 1-6)

¹ Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart

Chapter 10 begins with the order for Moses to go in once again and confront Pharaoh. In this, He notes that “I have hardened his heart.” There are a few points of interest here. The first is that the “I” is emphatic. Everything thus far has been orchestrated to harden Pharaoh’s heart and so the Lord can be said to harden Pharaoh, even though it has been done passively.

And it’s certain that it is a passive rather than an active hardening because a different word was used than just one verse before. In the final two verses of chapter 9, after the plague of hail was complete, it said –

“And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.” Exodus 9:34, 35

The order of the words for “harden” in these three verses is kaved, khazaq, and then kaved again. Verse 34 said that Pharaoh is the one who sinned and hardened his heart and it used kaved. Then it said his heart was hard using khazaq. Now it says that the Lord has hardened his heart and kaved is used again.

This may sound unimportant, but it is foundational in understanding what is happening and why these events have come about. We cannot impute wrongdoing to the Lord. It is Pharaoh who sinned. However, He sinned because of his own stubborn heart which the Lord knew would harden through His promptings.

There is both a willful and intentional hardening of Pharaoh through arrogance and yet the behind-the-scenes hardening of the man by the Lord through the steadfast operation of His moral and just nature which increasingly dulls him as well. As this increases, the natural result is that more and greater punishment will be inflicted with each occurrence.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is a reflection of the state of man as he either yields to, or willingly hardens against, the prompting of God, be it through nature or through His word. If we can cling to this when things go bad, we can still proclaim with our lips, “Despite the trial, He is the Lord. I will be obedient and I will not withhold His praise from my lips.”

A close walk with the Lord and a good grounding in His word will keep us from all sorts of unnecessary trials, tribulations, and temptations as we face the troubles that are sure to come our way.

^{1 (con’t)} and the hearts of his servants,

I just read you verse 9:34. Let me read it again –

“And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.”

It noted the servants in that verse specifically. And now, because of their self-willed hardening, attention is again being brought on them in this first verse of chapter 10. In this case, the word is the same for both instances – kaved. The action of the servants in verse 34 is ascribed to them; the action here in verse 1 is ascribed to the Lord, but the same word is used.

The active actions of the Lord through the plagues have been used to harden the servants’ hearts. And it worked. They actively hardened against the Lord. But even though the plagues were an act of the Lord, they were a passive action in relation to the servants. It seems like hair-splitting, but it isn’t.

Time and time again these words are being introduced to teach us fundamental truths concerning our relationship to our Creator and our responses to His active hand in the world around us. And so, in order to get a clearer picture, let’s remove ourselves from the plagues on Egypt for a second and pretend that it is Florida which gets hit by a catastrophic tsunami.

A staunch believer in the Lord will understand that God is sovereign. He will know he isn’t immune from the catastrophes of nature. If he survives but his entire family is lost, he will naturally be filled with grief. But he will not impute wrongdoing to the Lord. Mournful questions may arise, but they will be from the soft heart of faith.

However, another affected person may have been a nominal Christian or someone who never really considered himself in relation to the Creator. He also loses his entire family and his heart becomes hard towards God, rebellious and angry – even defiant.

And let’s introduce one more person; we’ll call him Al. Al also loses his family, but he sees the destruction as a way that he can profit off of it. And so he willfully denies that there is any God at all through his actions. He begins a crusade to convince the world that the tsunami was the result of man-made global warming which caused the waters to get so hot that they hiccupped.

Each of these three has experienced the same calamity and yet each has responded differently to it. As the Lord is ultimately in control of all events, the catastrophe was allowed by the Lord, and yet the response to Him has had measurably different effects on those who were afflicted by it.

Back to Pharaoh and Egypt – the Lord now once again explains the reason for what He is doing…

^{1 (con’t)} that I may show these signs of Mine before him,

The Lord is sovereign. He has an end purpose for every action He takes, or for every event that He allows to proceed unimpeded. There is no wrongdoing which can be imputed to Him for these things. In the case of the plagues upon Egypt, it is so that He may show his signs before Pharaoh.

The word “signs” is owtot. A sign is given to show something else. They are miracles, but they also serve the purposes of revealing the glory of God, destroying the false objects of worship in Egypt, and showing pictures of future events in redemptive history. All of this and more is tied up in the signs of the Lord.

² and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

Even more than what we have already noted is found here in verse 2. The signs have been given for the benefit of future generations to hear, recall, and remember the work of the Lord so that they will know that He is, in fact, Yehovah – the existent One.

The word for “tell” here is saphar. It indicates to count, recount, or relate. The recounting of what occurred in Egypt became a standard among Israel and it has been recounted, year by year, at the Passover, for over 3500 years. The plagues are recounted in the Psalms as well; specifically Psalms 78 & 105, among others.

As Adam Clarke comments on this verse – “It was not to crush the poor worm, Pharaoh, that he wrought such mighty wonders, but to convince his enemies, to the end of the world, that no cunning or power can prevail against him; and to show his followers that whosoever trusted in him should never be confounded.”

The words “I have done” in this verse are based on the verb alal. It is the first of 19 times that it will be used in Scripture and its specific meaning is to “abuse.” This is why some versions more poignantly translate this as “dealt harshly” or “made a mockery” toward those in Egypt.

And this is the intent of the word “Egypt.” It isn’t speaking of the land, but the people in the land. This is evident from the plural pronoun “them” which is used. Further, the intended recipients of the knowledge which is being passed on concerning what occurs in Egypt are obscured in this translation.

It says, “…that you may know that I am the Lord.” This makes it sound like the Lord is speaking to Moses, but the pronoun in Hebrew is plural. All of Israel will see the events. The events will also be recorded by Moses who is the representative of all of Israel. And all of Israel of the future will receive the law through Moses. Thus Israel of all generations is who is being spoken to.

And because the full revelation of God’s word is included in the Christian Bible, the Lord is speaking directly to us as well. Any person, believer or not, who hears or reads the word is expected to assimilate what is said and to respond by acknowledging Him.

³ So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews:

This is now the 19th time that the term “Hebrew” has been used in Scripture. It is also the 6th time that the Lord has been identified with the term in relation to them being His people. And finally, it is the last time that the term “Hebrew” will be used until after the exodus of the people from Egypt.

The Lord has identified Himself with them and He is now speaking once again on their behalf for their release.

^3 (con’t) ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

In verse 9:27, there was a brief moment where Pharaoh had clarity of thought. There he proclaimed, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.” Now, just 11 verses later, he is being prepared for further chastening because of his refusal to truly submit and humble himself before the Lord.

Though hardening of Pharaoh has been the intent in the events so far, the ultimate intent of the plagues is to humble, not harden him. The word for “to humble yourself” is l’anot. It means to abase oneself or to submit to another.

Pharaoh has purposely refused to do this, thus the hardening is shown to be a purposeful response to the work of the Lord. If you wonder why someone you know refuses to call out to Jesus for salvation, the same truth applies to them as that which applies to Pharaoh here.

They have willingly refused His calling. So much for the perverse doctrine of “limited atonement” which is espoused by Calvinists! They say that Jesus only died for a certain group of people, the elect, and not for all people. That is false.

The only limit in atonement is what actually occurs among those who believe, not what is potentially offered to all people. Jesus Christ died for all, but not all have received His offer. As the Geneva Bible notes –

“The purpose of affliction is that we humble ourselves with true repentance under the hand of God.” Geneva

Pharaoh has thus far failed to humble himself before the afflictions upon his kingdom, and many obdurate souls walking around the world today have likewise failed to humble themselves before the splendid majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

Plague 8 is announced. Like plagues 3 and 4, insects are being used to meet the Lord’s purposes. Also, like plague 7, it is a direct attack against the Egyptian gods Nut, the sky goddess, and Osiris, god of crops and fertility. The gods will be shown false and the captors of Israel will be punished once again.

In addition to this, the coming plague is a precursor to the fifth trumpet judgment upon the earth in the end times. Here is what Revelation 9 says –

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. ² And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. ⁶ In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
⁷ The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. ⁸ They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. ¹¹ And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. Revelation 9:1-11

Locusts are noted throughout the Old Testament as well and they are especially highlighted in the book of Joel. Their Hebrew name is arbeh. But the root of that word is what gives substance to their name. It is ravah and means “multiply.”

Thus, the very name, “locust” implies astonishing numbers. In fact, in Joel 2:25, the Lord calls them “My great army.” They are chosen now as an instrument of destruction from the heavens. And there is a reason for this, which is because the previous plague of hail, which was also from the heavens, left some standing vegetation.

The locusts are ordered to come and take care of all that is left. They are a consuming army which literally destroys the earth as they march forward in their ranks. They are used metaphorically for the armies which come against Israel in Joel 2 because, like real armies, they destroy everything in their path. In Joel, the destruction is described poetically –

“A fire devours before them,
And behind them a flame burns;
The land is like the Garden of Eden before them,
And behind them a desolate wilderness;
Surely nothing shall escape them.” Joel 2:3

Anything alive and green at their coming is left completely consumed as they depart. This is how they operate and this is what is now promised to Pharaoh…

⁵ And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field.

Grace was given in the previous verse. In essence, if you will humble yourself and let my people go, no further harm will come upon you. Further grace was given by announcing that he had until the next day to comply. And grace is even given in the announcement of the type of plague that will come.

Knowing in advance what would afflict Egypt was not necessary, but as with each previous plagues, it is announced so that Pharaoh could consider and amend his ways. If he chose to not do so, the extent of the plague is minutely described. Thus it is one final note of grace before judgment comes.

The antithesis is therefore given. Release my people who have built your land, or I will send my destroyers to destroy your land. And here is what it will be like… “They shall cover the face of the earth.” The Hebrew here literally says, “the eye of the earth.”

It is a phrase used only three times in the Bible, once here and twice speaking of the immense number of Israelites who were preparing to enter the Promised Land. The plague of locusts would be so thick that the “eye” of the land would be darkened by them.

The term is explained by the next words, “no one will be able to see the earth.”  This is not an exaggeration either. Plagues of locusts have been noted many times in history with so many of them that they are literally 5 or 6 inches deep and they cover a distance of a thousand square miles or more.

Egypt would be so inundated that Pharaoh is told that every green thing left alive would be completely consumed by them. One writer, Stuart Poole, notes that –

“…locusts suddenly appear in the cultivated land, coming from the desert in a column of great length. They fly across the country, darkening the air with their compact ranks, which are undisturbed by the constant attacks of kites, crows, and vultures, and making a strange whizzing sound, like that of fire, or many distant wheels. Where they alight they devour every green thing, even stripping the trees of their leaves. Rewards are offered for their destruction; but no labour can seriously reduce their numbers” Stuart Poole

⁶ They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—

I read several eyewitness accounts of plagues of locusts and some of them were almost horrifying. They not only would get into houses, but they would be so thick that they would fly into the mouth of anyone taking a breath. It would be so dark out that even with candles or torches it would still be dark.

People wrote of the locusts being so hungry that they would eat leather and wood in the houses. Nothing is safe from their onslaught and no matter how many one killed, it wouldn’t be a tiny dent in those left behind. Joel 2:9 describes such a locust plague –

“They run to and fro in the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter at the windows like a thief.” Joel 2:9

^6 (con’t) which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

Locusts are not indigenous to Egypt, but they have been known to afflict them many times. As the wind blows, it brings them in from other areas. Pharaoh would probably have been familiar with a swarm of locusts, but now he is told more. The plague coming upon Egypt will be unlike any plague ever seen in the land.

From the time of the first man upon earth until the rising of the sun on the next day, there will have been nothing like it. Whatever Pharaoh imagined would be less than what would come about. The weight of the plague would be utterly immense. And with that final note, Moses stepped out of Pharaoh’s palace, leaving him to consider what he had been told.

You’re a stubborn one, Pharaoh, but you will yield
I will continue to come against you until you do
Next up is locusts to cover Egypt, including every field
And they will be so thick, they’ll come into your houses too

Nothing green will be left unless you humble your heart
And let My people go to serve Me
This advanced warning I do to you impart
But I’m sure that you haven’t yet begun to see

You’re a stubborn one, Pharaoh, but you will yield
Eventually, I know that you will let Israel go
My word has been spoken and it is sealed
What I have said will come about, even so

II. Let the Men Go! (verses 7 & 8)

⁷ Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us?

Verse 7 now initiates a new phase in the events of the plagues.  Up until now, nobody has been recorded as giving Pharaoh advice, but that now changes. In Exodus 8:19, the magicians acknowledged the plague of lice as “the finger of God.” In Exodus 9:20, it says that certain people “feared the word of the Lord” and acted upon it.

Now, Pharaoh’s own servants have accepted that the words of Moses are, in fact, true. They fully believe that what he says will come about. Thus, they have acknowledged the Power behind the words, Yehovah.

The question in Hebrew is different than it reads in English. It says ad matay yiyeh zeh lanu l’moqesh – “until when shall this be unto us a snare?” There is no noun for “man” here, and so it could be talking about Moses, it could be talking about the situation of the plagues, the reason for the plagues – which is keeping Israel, or the entire scenario as one giant catastrophe.

I would prefer the last option – it is referring to the whole sh’bang. This is the first of 27 times that the word moqesh or “snare” is used in the Bible. The word literally means a snare, such as for catching animals, but it is as often as not used figuratively to indicate something that will lead to destruction.

The next time it is used will be in Exodus 23 when describing the inhabitants of the Promised Land. There it says –

“For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. ³² You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. ³³ They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” Exodus 23:31-33

The snare at that time is referring to the inhabitants of the land, making a covenant with them and/or their gods, and serving their gods. This is exactly how Israel is now perceived to the Egyptians. Everything about them is a snare that will end in their destruction.

^{7  (con’t)} Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God.

From time to time, it needs to be repeated that the words “the Lord” mean literally, Yehovah. It is a pronoun indicating His name, not a title. The force of what the servants of Pharaoh say here is lost without understanding this. They actually say, “Let the men go, that they may serve Yehovah, their God.

They are acknowledging now that Yehovah is the God of the Hebrews and that He is to be served just as Pharaoh would serve his own gods. And so they make a recommendation, “Let the men go.” It does not say, “Let the people go.”

A different word is used here than in verse 11 for “man” and so some scholars try to say that the term “men” is inclusive of all of the people. However, there are 2006 uses of this word for “man” in the Old Testament and I went through most of them. Not one that I found was translated any other way than “man.”

The servants are merely asking for the men to leave to serve Yehovah. It then implies that they would be returning after their time of worship was complete. This is certain because otherwise, the rest of the account makes no true sense.

^{7  (con’t)} Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

The words are in the past tense, “Egypt is destroyed.” And yet it isn’t yet destroyed. There is then a sense of fear in the servants concerning the finality of the coming plague for their land and their fortunes. They are not so much guided by their love of Israel as they are by the horror that continued resistance will bring about.

⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?”

Obviously, the consultation had a partial effect on Pharaoh because Moses and Aaron were brought again into his presence with the grant that they may in fact go to serve Yehovah their God. But even before acceptance can be made, an implied qualification is added into the mix.

The Hebrew provides a wonderfully poetic translation into English. It says mi vami haholekem – “who and who will go with you?” The repetition is a way of asking for a complete description of who is intended to join in the trip into the wilderness.

The counselors had gone so far as to recommend the men leave and so Pharaoh asks his question implying that not everyone will actually be allowed to go. He knew from the plague of frogs that “the people” were to go, but he now wants the ambiguity of that statement removed and a firm answer of who is entailed in the term “the people.” And so Moses now tells him…

⁹ And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”

The designations given by Moses are all-encompassing. There is no more ambiguity in what is demanded. The first designation is “our young and our old.” These are males. The elders would be in superintendence over the affairs of the feast and the younger would be instructed in the method of the feast for the future.

The “sons and daughters” means that the entire household would be included – obviously if the children went, their mothers would be with them. The “flocks and the herds” meant that not an animal would be left because they were to be the offering to the Lord. Whatever was determined would be offered. To leave any behind would also mean they would be susceptible to theft. All would go.

The entire company of Israel was to participate without exception. But according to the ancient writer Herodotus, this was the custom of the Egyptians as well. The entire family was included in their six annual feasts. Because of this, Moses wasn’t asking for anything that was beyond what Egypt already understood.

It needs to be noted that in just a short time, Israel will observe the Passover. In the instructions for it, there was to be a lamb per household for the Passover meal. Considering that there are 603,550 fighting aged men who will depart, that would be an immense number of lambs.

And at the exodus, a large number of flocks and herds of the people are mentioned as they depart. Thus, there would have been millions of animals ready to head out of Egypt and from under his grasp. He will not be pleased with this thought.

I’m not keen on seeing Egypt ruined even more
And so I will now consider letting you go
You may leave to serve Yehovah, that’s for sure
But who and who will go with you, this I want to know

I’m a generous guy and I’m sure we can agree
You’ll get your request granted and off you’ll go
I hope it’s a grand time, a super festive par-ty
But who and who will go with you, this I need to know

Every one will go, this you must know, dear Pharaoh
The whole group of people known as Israel
And all of our flocks will go too, that is who and who will go, so you know
You have asked and now my words do tell

III. It Looks Like Tomorrow Will be a Bad Day for Egypt (verses 10 & 11)

¹⁰ Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go!

All of verse 10 is debatable in its intended meaning. This first portion is obscure. Some look at it as a curse, some look at is as a statement of mockery. Either way, because he has already credited Yehovah with the preceding plagues, he is now blaspheming Him.

The same God who has wrought all of this destruction is being challenged in His demand for service and who the participants of that service will be. His words now all but call out for the plague of locusts to come.

^{10 (con’t)} Beware, for evil is ahead of you.

This second half of the verse is also difficult to interpret. It says ki raah neged penekhem – “indeed evil is before your faces.” It is either a threat – “If you try to leave as you have demanded you will certainly find evil in the punishment you receive.” Or it is an indictment on their character – “I can tell that your heart is bent on evil because your face reflects it quite clearly.”

Either way, Albert Barnes sums up the thought quite nicely –

“Great as the possible infliction might be, Pharaoh held it to be a less evil than the loss of so large a population.” Albert Barnes

In other words, “If letting all of you go is the price of not being plagued, then bring on the plague, because you all aren’t going!”

¹¹ Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.”

His words drip with irony because he knows that Moses won’t flinch, and his mind is made up as well. The war of ego is all he can think about at this point. Instead, he tells them that the men can go, but he uses a different word for man. It is geber which implies an adult male. It comes from the verb gabar which means “mighty.”

It is being used by him as an antithesis to the word for “men” mentioned in verse 7. Further, he is inserting it into Moses’ mouth because this word has never been used during the entire dialog. Regardless of what he may have thought Moses meant, it is not what Moses meant.

Along with all of this, there is one more point of irony which is the words “go now.” He is falsely implying that the mighty men may go, but he actually means that these two heroes standing in front of him were to be excused as we see in the final portion of the verse…

*^{11 (con’t)} And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

This is an indignity that they had not yet suffered. The increasing anger and hardening of Pharaoh has become almost a torrent of rage. He is a troubled man who desperately wants to control the events around him and yet he has no power to do so.

And so he uses his anger to vent his frustrations and to subject his opponents to whatever disgrace is available to him. He had just told them that evil was before their faces, and now the final words say that they have been “driven from the face of Pharaoh.” With this act, He has sealed the fate of Egypt to yet another plague.

It is a hard, painful road he has chosen, but we too have made similar choices of our own. As a people we elect leaders who we intuitively know will bring us temporary relief and long term pain.

As individuals, we may choose a sinful divorce for momentary pleasure in place of staying married and enduring through times of difficulty, which will normally in the end with times of great joy and blessing.

As students we may cheat instead of putting forth the effort to study. As employees, we may find ways of hiding our laziness in order to make our day a little smoother. Whatever it is that is self-centered in our decision-making process, it is almost always the worst possible avenue to pursue.

Pharaoh hasn’t learned this and it has cost him. It will continue to cost him until his kingdom is ruined, his firstborn son is dead, and until he finally perishes beneath the waters of the Red Sea. Following the word of the Lord, being obedient to His commands, and honoring Him with our life and our actions is always the very best course for us to follow.

And there is no greater truth than that which says we must belong to Him in order to be able to please Him. And the only way that can come about is by calling out to Him for forgiveness of sin and reconciliation between the warring parties. If you have never called out to Jesus, please let me tell you what you need to know…

Closing Verse: A wicked man hardens his face,
But as for the upright, he establishes his way. Proverbs 21:29

Next Week: Exodus 10:12-20 (The Plague of Locusts, Part II)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Release or Locusts, Take Your Pick

Now the Lord said to Moses
“Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart
And the hearts of his servants
That I may before him these signs of Mine impart

And that you may tell in the hearing of your son
And your son’s son the mighty things I have in Egypt done

And My signs which I have done among them by My word
That you may know that I am the Lord.”

So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh
And said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews
‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?
Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the manner I choose

Or else, if you refuse to let My people go
Behold, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow

And they shall cover the earth’s face
So that no one will be able to see the earth
And they shall eat the residue of what is left in this place
Which remains to you from the hail, anything of worth

And they shall eat every tree which grows
Up for you out of the field, anything that shows

They shall fill your houses
The houses of all your servants, all looking for what’s green
And the houses of all the Egyptians
Which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen,

Since the day that they were on the earth to this day
And he turned and out from Pharaoh he went away

Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him
“How long shall this man be a snare to us?
Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God
Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed from all this fuss?

So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh
And he said to them, in a manner unknowing
“Go, serve the Lord your God, even so
Who are the ones that are going?”

And Moses said, “We will go
With our young and our old
With our sons and our daughters
With our flocks and our herds we will go, now you have been told

For we must hold a feast to the Lord
This is the command of His spoken word

Then he said to them as we now know
“The Lord had better be with you
When I let you and your little ones go!
Beware, for evil is ahead of you, it’s true

Not so! Go now, you who are men
And serve the Lord, for that is what you desired
And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence, there and then
These are the things which have transpired

Pharaoh is a tough nut to crack as we see
He is stubborn to the point of foolishness and ruin
But how often is the same true with you and me
When we let our emotions become our own undoin’

Let’s choose a better path and be obedient to the Lord
Let’s willingly follow Jesus in this life we live
Together let us follow the precepts laid out in His word
And all of our praise and worship, to Him let us give

May peace reign in our hearts, each of us
May our lives be suitable offerings to God
Every moment let us pursue the Lord Jesus
And find contentment on the hallowed path we trod

All our praise we offer to You. O Lord Jesus
You are our Rock, our Light, and the Guide for each of us

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Exodus 9:22-35
The Plague of Hail, Part II

Today we will finish the seventh plague which fell upon the land of Egypt. It is the first plague which explicitly mentions that men will die because of it, but it is also a plague which came with advanced warning so that the word of the Lord could be heeded.

At the time of the Babylonian invasion, Habakkuk asked the Lord to remember mercy in the midst of His wrath, and maybe he was thinking of how the Lord dealt with Egypt so many years earlier. As we think on these plagues, we have to remember that the Lord had purposed to multiply His wonders in Egypt before Pharaoh would relent and let Israel go.

Everything He has done has been orchestrated to meet this goal. But for what purpose is He doing this? Is it a perverse sense of vindictive joy that He is getting from this continual pummeling of land and people? The answer is, “No!” There is a specific goal which we have been seeing and will continue to see.

And not only is it a lesson from ancient times for us to remember, but it is a lesson for the future for those who don’t remember. The reason for the plagues is explicitly noted in Numbers 33 and it is our text verse for today…

Text Verse: “For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. Also on their gods the Lord had executed judgments.” Numbers 33:4

It was only about 860 years since the Flood of Noah and yet Egypt had completely forgotten the true God and had devolved into idol worship. They had gods for this and gods for that. They worshipped the created rather than the Creator. And so the Lord brought judgment upon those false gods.

The same has occurred time and again throughout history, including upon wayward Israel. When we turn from the Lord, He will execute judgment to correct the problem. It’s an especially important lesson for the world now. A time of tribulation will come upon it because we have rejected the greatest evidence of all, the life and work of Jesus Christ.

Soon enough, He will come for those who are His faithful and the world will be plunged into judgment. It will be on all of the false gods we worship – sex, perversion, money, technology, allah, krishna, buddha, fame, fortune, personal glory, global warming… the list goes on and on.

We’re given these stories of the past to show us what lies ahead. Let us pay heed to them and humble our hearts before the Lord who is revealed in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Destruction in Egypt; Safety in Goshen (verses 22-26)

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven,

In the previous verses, the Lord gave Pharaoh the exact time that he would accomplish the miracle of the plague of hail. In both the warning and the delay, He granted mercy on those who would choose to heed His word. Now that time had arrived and there would be no more delay.

This is very similar then to the terminology coming in the end times. In Revelation 10, we read this concerning the judgment which would ensue at the sounding of the seventh trumpet –

“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer…” Revelation 10:5, 6

Like this angel of the future, Moses of the past is told to stretch out his hand toward heaven. However, in the next verse, we will see that Moses stretches out his rod, meaning the rod of God, toward heaven. The hand here is being used as the principle cause, whereas the rod is used as the instrumental cause.

Thus there is no contradiction. Rather, it is an acknowledgment of the power of the Lord in the hand of Moses. And the action of stretching out toward heaven is fitting because this is where the plague will issue from.

In the first two plagues, Aaron stretched out the rod over the waters from where the blood and frogs came. In the third plague it was on the dust of the ground from whence the lice came. The action is suited to the plague which is precipitated by the action.

^{22 (cont’)} that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”

In verse 19 last week it said, “Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”

What was obvious, but which was unstated at that time was that the “herb of the field” would be struck as well. This is now added into what is said. The word translated as “herb” is esev. It means properly “grass.” From this, the idea of any fresh springy herbs or pasturage is implied.

Other plants are mentioned in the coming verses which will further describe the devastation which lies ahead. However, this word is being used to describe everything in a general sense. This word, esev, was first mentioned in Genesis 1:11.

After this, it was mentioned 5 more times in the early Genesis account, but it hasn’t been used again until now. The last time it was used was in Genesis 3:18 where it said

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19

For about 2500 years of history, nothing is mentioned concerning general plant life in this way, and yet now, the very plant life given to man after the fall will be involved in the plague upon Egypt. Therefore, we can see the Lord’s attack on three more of the false gods of Egypt in this one verse –

Nut, the sky goddess, will be shown as false; Osiris, the god of crops and fertility, will be shown as false; and Set, the god of storms, will be shown as false. It is the Lord who created, and it is the Lord who controls how these things are used, wielded, and destroyed.

Whereas the Egyptians worshipped the created, Yehovah now shows them that He is the Creator. We should note that He will do this in a marvelous way. Hail storms normally cover smaller areas, such as a mile in distance or so. This storm, however, would cover everything throughout the land of Egypt.

²³ And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven;

In compliance with the word of the Lord it is Moses again, like the previous plague of boils, who acts. He apparently has lost the timidity he once had and, instead of working through Aaron, has now assumed the responsibility for the actions himself.

^{23 (con’t)} and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground.

The word for “thunder” here is qolot – it literally means “voices.” When a person speaks, they use their voice, when a trumpet blows, that is its voice, and when a lion roars, the roar is his voice. In this verse, the voices are thunder, but the symbolism is clear. The voices are being used as a demonstration of the work of the Lord. This is beautifully represented in the 18th Psalm –

“The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.” Psalm 18:13

Along with the majestic display of voices came more terror. It says, va’tihalekh esh aretsah – literally, “and the fire walked upon the earth.” Scholars look as these words with several possible meanings. One is that it means ball lightening, a phenomena where lightening literally rolls upon the ground.

Although possible because a storm of this magnitude would be heavily charged with electricity, this is probably not the intent. The meaning is explained in Psalm 78 which I will quote in a couple verses. Another view is that it is lightening descending from heaven to the earth, thus “fire darted to the ground.” Adam Clarke seems to analyze it best when he says –

“It was not a sudden flash of lightning, but a devouring fire, walking through every part, destroying both animals and vegetables; and its progress was irresistible.” Adam Clarke

In other words, the “walking upon the ground” is the movement of the lightening along with the movement of the storm. It isn’t ball lightening rolling around on the ground, but rather lightening descending as if it were literally legs walking in the storm. The effect would have been extreme and extremely terrifying.

^{23 (con’t)} And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

There is an emphasis in these words by repeating the thought of the hail once again. It is noted that thunderstorms aren’t frequent in the lower and central parts of Egypt, but they do happen from time to time. If there is hail associated with them, it is normally not in any considerable amount.

The emphasis is given to show that this storm was unique, it was everywhere, and it was hugely destructive as we continue to see…

²⁴ So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail,

The words here, if translated directly, wouldn’t make sense to us. It literally reads, “There was hail, and in the midst of the hail a fire infolding itself.” (Pulpit) To understand this verse better, the same terminology is used in Ezekiel 1:4 when speaking of the whirlwind which accompanied the presence of the Lord. There is says –

“Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.” Ezekiel 1:4

What is probably being described in this storm over Egypt is an absolute chaos of lightening flashing everywhere and in all directions. It would have been an unqualified marvel to behold, especially considering its uniqueness….

^{24 (con’t)} so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

This implies a natural plague, even though its timing was predicted in advance, and despite it being greater than any other such occurrence which had ever come before. The Lord was working through the elements in a majestic way in order to demonstrate His surpassing greatness in comparison to the false gods of Egypt.

In regard to the plague, there “was none like it” ever. This then is being tied to the claim made in Exodus 9:14, which said –

“…at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.” Exodus 9:14

The Lord has sent a plague of hail like none other to show that there is none other like Him.

²⁵ And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.

It must be noted again that not every “every” in the Bible means every, and that not all “alls” mean all. There is a hyperbole being used here to show the immense magnitude of what occurred. We can know this with absolute assurance because of what it says in the next chapter –

“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” Exodus 10:12

The land was crushed in an extraordinary way by the plague of hail and therefore the superlative words “all” and “every” are used to highlight this. The devastation is described in Psalm 78 –

“He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
⁴⁸ He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery lightning.” Psalm 78:47, 48

²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

Even if the storm was natural, the supernatural elements of advanced notice, time, and locality are all highlighted. The storm was everywhere in Egypt with one exception, Goshen. This is the last time that this location will be used by name in the Bible. It means “drawing near” or “approaching.” Based on Pharaoh’s response to the horrendous plague, it is apparent that the name Goshen is being used specifically to show that the end of Israel’s time of bondage is truly approaching.

A noted distinction has been made from where the Israelites were and with the rest of Egypt. Even though Pharaoh will again change his mind, there is a marked difference in how he now responds to the events which have unfolded before his eyes and the understood distinction between Egypt and Israel.

Woe to the land whose king won’t heed the Lord
Who walks contrary to what is just and right
Woe to him who rejects His sacred word
And who harasses God’s people day and night

Upon him shall come terror – fire and hail
Upon him will come the wrath of the Almighty God
He and his subjects will morn and wail
For the destruction will be in every place they trod

But mercy is found in the Lord as well
When the leader of a nation will repent and turn
He will save himself from the clutches of hell
Where the terrifying eternal fire does burn

II. I Have Sinned This Time (verses 27-30)

²⁷ And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time.

In these words, there is attrition, but still not contrition. Pharaoh has had pressure steadily applied on him and his kingdom by the Lord and now he has reached a breaking point. Thus he acknowledges that he has been at fault with the words, “I have sinned.” This is the point of attrition.

But the repentance is only skin deep at this point and there is no true contrition, thus the words “this time.” He has been terrified by the majestic display, death has been involved, and extensive harm has come to his kingdom. But he can only go so far as to acknowledge limited guilt. The translators of the Geneva Bible state his condition well –

“The wicked confess their sins to their condemnation, but they cannot believe to obtain remission.” Geneva

^{27 (con’t)} The Lord is righteous,

In these words is finally found a direct answer to Pharaoh’s questions of Exodus 5 –

“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” Exodus 5:2

With his own mouth, he answers his own question – Yehovah ha’tsadiq, “Yehovah (is) the Righteous (One). The word contains a definite article, making it emphatic. And in contrast to this…

^{27 (con’t)} and my people and I are wicked.

v’ani v’ammi ha’reshaim – “and I and my people (are) the wicked ones. It is again emphatic. The words though cannot be separated from the previous verse which said, “Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.”
The plague was terrifying, but it is not only the plague that has convinced Pharaoh. It is the separation between Egypt and Goshen which has prompted his pronouncement. Yehovah is contrasted to Pharaoh, and the Israelites are contrasted to Pharaoh’s people.

Where he previously accused them of being idle and looking for excuses to get out of their work, he now acknowledges that their requests were valid and their words were true. This is the force and intent of the words he now utters. Israel is the people of the Lord and the Lord is righteous.

²⁸ Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough.

There is a lot to consider here. First, Pharaoh has now recognized the LORD as God. He now acknowledges that Moses is the Lord’s designated mediator by asking him to entreat the Lord. Secondly, Pharaoh implies that he is exceedingly fearful of the Lord because he places the thunder before the hail in his request.

The term is qolot elohim – literally “voices of God.” In other words, he has tied the Lord, the voices, and Deity into one thought. This is similar to the words found in Revelation 10 where the words “thunder” and “voice” are used to describe the same thing –

“He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. ⁴ Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.'” Revelation 10:3, 4

Pharaoh was so fearful of the raging thunder that he could only see it as comparable to the very voice of God. Only after recognizing this does he note the hail which was to be the main substance of the plague. But to Pharaoh, the place where the hail came from was also the place from whence the voices issued.

^{28 (con’t)} I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

The word is pronounced. The fear of God finally forced Pharaoh to state release without any conditions. The fact that he changes his mind later doesn’t negate the absolute fear that he now displays at the events which he has beheld. However, it does show a common trait among people. When things get better, we quickly forget the promises made when they were bad.

²⁹ So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.

It has to be noted that Moses was both called to, and left from, Pharaoh’s palace during the plague of hail. Pharaoh is the one who cowered inside and sent out for his relief rather than going out to Moses to beg for it. However, Moses came through the storm unharmed. As Matthew Henry notes –

“Peace with God makes men thunder-proof.” Henry

Moses not only goes out from the palace to end the plague, but all the way out of the city. Only then does he promise to spread out his hands to the Lord. This then shows his complete confidence in his own safety. It is an implied rebuke to Pharaoh. In essence, “You cower in your palace and yet I am safe throughout the land.”

And as a curiosity that shouldn’t be missed, he uses a different word here for “spread,” paras, than what was used to initiate the plague, which was natah, translated as “stretch.” This is the first time paras is used in the Bible.

To stretch out then is implying the initiation of the action under divine authority. However, the spreading out is an appeal or petition for it to end. Another point is that Moses says he will spread out his “palm,” not his “hand.”

In Scripture, this word paras is used with the word “palm” 13 times and with the word “hand” 5 times. How the verb is used always indicates whether the word “palm” or “hand” will be used, with one exception in the Bible. That is in Isaiah 1:15 –

“When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:15

In this verse in Isaiah, it says the people spread out their palms, but then it says that their hands are full of blood. What we can learn from this word, paras, when used in conjunction with prayer is that the unfolding of the hand for prayer is to be pure and that when we pray, our palms are to be open and undefiled.

In other words, the open hand before the Lord is metaphorically a symbol of earnestness, purity, honest petition, and submission. This is what Moses will now offer to the Lord, open palms of petition. This action will have two specific purposes.

The first is to petition for the ending of the plague as he has promised. This will reflect on the Lord because he is the Lord’s messenger. It also has the purpose of making Pharaoh realize “that the earth is the Lord’s.”

This pronouncement is in direct contrast to Egyptian belief where each of their gods cared for a particular thing, like the weather, the crops, the waters, the sun, and so on. Instead, Moses is showing that everything belongs to the Lord.

He is not “a” god, but “the” God. His power is one and it is universal. To demonstrate this, the plague came by Yehovah’s hand and it will end at His hand as well. However, there will still be a void in Pharaoh’s theology…

³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”

Pharaoh and his servants have the kind of fear that is noted in James. The demons are said to believe that there is one God and this makes them tremble, but there is no reverence for Him. Only when such fear is united with reverence and love can the true fear of the Lord be understood. This is still lacking in them.

To enhance what he means Moses uses the term Yehovah elohim. It is the same term used at the very beginning in the creation account. It is Yehovah elohim who created the heavens and the earth. As this is so, He alone is God and He alone is to be feared.

The Lord is the First, and the Last also is He
He is the Creator and there is no other god
When we acknowledge Him alone, pleased will He be
Let our hearts be pure and let our feet on the holy path trod

He was there when the pillars of the earth found their place
It was He who into Adam breathed the breath of life
And when Adam fell, He covered Him in an act of grace
Yes, with garments of skin He covered Adam and his wife

And He remains watchful over the sons of men
Those who fear Him, He will reward with tender care
Someday He promises He will come to us again
And take us to Himself; forever we shall be there

III. He Sinned Yet More (verses 31-35)

³¹ Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.

Interestingly, it notes the flax and then the barley and yet it then notes the characteristics of the barley and then the flax. There is a reversing of the order in the objects as they are described. This same pattern will be seen again in just a few verses.

This verse has certainly been provided for us to know not just the devastation of the plague, but to know the timing of it. First, in the devastation is that the crops of flax and barley were ruined. This tells us that the time is somewhere from the end of January to the beginning of March. Most likely it was during February.

Flax is grown in order to make linen garments. The people wore them, the priests had the purest of linen garments, and even the mummies were swathed in linen. To lose the annual crop of flax would be comparable to the south losing its entire crop of cotton.

The word for flax is pishtah. It is used only four times in the Bible, twice here and twice in Isaiah where it is also translated as “wick.” Pishtah comes from pishteh which means “linen.” In this you can see how the flax makes the linen which also is used as a wick.

Barley or seorah is the other crop which was destroyed. It was grown for the same purposes that it is still grown for today – as food for animals, as a part of the Egyptian beer making process, and also as a source of making lower quality bread.

There is also another reason why these crops are highlighted. It is to give us a look into a picture of the state of Egypt. Barley is known as the crop of hairy ears because of its hairy appearance. The root of this word is sear or “hair.” Hair in the Bible indicates an awareness of things.

The goat for example is used in Leviticus for the sin offering and it is known as sair. We have an awareness of sin in the hairy goat sin offering. In Numbers there is a type of person known as a Nazirite. This is someone who made a vow or was consecrated to the Lord.

During the time of the vow, they were not to cut the hair. Samson was a Nazirite from birth as were Samuel and John the Baptist. Paul may have taken a Nazirite vow in Acts. The hair on their head was a reminder of their state, just as the hairy goat reminds of sin.

The destruction of the barley then is being tied to Pharaoh’s awareness and acknowledgement of the sin he has committed and yet his soon-to-commit yet more sin. His awareness of sin is destroyed. The flax, which is used to make garments, represents the people’s nakedness in their sin before the Lord.

This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 3:18 where Jesus says for the people to “…buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

He has both stripped away their awareness and he has stripped away their ability to cover themselves. Finally, the word for “bud” concerning the flax is used only this once in the Bible. It is the word gibol which comes from the word gabia, or “cup.” Thus the term “bud” or “bloom” is understood from its shape like a cup.

³² But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.

The two unharmed grains are wheat and spelt. The KJV has “rye” instead of spelt. That is wrong. Rye is a grain that has never been grown in Egypt. The word for wheat, khittah, comes from khanat which means to make spicy or to embalm. Wheat is considered the finest and most valuable of the grains in the Bible.

Jesus used wheat to represent Himself in John 12:24. And it is also the wheat harvest which pictures the church age. The word kussemeth for “spelt” comes from kasam to trim. That word is used only twice in the Bible, both in Ezekiel speaking of the trimmed hair of the priests during the millennial reign.

The spelt is a crop very similar to wheat and closely resembles it. Finally, the word for “late” is aphil. This comes from a word indicating “dark” or “hidden” and so it can be conjectured that these crops had been planted, but not yet sprouted. In other words, they were hidden from the plague.

Because these crops are mentioned here and not again in the coming plagues, it is asking us to think on why they were mentioned. If I were to surmise they, like the two other grains, are given as pictures. The wheat and the spelt picture those in Revelation who are saved from the plagues by rapture or protection and enter into the millennium.

There are those who are a part of the first resurrection noted in Revelation 20:5. There are also those who survive through the tribulation. Of the first it is explicitly noted that –

“…they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:5

The four grains are specifically mentioned and there is a purpose for it. The pattern fits and it is in line with the other uses of these grains in the Bible. I do believe these pictures are why they are noted now here in the Exodus account.

³³ So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

Without fear of being pummeled by the hail, being zapped by the lightening, or catching a sniffle from the rain, which has not been mentioned until this point, Moses went out from Pharaoh and out from the city before spreading his hands to the Lord. But when he did, the land became calm once again.

The rain wasn’t mentioned before because it wasn’t a direct part of the event which was considered the plague. The hail, the noise, and the fire from the sky were the plague. The rain was only an associated part of what occurred.

But noting it now is an added proof of the first-hand nature of the eyewitness of the account. It is also the first time in the Bible that “rain” is mentioned in the noun form. Up to this point, it has only been used in the verb form.

³⁴ And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.

In the previous verse, it mentioned the thunder, the hail, and then the rain. Now it turns around and highlights what was said by noting the rain, the hail, and then the thunder. It is an often repeated pattern in the Bible where reverse repetition is used. In this, Pharaoh is mentioned smack dab in the middle of the series.

thunder/hail/rain – Pharaoh – rain/hail/thunder

Immediately following this, it says that he sinned yet more by hardening his heart. This is a theme which will run throughout the Bible. The Lord prevails in the challenge either directly or through His mediator, and yet there is no change in the foe.

Moses acted and heaven was opened and then it was shut. Elijah prayed and the heavens were shut and then they were open. And the Two Witnesses of Revelation will have the power to do the same. But time and again, like Pharaoh, there are those who reject what the Lord does and further harden their hearts to Him.

In fact, Clarke notes that the conjunctions used here “often signify a bare permission, from which it is plain that the words should have been read, God suffered the heart of Pharaoh to be hardened.” He has continued to passively work on this most obstinate fellow in order to meet his purposes.

And yet there is more than just hardening the heart which is mentioned. It says that this, in itself, is sin because the hardening leads to a refusal to fulfill what his mouth had spoken. In this, he not only lies to Moses, but to the Lord whom Moses represents. And the result of this is our final verse of the day…

*³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was greater this time because he was more moved by this plague than any before. The more movement to submit and allow the release of Israel required a greater swing in the pendulum to once again deny their release.

But because sin is involved in this decision, it cannot be that the Lord caused it. Anyone who ascribes these hardening actions of Pharaoh to the direct work of the Lord would then have to ascribe Pharaoh’s sin to the hand of the Lord as well. Rather, the Lord has prompted, the Lord has allowed, but Pharaoh is responsible.

What the Lord had said would happen at the beginning has come about exactly as He spoke. Pharaoh has seen the judgments and has likewise been granted the mercies which accompanied them. And yet, he has continued to stubbornly fight against what has happened. As Matthew Henry says about this –

“Those that are not bettered by judgments and mercies, commonly become worse.” Henry

And so it is with Pharaoh. The children of Israel will have to wait a little longer for their deliverance from Egypt. However, this to them is probably a vacation. With Egypt being destroyed by the plagues, they surely haven’t had time to worry about forcing greater burdens on the Israelites.

Instead, Israel has been safe and secure in the land of Goshen, waiting as the time draws near when they will see their release from the bondage of Egypt. Time and again so far, the false gods of Egypt have been shown for what they truly are. The Lord has magnified Himself and has brought Egypt to its knees.

But all of this could have been avoided. Rather than being forced to our knees, the Lord would ask us to willingly submit to Him. Either way, it will happen. The Bible tells us –

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Be wise and discerning, bow the knee willingly to the Lord who created you and who loves you enough to have sent his own Son to die for you that you might be reconciled to Him. Let me tell you what you need to know for this to happen…

Closing Verse: Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments. Psalm 119:137

Next Week: Exodus 10:1-11 (The Plague of Locusts, Part I)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Lord is Righteous

Then the Lord said to Moses
So we understand
“Stretch out toward heaven your hand
That there may be hail in all of Egypt the land

On man, on beast, and on every herb of the field
Throughout the land of Egypt in order to make Pharaoh yield

And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven
And the Lord sent thunder and hail and fire darted to the ground
And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt
It must have been a terrifying sight and a horrifying sound

So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail
So very heavy that there was none like it
In all the land of Egypt since it became a nation
This time you would think surely Pharaoh would submit

And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt
All that was in the field, both man and beast
And the hail struck every herb of the field
And broke every tree of the field, from the greatest to the least

Only in the land of Goshen, there was no travail
Where the children of Israel were, there was no hail

And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron
And said to them, “I have sinned this time
The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked
I now understand the scope of my crime

Entreat the Lord, that there may be
No more mighty thundering and hail in the land
For it is enough; I will let you go willingly
And you shall stay no longer, please understand

So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city
I will spread out my hands to the Lord
The thunder will cease, and there will no more hail be
Be assured of the truth of this word

That you may know that to the Lord belongs the earth
Everywhere where man may trod
But as for you and your servants
I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God

Now the flax and the barley were struck
For the barley was in the head and in bud was the flax
But the wheat and the spelt were not struck
For they are late crops, they were immune to the attacks

So Moses went out of the city
From Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord
Then the thunder and the hail ceased
And the rain was not poured on the earth, according to his word

And when Pharaoh saw that the rain
The hail, and the thunder had ceased
He sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart again
He and his servants; his sin only increased

So the heart of Pharaoh was hard
Neither would he let the children of Israel go
As the Lord had spoken by Moses
This is what transpired as we now know

The Lord has dealt fairly with Pharaoh
Whose heart was hard and obstinate
He would not let Israel go
And so the Lord brought plagues to make Pharaoh submit

And the Lord will deal in like manner with us
When we put up false gods there in our heart
Instead of acknowledging His Son, the Lord Jesus
Instead of putting away sin and making a new start

So let us call out to the Lord, each one of us
Softening our hearts to Him and bowing the knee
Let us acknowledge Christ, the Lord – who is Jesus!
Let our faith be so strong that the whole world can see

And yes, we praise You, O glorious Jesus
We praise You and to You alone we will give honor and glory
For it is You who have done such wondrous things for us
Thank You for the cross and the resurrection, Your gospel story

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 9:13-21
The Plague of Hail, Part I

From time to time, someone will bring up the old tale about the guy who was questioned by his pastor why he stopped coming to church. The guy’s response was that he didn’t see any point in it because by Monday he didn’t remember a thing about the sermon.

“Hey Brian, I missed church Sunday. What did the pastor speak about?” He’d think and couldn’t remember, so he knew it wasn’t really of any value to him. So, he stopped going. The pastor then asked, “Brian, what did you have for dinner last Tuesday night?”

Brian’s answer, “I have no idea. Why?” The pastor’s response, “You’ve been eating three meals a day for your entire life and you might remember a handful of them. But every one of them nourished you until the next. Without them, you would waste away, and yet you can’t remember them! Sometimes, remembering isn’t the point. Instead, it is the nourishment you get.”

I think about that from time to time, but I would like to go a bit further. In a meal, there are all kinds of things you might eat. Normally, we don’t eat just a bowl full of potatoes, or even a bowlful of different foods pureed together.

Instead, we generally have some meat, some vegetables, some bread, a good dessert, a nice drink that we like, and so on. And if there is something in the meal that we really like, we’ll savor each bite of it. Suppose you love asparagus… you will eat each stalk slowly and with delight.

And even more, the things that are really good for you are the things that your mom or wife will try to get you to eat… at least my wife and mom do! Those are the things that will make you strong, mentally competent, and so on. And yet, by Tuesday you probably won’t remember any of it.

The sermons at the superior word are not made only of potatoes. Nor are they a lot of food pureed together. Instead, they are made of the most delightful of food from the word of God because they are based solely on the word of God. Line by line, bite by bite, we consume each tasty morsel.

Do not be disappointed if you don’t remember what you ate here on Sunday morning when you get to Monday afternoon. What you are consuming is my special meal, prepared for you with ingredients provided by the Lord in the honest hope and intent of having you grow to be healthy, wise, and competent in your faith, in your Bible knowledge, and in your relationship with Christ.

If the details seem overwhelming, they aren’t. The meal is prepared, it is just the right portion, and the table is set. And so pay attention because this Tuesday I will be calling to see if you remember any of it…

Text Verse: “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth
More than my necessary food.” Job 23:12

Job said that he treasured the words of the Lord more than his necessary food. Do you feel this way? Can you honestly say that your time in church is spent to feed your hungry soul? If so, I rejoice in you with my deepest heart. And if I do, how much the Lord who gave us this wondrous, superior word!

Let us rejoice in it now and all the days of our lives. May it be so! And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. That My Name May be Declared in All the Earth (verses 13-17)

We are about to enter into the details of the seventh plague to come on Pharaoh and Egypt. The sixth plague came and went with no recorded effect on Pharaoh at all, except the continued hardening of his heart. There was no petition for the plague to end and there was no hint of any release as during some of the other plagues.

The suffering of his subjects, even up to the magicians who stood before him, had no effect on him. And so now the seventh plague will be added to what has already come about. However, there are differences in this plague than the others so far.

This one is introduced with an exceptionally long and fearful warning which is directed specifically at the heart of Pharaoh. Because his heart had been so hardened in the past, it would be directly attacked in this manner.

There is the claim that Pharaoh will realize the uniqueness of Yehovah. There is a note that up to this point that the Lord had withheld His power and actually shown mercy rather than coming at him with all the weight and force that He could have.

But there is also an explanation from the Lord as to why He had followed this path, which is that He may show His power through the plagues in order that His name would be declared in all the earth. Pharaoh is being told explicitly now of the reason why things had happened, and yet it will still not change him.

He will have to suffer through the final plagues before it does. This shows an immense dullness and obstinacy in the man. Think of when one person pushes another around simply to get them angry. Everyone around him can tell him, “He’s doing this just to get you riled up. Don’t let him do it.”

And yet, the instigator prevails because he understands the weak spot of the individual. That is something akin to what Pharaoh is going through. Even with advanced notice, he still follows the very path which he has been told about.

This seventh plague will be the first which actually brings destruction on human life. Unlike the others which merely afflicted them, this is one which is life-threatening and life-consuming. This plague will also be far more destructive because it will not only come against livestock, but against crops as well.

It will literally be able to ravage the country in a much greater way. Further, it will be a plague which has more than one means of destruction. It will have a combined arsenal of weapons united for greater effect. Additionally, though it is explained in advance like the other plagues, it will be a plague which can be avoided.

Thus it is a text of belief in the word of the Lord as much as anything else. Those who hear and comply with the warning will be safe from its consequences. Those who either don’t hear or fail to comply will not be safe. Several of the false gods of Egypt will come under attack during this plague.

The first will be Nut, the sky goddess. The next will be Osiris, the god of crops and fertility. And the third will be Set, the god of storms. The Lord, Yehovah, is teaching the Egyptians and He is teaching Israel. He is more powerful than these gods because He is the One, only, and true God. Let us pay heed to this truth as well.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh,

Before the beginning of the plagues, we looked at the patterns which run through them. One of them was that there were three groupings of them. This is now the third and final group. Each of the three groups, as this one does, begins with the command to Moses to rise early in the morning to meet Pharaoh.

However, there is a difference in this one. In both the first plague and the fourth plague, not only was Moses told to rise early to go meet Pharaoh, but he was told to do so as he went out to the water. For example, here is how it reads at the beginning of the fourth plague –

“And the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.'” Exodus 8:20

In this seventh plague, the portion about going out to the water has been left off. In this meeting there is a sense of more urgency and the demand seems more of a fearful threat than a petition for reasonable understanding.

It is also true that Plagues 1 and 4 were announced by the Nile because they dealt with Nile’s waters. However, the location at the announcement of plague 7 isn’t given because it comes from heaven. Thus it will cover all locations.

^{13 (con’t)} and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews:

This is the 18th time the term “Hebrew” has been used in the Bible and 12th in Exodus. We are again reminded that Yehovah is in fact the God of the Hebrew people. Five times in Exodus, the term “God of the Hebrews” has been used and this is the 4th time that the entire title Yehovah elohe ha’ivrim or “Yehovah, God of the Hebrews” has been used.

Considering that the term “Hebrew” is only used 38 times in the Old Testament and only about 50 total in the Bible, it’s important to remember how often it is used in Exodus. God has called out this people for Himself and has identified Himself with them.

This foundational principle is necessary to remember because He shows the same care for them in the book of Revelation which precedes the millennial reign of Christ where He will reign among them after bringing them out of the control of the world once again. When the church age is over, Israel will be the focus.

Those Gentiles, who see this and receive it, aligning with them, will fall under His care. Those who don’t will face a different end.

^{13 (con’t)} “Let My people go, that they may serve Me,

This is the exact same wording that has been used on several occasions already. Pharaoh has His people in servitude and the Lord demands that they now be released to serve Him. They are not Pharaoh’s and therefore the demand is valid. If it is favorably responded to, all will go well. If it is not, there will be consequences…

¹⁴ for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart,

This is an emphatic announcement. The previous six plagues were brought against an already stubborn man with an already hard heart. The first five of them only made Pharaoh harden his heart by voluntary action. The sixth initiated a penal hardening of his heart by the Lord.

However, this one is intended to work on his heart in a new way. It is to begin to alert him to the power of the Lord and the immense consequences of continued obstinacy. In other words, even if his heart continues to harden, it is intended to ultimately bring it to the breaking point where he will voluntarily release the Hebrews.

Whereas several of the previous plagues only afflicted the external part of the man, these next three are intended to afflict his very heart. The words “at this time” are certainly speaking of all of the coming plagues. They would arrive in rapid succession as if blows in a boxing match.

In this verse, the term for “plagues” is unique to the book of Exodus. It is the noun form of the verb which is more commonly used. The word is maggephah and it indicates pestilence which leads to a slaughter, like a striking blow. Human death is associated with it.

It is the same word that is used three times in Zechariah 14, a passage which is speaking of the end times during the tribulation period of which the plagues on Egypt picture. Those three times read as follows –

“And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” Zechariah 14:12

&

“Such also shall be the plague
On the horse and the mule,
On the camel and the donkey,
And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.
So shall this plague be.” Zechariah 14:15

So great will the coming plagues upon Pharaoh be that he will eventually have to admit defeat and let the people of Israel go. As John Calvin says about this verse –

“It announces that they will be plagues that will not only strike the head and arms, but penetrate the very heart, and inflict a mortal wound” (Calvin).

^{14 (con’t)} and on your servants

Like previously, the plague will come upon the servants of Pharaoh. Because he fails to allow the Hebrews to serve the Lord, his own servants will suffer from the hand of the Lord.

^{14 (con’t)} and on your people,

In the previous verse, the Lord said, “Let my people go.” If he fails to release the Lord’s people, his own people will suffer. If he complies, his people will be safe. And the reason for this is made explicitly clear…

^{14 (con’t)} that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

The Lord is God and beside Him there is no god. He is unique and He is sovereign. This 14th verse of Exodus 9 is tied directly to the opening statement and the first two of the Ten Commandments given in chapter 20. Here are those words –

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
³ “You shall have no other gods before Me.
⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” Exodus 20:2-4

And this prohibition in the Second Commandment is explained in detail in Deuteronomy 4 –

“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, ¹⁶ lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, ¹⁷ the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, ¹⁸ the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. ¹⁹ And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. ²⁰ But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.” Deuteronomy 4:15-20

The lesson of verse 14 is a lesson we are to never forget. We are to learn and remember that there is no god like the Lord because there is no god, but the Lord.

¹⁵ Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

This is actually a very difficult verse in the Hebrew. It is in the past tense, as noted by the NKJV, but their wording still is lacking in the force of the Hebrew. The KJV completely botched the translation, putting it in the future tense which sets up a contradiction with the account. They translate it as –

“For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.”

Young’s Literal Translation says it as it is written in the Hebrew –

“…for now I have put forth My hand, and I smite thee, and thy people, with pestilence, and thou art hidden from the earth.”

The words are past tense and yet they show the entire scope of what the Lord is capable of doing, what He has done, and what He will do. It is an announcement of the whole process; beginning to end. He will strike Pharaoh, He will strike Pharaoh’s people, and pestilence will be a part of it, but not the whole of it. And the whole process will include their being cut off from the earth.

He could have already done this, but thus far it had not fully come to pass. And the reason for this is given in the next verse…

¹⁶ But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up,

The word translated as “I have raised you up” is a single word based on the verb amad – “to stand” or in essence “to keep alive.” The Lord kept Pharaoh standing through this entire process thus far instead of striking him down for a reason.

This is set in contrast, for example, with the magicians who in verse 11 were described as not being able stand before Moses. There the same word, amad, was used. Where they could no longer stand, Pharaoh could because the Lord caused him to stand. There is purpose and intent in this which is explained as we continue…

^{16 (con’t)} that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.

This entire 16th verse is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:17 to reveal and demonstrate the absolute sovereignty of God. There he uses a different word for “raise up” than the Greek translation of the Old Testament. After citing this, he continues with the words, “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.” (Romans 9:18)

Paul’s choice of wording is used to demonstrate to the Jews of his time that their national rights and privileges under the Lord were not inalienable. God was neither unjust nor arbitrary in His rejection of them. Rather, He is sovereign in His dealings with man, even man who bears His name, even Israel.

What God wills is what will happen, and at times He even explains the purposes for it, but He owes us no explanation at all. He is God and we are man. Pharaoh has been given an explanation for the events which have come to pass, and others which will transpire. Israel has likewise been given an explanation for their rejection.

What is most notable is that despite being told the reason, both Pharaoh and Israel continued to act exactly as the Lord intended. There is no outwitting God, even with all of His cards laid out on the table. Likewise, the antichrist who is coming already has the details of what will happen and how it will happen, and yet, it will still happen.

There is nothing he can do to change it, even if he tried. His attempts to subvert the Bible would only turn out to be a portion of the fulfillment of it. Pharaoh of the past, Israel of today, and the antichrist of the future were marked for ruin. Unlike Pharaoh and the antichrist, Israel’s ruin will end and they will again be exalted. Such is the nature of the sovereignty of God.

¹⁷ As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.

Owdkha misto-el b’ammi – “As yet you exalt yourself against my people.” The word “exalt” is salal. It means to “cast up” or “lift up” as a dam or a rampart. It is connected to the word meaning “highway,” which carries the same connotation. A highway is built up higher than the surrounding terrain.

There is, in the Bible, a contrast between the correct highway and the incorrect one. Like Pharaoh here, in the book of Jeremiah, and to their detriment, the people of Israel had left the proper one –

“Because My people have forgotten Me,
They have burned incense to worthless idols.
And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways,
From the ancient paths,
To walk in pathways and not on a highway.” Jeremiah 18:15

But Isaiah foresaw a time when they would take the correct one once again –

“Go through,
Go through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people;
Build up,
Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
Lift up a banner for the peoples!” Isaiah 62:10

It might seem like a roundabout way of explaining Pharaoh’s actions, but his exalting himself is simply a pattern which is followed by others, be they Israel, or be they one of us. But whether it is casting up a rampart against the Lord’s people or even the Lord Himself, sometimes we just keep doing what makes no sense.

In this verse, the words are a statement, not a question, but in them may be a sense of incredulity. “Aren’t you tired of this yet? Aren’t you tired of heaping up a rampart which only hinders you, not Me? Stop opposing Me, stop exalting yourself, and let My people go!”

A point we can see from this verse, and which is plainly evident, is that if Pharaoh had already yielded to the word of the Lord, the plagues would have ended. If he were to yield to them now, there would be no further destruction. In other words, we cannot read into this that God created Pharaoh for destruction.

Rather, Pharaoh’s free will has acted against the Lord and his free will has brought him calamity. And it will continue to bring it on him until he is destroyed. God’s pre-knowledge of Pharaoh’s decisions does not mean that Pharaoh didn’t make them. He did and the consequences for them belong to him as well.

You’re a terribly stubborn soul there Pharaoh
Aren’t you ready yet to yield to Me?
You’re obstinate right down to your bone’s marrow
This will end badly for you, but you just can’t see

Your water has turned to blood
And zillions of frogs haven’t made you wise
You’ve seen the land filled with lice
And everything around you was corrupted with flies

Your livestock has died from pestilence
And your bodies have been covered with festering boils
Your hard heart just makes no sense
Now it’s time for you to end My people’s toils

II. Advanced Warning (verses 18, 19)

¹⁸ Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.

In past plagues, the day of the plague has been announced, “tomorrow.” However, with this plague, even the timing of the day is given. This is meant to demonstrate that Yehovah is the Lord of every aspect of what will occur, even of time itself.

Every element of the plague is under His control, the region of the plague is within His control, and the very timing of it is as well. The Lord is demonstrating absolute sovereignty over all aspects of creation. Further, the wording in the Hebrew of this verse is given as a confirmation of His words in verse 14.

There He said, ba’abur teda ki en kamoni – “that you may know (there is) none like Me.” In this verse He says, asher lo hayah kamohu – “such as not has been like.” There is none like Yehovah and none can do like Yehovah. What He does is beyond the ability of any other because it comes from the One who is, and there is no other.

What the Egyptians would experience on the morrow would be unlike any other such event in the entire history of the nation. The stories from years past of great storms or unique weather events would pale in comparison to what lies ahead, just a few hours hence. The event is referred to in both Psalm 78 and Psalm 105.

In fact, barad, or “hail” is mentioned only 29 times in the Old Testament and 20 of them are either in Exodus or are referring to the account in exodus. But despite the unique nature of the coming plague upon Egypt, there are other plagues of hail recorded in the Bible.

One notable one is found in Joshua. In a battle where the enemy was defeated and had gone into full retreat, the Lord handled those who fled –

“And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.” Joshua 10:11

And two more such displays are promised to come during the tribulation period. One is seen in the first trumpet judgment –

“The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” Revelation 8:7

And the other is seen in the final bowl judgment –

“And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” Revelation 16:21

Egypt will receive a good resounding pounding during their plague, but unlike the coming tribulation period, at least the Lord granted them terms of mercy. He gave them the time of the plague, the nature of the plague, and what to do about it. It is to be a test of individual trust concerning the word of the Lord…

¹⁹ Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”’”

It is noted that in Egypt the livestock was left in the open country from about January to April. This was the time when the grass was most abundant. At other times, the Nile would overflow its banks and the livestock would be brought into shelters in the villages.

Now with the Nile having been dammed, this is no longer a problem, but the timing of this event is believed to be around February because of the wording concerning the flocks. This then aligns with the coming final plague being at the time of the Passover.

It is during this early part of the year that the announcement is made and the warning is given. Those who pay heed will be saved, those who don’t will die. It is the first time that the loss of human life is explicitly mentioned as a result of a coming plague.

The Lord has raised the stakes and yet has granted mercy at the same time through the warning. It is an exacting parallel to what is coming in the tribulation period. God has given a warning, in advance, for those who must suffer through that time.

Chapter 13 of Revelation says that in order to function in the coming post-rapture society one will need to take the mark of the beast –

“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17

However, chapter 14 shows what the consequences of taking the mark will be –

“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9-11

A warning has been given to those who dwell in Egypt, Pharaoh’s domain, and a warning has been given to the world of the tribulation period, the domain of the antichrist. The question is, “Who will pay heed?”

In Your wrath, remember mercy O God
Remember that we are but flesh and wither as grass
Short is the time that on this earth we trod
And O, how quickly away do our days pass

Who could stand if You were to fairly judge our sin
Who could say, “Yes, I here today am free of guilt.”
No, our lives testify that we are done in
And with our deeds only condemnation we have built

But You, O God are rich in mercy to us
You have cut through the bars of iron and chains of brass
You have sent Your Son, Your beloved Jesus
For fallen man, this marvel has come to pass

III. Who Will Pay Heed? (verses 20 & 21)

We just noted at the end of section 2 the thought that a warning was given to those who dwell in Egypt, Pharaoh’s domain, and a warning has been given to the world of the tribulation period, the domain of the antichrist. The pertinent question in both of these circumstances is, “Who will pay heed?” And the answer is…

²⁰ He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.

Of those Egyptians who realized that Yehovah is worthy of fear, there was a display of wisdom. As the proverb says –

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

These servants of Pharaoh began to display wisdom because they began to fear the Lord. They paid heed to His words and they readied themselves for what they were certain was coming. Those in the tribulation period, those who missed the call of the Lord and the catching away, will have to decide what they will do.

Will they ignore the word, take the mark, and be lost, or will they take the narrow path? Only time will tell who is who, but the book of Revelation does say that there will be a great multitude that will finally learn to fear the word of the Lord and to pay heed.

Here are the words of their notable deeds of faith which will be rewarded with life –

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4

It should be noted that in this verse, it never mentions Pharaoh’s people as it did in the previous verses. It says “the servants of Pharaoh” and then their servants after them. If I were to look for a reason why, it is because Pharaoh is a picture of the antichrist.

Everyone who enters the tribulation will be, by default, servants of the devil and thus servants of his representative, the antichrist. This then is a picture of those who realized that the Lord is the Lord, and they have eventually acknowledged that fact.

They may be the crummy preachers who never believed the Bible, which the world is full of at this time. Now, they are the devil’s servants and do his bidding. Not only that, they are also leading their flocks down that same crummy path to destruction.

However, when they realize their error after the rapture, they will finally learn to protect their own servants and the flocks under them. This then gives a reasonable explanation for the great multitude that will refuse the mark of the beast.

A simple word like “servant” give us clues to pay attention to in order to see the pictures of what lies ahead when the world heads into the great calamities it is destined to endure.

*²¹ But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

Of course, there are those who had already endured six plagues and yet still refused to acknowledge the word of the Lord. They did not regard the word and they left their flocks out for destruction. Solomon beautifully describes this type of reprobate in the Proverbs as well, and he gives a contrast to him also –

“He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
³³ The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.” Proverbs 10:32, 33

In order to be honored, one must show humility. Bowing to the Lord as the greater is a sign of humility. Fearing the word of the Lord and His instruction is also a sign of humility. When one fears the word, they will heed the word and carefully apply it to life.

Some will take this path and they will be saved, but there will be an immense number that will put their temporary desires for life and food above any eternal reward they could be granted. They will care nothing for their flocks and they will leave them for destruction. As Matthew Henry says about such folks –

“Obstinate unbelief is deaf to the fairest warnings and the wisest counsels, which leaves the blood of those that perish upon their own heads.” Henry

Only time will tell which are which. At the rapture, everyone left behind will be in the same position. However, the Lord is merciful and He will grant life to those who put Him above all else. Great is our God who grants us the freedom to accept Him or reject Him.

These stories have been recorded to show us what really happened in the past and to show us the story of redemptive history as it has slowly unfolded. In individual bites, they give us glimpses of what the Lord disdains and of the things He rejoices in.

In the larger picture, we see the whole scope of what God has done, is doing, and what He will do all the way through until the end of time. Many generations have come and gone and the vast majority of people have not had the enormous blessings that we have today.

We have the whole record of God’s word, we have churches everywhere, and Christian TV and radio in abundance. And yet, it may be that we have still not made peace with God. If the people of the past were swept away for not heeding the word of the Lord, how much more do we deserve it!

But the Lord is there, calling out to us and waiting on us to act. Time is fleeting though, and all things must come to an end. Before that day comes for you, and it very well may be today, I would hope and pray that you would make your peace and get right with God. The way to do that is through Jesus. So please let me tell you what you need to know…

Closing Verse: “He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” Proverbs 16:20

Next Week: Exodus 9:22-35 (The Plague of Hail, Part II) (27th Exodus Sermon)

Wasn’t that a nice closing verse! He who heeds the word wisely will find good. And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. What a Rock of refuge in a most unstable world! What a fixed and firm anchor in a sea of turmoil and chaos! Thank God for Jesus Christ who has bound us to Him for eternity! And thank God for the Bible which lights our path and gives us joy and comfort every time we pick it up and read it! What a great God!

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Raining Down from Above

Then the Lord said to Moses as we know
“Rise early in the morning
And stand before Pharaoh
And say to him this as a warning

“Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews, plainly
“Let My people go, that they may serve Me

For at this time I will send all My plagues, even so
To your very heart, and on your servants too
And on your people, that you may know
That there is none like Me in all the earth, so I warn you

Now if I had stretched out My hand
And struck you and your people with pestilence
Then you would have been cut off from the land
A just and right display of my magnificence

But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up
In withholding from you destruction or dearth
That I may show My power in you, as I pour My cup
And that My name may be declared in all the earth

As yet you exalt yourself, yes even so
Against My people in that you will not let them go

Behold, tomorrow about this time
I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, and how!
Such as has not been in Egypt with its clime
Since its founding until now

Therefore send now and gather your livestock
And all that you have in the field
For the hail shall come down on every man
Any who to My word will not yield

And every animal which in the field is found
And is not brought home, shall die on that piece of ground

He who feared the word of the Lord, we will see
There, among Pharaoh’s servants
Made his servants and his livestock flee
To the houses, showing wise observance

But he who did not regard the word of the Lord
Left his servants and his livestock in the field
Shunning that kind and merciful word
Their hearts to Him they did not yield

How many times, I would like to know
Does the Lord have to prove His word is true?
What more could you ask, some great heavenly show?
Is it this that which is required by you?

His word is splendid, holy and pure
It is filled with proofs if you will but open your eyes
It is faithful, reliable, and sure
And it is sufficient to make you wise

Rain down, you heavens from above
And let the skies pour down righteousness
O God, Thou who art abundant in love
It is You alone our souls shall bless

Help us to receive and apply to our lives Your superior word
As we wait on the return of Jesus, our precious Lord

And then in that day, O great, glorious, and awesome God
In Your magnificent presence we shall trod

Hallelujah and Amen…