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.
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