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.