Exodus 7 – Encounters with Pharaoh Begin
Vs. 8-13. This describes the first encounter between Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh. Repeating an experience Moses had on the mountain at Sinai, God transforms Aaron’s staff into a snake in the presence of Pharaoh. There may be a few reasons that God began with this miracle. First, since Moses had already seen this happen, he would have increased confidence in God repeating the miracle. Second, while the act is certainly for us miraculous, it turns out to be something the magicians of Pharaoh’s court could replicate, thus leaving Pharaoh unmoved. And unlike the plagues yet to come, this miracle did no harm to the people or the economy of Egypt
Vs. 14-25. The first real plague brought upon Egypt affected a critical life-source: the Nile River. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this river to Egypt’s existence. People depended on it both for drinking water and for the fish that could be harvested from it (v. 18). The extent of the plague reached further than the river itself. The outstretched staff of Aaron would bring foulness to the “rivers” of Egypt (possibly forks and canals stemming from the Nile), as well as to waters in storage vessels (v. 19). The impact would be felt broadly.
Again we find that the “magicians” through their “secret arts” were able to replicate the act. This may be a good place to comment on what seems surprising to the modern reader. How are ancient magicians able to replicate what is clearly an act of God? First we should admit that we do not have video footage of these events, and therefore do now know the degree to which these acts were truly replicated. People have learned many interesting tricks that would appear to be manipulations of the natural world. It is not a stretch to consider that people had contrived a way of making water appear to be red. Add to this that Pharaoh likely didn’t need much to harden his heart. The “trick” would not need to have been elaborate or widespread.
There is a spiritual reality to this as well. Scripture makes it plain that God is not the only spiritual force at work in the world (see Ephesians 6:12 for example). The apostle Paul says (2 Corinthians 11:14) that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. This reminds us that one of Satan’s fundamental strategies is replication. Satan is not omnipotent as God is. He cannot produce the same works as God, but his deception can be in forms that appear to replicate God’s works. As such, it is entirely possible that the dark spiritual forces of the world were working—according to God’s sovereign permission—to enable the work of Egypt’s magicians.
We are not told how Egypt’s magicians were able to do what they did. However, knowing the way the plagues would progress in intensity and severity, it is not surprising that God started the process with things that Pharaoh’s court could mimic (staffs and serpents, blood water). This would serve to keep Pharaoh’s heart hard. Even further, we are told that the people of Egypt were able to accommodate by digging for water to drink (v. 24). Another piece of information we are not given is how long God allowed the water to remain foul. The only detail is that seven days passed after the water was struck (v. 25).
Exodus 8 – Plagues of Frogs, Gnats, Flies
The next plague brought upon Egypt was an invasion of frogs. God’s message to Pharaoh was that the frogs would “go up into your house…into your bed…into your ovens and kneading bowls” (v. 3). It would be true for Pharaoh and for all the people of the land. As God spoke, Moses instructed and Aaron obeyed, bringing the frogs upon the land. Once again the magicians of the land are able to replicate the act—at least to the satisfaction of Pharaoh.
This time there appeared to be an issue, and Pharaoh turned to Moses and Aaron to resolve it. Pharaoh, understandably, wants to get rid of the frogs. Therefore he entreats Moses and Aaron to petition the Lord to remove the frogs. If God will consent, Pharaoh indicates his willingness to release the Israelites. Wisely, Moses invites Pharaoh to dictate the timing of the frog removal (v. 9), intending to confirm for Pharaoh that it is the Lord’s doing. Moses thus made the request to God, which God granted. The frogs died and were gathered into piles, undoubtedly causing a stench in the land.
Verse 15 describes something that has played out countless times throughout human history. The language tells it all: “When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart….” How many times have people in our own time, perhaps including ourselves, made promises to God hoping for a way of escape from a difficult situation. How many times have we reneged on those promises once “we saw that there was relief?” Our condescension toward Pharaoh might need to be put on pause, as he is acting very much in a normal fashion for human beings.
Vs. 16-19. The next plague, a plague of gnats, is given brief attention. The important detail with this plague is that the magicians of Egypt were unable to contrive a replication. In fact, the magicians even confessed that the act was “the finger of God” (v. 19). The pressure on Pharaoh was slowly ratcheting up, as he no longer had the reassurance of being able to “match” the acts of Moses and Aaron. Even so, as God had predicted, Pharaoh remained unwilling to release the Israelites.
Vs. 20-24. Another plague brought another new detail. The plague of gnats would be followed by a plague of flies upon the land. In the same fashion as the frogs and the gnats, the flies would permeate homes and all other places. What was different in this case was that God was going to differentiate between the Egyptians and the Israelites. God said He would “set apart the land of Goshen” (v. 22) and not bring flies upon the people in that part of the land. And as the verse also says, the people living in that part of the land were the Israelites. Of course, there was a purpose for this: “…in order that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land.” Declaring this beforehand would make it clear to Pharaoh that the plague was not just a random act of nature, but a direct intervention by Israel’s God.
Vs. 25-32. Here we have the second instance of Pharaoh’s concession. The problem is that Pharaoh tries to work a compromise. Rather than releasing the people to go into the wilderness, he preferred that they stay within the land to make their sacrifice (v. 25). This, however, was not God’s plan. Moses quelled the idea by reminding Pharaoh that the sacrifice to be offered by the Israelites would be considered an abomination to the Egyptians (v. 26). We may not be absolutely certain what Moses means by this. The sacrifices to be offered would naturally be from their livestock: cattle, sheep, and goats for example. One reasonable and possible interpretation is that some of the sacrifices to be made (cows or rams, for instance) could be the same animals seen as images of Egyptian gods. If this was the case, using such an animal as a religious sacrifice would undoubtedly be enraging to Egyptians.
In light of this, Pharaoh agrees (in the moment, anyway) to allow the Israelites to journey into the wilderness, stating only that they “shall not go very far” (v. 28). In light of this Moses prepares to depart, promising to make his petition to God for relief from the plague of flies. Before leaving, Moses offers his own word of caution to Pharaoh: “Do not deal deceitfully again” (v. 29). As we can expect, though, Pharaoh again hardened his heart after relief had come.
Chapter 9 – Plagues of Livestock Pestilence, Boils, Hail
The chapter begins in preparation for another plague. The reader by now notices thematic language. “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will come…’” (9:1b-3a). One may begin by now to wonder how much it will take to break Pharaoh’s spirit. The plagues to this point had certainly taken their toll in terms of convenience and economy. What would become clear is that things could get much worse.
The plague this round would be upon the livestock of Egypt, explicitly naming examples of horses, camels, herds and flocks. The text suggests to us a widespread pestilence that would critically impact the financial and nutritional wellbeing of Egypt. Two details are repeated. First, we see that God would make a differentiation between the livestock of Egyptians and the livestock of the Israelites (v. 4). Second, the plague would be inflicted on a precise timeframe (v. 5). Both factors conveyed a clear message: the God of the Hebrews is the one bringing this upon you because you refuse to release them. The plague was brought, Egypt suffered, and Pharaoh went so far as to check to see if any of the hardship had come upon the Israelites—which it had not. Once again, though, the hardship was not enough to change Pharaoh’s mind.
Vs. 8-12. This brief section describes the next plague, which was boils upon humans and animals throughout the land. We are not told that God made any differentiation here between Egyptians and Israelites, although it is possible that he did. What we so see (another new feature of the narrative) is that Egypt’s magicians are explicitly named as suffering from the plague. They are afflicted to the point that they “could not stand before Moses” (v. 11), a detail that appears to have been a further step in God moving all involved parties under His authority.
Vs. 13-17. Here we have a short paragraph that stand out from the surrounding narrative. It is a statement of sovereign purpose, namely to make the Name of the Lord known within the earth. Such a purpose will remain a theme through the remainder of the Bible. We are reminded here that the plagues serve a purpose, and while it may seem severe from the point of human reasoning, Yahweh is within His prerogative to demonstrate the error of serving idols and false gods. We need to know—and God deserves for us to know—that there is no one like Him in all the earth (v. 14).
Further, there is a clear and ominous warning regarding self-exaltation before the Lord. “If I would have struck you and your people…you would have been cut off from the earth” (v. 15). The narrative has told us that God had struck the people with boils. Deathly pestilence, though, had not come upon the people. The message is as clear as it is simple: regardless of how powerful you are, God could bring you to an end at whatever point He chooses. The reason Pharaoh had been allowed to remain was so that God’s power could be revealed and that His name would become known in the earth. To continue to exalt oneself (re. v. 17) in the presence of such a God is a dangerous proposition.
Vs. 18-35. The next in the series of plagues comes in the form of a hail storm. The event is marked by the term severe. As we have seen before, this plague is announced beforehand (v. 18) with a warning to take shelter, but man and animal. We might note that at this point even some from among the Egyptians begin to heed the word of the Lord. We also see with this plague a differentiation, as no hail would come upon the land of Goshen (v. 26). The targeted effect seems abundantly clear; it is Pharaoh’s attention that God is trying to get.
We can only imagine the intensity of such a storm; we can also imagine the extend of damage that was done to property, to livestock, to crops—and to human life. Apparently the hailstorm was effective in breaking Pharaoh’s spirit (partially at least). With the storm still raging, Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and meets them with a surprising confession (v. 27): “I have sinned.” He goes so far to acknowledge the righteousness of the Lord (Yahweh in the Hebrew text). It is at this point that Pharaoh says without qualification, “I will let you go, and you will stay no longer” (v. 28).
Moses’ response to Pharaoh is interesting, portraying a prophetic element. Moses agrees to pray for relief from the storm. At the same time, though, Moses says to Pharaoh, “I know you still do not fear the Lord God” (v. 30). Obviously Pharaoh has shown himself to be untrustworthy in this regard previously. Even so, Moses demonstrates a piercing spiritual discernment in assessing Pharaoh’s intentions. The text offers some detail that may also have been a signal for Moses. At the time of the storm, part of the crops were developed enough to be destroyed by the storm (flax and barley). However, various forms of wheat would ripen later, and thus the Egyptians would still have some crop to harvest. In the end and according to his pattern, Pharaoh changed his mind once relief was in sight.
Chapter 10 – Plagues of Locusts, Darkness
Chapter 10 begins with a statement that clearly anticipates hearers in generations to come. What God was doing—and was about to do—would be witnessed to grandchildren for centuries to come. God was making His name known; He was doing it through a chosen people (Israelites), and He was doing it with the Egyptians being the early subjects of this revelation.
Vs. 3-20. Egypt and her king had suffered severely at the hand of God. In the face of another plague, some within the Egyptian ranks begin petitioning Pharaoh to get rid of Moses and Aaron by releasing the Hebrew people. Their cry in verse 7 is desperate: “Do you not know that Egypt has been destroyed?” It was their way of saying, “We can’t take any more!” Pharaoh must have shared a similar sentiment, as he instructs Moses and Aaron to take the people and go serve God. By now, though, we can expect the caveat. Pharaoh asks in so many words, “Exactly who among your people will be going to the wilderness to worship?” (v. 8). Moses’ response to Pharaoh, succinctly put, was “everyone goes.” This was found unacceptable to Pharaoh, and he made that explicitly plain to Moses. To paraphrase Pharaoh’s response found in verse 10, he said, “You will need God to be with you if you think I will ever let that happen. I know that you have evil plans in mind.” Pharaoh’s final word to Moses implied that the adult males should go do their wilderness worship, but the elderly, the women and the children need to stay put. At this Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his sight.
The remainder of the section describes the devastation of the locusts upon Egypt. The text explicitly says that they consumed what the hail had spared (v. 12). As if the previous afflictions on the land were not enough, the locusts must have completed the devastation brought upon Egypt. In the midst of the suffering, Pharaoh repeats the pattern that has become familiar. He repents (v. 16), and asks Moses to make supplication for him (v. 17). Moses obliges (v. 18), God relents (v. 19), and Pharaoh hardens his heart (v. 20).
Vs. 21-29. Two more plagues would remain, the last deserving very special attention. Before getting there, one other plague was brought upon Egypt. Interestingly it may seem mild to us in light of all they had suffered previously. However, the subtle consequences of the plague may have been more significant that we know. Further, this plague, one of darkness for three days, would have easily appeared as a direct challenge to one of Egypt’s key gods: the god of the sun. Here as much as with any other plague, Yahweh sends a message to Egypt regarding their gods. The darkness is described in the text as “thick,” a darkness that “could be felt” (v. 21-22). Once again there was differentiation, as the people of the Israelites had light in their dwellings.
Again Pharaoh instructs Moses to take the people and go, even with the little ones of Israel (v. 24). Moses, instead of going forth as is, tells Pharaoh that he must give the Israelites livestock to be used for their offerings, as the livestock of Israel must all go with the Israelites. Again, Pharaoh’s heart is hard, even with the qualification here that God hardened his heart. Pharaoh’s final word to Moses is to leave and do not return, with the threat that if Moses showed his face again around Pharaoh, Moses would be put to death.
