Exodus 10:1-20 - Consuming Locusts and Promised Deliverance

Exodus 10:1-20

The Eighth Plague: Locusts (Joel 1:2–4)

1 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 show these signs of Mine before him, 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.”

3 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. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 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. 6 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.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7 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?”

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?”

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.”

10 Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11 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.

12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “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.” 13 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. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt 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. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land 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.

16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

The eighth plague of judgment involved a swarm of locusts, devouring cousins of common grasshoppers reminiscent of those to come at the final judgment (Revelation 9:3-4) on the earth.  Moses was told to approach Pharaoh and witness the further hardening of his heart against God and His people that the prophet could later tell the story to his descendants of the mighty signs and works of power that he witnessed the Almighty accomplish in Egypt.  This was so that they would know the LORD, just as we read the accounts of God’s Son work miracles to set His people free from sin’s penalty of God’s justice wrath and from an everlasting death of torment prepared for the devil and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:41, Jude 1:6) for their unrepentant disobedience.  Therefore, Moses and Aaron approached the king with God’s ultimatum to let His people go free to worship Him and pointed out that the Pharaoh was refusing to humble himself before God in the process.  How foolish our pride is to resist the omnipresent and omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the universe!  The example of the king of Egypt enslaving God’s people is a warning not just for the Pharaoh to be witnessed by Moses’s posterity, but also to the world not to touch His anointed ones (Psalm 105:15) of whom all who are in Christ are.  The warning of God through Moses and Aaron was to let the people go to worship or face the consequences of an impending catastrophe of devouring locusts swarming over the country and devouring what little was left to eat as a consequence of disbelief and disobedience.  The people of Egypt had suffered so much for this man’s hardened heart that Pharaoh’s servants even were emboldened to ask why not let the people of God go to worship since this impending disaster might end them completely.  Pharaoh listened and brought the messengers of the LORD back before him and asked who would go from Israel to worship.  Moses told him everyone had to go and Pharaoh denied and the offer and snidely told him that would be the day he would let loose of them all at once.  The result was seen the next morning as the rod of God was lifted and the innumerable swarms of devouring locusts covered the land as never seen before or again.  The king brought the messengers back and confessed he had sinned (but was not sincere enough to honor the confession with continued action according to his promise) and asked for the plague to be taken away.  The locusts were blown into the Red Sea by the breath of God but the LORD had a purpose in hardening the king’s heart further to deliver His people and bring glory to His name yet.  This is why God allows sinful rulers to commit atrocities and seemingly allow unnecessary suffering that His glory may be seen in His deliverance of immediate and eternal salvation.  The consuming locusts of judgment strip man’s pride bare to either have people glorify God (Revelation 11:13, 16:9) or suffer the consequences of disobedience in disbelief of the gospel of salvation from such deserved destruction in the end.  May all who read this account take heed and give God the glory and find deliverance from the consuming locusts and gain hope in His Son whose miracles proved His divine authority to judge us all and turn from sin to Him for eternal deliverance from the same instead of hardening their hearts against Him!  This is a warning and hope for us all in the judgment to come.

Exodus 9:13-35 - Judgment Rains Down like Hail

Exodus 9:13-35

The Seventh Plague: Hail

13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, 14 for 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. 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. 16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 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. 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.”’”

20 He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 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. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

27 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. 28 Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

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

31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.

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. 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. 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 LORD this time proclaimed the seventh plague of judgment as hail raining down on Egypt for refusing to let God’s people go to worship Him after four hundred years of harsh labor and extreme suffering as if Israel was his people instead of God’s.  This plague would be sent into their very hearts as it is written here so they would see that there was no other God but Yahweh.  No Egyptian gods of the dead with jackal heads or other idolatrous works of men’s hands would be shown to them, but the loving LORD God Almighty over all would be shown to them through the mighty works of His omnipotent hands.  God told Pharaoh plainly that He could have smitten them at any time so far but restrained judgment some could demonstrate His power and spread His name to all the earth as He raised up the Egyptian ruler to draw a line of judgment in him to the world (Romans 9:17-18).  This message of God’s Name and work would be spoken of throughout the world after these things took place, just as it is with the gospel of Jesus Christ through His word and work for His people and kingdom.  God told him that he would continue to reject Him as a vessel of destruction (Romans 9:22-23) that His people would be seen as vessels of divine mercy and grace.  Destructive hail would therefore rain do justice and judgment on all of Pharaoh and his rebellious people.  It would kill everyone and everything.  Only a few of the Egyptians heeded the warning and got their animals to safety in barns; the rest who disregarded the word of the LORD lost everything.  Thundering hail with the fire of intense lightning rained down at the wave of Moses’s rod to kill all left outside.  Even the herbs and trees were decimated.  Yet in the land of Goshen where God’s people loved, there was nothing because they wet under the sovereign protection of God, just as all who are in Christ, written in His book (Revelation 20:15, 27) of ownership, will be spared in the final judgment of the lake of unending fire.  Of course, after this massive destruction the Pharaoh seemed to ask forgiveness for sinning against God, acknowledging that he and the people were wicked and the LORD alone was righteous, but that was only to save himself from further suffering.  He agreed to let God’s people go.  Then when Moses stretched out his hand of God’s grace to stop the hail, the king reneged once and sinned more as he rejected his promises and God again.  He would resolutely not let God’s people go from his control and feeble power over them as his slaves.  The world even now holds men and women in his grasp (Galatians 1:4) with a sway of evil control (1 John 5:19) in forms of sin like idolatry and immortality in various forms and empty promises which likewise vanish upon death.  The only promise that lasts is in the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.  That is a certain hope of redemption (1 John 5:20) and eternal life.  Trust and obey, there is no other way to live when judgment rains down like hail and burns in the lake prepared (Matthew 25:41) for the devil and his angels.  He will deliver His people from this destruction though repentance and faith, turning from sin to trust Him. 

Exodus 9:1-12 - A Plague on Possessions and Persons

Exodus 9:1-12

The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. 4 And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’” 5 Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”

6 So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7 Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

The Sixth Plague: Boils (Deuteronomy 28:27)

8 So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

The fifth and sixth plagues of judgment on Egypt for inflicting suffering on God’s people while rejecting the LORD as God in pursuit of their idolatry and immortality are recorded here.   They were plagues on the Egyptian livestock and on the persons of the Egyptians themselves to get their attention by means of their livelihoods and then their very lives.  First there was the commanding plea to let the people go to serve the LORD which was again rejected by the Pharaoh with backing from the people of that nation against the LORD’s chosen ones.  This time the consequences were given up from in the same breath as the command to let the Israelites go, promising the hand of God would smite the cattle, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the oxen, and the sheep with “a very severe pestilence.”  All the livestock would perish the next day with disease if the Pharaoh refused to allow the people of God to serve Him, but the livestock of the Israelites would be untouched by the pestilence to demonstrate the difference between the holy people of God and the unholy of unbelieving Egypt.  Since the king refused to obey the LORD, the next day all of Egypt’s wealth in animals was gone while that of God’s people remained.  For all this, the king still hardened his heart against God further!  Then the LORD had Moses and Aaron take ashes from a furnace before the Pharaoh and pronounce the next woe on the persecutor of His people with this persecution of judgment in the form of dust in the wind that settled on the land of Egypt to induce painful boils with blistering on everyone not of God just as He will in the final judgment (Revelation 16:2) to come on all who have rejected God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The boils were on all the people of Egypt and all other animals not counted among the livestock already killed off by the previous judgment of pestilence.  The magicians of Pharaoh were completely unable to duplicate this sign and they themselves were unable to even attempt to do so because of the pain from the sores of the open boils on them.  For all these signs of horrible judgment, the Pharaoh still hardened his heart and refused to heed God’s word, just as it will be in the final days (Revelation 16:9, 11, 21) of mankind’s judgment before the Lord returns.  The plagues here on Egypt to hold them accountable for the persecution and suffering of God’s children will be finalized forever in the end when we who are His will find God’s vengeance (2 Thessalonians 1:8, Revelation 6:10) on those who reject Him and persecute us for knowing and bearing witness of Him to them.  There is certain judgment looming on all who continue to harden their hearts in the disobedience of disbelief in God’s work accomplished by His hand in the words and work of His Son, Jesus Christ.  There is also a certain hope (Hebrews 6:19) of deliverance in Christ for those who take Him at His word and receive His testimony (John 1:12, 3:33, 36) of His divinity and atoning work on the cross for all who believe (John 5:24-25, 1 John 5:11-12, 13, 20).  Those who disbelieve and disobey by rejecting His call will suffer the unending plagues of pain (Matthew 25:46, John 5:29) on body and soul alike.  Knowing these things from the past and future, how can we not trust and obey, as the old hymn says, for there is no other way to life forever with God and to find lasting deliverance from our sin’s bondage and its lasting consequences. 

Exodus 8:16-32 - Swarming Gnats and Flies

Exodus 8:16-32

The Third Plague: Lice

16 So the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

The Fourth Plague: Flies

20 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. 21 Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.”’” 24 And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

25 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

26 And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? 27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.”

28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”

29 Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. 31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

The third and fourth plagues of judgment on Egypt for refusing to hear and obey God to let His people go were both small but mighty irritants of gnats and flies.  The gnats or lice were not just ordinary bugs that occasionally fly in your face and annoy you; they were swarming gnats of uncountable numbers, blinding the eyes and invading the nose, ears, and eyes as to blind and choke you.  It was as if the whole landscape turned from dust to gnats all as once and covered every person and animal throughout all of Egypt.  This was more than mere annoyance, for the sheer number of the swarm covered and blinded everyone and brought life to an abrupt halt.  The magicians of Egypt vainly attempted to recreate this phenomenon but were at a loss as to making it work with all their tricks and formulas.  They finally were driven to desperation and told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”  The king’s heart continued freezing over ever more as he disregarded the work of God’s hand in his land against his persecution of God’s people.  Until Christ returns, while evil is piled upon God’s children for His sake and His word of the gospel is ignored, this pattern of hardening hearts against God’s word will repeat as men’s hearts grow cold (Matthew 24:12-14) and judgment looms closer (2 Thessalonians 1:8, Hebrews 10:30-31) on those who touch His anointed (Psalm 105:15) ones.  When the next plague of judgment came after the swarming gnats, the warning was given to Pharaoh as he came out of the water of the Nile (presumably to wash off the gnats and find some limited relief), that unless he listened and obeyed the LORD, the next swarm of judgment would be flies covering everything and everyone except the people of God.  This meant bigger bugs that were even more annoying and carried diseases with them as well.  The judgments were increasing in size and effect to sway the king to act in obedience to God’s word delivered by Moses and Aaron.  These swarming flies would cover the Egyptians but not the Israelites; they would enter every nook and cranny of their houses and bodies.  The emphasis was on not affecting the people of God to demonstrate that He was the LORD in the midst of the land and had absolute sovereignty over them all.  The Pharaoh was powerless to fight against Him and the case was made to judge him and all of Egypt for putting the people of God in suffering and subjecting them to cruel bondage.  The bondage to the consequences of Egypt’s sins was now thrust upon her sons and the corrupt treatment now corrupted them all with all their land.  Finally, it appeared that Pharaoh would let them go to sacrifice and worship in the place outside of the nation, but he did not allow them to go far so his slaves would not escape him.  When this was agreed, the LORD heard Moses and the swarms of flies were removed.  Of course, the promises of a despotic dictator were hollow and the king reneged on the promise to let them go as he continued to harden his heart as God had said.  How leaders without scruples even today go back on their promises and let God’s people suffer!  But we know that the Lord delivers (Galatians 1:4, 2 Timothy 4:18) us to preserve us for eternity to come in His kingdom where no despot dwells, only the faithful and holy Lord of Heaven who is good, merciful, and true.  What God promises, He delivers and we can trust Him to keep us to the end (Jude 1:24) and through the judgment on the world to all those who are outside of Christ, who have not heard and obeyed the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17-18) of forgiveness from sin and grace to escape the consequences of God’s due wrath of swarming judgment on us.

Exodus 8:1-15 - Smiting with Frogs of Judgment

Exodus 8:1-15

The Second Plague: Frogs

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. 3 So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.”’”

5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”

9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”

10 So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”

12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. 13 So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. 14 They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

God told Pharaoh He would smite the land with frogs of judgment if he refused to let His people go to serve and worship Him, knowing full well that the despot would refuse and harden his already hard heart (Romans 9:17) further in resistance to the word of the LORD.  These were not the usual explosion of frogs in the spring that you would expect in the most extreme circumstances, but so much more that they would be found in every house, in every bedroom in the beds, in the houses of all their servants, their population, and even in their ovens, and kneading bowls of their food!  They would be simultaneously hopping mad and fearful at the sight of all these invasive slimy creatures wherever they turned.  Moses held his staff over the Nile and they came in incessant droves over the land as promised when Pharaoh refused to heed God’s word.  Unfortunately, the Egyptian magicians were able to bring up some frogs by their efforts, though everyone ignored the fact that they were not nearly as prolific as the ones God called out, and Pharaoh ignored God’s hand of judgment against him.  He merely asked Moses and Aaron to pray that the LORD would disperse the invasive hopping hoard and falsely promised to let the people go to sacrifice and worship out of flippant desperation.  Moses was honored to honor the request as he told the king that the frogs would only be found in the river after entreating God for relief.  He told him the next day they would be gone in this way that it would be clearly evident it was at the work of God’s hand and not a simple dying off of the frogs.  The next day it was so as God promised.  They had to clean up the mess, however, and the resulting stench filled the land afterwards as a reminder of the sin of disbelief and disobedience to God’s word.  Still the Pharaoh hardened his heart further and reneged on his own word and defiantly ignored the word of God through His spokesmen delivering the message to let them go.  This smiting of the land with a covering of loving and then decaying frogs was a judgment on the land and on Pharaoh as accountable over it as ruler.  Rulers are held accountable in the world and among God’s people, the church, today.  May we learn from the disobedience and rebellion of Pharaoh not to ignore and reject God’s word on how we are to love and worship Him with our (Romans 12:1-2) lives. 

Exodus 7:14-25 - River of Blood for Deliverance

Exodus 7:14-25

The First Plague: Waters Become Blood

14 So the LORD said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the LORD: “By this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.”’”

19 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’” 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.

The first plague of judgment on Egypt due to the Pharaoh hardening his heart against God was the turning of the Nile’s water to blood.  The king was resolute in refusing to let God’s people go to serve and worship Him outside the country in the wilderness and so the LORD sent Moses to take his rod that doubled as a serpent to strike the water.  Since the Pharaoh refused to hear and obey God’s word through Moses and Aaron, the waters of the life-giving Nile were rendered unfit for human consumption by being changed into blood.  This was no mere coloring of the water; the fish died and it stank horribly so nobody could even attempt to drink from the river.  Not only was the water of the Nile affected, but all bodies of water and running streams in the area were contaminated as well.  Nothing was palatable or potable.  Even the buckets full of water were so transformed into blood.  The message was complete enough to get everyone’s attention throughout the entire land of Egypt.  When the magicians of Pharaoh were able to recreate a similar effect, the Pharaoh dismissed the plague as a trick and hardened his heart even more in disobedience and disbelief against the LORD God and ignored the plea commanding him to release the people of God from their bondage to worship Him.  He just left Moses and Aaron and went home unmoved by the mighty hand of God only just beginning to move against him.  It took an entire week of digging for drinkable water away from the river before the plate was lifted.  This river of blood was the first of the escalating warnings through Moses to demonstrate the righteous judgment of God on the nation enslaving His people and causing their suffering.  The Pharaoh was judged (Romans 9:17) to demonstrate the righteousness of God and His power so that all who observed these things or would later read of them would worship the LORD.  We find this same judgment will come in the final day when the saints of God, His people in Christ, are avenged (Luke 18:7, Revelation 6:10) and released from the presence of sin forever to go to worship before His face (Revelation 22:4-5) forever!  We should remember this river of unpalatable blood and instead drink of the lifeblood of our Savior, the Lamb of God slain (Isaiah 53:7, John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:19, Revelation 5:6) for our deliverance from suffering under the bondage of sin. 

Exodus 7:1-13 - Speak the Word Faithfully

Exodus 7:1-13

1 So the LORD said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Miraculous Rod (Exodus 4:1–5)

8 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

Moses spoke all the words of God as he was moved to do and as we who are in Christ are also impelled by the Spirit within us to speak His word (Jeremiah 23:29, 1 Peter 4:11) that has the power to change hearts or reveal their judgment (John 3:16, 18) by that word.  God had given His words to Moses as if He was there in him and his brother Aaron was the mouthpiece as his prophet in a sense.  Certainly Moses was not the LORD and Aaron was no prophet, yet that is how they would appear to Pharaoh as they spoke the words of God to him to offer the opportunity to repent or face judgment.  Aaron was therefore told by Moses as God’s messenger to tell the king to release His people to go out of Egypt that they might worship and sacrifice to Him outside of that idolatrous land.  God also told Moses that this would be more of a testimony against Pharaoh because he would not listen but be further hardened by the LORD as a vessel prep for destruction (Romans 9:17-18, 22) to glorify God through all the wonders by which He would demonstrate His power and sovereignty over him.   God Himself would lead His people out of bondage with deliverance of a mighty hand and outstretched arm in judgment for what that nation had done to God’s children for generations there.  The great signs and wonders would show the judgment on Egypt by these plagues and free the people.  Then the Egyptians would have to give glory to God when they saw who He is by the works of His hands.  We also have seen the great works of His hand to deliver us from judgment by taking on the consequences of our sin and putting that judgment to death on the cross as Jesus took our judgment on Himself and led us out of the bondage of sin in the world with a promised land in heaven to come!  Moses and Aaron were faithful to speak this message faithfully to crush the opposition by the word of God with accompanying signs to confirm the omnipotent word and work of judgment and deliverance.  The first miracle demanded by Pharaoh to prove they were sent by God before the ensuing plagues (after warning him) was Aaron’s rod that was thrown before the Pharaoh and transformed into a large snake.  Unfortunately, the magicians of the court were able to do a similar feat with their own rods.  The fact that Aaron’s rod was able to swallow them all up and turn back into a single stick did not seem to stick in the king’s heart because it was hardened against belief and obedience to God.  This first miracle only served to harden Pharaoh more, just as he was prepared by God to do as a vessel of destruction for God’s glory, that the final act to deliver God’s people would be all the more remarkable to all.  We are also called to speak the word of God faithfully, the gospel of deliverance, no matter the response of the hearers.  God is glorified in it all! 

Exodus 6:14-30 - Headship and Failing Lips

Exodus 6:14-30

The Family of Moses and Aaron (Genesis 46:8–27)

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven. 17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20 Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven. 21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.

26 These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” 27 These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

Aaron Is Moses’ Spokesman

28 And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

30 But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

The headship of three of the sons of Israel representing their families leading to the sons of Levi and their headship over their houses listed here as a historical account validating the truth of God’s word and pointing out their responsibility to the nation over each family line of descendants.  This led to listing Amram and Jochebed bearing him Aaron and Moses to validate their origin and headship roles in their families as representatives of God’s family and people to whom they were given the opportunity and responsibility to deliver from bondage in Egypt.  They were tasked to bear witness to the message of salvation from bondage as a picture of our eventual salvation from the bondage of sin (Hebrews 2:14-15, Romans 5:12, 6:18, 8:21, Galatians 4:3-4) we all have been born in.  The brothers Moses and Aaron were chosen and sent together to deliver those bound in a foreign land where they had been enslaved for the better part of the four hundred years the people had been there to bring them out (Genesis 15:13-14) “with their armies” as foretold according to God’s plan.  Their armies were alluding to the fact that Israel had multiplied greatly under captivity and enslavement to prepare them to fight for the promised land to come.  The day had arrived for Moses and Aaron to approach Pharaoh with God’s ultimatum according to the words that He would provide for them as they spoke, just as the Lord by His Spirit gives us (Luke 12:11-12) the words of the gospel to speak to free others now bound by sin.  He and we do this under the authority of the headship of Jesus Christ the Son of God and our Lord.  Like Moses, however, we also have difficulty with failing lips that are far from perfectly righteous enough to speak yet we have been given the power of God’s Spirit and word of Grace to effectively speak life to the living dead (Ephesians 2:5) in spite of our imperfect state.  We need to remember our head is Christ and that He gives us the authority (Matthew 28:18) and necessary eloquence to verbalize the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15) with lips steadied by humility and power under the headship of Jesus Christ the Son of God who holds all authority in the world.  This passage then describes the relationship of Headship and Failing Lips in Moses and we who are in Christ today.

Exodus 6:1-13 - Delivering the Message of Deliverance

Exodus 6:1-13

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’” 9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Moses had faced Pharaoh had been rejected by his resistance to let God’s people go outside the country to worship the LORD.  Now he heard from God what His response would be, just as he foretold as planned (Romans 9:17) already to glorify Him in that vessel of destruction (Romans 9:18, 22) whose unbelieving heart was hardened by God.  The Almighty promised to move the king to let the people go and drive them permanently out of Egypt.  The LORD reminded Moses who He is, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all who were promised His grace and a land as their own inheritance as a shadow of the heavenly (Hebrews 11:16, 39-40) to come in the end through the Messiah who is Christ Jesus.  God therefore had been known to the patriarchs but not by name until it was revealed to the deliverer Moses, even though He had already made a covenant promise to each of them for the land of Canaan.  This promised land was the one they traveled through as wayfaring strangers and pilgrims in that land on their way to a better heavenly one as a distant destination still unclear to them all.  Now God heard the suffering of His chosen people in their bondage as slaves in a foreign land for four hundred years as planned that they might grow in number and be delivered in glory and grace.  This is a foreshadowing of the deliverance from the bondage of sin all of Adam’s children are born in and would be delivered by the Messiah Jesus in due time.  In Egypt the LORD told Moses He would use him to deliver them from their enslavement and suffering of their burdens imposed on them and redeem them by His omnipotent power and judgment on that land who oppressed His children.  He would then receive them to Himself as His people and lead them into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long before Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, rose to power to deliver the world from famine, and then enslaved out of fear that God’s people would take over.  God honored His covenant with them and promised to deliver them all to give them their heritage in Him as promised.  These things Je reminded Moses as He was about to begin the mighty wonders to deliver them by the hand of Moses as His instrument.  But when Moses told these things to the people, they disbelieved because of their extreme and unending suffering of cruel bondage and mental anguish of hopelessness.  They were broken in body and soul.  Even so, Moses did as he was commanded and stood before Pharaoh with the ultimatum for the LORD to let His people go to worship Him.  Moses first hesitated and complained to God that His people had not heeded the message and that he himself was ill-equipped with unclean lips of imperfection to deliver the message, as if the outcome was up to him instead of the LORD!  The LORD simply replied by reaffirming the command to Moses and Aaron to His people and to Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt just as He had been saying all along.  Do we doubt our own effectiveness and efforts to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the promised eternal kingdom to come after the world is judged in righteousness?  Like Moses, it is not up to our strength or ability to save men’s souls; that is God’s message and command, and we are but the messengers of His grace to forgive, deliver, and redeem them from a certain fate of judgment into a more certain inheritance in Him.  We are to strengthen the weak hands (Isaiah 35:3-4, Hebrews 12:12) and knocking knees of fear and doubt to deliver the message of deliverance to life from certain death (Proverbs 24:11, John 5:24) and judgment (as Moses ended up doing) to those still in bondage to sin by hearing, believing, and receiving Him who died for us all who are chosen and called as His own. 

Exodus 5:1-23 - Resistance to Deliverance

Exodus 5:1-23

First Encounter with Pharaoh

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”

2 And Pharaoh said, “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.”

3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”

4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”

6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”

10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”

15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”

17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”

20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Israel’s Deliverance Assured (Exodus 3:1—4:17)

22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

Moses went to Pharaoh as commanded and told him straight to let God’s people go to worship Him outside of Egypt.  The king flatly refused the God he did not know or acknowledge and would not listen to.  How many people in this world have this same view of blinded eyes groping in the darkness while refusing to hear or acknowledge their sin and God’s grace of deliverance from its consequences!  When we tell them that the God of the Bible has met with us and called us to worship Him, they likewise tell themselves and all who hear to get back to their work in the world system instead of submitting to God’s work in His Son to be fruitful and free.  Like Pharaoh, many who hear the gospel and are opposed to the Lord will react with added burdens on themselves and demanded on others as religious or atheistic requirements.  Many struggle under the weights imposed to work their way to heaven and God  by efforts that always (Romans 3:23) fall ever short of God’s standards and requirements for deliverance from His wrath on their sin.  Pharaoh’s answer was to add more work on the children of God to add to their labor and keep them from the truth which he called false words.  How often we still hear this from those opposed to Christ and His gospel of deliverance and redemption!  The words of righteousness and truth are called evil while words of evil (Isaiah 5:20) against the Lord are mislabeled as good that others may reject God’s word and remain in bondage to sin.  Like the children of Israel in Egypt, many will complain to those bearing witness to the truth and blame them for their suffering at the hands of those keeping them from true liberty in Christ, not seeing the true motives of the adversary to stop them from knowing their sin and accountability to Him with the deliverance offered freely to them by receiving the Son of God by faith alone in His works for us.  May we who know the Lord understand these things and not question God as Moses did here, asking why He brings trouble on us when we bear witness to the truth of His deliverance.  We must understand these things as a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12, 1 Thessalonians 2:16) for men’s and women’s souls and faithfully carry on in bearing witness that some (1 Corinthians 10:33) may be saved.  May we not make our own bricks or be distracted from God’s work to build us as a holy temple (1 Peter 2:4-5) for Him to dwell and worship outside the world’s system of spiritual bondage to sin but in His kingdom instead forevermore.  We can expect resistance to deliverance when we bear witness to the truth but we also must keep our eyes on the Lord and His salvation as we endure and persevere to the end.