Exodus 7:14–11:10

In Exodus 7 the great struggle begins, and wonder after wonder falls on the doomed land of Egypt. Notice this about the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. It was in no way the case before Pharaoh openly declared his unbelief. God never compelled a man to be an unbeliever. In short, unbelief never begins as the result of God's judicial hardening. Is there then no such thing as hardening? Does not Scripture mean that there is? Undoubtedly there is hardening. There are two equal errors. One says God hardens a person when He first sends a testimony. The other denies that He hardens a person who has refused that testimony.

"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart." This was stated before in chapter 4:21. Eighteen times we read of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. However, different words are used in the Hebrew to show an important distinction. One means to "make firm" or "strong." The other means "to make stubborn." Together these two words show Pharaoh hardening his own heart, and God hardening him after he continued in his wicked way. Scripture says five times that Pharaoh hardened his heart. Only then did God begin His hardening and make Pharaoh's heart stubborn. Pharaoh hardened himself, then God hardened him. Pharaoh had his opportunities, and because he refused and continued in unbelief, God made him stubborn. This holds a solemn warning. Thousands harden their hearts now.

This explains an expression that occurs very often in the earlier chapters of this book. "The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." No one needs to avoid the full, plain sense of this most solemn statement. If man resists the light of divine testimony, he is shut up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart. God leaves him to himself, and then Satan comes in and carries him headlong to destruction. Pharaoh had plenty of light. It showed him the extravagant folly of trying to keep back the people God had commanded him to let go. But the real disposition of his heart was to act against God, and therefore God left him to himself.

Their general object is clear when we remember what God's controversy with Pharaoh was about. He dealt with Pharaoh as the oppressor of His people... So first the waters of Egypt are turned into blood, the symbol of death and judgment. This meant above all the sacred Nile. It was the source of life and refreshment to Egypt and its people, from the king down to the humblest of his subjects. As a result, "the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt." So the river they proudly boasted in as an emblem of God became an object of disgust and loathing.

Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile as representing one of the chief gods of that land of idols. And remember that when the river was struck under the first plague, Pharaoh was going in the same direction that morning. It gives us the impression that he was going out to worship the Nile-god, and just at that moment his god was smitten.

The first plague God sent was announced beforehand to Pharaoh... Then he announced to Pharaoh that he would strike the waters of the river so that they might become blood... The announcement had no effect on Pharaoh, and the Lord commanded Moses to do just what he had warned.

Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile as standing for one of the chief gods of that land of idols. And we remember that when the river was struck under the first plague, Pharaoh was going in the same direction in the morning. It gives us the impression that he was going out to worship the Nile-god. Just at that moment his god was struck.

This particular morning visit was probably for a religious ceremony in honour of the god. There seems good ground for the suggestion that it was the time of the yearly flood, the time of the Red Nile. That is the time when the waters take on a reddish colour, because of the deposits carried down from the mountains far to the south. So Pharaoh's visit to the river would be of the most imposing grandeur.

The point of this wonder was the change of power (which a "rod" means in scripture) into something Satanic. The rod is the symbol of authority; it may also represent chastening. But no chastening is right unless it comes from just authority. So this sign joins the two ideas. The rod of power taking Satanic form seems to be meant by the sign first given to Moses. Such was exactly the state of things in the land of Egypt.

The rod in the East is a symbol of authority and power... The old monuments of Egypt in hundreds of cases show gods and men with sceptre-like rods in their hands... Satan had the power and the authority. Jehovah would hand them to Moses as His servant, and as the story goes on, it often says that Moses had the rod of God. Serpents appear everywhere on the temples of Egypt. The first divine sign was clear: the rod of God in the hand of the deliverer would win the victory. The serpent's power would be broken before Jehovah.

God announced the first plague to Pharaoh beforehand. He told Moses that Pharaoh would go out in the morning to the river. He told Moses to stand there with the rod that had become a serpent, and to repeat His demand that Pharaoh let Israel go.

Jehovah opened each of the three series of plagues by commanding Moses to meet Pharaoh "in the morning," at the start of a day. Moses and Aaron opened the second plague of each series by visiting Pharaoh. The third came without warning. An orderly design governs each series.

The word to him was, "Let My people go…" So the Lord at once claimed the people as His. But for a century or two the Pharaohs of Egypt had regarded the people as theirs, and as their slaves. So from the outset the issue was joined. Jehovah claimed the people that Pharaoh regarded as his own. Which claimant would prevail? The issue could not be in doubt for one moment.

The river watered the land through its many channels. It was the very sign of their independence from heaven — they adored it as a god, and yet could claim it as their own making. That river was turned into blood, so that they could not drink of it. The support of life becomes the very symbol of death... It is, in fact, not merely nature rising up, but penalty from the Creator of nature — death from the Life-giver.

The word to him was, "Let My people go …" So the Lord at once claimed the people as His. For a century or two the Pharaohs of Egypt had regarded the people as theirs, and as their slaves. So the dispute began at once. Jehovah claimed the people that Pharaoh regarded as his own. Which claimant would prevail? The issue could not be in doubt for one moment.

Israel was God's people, and here He counts up those on whom He had a sovereign claim. Amazing grace! To find an object in those who were in the middle of all the degradation of Egyptian bondage! ... He came down and stood among the brick-kilns of Egypt. There He saw a people groaning under the lash of the taskmasters, and He spoke those memorable words, "Let my people go." Then He counted them up, as much as to say, "These are mine. Let me see how many I have, so that I leave not one behind."

Surrounded by priests and princes, Pharaoh gave a proud reply: "Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, and I will not let Israel go." Pharaoh knew the gods of his own land and of the nations he had conquered, and he had seen their images. But he knew nothing of Jehovah, the invisible, the eternal. He laughed at the idea of His power. Were not the people of Jehovah Pharaoh's own slaves? If Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, was really a god, why had He let His worshippers fall under the power of another nation? That nation served gods who stood for Creator, Supreme Ruler, Life Giver, Deliverer and Judge — glories that belong to Jehovah alone.

The dispute was this: would the world-system have the service of God's people, or would that service be for Him alone? This service is priestly in character, and no one could carry it out in the land of Egypt.

All true worship of God means separation from the world. The sacrifice of Christ, the atonement which is the basis of all worship, is an abomination in the sight of the world.

Here is true separation from Egypt — "three days' journey." Nothing less than this could satisfy faith. The Israel of God must leave the land of death and darkness behind, in the power of resurrection... In fact, Israel never offered a single note of praise until the whole congregation stood on the far side of the Red Sea, in the full power of a finished redemption. It is the same now. The believer must know where the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ have set him for ever. Only then can he be an intelligent worshipper, an acceptable servant, or an effective witness.

Meneptah refused to obey the summons Moses delivered on God's part. He had also rejected the appeal of the Israelites. He truly disbelieved the miracle just worked — otherwise why did he stay stubborn? Other means, punishing in character, would follow, and without long delay. God had given him time to think, but in vain.

Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Nile was worshipped as standing for one of the chief gods of that land of idols. When the first plague struck the river, Pharaoh was going in the same direction in the morning (Exodus 7:15). It gives us the impression that he was going out to worship the Nile-god, and at that moment his god was struck.

In one way or another He will and must make Himself known, for that is His glory. But He seeks to be known in goodness rather than in judgment, if men will hear... But Egypt forgot Joseph. A king arose there who persecuted Joseph's people, and said of his God, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him?" Then the Lord had to publish His name in that land in judgment, saying to the king, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike with the staff that is in my hand." He was now to be made known not in Joseph, but in plagues.

The Egyptians adored the river as a god, and yet could claim it as their own making (Ezek. 29:3). Its channels watered the land, and were the very sign that Egypt did not depend on heaven. The river was turned into blood, so that they could not drink of it. The support of life becomes the very symbol of death, and of death by violence, the infliction of the penalty. It is, in fact, not merely nature rising up against them, but penalty from the Creator of nature — death from the Life-giver.

He who, at Cana, turned the water into wine to cheer His creatures, turned the water of the Nile into blood in judicial dealing with the Egyptians.

Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Nile was worshipped as one of the chief gods of that land of idols. Remember that when the river was struck under the first plague, Pharaoh was going in the same direction in the morning (Exodus 7:15). It gives us the impression that he was going out to worship the Nile-god, and just at that moment his god was struck... This shows us how these judgments affected the gods of Egypt, as indicated in Exodus 12:12.

The first plague God sent was announced beforehand to Pharaoh... Then he announced to Pharaoh that he would strike the waters of the river that they might become blood (v. 17)... The announcement evidently had no effect on Pharaoh, and the Lord commanded Moses to do just what he had warned (v. 19). When he did this, the result was just as he had said (v. 21).

Even rationalism does not in every case dare to deny that the events told in Ex. 7-12 were supernatural... Alongside the first plague (Ex. 7:15-25) they point to Ehrenberg, who in 1823 saw the inlet of the Red Sea, near Sinai, stained blood-red by tiny plants. Did this kill the fish in the sea or make the waters stink? Did it affect every pond and stream, indeed every vessel of wood and stone? They cannot deny that the two are worlds apart. The Nile takes on a reddish tint for some weeks in June, and none of these consequences follow. This blow fell in or about January, on the river of their pride and idolatry — the river that had seen the cruel death of Israel's male children.

Here we have a picture of Christ struck for us, by the hand of God, in judgment. The reader will note the expression, "the staff with which you struck the Nile." Why the Nile?... It was the staff that turned the water into blood that was to strike the Rock — and "the Rock was Christ" — so that streams of life and refreshment might flow for us.

The first plague God sent was announced beforehand to Pharaoh. God told Moses that Pharaoh would go out in the morning to the river. He was to stand there with the rod that had earlier become a serpent, and repeat God's message demanding that Pharaoh let Israel go. The announcement had no effect on Pharaoh, and the Lord commanded Moses to do just what he had warned. When he did this, the result was just as he had said.

It seems to be part of God's ways to warn twice, and if no one takes notice, to strike the third time without giving any warning.

Was that a miracle, or was it red colouring matter that at times appeared in the river? It was a miracle. All the water of the river had become blood. Proof of that was abundant. The fish in the Nile died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river. What a change in the Nile! In a moment the pleasant water became disgusting. One important source of food, within reach of even the ordinary person, was cut off, because the fish — clearly plentiful (Numbers 11:5) — died at once. Hapi, the Nile god, could not prevent it.

This was a real punishment; because this was the water they all drank, and they valued it highly. The fish too was plentiful: the Israelites in the wilderness could not forget the fish of which they had eaten freely, or "for nothing."

The first plague turned the Nile and its branches into blood. The river was the very life of Egypt. The food, and the wealth, and the beauty of the land were all derived from it. Upon Hapi, or Nilus, the first judgment of God fell. All Egypt owes its existence to this generous river. Egypt did not admit that God made the fruitful Nile. It treated the river as the work of the Sun and of Creative Power, a stream produced, as it were, by nature out of nature. Now it was to be a River of Death in the middle of the land.

The support of life becomes the very symbol of death, and of death by violence, the infliction of the penalty. This is not just nature rising in revolt. It is a penalty from the Creator of nature — death from the Life-giver.

The Egyptians "regarded the Nile as divine in the strictest sense, and worshipped it under many names. As the bountiful Osiris, and under many other divine names, the Nile was the beneficent god of Egypt — the representative of all that was good. Evil had, however, also its god, the deadly enemy of Osiris — the hated Typhon — the source of all that was cruel, violent, and wicked. The Egyptians linked the touch or sight of blood with this hated being… So turning the Nile waters into blood defiled the sacred river. It made Typhon triumph over Osiris, and it dishonoured the religion of the land in one of its highest expressions."

One blow brought down both Hapi and the sacred fish — the fertilizer, and the emblems of rich fertility, which they worshipped. Egyptian and Hebrew alike came to know the power of Jehovah all over Egypt.

The river, as we see in Scripture itself, was the very symbol of independence. Egypt drank no rain water from heaven. Its supply did not come from above. This is the world in its independence of God. But this independence of God, the Giver of life, is only death, and turns to death. The judgment here as elsewhere reveals the actual spiritual condition. A thing that serves as God's creature and His minister is only a means of multiplied blessing. Cut off from Him, it produces nothing but a deeper and more complete separation.

All the water of the river had become blood, and the proof was everywhere. The fish in the Nile died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water. Water that had been pleasant to drink turned foul in a moment. One important source of food, within reach of the ordinary person, was cut off, for the fish were plentiful (Numbers 11:5) and died at once. Hapi, the Nile god, could not prevent it. The Creator gave the command, the waters were struck, and blood was the result. All the water in the ponds and pools, and in vessels of wood and of stone, became blood. Where Moses was not seen the plague was felt; and the Egyptians dug around the river for water.

The demand for the release of the people was to be made again. If Pharaoh refused, the rod was to be stretched out over the river, and its waters turned to blood. That rod had been turned into a serpent, and it had swallowed the rods of the magicians. The river that was the very life of Egypt was turned into a river of death and stinking.

The river, as we see in Scripture itself, was the very symbol of independence. Egypt drank no water from the rain of heaven. Its supply did not come from above. This is the world living in independence of God. But this independence of God, the Giver of life, is only death, and turns to death. The judgment here as elsewhere reveals the actual spiritual condition. What God made to serve Him is only a means of rich blessing. Cut off from Him, it produces only a deeper and more complete separation.

They were particularly suited, in the wisdom of God, to humble Egypt. It was not only an affliction on the land. It was not only deep pain and anguish to the people, growing worse each time. It was a solemn contest between the LORD and the gods of Egypt. The plagues were designed to strike them hardest in what made up their religion. Take the Nile: Egypt boasted in that river, which they thought of as the great emblem of God on earth… In these repeated blows we find God dealing with the gods as well as with the men and habits of Egypt.

Alongside the first plague (Ex. 7:15-25) they set a blood-red stain that plant growth made in an inlet of the Red Sea in 1823. Did that kill the fish in the sea, or make the waters stink? Did it affect every pond and stream — indeed every vessel of wood and stone? The Nile takes a reddish tint for some weeks in June, and none of these things follow. They cannot deny the difference from so heavy a blow, in or about January, on the river of their pride and idolatry — the river that had seen the cruel death of Israel's male children.

God stepped in for His people to punish Pharaoh and his people for their treatment of Israel. The river, the source of their prosperity, was not forgotten, for the rivers and waters of Egypt were turned into blood. In a coming day God steps in again to punish the Egyptians, before the day of blessing comes to them: "the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched" (Isa. 19:5). In the end, Egypt and Assyria will be blessed along with Israel (Isa. 19:23-25).

The river watered the land through its many channels. It was the very sign that Egypt did not need heaven. They worshipped it as a god, and yet could claim it as their own making (Ezekiel 29:3) — two things that always go well together in idolatry. God turned that river into blood, so that they could not drink of it. What supports life becomes the very symbol of death — death by violence, the penalty carried out. This is not just nature rising up against them. It is penalty from the Creator of nature — death from the Life-giver.

Was that a miracle, or was it red colouring matter that at times appeared in the river? It was a miracle. All the water of the river had become blood. The proof of that was abundant. The fish in the Nile died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. The water was pleasant to drink, and in a moment it became disgusting. One important source of food, within reach of the poorest person, was cut off. The fish were clearly plentiful (Numbers 11:5), and they all died at once. Hapi, the Nile god, could not prevent it.

Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile as one of the chief gods of that land of idols. Remember that when the first plague struck the river, Pharaoh was going in the same direction that morning (Exodus 7:15). It gives us the impression that he was going out to worship the Nile-god, and at that very moment his god was struck.

He dealt this way with Pharaoh because Pharaoh oppressed His people, and because Pharaoh pictured the god of this world. So His conflict was with Pharaoh and with everything Pharaoh trusted in. We therefore read that He executed judgment upon the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4). It was the brilliant display of God's victorious power in the stronghold of Satan.

In a small way the magicians did what Moses had done. By their enchantments — that is, by calling on their gods — they turned water into blood wherever they could find it. Their actions say, "By the power of our gods we can turn life into death. We can add to the misery that comes from the judgment of God." But their power stopped there. They could not turn death into life. They could not pass from death into life. God does this work, and God alone.

Here we have a picture of Christ struck for us, by the hand of God, in judgment. The reader will notice the expression, "the staff with which you struck the Nile." Why the Nile? Why mention this particular stroke of the rod? Exodus 7:20 gives the answer... The same rod that turned the water into blood would later strike the Rock — and that Rock was Christ — so that streams of life and refreshment might flow for us.

All this points to a terrible second acting out of these things. The second angel pours out his bowl of the wrath of God on the sea, and it becomes like the blood of a corpse. The third angel pours his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they become blood. Death marked everything — not only the masses of nations and of men, but the springs and outflows of all human things in that day.

Then he announced to Pharaoh that he would strike the waters of the river so that they might become blood (v. 17). The fish would die, the river would stink, and the people would find it disgusting to try to drink from the river. The announcement apparently had no effect on Pharaoh, and the Lord commanded Moses to do just what he had warned (v. 19). When he did this, the result was just as he had said (v. 21).

Was that a miracle, or was it red colouring matter that at times appeared in the river? It was a miracle. All the water of the river had become blood. Proof of that was abundant. The fish in the Nile died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river. What a change in the Nile! The waters were pleasant to drink, and in a moment they became disgusting. One important source of support, within reach of the ordinary person, was cut off, for the fish — clearly plentiful (Numbers 11:5) — died at once. Further, all the water in the ponds and pools, and in containers of wood as well as of stone, became blood. Where Moses was not seen the plague was felt, and the Egyptians dug around the river for water.

The river ran in many channels and watered the land. It was the very sign that Egypt needed nothing from heaven. They worshipped it as a god, and yet they could claim it as their own making (Ezekiel 29:3) — two things that fit well together in all idolatry. That river was turned into blood, so that they could not drink of it. The support of life becomes the very symbol of death, and of death by violence, the infliction of the penalty. What we see here is not just nature rebelling. It is penalty from the Creator of nature — death from the Life-giver.

The Nile was Egypt's god: they gave it the name "Osiris," which represented all that was good. Another god, "Typhon," represented all that was evil, and was regarded as blood-red. All Egypt would recognise that to turn water to blood was to make evil triumph over good.

It is also likely that when the first plague fell, Pharaoh was walking toward the river to worship the god that the Nile was thought to represent.

But again the magicians proved that they too could produce death and stink, so Pharaoh's heart stayed hard. It is no surprise that Satan could produce death, or something that stands for death. He is the author of sin, and death came in through sin. Pharaoh made light of this first plague, but the common people felt the weight of it, and it lasted seven days.

The river is turned to blood; the means of life and refreshment becomes a witness of judgment (Exodus 7:14 etc.)... [These plagues show] how all that the world values, if separated from God, will in the end turn into plagues.

The New Testament names the chief of these magicians. We read, "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth." (2 Tim. 3:8.) That reference matters, because it shows that one of Satan's own working principles shaped what the magicians did. What was its special character? In one word, IMITATION... So when the rod of God struck the waters of Egypt and they became blood, the magicians "did the same by their secret arts." (Ex. 7:22.) ... Timothy also describes the men who resist the truth as "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." If Satan can succeed in open opposition to the truth, he will not hide himself. But if that door is shut, he will transform himself into an angel of light.

The magicians of Egypt could copy the servants of the true and living God in only three things: turning their rods into serpents, (Ex. 7:12) turning the water into blood, (Ex. 7:21) and bringing up the frogs. (Ex. 8:7) But the fourth sign called for life to appear, together with a display of nature brought low. There they were completely at a loss, and had to admit, "This is the finger of God." (Ex. 8:16-19)

Life belongs to God; He alone is its source; and so here Satan's efforts fail... So we can rest in confidence, whatever success the evil one seems to have now; for "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Rom. 16:20.)

The magicians used their secret arts to do the same thing. God had sent the trouble; and Satan shows he can bring trouble too, but he cannot take it away. Pharaoh regards the whole matter as if it was only magic... The Nile was Egypt's god: they gave it the name "Osiris," which represented all that was good. Another god, "Typhon," represented all that was evil, and was regarded as blood-red. All Egypt would recognise that to turn water to blood was to make evil triumph over good.

It is true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But that came only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and shocking arrogance by saying, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice…?" (Ex. 5:2) — and only after he had hardened his own heart again and again. In fact the Spirit, using two different words in the original language, says seven times that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7) before saying that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh (Ex. 9:12).

God never forced a man to be an unbeliever. Unbelief never begins as the result of hardening sent from God in judgment. Is there no such thing as hardening, then? ... It is just as wrong to suppose that God hardens a person when He first sends a testimony as it is to deny that He hardens after that testimony has been refused. The fact is, both are true.

Nothing deadens the power of truth so much as this: people who are not under its influence at all do the very same things as those who are. This is Satan's agency just now. He wants everyone counted as a Christian. He would like us to believe that we are surrounded by "a Christian world." But it is counterfeit Christianity. Far from bearing witness to the truth, it is designed by the enemy of the truth to resist truth's power to purify and lift up.

We now consider the first plague, the turning of the Nile and its branches into blood. The river was the very life of Egypt. The food, and the wealth, and the beauty of the land were all derived from it. Upon Hapi, or Nilus, the first judgment of God fell. All Egypt owed its existence to this generous river. Yet Egypt did not acknowledge it as made by God. They saw it as the result of the Sun and of Creative Power — a stream that nature had produced out of nature. Now this fruitful river was to become a River of Death in the middle of the land.

Pharaoh treats the whole thing as if it were only magic. With no apparent concern, he went back into his house (v. 23). Yet he should have realized how serious this was. The Nile was Egypt's god: they gave it the name "Osiris," which represented all that was good. Another god, "Typhon," stood for all that was evil, and they pictured him as blood-red. All Egypt would see that turning water into blood meant evil had beaten good.

In a small way the magicians did what Moses had done. They used their enchantments, that is, they called on their gods, and wherever they could find water they turned it into blood. Their actions say, "By the power of our gods we can turn life into death, we can add to the misery that comes from the judgment of God." But there their power stopped. They could not turn death into life. They could not pass from death into life. God does this work, and God alone. Still, they managed to influence the king. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let Israel go.

Pharaoh made light of this first plague. But the common people felt the weight of it, and it lasted seven days.

Would Pharaoh yield? He hardened his heart. He strengthened himself in his opposition, left the riverside, and went to his house. Seven days passed, and Pharaoh had not seen Moses. There had been time to think. Pharaoh gained nothing from it.

God then sent a testimony to Pharaoh, as He does to everyone in some form or another. But man, left to himself, always refuses the testimony of God. He knows it is God. He is aware that he is doing wrong in refusing it. Yet he still refuses, because he does not like God and dare not trust Him, since God's word interferes with everything he likes. So man gives himself up to unbelief. Then God may, at that time or later, in His own wisdom, seal up a person in a judicial hardness. That is a distinct, positive act on God's part… God hardens because man refuses His word.

If our minds are shaped by the word of God, we will find that man is always treated as a responsible being. God judges and condemns him for his own sins, not by some decree fixed in advance.

The river was turned into blood, so that they could not drink it. What supports life becomes the very symbol of death — death by violence, the carrying out of the penalty. This is not just nature in revolt; it is a penalty from the Creator of nature — death from the Life-giver.

Was it a miracle, or was it the red colouring that sometimes appeared in the river? It was a miracle. All the water of the river had become blood. The proof was everywhere. The fish in the Nile died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. What a change in the Nile! Water that was pleasant to drink turned disgusting in a moment. One important source of food, within reach of the poorest person, was cut off, for the fish, which were clearly plentiful, died at once. Hapi, the Nile god, could not prevent it... Further, all the water in the ponds and pools, and in vessels of wood and stone, became blood. Where Moses was not seen, the plague was felt; and the Egyptians dug round the river for water.

The river was the very life of Egypt. The food, the wealth and the beauty of the land all came from it. God's first judgment fell on Hapi, or Nilus. All Egypt owes its existence to that generous river. Yet Egypt did not admit that God had made it. They saw the fruitful Nile as the work of the Sun and of Creative Power — a stream produced, as it were, by nature out of nature. Now it was to be a River of Death in the middle of the land.

The Nile was Egypt's god: they gave it the name "Osiris," which stood for all that was good. Another god, "Typhon," stood for all that was evil, and they pictured him as blood-red. All Egypt would see that turning water to blood made evil triumph over good.

Though Pharaoh made light of this first plague, the common people felt the weight of it, and it lasted for seven days. This, we suppose, is what the last verse of the chapter shows.

There is not so much as a word about God in Ahab's orders to his servants — not a syllable about the sin that had brought God's heavy displeasure and judgement on the land. No; the word is, "Go to all fountains and brooks." That was Ahab's thought, his poor, low thought. His heart did not turn in true humility to the Lord. He did not cry to Him in the hour of his need. So his word is, "perhaps we may find grass." God is shut out, and self fills the whole mind. As long as he could find grass, he did not care about finding God.

Yet he should have realised that this was a very significant matter. The Nile was Egypt's god: they gave it the name "Osiris," which represented all that was good. Another god, "Typhon," represented all that was evil, and they regarded him as blood-red. All Egypt would recognise that to turn water to blood was to make evil triumph over good.

Alongside the first plague, they point to Ehrenberg, who in 1823 saw the inlet of the Red Sea, near Sinai, stained a blood-red colour by plants. Did this kill the fish in the sea or make the waters stink? Did it affect every pond and stream — indeed, every vessel of wood and stone? They cannot deny that there is every possible difference between the two. The Nile takes a reddish tint for some weeks in June, with none of these consequences. This was a far more severe blow, in or about January, on the river of their pride and idolatry — the river which had seen the cruel death of Israel's male children.

So the Egyptians had the work of digging wells near the river to find water to drink. This continued for seven days (v. 25), and it seems the plague eased at the end of that time.

For seven days the river ran blood instead of water, death instead of life, corruption instead of fertility. This is because seven is the period which God has appointed to mark out time on earth. And may we not add that for all time the stream of idolatry is a tide of death and corruption.

He hardened his heart. He strengthened himself in his opposition, left the riverside, and went to his house. Seven days passed, and Pharaoh had not seen Moses. He had time to think. He did not profit from it.

In general the plagues grow in severity until they reach their climax in the death of the firstborn. So they show how certain the judgment awaiting the sinner is. The ending of each stroke shows God's willingness to withdraw His hand from judgment, and shows judgment to be His strange work. Pharaoh hardens his heart not only by refusing to bow under the plagues. He also keeps to his course after God, in answer to his cry, lifts the plague. So neither the severity of God in sending the plague, nor His goodness in lifting it, has any effect on one whose heart is fully set to do evil.

He knows all things, so He knew that all nine plagues would not subdue the stubborn heart of Pharaoh. But the angelic principalities and powers in heavenly places do not know all things, and neither do men on earth. So He tested Pharaoh and gave space for repentance, as plague followed plague with growing severity. Then no one could rightly question the final stroke when it came.

The word to him was, "Let My people go …" So the Lord at once claimed the people as His. For a century or two the Pharaohs of Egypt had regarded the people as theirs, and held them as slaves. From the very start the two claims clashed. The Lord claimed the people that Pharaoh regarded as his own. Which claimant would prevail? The issue could not be in doubt for one moment.

God always acts on the ground of what He is. "I AM" secures everything for "MY PEOPLE." He was not about to leave His people among the brick-kilns of Egypt, under the whip of Pharaoh's taskmasters. They were His people, and He would act toward them in a way worthy of Himself. He did use Egypt as a school, and Pharaoh as a schoolmaster. But when the needed work was done, He set both aside and brought His people out with a high hand and an outstretched arm.

When He sent Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, God said to him, "You shall serve God on this mountain" (Ex. 3:12). Again and again during the dispute with Pharaoh the word was, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me." And when the people were at Sinai, the word was, "You shall serve the LORD your God" (Ex. 23:25). God gave the law so the people might know His will for them, and serve by obeying it.

The Exodus is the separation of the people of God from the world. One feature of the scene struck me: Israel was to go out of Egypt to serve the Lord, or hold a feast to Him (Ex. 5:1; Ex. 3:18; Ex. 8:1, 20; Ex. 9:1, 13; Ex. 10:3, 9). They could not serve Him or offer sacrifice to Him in the land of their slavery and in front of that people. Their religious service was of such a kind that Egypt would not tolerate it. It cut right across everything the Egyptians believed. If they had seen it, they would have persecuted and destroyed them, so Israel had to go out.

Again God gives Pharaoh the opportunity to respond to His demand to let Israel go (v. 1). But Moses was to add a warning. If Pharaoh refused, a plague of frogs would flood their land. The frogs would not stay outside. They would come into their homes, into their bedrooms and beds, into their food and kitchen utensils (vv. 2-3).

He hardened his heart and strengthened himself in his opposition. He left the riverside and went to his house. Seven days passed, and Pharaoh had not seen Moses. God had given him time to think it over. Pharaoh had not profited by it.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. The Egyptians held the frog itself as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah, one of the greatest of Egypt's gods… At God's command, the river was to swarm with these emblems of creative power. At the word of the Lord, frogs came in huge numbers over the whole country, against the creature's normal instinct.

How humbling this second judgment must have been to a people who counted frogs among their sacred animals — to see them, now an object of disgust, crowding their houses, their beds, their ovens and their kneading-troughs! These animals never trouble the Egyptians at the beginning of the year; still less do they come and go at the command of a man like Moses.

The magicians too could introduce such uncleanness, but could not reverse it. God had done this to discipline Egypt. He wanted to show them the real state of moral uncleanness that filled their nation. The magicians did it to show off their magic skills, but they only increased the trouble.

Again God gives Pharaoh the opportunity to respond to His demand to let Israel go (v. 1). But Moses was to bring with it a warning. If Pharaoh refused, their land would be flooded with a plague of frogs. The frogs would not stay outside. They would come into their homes, into their bedrooms and beds, into their food and kitchen utensils (vv. 2-3).

He hardened his heart, strengthening himself in his opposition, left the riverside, and went to his house. Seven days passed, and Pharaoh had not seen Moses. There had been time to think. Pharaoh had gained nothing from it.

Men's threats are sometimes just idle words or empty boasting. The judgments God announces are not like that. In the whole history of the world, the Creator has never threatened a judgment He did not mean to carry out. At times the repentance of the people has held back His hand... It is also true that He is "slow to anger." He leaves an open door for repentance until the last. But even the patience of God has limits.

These frogs were no ordinary ones. Or, if they were the ordinary creature, they were about to do what frogs never do. They were going into ovens, into hot and dry spots, and all kinds of places completely contrary to their nature.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. Egyptians held the frog itself as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah... At God's command the river was to bring out these emblems of creative power in swarms. At the word of Jehovah a swarming multitude of frogs spread over the country, against the ordinary instinct of the creature. They afflicted everything — houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens or dough. They afflicted everyone, the king as much as the people. Nothing and nobody escaped their slimy presence and disgusting croaking.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death. The second stands for uncleanness (Rev. 16:13-14). It pictures something far more revolting: the moral and spiritual pollution that infects every level of society when people refuse the Word of God... The magicians too could introduce such uncleanness, but could not reverse it. God did this to discipline Egypt. He wanted to show them the real state of moral uncleanness that ran through their nation.

Frogs crawled over the proud king himself. He had no choice but to ask Moses to plead for their removal. He appealed neither to the magicians nor to those frog-shaped idols. He knew they could not help him. Only Jehovah could give help. The God of Moses was the only resource. But Pharaoh did not know Him.

Moses was to add this warning: if Pharaoh refused, a plague of frogs would flood their land. The frogs would not stay outside. They would come into their homes, into their bedrooms and beds, into their food and kitchen utensils.

These frogs were no ordinary ones. Or, if they were the ordinary creature, they were about to do what frogs never do. They were going into ovens, into hot and dry spots, and all kinds of places entirely against their nature.

The critics do not explain how the frogs came as soon as Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and how they died by the millions after Moses prayed. Pharaoh was better than the modern critics, for he at least admitted that this was a miracle of Jehovah.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. Egypt held the frog itself as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah… At God's command, the river was to bring out these emblems of creative power in swarms. At the word of Jehovah a huge multitude of frogs swarmed over the country, against the normal instinct of the creature. They troubled everything: houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens and dough. They troubled all people too, whether the king or his subjects.

How humbling this second judgment must have been to a people who counted frogs among their sacred animals! They had to watch a creature they found disgusting crowd their houses, and beds, and ovens, and kneading bowls.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death; now the second signifies uncleanness (Rev. 16:13-14). It is a picture of something far more disgusting: the moral and spiritual pollution that infects every level of society when people refuse the Word of God… The magicians could bring in such uncleanness too, but they could not remove it.

This plague is clearly connected with the last one. So we are following the same track as the apostle when he speaks of the result of turning away from God. "Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done," or, as he puts it elsewhere, "to impurity" (Rom. 1:28, 24). Here are the unclean things that come out of the river, when people worship and serve the creature instead of the Creator.

The proud king, with frogs crawling over his own body, had to ask Moses to pray that they would be taken away. He did not appeal to the magicians, nor to those frog-shaped idols. He knew they could not help him. Only in Jehovah was there any help.

They died and were gathered in heaps, so that only their stench remained, a reminder of the bad smell of Egypt's uncleanness. But as soon as he had relief from this scourge, Pharaoh only hardened his heart in his determination to keep Israel in captivity.

At the word of the Lord a vast multitude of frogs swarmed over the country, against the ordinary instinct of the creature. They afflicted all things — houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens or dough. They afflicted all persons too, whether the king or the people. Nothing and nobody was exempt from their slimy presence, their disgusting croaking and yelling.

The whole land of Egypt was made to tremble beneath the successive strokes of the rod of God. All, from the monarch on his throne to the servant at the mill, were made to feel the terrible weight of that rod.

These frogs were no ordinary ones. Or, if they were the ordinary creature, they were about to do what frogs never do. They were going into ovens, into hot and dry spots, and all kinds of places completely against their nature.

How humbling this second judgment must have been to a people who counted frogs among their sacred animals! They saw them, an object of disgust, crowd their houses, and beds, and ovens, and the bowls where they made their dough. These animals never trouble the Egyptians at the beginning of the year. Still less do they come and go at the command of a man like Moses.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. The frog itself was held as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah. It appears sitting on a ring — an emblem of life — and it stands for the idea of great numbers. It was also an emblem of resurrection... The god Ptah was "the father of the gods." It was said of him that he "formed all beings, and all things came after him."

All their gods became a source of shame and misery... The river brings forth frogs; their god tormented them.

He dealt with Pharaoh as the oppressor of His people. Pharaoh stood as a figure of the god of this world. So His conflict was with Pharaoh and with everything Pharaoh trusted in. We therefore read that He executed judgment upon the gods of Egypt. It was, then, the brilliant display of God's victorious power in the stronghold of Satan. If Satan rises in conflict with God, the outcome can only be his utter defeat.

The gods of the Egyptians could not protect their worshippers from them. The magicians brought up frogs as well. But could they take them away?... The proud king had frogs crawling over his body. He had to ask Moses to plead with God to take them away. He appealed neither to the magicians nor to those frog-shaped idols. He knew they could not help him. In the Lord alone was help to be found.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death. The second one stands for uncleanness. It pictures something far more revolting: the moral and spiritual pollution that infects every level of society when people refuse the word of God... The magicians too could introduce such uncleanness, but could not reverse it.

At the end of that time the Lord, through Moses, repeated His demand for the release of His people. He announced a second plague if Pharaoh refused. Pharaoh did refuse, and the frogs appeared in their millions out of the waters that had been struck (Exodus 8:5-6).

The slimy creatures came out of every branch of the river, out of the irrigation canals and out of the reservoirs, as verse 5 shows. They got into houses, into their beds, their food vessels and their ovens. They defiled everything.

He dealt this way with Pharaoh as the oppressor of His people, and as a picture of the god of this world. So His conflict was with Pharaoh, and with everything Pharaoh trusted in. That is why we read that He executed judgment on the gods of Egypt.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. Egypt held the frog as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah… Ptah was "the father of the gods." The Egyptians said of him that he "formed all beings, and all things came after him." At God's command the river was to swarm with these emblems of creative power.

This plague was frogs, and they came out of the worshipped, sacred Nile. Critics have tried to explain it as a natural event. But they do not explain how the frogs came as soon as Aaron stretched his hand over the waters of Egypt. Nor do they explain how the frogs died by the millions after Moses prayed. Pharaoh was better than these modern critics, for he at least admitted it was a miracle of the Lord.

Those who know Egypt and its history tell us that a "red Nile" used to happen every year, and that the river was a breeding place for frogs. But what happened here was quite out of the ordinary, both in its timing and in its intensity, and the invasion of the whole land by the frogs was a dreadful affliction.

These frogs were no ordinary frogs. Or, if they were the ordinary creature, they were about to do what frogs never do. They were going into ovens, into hot and dry places, and into all kinds of places against their nature.

Satan's power appears again, for we read, "The magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt." Then relief came, and the plague was lifted when Moses prayed for them… How striking that the only hope of removing the plague rested with Moses before the Lord. Those who wielded Satan's power were helpless before it, and under its power.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death. Now the second stands for uncleanness (Rev. 16:13-14). It is a picture of something far worse: the moral and spiritual pollution that spreads through every level of society when people refuse the Word of God… The magicians could also bring in such uncleanness, but they could not take it away.

Pharaoh refused, and millions of frogs came up out of the waters that had been struck. People who know Egypt and its history tell us that a "red Nile" used to happen every year, and that the river was a breeding place for frogs. But what happened here was far out of the ordinary in both timing and intensity. The frogs invaded the whole land, and it was a dreadful affliction.

Critics who reject the supernatural have tried to explain this plague too as a natural event. But they do not explain how the frogs came as soon as Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt. They do not explain how the frogs died by the millions after Moses' prayer. Pharaoh was better than today's critics. He at least admitted that it was a miracle of Jehovah.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. The frog itself was held as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah... The god Ptah was "the father of the gods." The Egyptians said of him that he "formed all beings, and all things came after him." At God's command, the river was to pour out these emblems of creative power in swarms. At the word of Jehovah huge numbers of frogs swarmed over the country, against the creature's normal instinct. They spoiled everything: houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens and dough. They troubled everyone, the king as much as the people. Nothing and nobody escaped their slimy presence and their disgusting croaking and yelling.

How humbling this second judgment must have been to a people who counted frogs among their sacred animals! They saw them, an object of disgust, crowd their houses, and beds, and ovens, and kneading-troughs. These animals never trouble the Egyptians at the start of the year. And they certainly do not come and go at the command of a man like Moses.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death. Now the second signifies uncleanness (Revelation 16:13-14). It is a picture of something far more revolting: the moral and spiritual pollution that infects every level of society when people refuse the Word of God... God had done this to discipline Egypt, and to show them the real moral uncleanness that filled their nation. The magicians did it to show off their magic skills, but they only made the plague worse. Cunning impostors do the same. They try to imitate spiritual power, and they only add their own uncleanness to the wickedness in the world.

"Jannes and Jambres" were able to do three things: the serpents, the blood, and the frogs. These were marked by satanic energy, death, and uncleanness. That is how they "opposed Moses." In the same way "these men also oppose the truth," and hinder its moral weight and its action on the conscience. Nothing deadens the power of truth so much as this: people who are not under its influence at all do the very same things as those who are.

Then relief came, and the plague was lifted when Moses interceded... How striking that the only hope of removing the plague rested with Moses before the Lord! Those who wielded Satan's power were helpless before it, and under its power.

Frogs crawled over the proud king himself, and he had to ask Moses to pray for their removal. He appealed neither to the magicians nor to those frog-shaped idols. He knew they could not help him. Only Jehovah could help him.

The New Testament names the chief of these Egyptian magicians: "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth" (2 Tim. 3:8). This reference matters, because what the magicians did embodies a principle of Satan's working. What was its special character? In one word, IMITATION… It was the same with the frogs (Ex. 8:7). Timothy shows the same men opposing the truth, as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:5). This is one of Satan's most dangerous tricks. If he can succeed by opposing the truth in the open, he will not hide himself. If that door shuts, he disguises himself as an angel of light.

The magicians showed that they too could produce frogs out of the waters, and so they reduced the effect of the miracle in Pharaoh's mind. Those who know Egypt and its history tell us that the river was a breeding place of frogs. But what happened here was far out of the ordinary in both timing and intensity, and the invasion of the whole land by the frogs was a dreadful affliction.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death; the second signifies uncleanness. It is a picture of the far more revolting moral and spiritual pollution that infects all levels of society when the Word of God is refused. The magicians could also bring in such uncleanness, but they could not reverse it. God had done this as discipline toward Egypt, to expose to them the actual condition of moral uncleanness that filled their nation. The magicians did it to show off their magic skills, but they only increased the plague. Cunning impostors do the same: trying to imitate spiritual power, they only add their own uncleanness to the wickedness in the world. Pharaoh may have seen through this, for he did not ask the magicians to take the frogs away.

Then the relief came; at the prayer of Moses the plague was removed, and "when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart" still more. How striking that the only hope of removing the plague lay with Moses before the Lord. Those who used Satan's power were helpless against it, and under its power themselves.

The magicians of Egypt could imitate the servants of the true and living God in only three things: turning their rods into serpents (Ex. 7:12), turning the water into blood (Ex. 7:21), and bringing up the frogs (Ex. 8:7). But the fourth involved the display of life along with nature's humiliation. There they were defeated and had to admit, "This is the finger of God" (Ex. 8:16-19). It is the same with those who resist the truth in the last days. All they do is by the direct energy of Satan, and lies within the range of his power.

They could produce remarkable results, but they could not give life. When they tried to produce life, we read, "but they could not" (Ex. 8:18).

Egyptologists tell us that a special goddess was supposed to be in charge of the frogs, to protect the land from them. Her name was Heki, and the monuments sometimes picture her with the head of a frog. The Egyptians had to learn that Heki was nothing before the LORD. It illustrates the word, "on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments" (Exodus 12:12).

We may ask how far the devil can work miracles. I know of no limit, if God allows it (as in Egypt), in the use of natural laws or in producing appearances. But beyond nature or deception they cannot go. Ask them to create a louse, and Satan's instruments are stopped (Exodus 8:16-18). God alone can create. Satan uses power by inferior power, within the created scene. He cannot go beyond modifying it, and he cannot do it when he wills. Jannes and Jambres helped to harden Pharaoh's heart, but that only gave occasion for the display of God's own power and government or judgment.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. Egypt held the frog itself as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah... God commanded the river to "bring forth abundantly" these emblems of creative power. At the word of the LORD the swarming multitude of frogs spread over the country, against the creature's own normal instinct. They afflicted everything — houses, bedrooms, beds, ovens, dough — and everyone, whether the king or the people. Nothing and nobody escaped their slimy presence and their harsh croaking.

Through this plague, Pharaoh's ignorance of the LORD disappeared. He no longer said, "I do not know the LORD." Instead he cried, "Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people" (Ex. 8:8).

The magicians could also introduce such uncleanness, but they could not reverse it. God had done this to discipline Egypt. He wanted to show them the real moral uncleanness that ran through their nation. The magicians did it to show off their magic skills, but they only increased the plague. Cunning impostors do the same. Trying to imitate spiritual power, they only add their own uncleanness to the wickedness in the world. Pharaoh may have seen through this, for he did not appeal to the magicians to take the frogs away.

"Pray for me," said Jeroboam in alarm. Sadly, the unhappy man had never learned to pray for himself. In this he reminds us of Pharaoh in Exodus 8:8, and Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:24. The exercise of the power of God that he had experienced should have led Jeroboam to repentance, but the flesh learns nothing. He felt the consequences of his sin, but not the evil of it.

Moses answered this plea and fixed the time for his prayer. Then Pharaoh would see the hand of the Lord in God's answer as surely as he had seen it in the judgment. It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is even the slightest turning of the heart toward Him — though He knows it is not real — He is ready to hear. This is a striking testimony: He does not want the sinner to die. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.)

He had to recognise that the hand of the Lord was in this dreadful affliction. So he pretended to give in to God's demand, to get rid of the plague.

What a picture of the evil heart of man! Bowed down under the hand of God, alarmed at the consequences, he cries for relief and promises to keep God's commands if it is granted. The relief is given, and he at once forgets both his fears and his vows. In all such cases the conscience has never been truly awakened. There has been no sense of guilt before God, no acceptance of His word about man's lost and ruined condition, and so no turning to His saving grace in Christ Jesus the Saviour. The vows were made only as a kind of offering to appease God and get His hand lifted.

Moses made the removal more impressive by asking the king to fix when the frogs should go. The words "Glory over me" are rendered in the Septuagint "Fix for me." His answer was "Tomorrow." Moses replied that the LORD, the God of Israel, would prove His power. He would remove the plague at the exact time the king had set. It seems obvious that removing them in this way was an even more impressive miracle than bringing them up.

Pharaoh told him, "Tomorrow." (Perhaps he thought that God could not be expected to do it so quickly as "today"!) Moses told him at once that God would answer his prayer at that exact time. Then Pharaoh would have clear evidence that there is no other like the LORD God of Israel.

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death; the second signifies uncleanness... The magicians could also introduce such uncleanness, but they could not reverse it. God had done this in discipline toward Egypt, to expose to them the actual condition of moral uncleanness that filled their nation. The magicians did it to show off their magic skills, but they only increased the scourge.

A God until then unknown in Egypt really existed. True, He had no temple in that land, no priests devoted to His service, and no processions in His honour. But this at least was acknowledged: He alone could remove the disgusting and unwelcome frogs. Here was a power greater than the magicians knew. A Being very different from any and all of the Egyptian gods had worked — first in multiplying the frogs, then in removing them. They were clearly under His control. His command went out; they came up and covered the land. By His command they died. God was making Himself known to the Egyptians by acts of judgment — an awful way of revealing Himself.

Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile as standing for one of the chief gods of that land of idols... They also had a goddess who was thought to rule over frogs. This shows us how these judgments affected the gods of Egypt.

In some way or other He will and must make Himself known, for that is His glory; but He would rather be known in goodness than in judgment, if men will hear... To Egypt the Lord made Himself known in Joseph, the witness of His goodness. Through Joseph He filled Egypt's storehouses with all kinds of wealth. But Egypt forgot Joseph. Then a king arose who persecuted Joseph's people. He said of his God, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him?" So the Lord had to make His name known in that land by judgment... He was now to be made known, not in Joseph, but in plagues.

Twice in the previous chapter God announced a plague for tomorrow. That gave at least twenty-four hours' respite, in case Pharaoh might relent. In contrast to this, salvation, as we know, is always presented today.

Moses made the removal even more impressive by asking the king to set the time when the frogs should go. The Septuagint renders the words "Glory over me" as "Fix for me." Pharaoh's answer was, "Tomorrow." Moses replied that the LORD, the God of Israel, would prove His power by removing the plague at the very time the king had named. It seems obvious that their removal in this fashion was an even more impressive miracle than their being brought up.

Had such a plague ever been known before? The LORD, the God of Israel, brought the frogs. The gods of the Egyptians could not guard their worshippers against them. The magicians brought up frogs as well. But could they take them away? Was it just an accidental affliction that could not be explained? Pharaoh knew then that the God of the Hebrews was more powerful than all the gods of Egypt. So he turned to Moses to plead with the LORD for him. Frogs crawled over the proud king himself, and he had to ask Moses to plead for their removal.

A power greater than the magicians knew had worked. This was a Being completely unlike any of the Egyptian gods. He first multiplied the frogs, and then removed them. Such creatures were clearly under His control. His command went out; they came up and covered the land. By His command they died, so that they would torment the king and his people by their presence no more. God was making Himself known to the Egyptians by judgment, a terrible way to reveal Himself.

Pharaoh told him, "Tomorrow." (Perhaps he thought God could not be expected to act as fast as "today"!) Moses told him at once that God would answer his prayer at the exact time. Then Pharaoh would have clear evidence that there is no other like the LORD God of Israel.

God twice announced a plague for tomorrow. That gave at least twenty-four hours' delay, in case Pharaoh would relent. In contrast to this, salvation, as we know, is always offered today.

Moses answered this appeal and set the time for the prayer. When God answered, Pharaoh would see the hand of the LORD as surely as he had seen it in the judgment. It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is even the slightest turning of heart to Him, He is ready to hear, though He knows the turning is not real. This is a striking witness that He does not want the sinner's death. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.)

But even so, the effect of the plague was not yet over. Except in the river, all the frogs died that day by a miracle. They were gathered in heaps, and the land stank with their bodies. Yet even this was a respite, and as soon as Pharaoh saw it he hardened his heart and continued to defy God. The judgment had not produced any vital change.

Then the relief came. Moses prayed, and the Lord took the plague away — and "when Pharaoh saw there was respite he hardened his heart" still more. How striking that the only hope of removing the plague lay with Moses praying before the Lord. The men who used Satan's power were helpless against it, and were under its power themselves.

But this much at least they admitted: He alone could remove the disgusting, unwelcome frogs. A power greater than the magicians knew, a Being utterly unlike any of the Egyptian gods, had acted — first in multiplying the frogs, then in removing them. Clearly the frogs were under His control. He gave the command; they came up and covered the land. At His command they died, and tormented the king and his people with their presence no more.

Egyptologists tell us that a special goddess was thought to rule over the frogs and keep the land safe from them. Her name was Heki, and the monuments sometimes show her with the head of a frog. The Egyptians had to learn that Heki was as nothing before Jehovah. It illustrates the word, "Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" (Exodus 12:12).

Moses answered his plea, and set the time for the prayer. Then, when God answered it, Pharaoh would recognise the hand of the Lord as surely as he had when the judgment fell. It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is even the slightest turning of heart to Him, He is ready to listen, although He knows the turning is not real. That is a striking testimony: He does not want the sinner to die. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.)

Moses made the removal more impressive by asking Pharaoh to name the time when the frogs should go. The words "Glory over me" — the wording of an older translation — appear in the Greek Old Testament as "Fix for me." His answer was, "Tomorrow." Moses replied that Jehovah the God of Israel would prove His power by removing the plague just as the king had fixed it. It seems obvious that removing them this way was an even greater miracle than bringing them up.

Critics who deny miracles have tried to explain this plague too as a natural event. But they do not explain how the frogs came as soon as Aaron stretched his hand over the waters of Egypt, and how they died by the millions after Moses prayed. Pharaoh was better than today's critics, for he at least admitted that it was a miracle of Jehovah (verse 8).

Even then the effect of the plague was not over. Outside the river, all the frogs died that day by a miracle. They were gathered in heaps, and the land stank with their dead bodies. Yet even this was relief, and as soon as Pharaoh saw it he hardened his heart and went on defying God. The judgment had not produced any vital change.

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. He asked them to plead with the Lord to take the frogs away, and he promised to let the Israelites go in return. Moses answered by asking Pharaoh to name the time when he should pray for the frogs to go (v. 9). Pharaoh told him, "Tomorrow." Moses told him at once that God would answer his prayer at that exact time. Then Pharaoh would have clear evidence that there is no other like the Lord God of Israel (v. 10).

Moses made the removal even more impressive by asking Pharaoh to set the time when the frogs should go. The Greek Old Testament translates the words "Glory over me" as "Fix for me." Pharaoh's answer was, "Tomorrow." Moses replied that the Lord, the God of Israel, would prove His power by removing the plague at the time the king had set. It seems clear that taking them away like this was an even greater miracle than bringing them up.

The magicians may have helped to increase the number of frogs a little, but they could not take them away. Pharaoh had to recognize that the hand of the Lord was in this dreadful suffering. So he pretended to give in to God's demand, in order to get the plague removed.

There were only three things in which the magicians of Egypt could imitate the servants of the true and living God: turning their rods into serpents (Ex. 7:12), turning the water into blood (Ex. 7:21), and bringing up the frogs (Ex. 8:7). But the fourth plague involved the producing of life, together with the humbling of nature. There they were completely baffled, and had to admit, "This is the finger of God." (Ex. 8:16-19)

It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is even the slightest turning of heart to Him, He is ready to listen, though He knows the turning is not real. This is a striking witness that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.) So the Lord heard, and "did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields." (Ex. 8:13.)

This plague was made up of frogs, which came out of the Nile, the river the Egyptians worshipped as sacred. Critics who deny the miraculous have tried to explain this plague too as a natural event. But they do not explain how the frogs came as soon as Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and how they died by the millions after Moses prayed. Pharaoh did better than today's critics, for he at least admitted that it was a miracle of the Lord (verse 8). Frogs were also connected with Egyptian idolatry. One Egyptian goddess called Hekt is pictured with the head of a frog. Frogs stand for unclean things. See Revelation 16:13.

But even so, the effect of the plague was not yet over. Except in the river, all the frogs died that day by a miracle. They were gathered into heaps, and the land stank with their dead bodies. Yet even this was a relief, and as soon as Pharaoh saw it he hardened his heart and went on defying God. The judgment had produced no real change.

Even so, the effect of the plague was not yet over. Except in the river, all the frogs died that day in a miraculous way. As people gathered them in heaps, the land stank with their bodies.

Tomorrow, said Pharaoh. On the next day the frogs died out of the houses, villages, and fields. What widespread misery they must have caused, for now the land stank because of their dead bodies. Heaps of them were collected — witnesses, when alive, of Jehovah's power, and also, now dead, of His mercy.

As Egypt had its Nile god, so it had its frog-gods and frog-goddesses. The Egyptians held the frog itself as a sacred emblem of the creative power of the god Ptah. It appears seated on a ring — an emblem of life — and stands for the idea of multitudes. It was also an emblem of resurrection.

The generous Hapi had given birth to multitudes indeed! The emblem of creative power had become Egypt's tormentor by its unbearable numbers. Corrupted by its own deity, "the land stank."

The first plague taught the serious lesson of death; this second one stands for uncleanness. It is a picture of the far more revolting moral and spiritual pollution that infects every level of society when the Word of God is refused… The magicians too could introduce such uncleanness, but could not reverse it. God had done this in discipline toward Egypt, to expose to them the actual moral uncleanness that filled their nation. The magicians did it to show off their magic skills, but they only increased the scourge. In the same way, cunning impostors who try to imitate spiritual power only add their own uncleanness to the wickedness in the world.

What makes them so distressing is their numbers, their presence everywhere, and — as is implied — their swarming out of the mud and slime: their uncleanness… Here we follow the same track as the apostle. He speaks of the result of departure from God: "since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done," or, as he otherwise puts it, "to impurity" (Rom. 1:28, 24). Here are the unclean things that come out of the river, when people worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator.

It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is the slightest turning of heart to Him, He is ready to hear, even though He knows it is not real. That is a striking testimony: He does not will the sinner's death. Indeed He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)… But what was the result? "But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said." What a picture of the evil heart of man!

Yet even this was a respite, and the moment Pharaoh saw it he hardened his heart and went on defying God. The judgment had produced no vital change.

The frogs died, and Pharaoh hardened, or made heavy, his heart. But "who has hardened himself against Him and has prospered?" (Job 9:4). So said Job, and Pharaoh was no exception to that ancient saying.

It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is the slightest turning of heart towards Him, He is ready to hear, even though He knows it is not real. This is a striking testimony that He does not want the sinner to die. Indeed, He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)... But what was the result? "But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said." What a picture of the evil heart of man!

Is God's sovereignty not seen in this? Again and again, God acted in sovereign mercy to remove the plagues. But this mercy only became the occasion of Pharaoh hardening his heart (see Ex. 7:13, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Finally, Pharaoh having hardened his heart, we read that "The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh" (Ex. 9:12).

God did not make Pharaoh wicked. God leads no man to sin; but when Pharaoh had proved himself wicked and stubborn, God judicially hardened his heart. This hardening, however, never takes place until man has proved himself to be wicked.

The judgment of God is against everyone who does evil. There is no remedy but turning to God, whose goodness keeps inviting men to repentance. Yet His patience so often leads men to despise the riches of that goodness. So when judgment against an evil work is not carried out quickly, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil (Ecc. 8:11). With Pharaoh, what hardened his heart was simply God's patient mercy (Ex. 8:15; Ex. 9:34)... treasures of mercy are stored up for the future as treasures of wrath.

But again and again we are reminded that this was no surprise to God. All this happened "as the LORD had spoken through Moses." He saw the end from the beginning.

A soldier, badly wounded in France... told me that soldiers will pray when faced with death. They promise God to give up swearing. But as soon as the danger is over, both the prayer and the promise are forgotten. This shows there is no reality in either.

In all such cases the conscience has never been really awakened. There has been no sense of guilt before God, and no acceptance of His testimony to man's lost and ruined condition. So there has been no turning to His saving grace, as revealed in Christ Jesus the Saviour. The vows that were made were really a kind of payment offered to get God's hand removed.

Would Pharaoh then yield and obey the command of the Divine Being? He would not. The frogs died, and Pharaoh hardened, or made heavy, his heart. But "who has hardened himself against Him and succeeded?" (Job 9:4). So said Job, and Pharaoh was no exception... God was not going to trifle with the monarch. He was in earnest. Pharaoh was to know that. So now, without any warning, a fresh plague was to come.

Lice — in Hebrew, ken, kinnam. The dust of the land became lice in man and in beast. Some have supposed that the word means gnats, because the Greek Septuagint has skniphes, which some translate "mosquito-gnats." But gnats may belong to the next plague. More probably the word means the louse or the tick. The account describes them as "in man and in beast."

This was done by Aaron on behalf of Moses and the trying plague came to pass. At this point the magicians of Egypt were baffled. Out of the dead dust the living lice had come. Only God can bring life out of death. They could only confess, "This is the finger of God," and retire from the contest. From this point we hear of no more attempts to belittle the acts of God by satanic power.

We may ask how far the devil can work miracles. If God allows it, as in Egypt, I know of no limit to his use of natural laws, or to his producing appearances... but beyond nature or deception they cannot go — create a louse, and Satan's instruments are at their limit (Exodus 8:16-18). God alone can create... Satan uses power by a lesser power, inside the created world. He cannot go beyond changing it, and he cannot even do that whenever he wants.

Until now the magicians had successfully withstood Moses by imitating him. So they called on their gods, lifted up their rods, and struck the dust. But Seb, the Earth, could not help them — Seb, who carried on him the emblem of life-giving in the bird that lays the egg. Confusion covered them, and everyone could see their folly. "This is the finger of a god," they said — that is, of some being greater than the gods they had turned to. They admitted a power above their own.

Dust is often connected in Scripture with death — "the dust of death" (Ps. 22:15). "Dust to dust" was the original verdict which stamped man with vanity... With this plague, we have a striking picture of what the world is — under Satan's rule, God cast off, corrupt through lust, death hanging over it! ... here (as the magicians say) is "the finger of God," and it writes on the dust itself, as Christ wrote on it for the Pharisees in later times, man's condemnation.

This was a personal contamination that would be almost unbearable... They had before brought up frogs, but the frogs were already there to bring up. Now dust itself had become lice, and they recognise that this was bringing life from a lifeless source. They could not do this, even in the case of the lowest form of life. But even after this, Pharaoh hardened his heart in blindness. So many do the same today, even when they face God's clear testimony to the gospel of His Son.

He now struck the ground with that same rod. The dust of the ground all over the land teemed with lice. Lifeless matter was alive. A living, moving mass appeared where dust had been before. Lice were upon man and beast (8:17). No one except Moses and Aaron was exempt. The person of the king was as open to this affliction as that of the poorest of his subjects.

Lice — ken, kinnam. The dust of the land became lice in man and in beast. Some have supposed the word means gnats, because the old Greek translation has skniphes, which some render 'mosquito-gnats.' But gnats may belong to the next plague. It is more likely that the louse or the tick is meant. Scripture describes it as being 'in man and in beast.'

Out of the dead dust the living lice had come. The magicians could not imitate it, and they had to admit as much. Only God can bring life out of death. They could only confess, "This is the finger of God," and withdraw from the contest. From this point we hear of no more attempts to belittle the acts of God by satanic power.

Beyond nature or trickery they cannot go. Ask them to create a louse, and Satan's instruments come to a halt (Exodus 8:16-18). Natural forces he can use, if allowed. God alone can create, or by His own will bring about what carries out His purpose. He disposes of nature as its Master and does what He pleases. Satan works by a lower power, inside the created world. He cannot go beyond changing what is there, and he cannot even do that whenever he wills.

Until now the magicians had held out against Moses by copying him. So they called on their gods, lifted up their rods, and struck the dust. But Seb, the Earth, could not help them — Seb, who carried the sign of life-giving in the bird that lays the egg. Confusion covered them, and everyone could see their folly. "This is the finger of a god," they said. They meant some being greater than the gods they had turned to. They admitted a power above their own.

The river is turned to blood; the means of life and refreshment becomes a witness of judgment. Out of the river come unclean frogs; the source of refreshment spreads defilement. The very dust, the soil that grows rich crops, produces lice — the vile corruptions that thrive alongside the world's prosperity. The plague of flies is similar. It shows that everything the world values, once cut off from God, will in the end turn into plagues.

The lice however did not remain on the ground, but in keeping with the character of dust, it settled on people and animals. This was a personal contamination that would be practically unbearable... They could not do this, even in the case of the lowest form of life. But in spite of this, Pharaoh blindly hardened his heart, as so many do today in spite of being faced with God's clear testimony to the gospel of His Son.

Out of the dead dust the living lice had come. The magicians could not copy it. Only God can bring life out of death. They could only confess, "This is the finger of God," and leave the contest. From this point we hear of no more attempts to belittle the acts of God by satanic power.

The lice did not stay on the ground. Like dust, they settled on people and animals. This was a personal contamination that would be almost unbearable. They had before brought up frogs, but the frogs were already there to bring up. Now that dust turned into lice, they saw that this meant bringing life out of a lifeless source. They could not do this, even with the lowest form of life. Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart in blindness, as so many do today, though God gives them clear testimony to the gospel of His Son.

The main ones are named in the New Testament. We read, "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth." (2 Tim. 3:8.) That reference matters, because it shows the magicians were acting on one of Satan's own principles. What was its special character? In one word, IMITATION... If he can win by opposing the truth openly, he will not hide. But if that door is shut, he will transform himself into an angel of light.

They cannot go beyond nature or deception. Ask them to create a louse, and Satan's instruments come to a stop (Exodus 8:16-18). He can use natural forces, if God allows it. God alone can create, or by His own will produce what carries out His purpose. He controls nature as its Master and does what He pleases. Satan works by a lesser power, inside the created world. He cannot go past changing it, and he cannot even do that whenever he wants.

God allowed them to keep pace with every step Moses took, until the simplest fact of all showed that their power had reached its end, and they could go no further. They could no more get life-giving power than Simon Magus could buy the power of the Holy Spirit.

The very soil of Egypt was now turned into a curse. God now held back the demonic powers of imitation, and the wicked magicians had to confess, not for God's glory, but for their own protection, "this is the finger of God."

Until now the magicians had stood against Moses with success by copying him. So they called on their gods, lifted up their rods, and struck the dust. But Seb, the earth god, could not help them — Seb, who carried on him the sign of life-giving, the bird that lays the egg. Confusion covered them, and their folly was plain to everyone. "This is the finger of a god," they said. That is, of some being greater than the gods they had turned to; they admitted a power above their own.

The folly of Jannes and Jambres was plain to everyone. They not only failed to copy what Moses and Aaron did next; they were caught in God's judgments themselves. This is a solemn point. In the same way, the folly of everyone who has only the outward form will be shown up. They will be unable to copy the full and proper effects of divine life and power, and they will come under the judgments that follow from rejecting the truth they have resisted.

The magicians tried to copy this with their spells, but they could not. They had to admit that "this is the finger of God" (v. 19). They had brought up frogs before, but the frogs were already there to bring up. Now, when the dust turned into lice, they saw that this brought life out of a lifeless source. They could not do that, even with the lowest form of life.

The sceptic counts at least the first of these "a natural phenomenon of the country." For him the wonder is that Aaron started it, and that the Israelites were spared. So he believes less than the magicians, who said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" — not just a mix of unusual circumstances with a natural event.

Three times these instruments of Satan "withstood" Moses. But the plague of lice raised the question of producing life from the dust of the earth. Here the magicians were powerless, and had to confess that it was "the finger of God." Life belongs to God; He alone is its source. So Satan's efforts are defeated here, and we read of no further attempt by his servants to block the force of the divine signs. In the next chapter we find that they "could not stand before Moses because of the boils." (Ex. 9:11) They themselves have fallen under the punishing hand of God.

The magicians of Egypt, who opposed Moses, show the character and methods of these opposers. Jannes and Jambres tried to resist the testimony of God, not by denying the truth, but by copying it. They tried to show that their power was as great as the power of God, and that they could match the results God produced by His word through Moses. They openly admitted that their power came from another source.

The folly of Jannes and Jambres was clear to everyone. The folly of all who have only the outward form will be exposed in the same way. They will not only be quite unable to copy the full and proper effects of divine life and power. They will themselves come under the judgements that follow from rejecting the truth they have resisted.

When the Lord was here below and showed His power over Satan, it was the kingdom of God. It could be called that because the King — the power of God — was there. So here, by casting out demons by the power of God, He proved that the kingdom of God had come. What better proof could anyone ask for? Man was completely unable to do such a work... But in the Lord's case it was not occasional, exceptional, or partial. It was always the same, and it covered every case.

He knows it is God. He is aware that he is doing wrong in refusing Him. Yet he still refuses, because he does not like God and dare not trust Him, since God's word interferes with everything he likes. So man gives himself up to unbelief. Then God may, at that time or later, and in His own wisdom, seal a person up in a judicial hardness. That is a distinct positive act on God's part... God hardens because man refuses His word.

God tells Moses to put His demand to Pharaoh again: the people, whom He claimed as His own, must go free. Once more Moses is to meet the king as he goes out to the river early in the morning. Those who have studied the records of ancient Egypt tell us that the Egyptians worshipped the Nile as representing one of the chief gods of that land of idols. Remember, too, that when the river was struck under the first plague, Pharaoh was going the same way in the morning. It gives us the impression that he was going out to worship the Nile-god, and just at that moment his god was struck.

The Lord opened each of the three series of plagues by commanding Moses to meet Pharaoh "in the morning," at the start of a day. Moses and Aaron opened the second plague of each series by visiting Pharaoh, while the third came without warning. An ordered plan governs each series.

The Exodus is the separation of the people of God from the world. One feature in the scene struck me: Israel was to go out of Egypt to serve the Lord, or hold a feast to Him. They could not serve Him or offer sacrifice to Him in the land of their slavery, in front of that people. Their religious service was of such a kind that Egypt would not tolerate it. It cut right across everything the Egyptians thought, so they would persecute and destroy them if they saw it. They must therefore go out.

At the river, God threatens Pharaoh with the fourth plague. We notice that the text calls it "swarms" seven times. Our translators added the words "of flies" in italics, since the word in the original is plainly an Egyptian one and not Hebrew, and no one knows its exact meaning. The Septuagint uses a Greek word meaning "dog-flies." Other authorities believe it really means "beetles." If so, that would again bring in the thought of the gods of Egypt, for the Egyptians treated the beetle as sacred.

If the king would not obey the fresh summons, swarms of flies would appear. They would settle on Pharaoh, on his servants, on his people. His house and the houses of the Egyptians would be full of them, and swarms would cover the very ground. Wherever anyone set a foot down, it would crush some of the swarm.

Their general purpose is clear if we remember the character of the controversy which God had with Pharaoh. He dealt with Pharaoh as the oppressor of His people, and as a picture of the god of this world. So His conflict was with Pharaoh and with everything Pharaoh trusted in. We therefore read that He executed judgment on the gods of Egypt. It was the brilliant display of God's victorious power in the stronghold of Satan.

The plague of flies is like those before it, and shows how all that the world values, if cut off from God, will in the end turn into plagues.

This time Moses is to warn Pharaoh again. He repeats God's earlier command to let His people go… The word "swarms" is rightly translated "a mixture," meaning a mixture of small insects. Here God announces that the Israelites would be completely free from the plague: only Egypt would suffer.

Older English versions add the words "of flies," and the "swarms" may mean swarms of insects of different sorts. They were to come into the houses and also to ruin the land… One insect is extremely destructive to property, and ruins the wood of a house in a short time. The common fly of Egypt is no doubt among them. These flies are very troublesome. They quickly spoil food and keep attacking the body.

The fourth plague was even more destructive and significant. These were not the common house flies, but a stronger insect with a very painful bite. They fastened on people and tormented them. It was another blow against the idols of Egypt. The Egyptians revered the beetle as the symbol of creative power, and the Egyptian Sun-god had a beetle's head. This plague did not touch Israel; Jehovah showed that Israel is His people… Here Jehovah is plainly revealed as the author of the plague judgments. His supreme authority stands out.

Was there no limitation of this plague? There was. The limit was territorial: not one of these insects reached the land of Goshen. The Israelites stayed free from them, while the insects tormented the Egyptians. Jehovah plagued the Egyptians; Jehovah sheltered His people. Now it was clear what a blessing it must be to belong to that down-trodden and badly afflicted people. The Egyptians might despise and even hate them. The Lord specially favoured them.

The three plagues that follow emphasise the division set between the Egyptians and the Israelites — literally, redemption. I have kept that word for good reasons. God's separation of His people is a redemption, the work of His grace in them as well as for them.

The river is turned to blood; the means of life and refreshment becomes a witness of judgment. Out of the river come unclean frogs; the source of refreshment spreads defilement. The very dust — the soil that yields rich crops — produces lice, the disgusting corruptions that thrive alongside the world's prosperity. The plague of flies is like them. It shows how everything the world values, if cut off from God, turns into a plague in the end.

The fourth plague — the swarms of flies — seemed to make a deeper impression… It was a very subtle offer. It could easily have trapped Moses and Aaron if they had not known the character and mind of God. Satan does not mind at all if his servants are religious, as long as they stay under his control… If they remain part of the world, the world and its god will love their own.

Notice too that in this fourth plague Israel, in the land of Goshen, is completely free from its effects. The "swarms" appeared on the very next day, as the Lord had said, and this severing of Goshen made the miracle far more impressive. The land was "corrupted," or "destroyed" by these "swarms." That rather supports the idea that they were beetles, for travellers in Egypt have testified to the very destructive habits of the sort of beetles found there.

Was there no limit to this plague? There was. The limit was territorial, for not one of these insects found its way to the land of Goshen. The Israelites stayed free of them, while the insects tormented the Egyptians. The LORD plagued the Egyptians; the LORD sheltered His people. Now it was clear what a blessing it must be to belong to that downtrodden and badly afflicted race. The Egyptians might despise and even hate them. The Lord gave them special favour. His power showed itself here, His directing hand kept the insects within the set limits, and His mercy would show itself in removing them from the Egyptians.

When the Lord God wanted to own His people openly in Egypt, before He brought them out of it, He said to Pharaoh, "I will put a redemption [translated 'a division'] between My people and your people" — and in His grace He did it (read Exodus 8:22-23, margin). It is important to grasp this first meaning. Since sin entered the world, there is no return to God except on the ground of redemption, and it is a return. Of course, separation is not the only or the chief meaning of the word. More often it means rescue, or deliverance, because of a price paid in satisfaction — the ransom.

Swarms of flies covered all Egypt. These were not the common house flies, but a stronger insect with a very painful bite... It was another blow against the idols of Egypt. Egypt revered the beetle as the symbol of creative power, and the Egyptian sun-god had a beetle's head. This plague did not touch Israel. The LORD showed that Israel is His people. None of these terrible judgments touched His people. And this was a sign.

In Israel they knew Him as the Lord of all the earth (Exodus 8:22; Joshua 3:11; 2 Kings 5:15), for He truly lived among His people and had His throne there.

It is God's way to sever His people from the ungodly, and take them out of their midst, before His judgment falls. He acted like this before the flood, and again in Egypt. He did the same at Sodom, and with His people before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

The testimony to Pharaoh, in which a division is made between Israel and the Egyptians. As a picture, it testifies to the separation of the world from Him on whom it depends, and the separation of His people from the world.

Seven times the text calls it "swarms." The English translators added the words "of flies" in italics, because the word in the original is clearly Egyptian and not Hebrew, and no one knows exactly what it means. The Septuagint uses a Greek word meaning "dog-flies," and this is the word used in Darby's New Translation. Other authorities believe it really means "beetles." If so, that again brings in the gods of Egypt, for they honoured the beetle.

The word used about it (arob) seems plainly derived from arab, to mix, and would mean "mixture," as the margin of the King James Version has it. The word appears nowhere else except in the book of Psalms (Ps. 78:45; Ps. 105:31), referring to the same infliction... The Septuagint has "the dog-fly," and by this or "the gad-fly" many would translate it. But the authority of the Septuagint, though great, is far from infallible.

They were to come into the houses and also to corrupt the land... One insect is extremely destructive to property, ruining the wood of a house in a short time. No doubt the common fly of Egypt is included: they are very troublesome, soon defiling food, and persistently attacking the body.

The dust itself, the soil that grows rich crops, produces lice. These are the disgusting corruptions that thrive alongside the world's prosperity (Ex. 8:16). The plague of flies is like it (Ex. 8:20). It shows how everything the world values, once cut off from God, turns at last into a plague.

Was there no limitation of this plague? There was. It was territorial in limit, for not one of these insects found its way to the land of Goshen. The Israelites stayed free of them, while the flies tormented the Egyptians. Jehovah plagued the Egyptians; Jehovah sheltered His people. Now it was clear what a blessing it must be to belong to that oppressed and badly treated people... God had sent the swarms; of that there was no doubt. His power was on display. His directing hand kept the insects within the set limits, and His mercy would be seen in removing them from the Egyptians.

Swarms of flies covered all Egypt. These were not the common house flies. They were a stronger insect with a very painful bite. There were different kinds of them. "He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them" (Psalm 78:45)... It was another blow against the idols of Egypt. The beetle was revered as the symbol of creative power and the Egyptian Sun-god had a beetle's head. This plague did not touch Israel. Jehovah showed that Israel is His people... The word "division" in verse 23 means "redemption."

The fourth plague — the swarms of flies — seemed to produce a deeper impression. "Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Go, sacrifice to your God within the land." This was a very clever offer. It could easily have trapped Moses and Aaron if they had not known the character and mind of God. Satan has no objection at all to his servants being religious if they will still continue under his control... If they will only stay part of the world, then the world and its god will love their own.

The warning again meant nothing to Pharaoh, so the swarms of insects devastated the land. Then Pharaoh grew worried enough to call Moses and Aaron. He told them they could go and sacrifice to God, but inside Egypt (v. 25). Moses could not accept this. God's order was to go three days' journey before sacrificing. On top of that, the Egyptians regarded the sacrifice of sheep and oxen as something detestable, and they would turn violent if it was done in Egypt (v. 26).

Pharaoh said, "Go, sacrifice to your God within the land" (Ex. 8:25), that is, set up worldly worship. Moses replies, "We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us" (v. 27). Then Pharaoh said, "I will let you go... only you must not go very far away" (v. 28), that is, don't be very separate. The next question was, "Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?"... Pharaoh replies, "No! Go, the men among you" (Ex. 10:11). This means the parents may be for the Lord, but the children must be kept in the world.

It hardly needs saying that whether the magicians resisted or Pharaoh objected, Satan was really the one standing behind the scenes. His obvious aim in this proposal of Pharaoh was to hinder the testimony to the Lord's name. That testimony was bound up with the complete separation of His people from Egypt. If they had stayed in Egypt, there could clearly be no such testimony, even if they had sacrificed to Him. They would have shared common ground with the uncircumcised Egyptians. They would have put Jehovah on a level with the gods of Egypt.

These were subtle words. They were well designed to trap a heart that was not in communion with the mind of God. Someone could argue it, and make it sound both believable and strong: Isn't it remarkably generous of the king of Egypt to tolerate your own way of worship? Isn't it a great stretch of kindness to give your religion a place on the public platform?... Why this demand for separation? Why not take common ground with your neighbours?

The heart may crave religiousness because conscience testifies that all is not right; but it craves the world as well. It would like to "sacrifice to God in the land." Satan reaches his goal when people accept a worldly religion and refuse to "come out and be separate."

Here again is "mixture" — a half obedience which is not obedience. Worship God where you are, he says. As a picture, that means: stay in the world; don't leave it. But that is impossible. In the world, faith's sacrifice is an abomination, and Christ's cross only an offence. The cross is the judgment of the world — of man in the flesh — and if we can worship there, no cross is needed.

Worship in Egypt is worship in the flesh, Cain's worship, which does not own our ruin, nor Christ as meeting it. Death and resurrection have no place there. There is no redemption, and therefore practically no Redeemer.

Here is true separation from Egypt — "three days' journey." Nothing less than this could satisfy faith. The Israel of God must be separated from the land of death and darkness, in the power of resurrection... There could be no tabernacle, no temple, no altar, in Egypt... The believer must know where the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ have forever set him. Only then can he be an intelligent worshipper, an acceptable servant, or an effective witness.

Pharaoh now makes the first of four subtle objections to the full deliverance and complete separation of God's people from the land of Egypt: "Go, sacrifice to your God within the land." Behind the scenes it was really Satan, and his aim in this proposal was to hinder the testimony to the Lord's name — a testimony bound up with the complete separation of His people from Egypt. There could clearly be no such testimony had they remained in Egypt, even though they were to sacrifice to Him. They would have taken common ground with the uncircumcised Egyptians, and put Jehovah on a level with the gods of Egypt. An Egyptian could have said to an Israelite: "I see no difference between us. You have your worship and we have ours. It is all alike."

Here, as elsewhere, the word "abomination" stands for idolatry. Chemosh was the abomination of the Moabites, and Milcom of the Ammonites. Egypt worshipped Apis — the sacred bull. Throughout Scripture the ox pictures the labourer. Above all, the ox fits as a picture of God's Labourer — the patient, tireless Worker for God's glory and man's blessing. But of this Worker and His work, the Egyptian world knows nothing.

The suggestion and the compromise so moved Moses that he feared neither great Pharaoh nor his priests and princes. At once he called deified bulls, sacred heifers and other four-footed beasts an "abomination." What is more, it was cattle that Israel would sacrifice to God! Would Egyptian religious feeling put up with such an outrage, done in front of their own eyes by their slaves? Even at Pharaoh's bidding? Killing a cat or a sacred animal meant certain death for a foreigner. When a cat in a house died, all the men of the house showed their grief by acts of mourning.

It would have been morally unfitting to sacrifice to Jehovah the very object of Egyptian worship. But there is more. Egypt was not the place to build an altar to the true God. Abraham had no altar when he turned aside into Egypt. He gave up his worship and his place as a stranger when he went down there. If Abraham could not worship there, neither could his descendants.

Moses rejected the offer at once. The sacrifices of Jehovah would have been a deadly offence to the people of Egypt and would have provoked murder. Here again we can see a deeper picture. At the root of all our worship stands the unique excellence of Christ, set against the condemnation of Adam's race as fallen sinners. A doctrine that involves that judgment is an abomination to the world.

Here is true separation from Egypt — "three days' journey." Nothing less than this could satisfy faith. The Israel of God must be separated from the land of death and darkness, in the power of resurrection. The waters of the Red Sea must roll between God's redeemed and Egypt before they can rightly sacrifice to Jehovah. … The believer must know where the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ have forever set him, before he can be an intelligent worshipper, an acceptable servant, or an effectual witness.

No, we cannot worship, or be really for God, while we are in Egypt — that is, the world. "We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He tells us" (verse 27) is the answer of faith. … It is a principle of immense value for your soul and mine, that if I am going to have God and be for Him, I must do without the world.

This was a most subtle offer, and one that might easily have trapped Moses and Aaron if they had not known the character and mind of God. Satan has no objection at all to his servants being religious, so long as they stay under his control. They may claim to serve God as much and as loudly as they like, if they will only recognise his authority... So Satan keeps advising, "Serve me and God. Sacrifice to your God, but stay in the land." One word of Scripture unravels all such plausible reasoning: "No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and money."

God's judgments began to fall still heavier on Pharaoh. Then he says, "I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away." This is compromise number two. You can be a Christian, he says to an awakened soul, but do not be too earnest, or too decided.

The word "abomination" stands here, as elsewhere, for idolatry. Chemosh was the abomination of the Moabites, and Milcom was of the Ammonites. The worship of Egypt was that of Apis — the sacred bull. Throughout Scripture the ox pictures the labourer. Above all, the ox suits God's Labourer — the patient, tireless Worker for God's glory and man's blessing. But of this Worker and His work, the Egyptian world knows nothing.

The shortest distance that must separate Israel from Egypt is three days — death and resurrection. "Three days' journey" carried them to the other side of the Red Sea. There God vindicates His righteousness; there Justice strikes and Mercy saves. It pictures the Cross, where in an infinitely greater sense God carried out judgment and accomplished salvation.

Here is true separation from Egypt — "three days' journey." Nothing less than this could satisfy faith... There could be no tabernacle, no temple, no altar, in Egypt. It had no site anywhere within its borders for anything of that kind... The believer must first know where the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ have set him forever. Only then can he worship with understanding, serve acceptably, or bear effective witness.

We must worship God according to Himself (John 4). Taking anything as authority in religion except what comes from Him mutilates worship... Man is not to decide his own ways as a worshipper. Willingness in worship is right; wilfulness destroys it all. They brought their offerings of their own free will (Lev. 1:3; 7:16), but they had to do this as and where the LORD willed. So with us: we are to worship "in spirit" — that is entirely true — in the grace and liberty of the Holy Spirit given to us. But we are to worship "in truth" also, according to God's revelation of Himself and of His worship.

And still the world asks, "Why do you need to go outside it? You are entitled to your opinions, but why be so extreme? Why three days' journey into the wilderness? Why separate from what you were brought up in, and from people as good as you?" Ah, they do not know what that three days' journey means — that the death and resurrection of Christ place you where you are no more of the world than He is! Egypt — luxurious, civilised, self-satisfied, idolatrous Egypt — and the wilderness! What a contrast! Yet only in the wilderness can you sacrifice to God.

Pharaoh's second objection was much like the first in character and tendency. "I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away." If he could not keep them in Egypt, he would at least try to keep them near it. Then he could work on them through its many influences. That way they might be brought back again, and the testimony crushed more effectively than if they had never left Egypt at all.

Pharaoh is a picture of Satan's energy as prince of the world, then as now. He contested every inch of the road, and offered a series of compromises when he was hard pressed. He said, "Go, sacrifice to your God within the land" — that is, set up worldly worship. Moses replied, "We must go three days' journey into the wilderness." Then Pharaoh said, "only you must not go very far away" — that is, don't be very separate.

Moses answers these two scheming proposals with calm dignity. That calm shows a fixed purpose far more clearly than all the stormy anger shown against him. "We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God." That is the shortest distance that must separate Israel from Egypt: three days — death and resurrection. The three days' journey carried them to the far side of the Red Sea. There God vindicates His righteousness; there Justice strikes and Mercy saves. It is a picture of the cross. There, in an infinitely larger sense, God carried out judgment and accomplished salvation. The cross ends Egypt for the disciple and begins the wilderness.

So if people do not "go very far away," they had better not go at all. The enemy knew this well, and that is why he raised his second objection. Keeping a border position suits his purpose wonderfully. Those who stand on that ground are neither one thing nor the other. In fact, whatever influence they have works entirely in the wrong direction.

There is a very wide difference between giving up certain worldly things and giving up the world itself. We may give up the theatre, the ballroom, the racecourse, the billiard table, and still cling to the world just the same. We may cut off some of the branches and yet hold on tightly to the old trunk.

Pharaoh does not openly reject Moses' demand; he stalls and pretends, to get the blow lifted. His cry is, "Plead for me." Moses agrees. But he adds a solemn warning that shows he saw through the king's thin cover of hypocrisy: "only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." Then the trouble passed, and the record runs as usual: "But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go."

He saw the end from the beginning, but He removed His hand when Moses interceded for the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even in the face of open rebellion. He waits His own time, bearing with the wickedness and godlessness of men in long-suffering and grace.

It is one of Satan's masterpieces to lead professing Christians to be satisfied with looking to the cross for salvation while they stay in the world. Or he leads them to hold a border position — "not going very far away." This is a terrible snare, and we warn the Christian reader against it most solemnly. What is the remedy? True heart-devotion to a rejected and glorified Christ, and fellowship with Him.

Pharaoh clearly had to admit the force of this objection. He changed his offer at once: he would allow a very short journey into the wilderness, only not very far away. He wanted them well within reach of his arm, so that their separation from his land would be in name only, and temporary.

He gave way a little, so as to let the people sacrifice inside the land. Would that not satisfy the God he had offended? He tried to make terms with God. What folly! His offer was rejected at once.

If he could not keep them in Egypt, he would at least try to keep them near it, so that its many influences could still work on them. That way they might be drawn back again, and their testimony silenced more completely than if they had never left Egypt at all. People who seem to give up the world and then return to it do far more serious damage to the cause of Christ than if they had stayed in it all along. They are as good as saying that they tried heavenly things and found earthly things better and more satisfying.

So if people do not "go very far away," they had better not go at all. The enemy knew this well, and that is why he raised this second objection. Holding a border position suits his purpose perfectly. Those who stand there are neither one thing nor the other, and whatever influence they have works entirely in the wrong direction.

Pharaoh does not openly reject what Moses demands. He delays and pretends, to get the blow removed. His cry is, "Plead for me." Moses agrees, but adds the solemn warning. It shows that he saw through the king's thin covering of hypocrisy.

With this offer the king asked Moses to pray for him. Moses agreed, but warned him against the deceitful course he had been following. The Lord acted according to the prayer of Moses, and another great miracle took place. The next day the swarms left so completely that not one insect remained in the land. But once the trouble was gone, Pharaoh ignored the warning. He hardened his heart again and refused to allow what he had just promised. How true all this is to human nature! Under trouble people seem to become quite devout. The trouble is removed, and they go straight back to their godless ways.

It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is even the slightest turning of heart towards Him, He is ready to hear, although He knows the turning is not real. This strikingly shows that He does not want the sinner's death. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.)

He saw the end from the beginning, yet He removed His hand when Moses prayed for the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even faced with open rebellion. He waits for His own time, bearing with the wickedness and irreverence of men in long-suffering and grace. If He is so patient, we surely might learn to be patient too, confident that in His own time He will show the world that His government is righteous.

Pharaoh does not openly reject the demand of Moses; he plays for time and pretends, in order to get the blow lifted. His cry is, "Plead for me." Moses agrees, but he adds a solemn warning. It shows that he saw through the king's flimsy covering of hypocrisy: "Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

Pharaoh again had to come as a beggar, and bow before Moses to plead for him. He gave way a little, so as to let the people sacrifice in the land. Would that not satisfy the offended deity? He tried to make terms with God. What folly! His offer was rejected at once.

Moses was plainly doubtful about Pharaoh's sincerity, but told him all the same that he would pray for this release, which he did (vv. 29-30).

Pharaoh's second objection had much the same character and aim as the first. "I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away." If he could not keep them in Egypt, he would at least try to keep them near it. Then he could work on them through its various influences. In this way they might be brought back again, and the testimony silenced more effectively than if they had never left Egypt at all.

How cunning Satan is. Don't be too thorough, he says to a young convert: "You must not go very far away." How many a young believer the devil has tripped up with a word like that. Do not go very far. Do not be an enthusiast. Listen. The further you go from the world the better.

With this concession the king asked Moses to pray for him. Moses agreed, and added a warning against the deceitful line he had been following. The LORD acted according to the prayer of Moses and another great miracle took place. On the next day the swarms left so thoroughly that not one insect remained in the land. But once the affliction lifted, Pharaoh ignored the warning. Again he hardened his heart and refused the concession he had just promised. How true all this is to human nature! Under affliction people appear to become quite religious. Then the affliction lifts, and they go straight back to their godless ways.

He saw the end from the beginning. Yet He removed His hand when Moses interceded for the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even when men openly rebel. He waits for His own time, bearing with the wickedness and ungodliness of men in long-suffering and grace. If He is so patient, we should surely learn to be patient too — turning our eyes to Him, confident that in His own time He will vindicate His righteous government before the eyes of the world.

The Lord acted according to the prayer of Moses and another great miracle took place. On the next day the swarms departed so thoroughly that not one insect remained in the land.

Pharaoh does not openly reject the demand of Moses; he stalls and pretends, to get the blow removed. His cry is, "Entreat for me." Moses agrees, but adds a solemn warning. It shows that he saw through the king's flimsy covering of hypocrisy: "Do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord." Then the trouble was gone, and the usual record follows: "And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and would not let the people go."

In general the plagues grow more severe, until they reach their peak in the death of the firstborn. So they point to the judgment that certainly awaits the sinner. But the stopping of each stroke shows that God is willing to withdraw His hand from judgment. It shows judgment to be His strange work. Pharaoh hardens his heart in two ways. He refuses to bow under the plagues. He also keeps to his course when God answers his cry and lifts the plague. So neither God's severity in sending the plague, nor His goodness in lifting it, has any effect on a man whose heart is fully set to do evil.

He saw the end from the beginning. Yet He removed His hand when Moses interceded for the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even in the face of open rebellion. He waits for His own time, bearing with the wickedness and godlessness of men in long-suffering and grace.

But once the plague was lifted, Pharaoh ignored the warning. He hardened his heart again and refused the concession he had just promised. How true all this is to human nature! Under trouble people seem to become very religious. Once the trouble goes, they go straight back to their godless ways.

The flies were removed. There was not one. Pharaoh was again unyielding. Who would really prevail? The outcome will show. God had struck the waters and dealt with the ground as well. He would deal further with the king, his people, and his land before Israel came out a free and ransomed people.

The Lord acted according to the prayer of Moses and another great miracle took place. On the next day the swarms left so completely that not one insect remained in the land. But once this plague was lifted, and despite the warning, Pharaoh hardened his heart again. He refused to allow what he had just promised. How true all this is to human nature! When trouble comes, people seem to become very religious. Then the trouble lifts, and they go back to their godless ways.

Pharaoh does not openly reject the demand of Moses; he delays and pretends, to get the blow removed. His cry is, "Plead for me." Moses agrees. But he adds a solemn warning, showing that he saw through the king's thin cover of hypocrisy: "Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." But once the trouble was gone, the usual record follows: "But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go."

This firm reply of Moses leads to Pharaoh's second compromise: "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away." How cunning Satan is. Don't be too wholehearted, he says to a young convert: "You shall not go very far away." The devil has tripped up many a young believer with words like these. Do not go very far. Do not be an enthusiast. Listen. The further you go from the world the better.

It is true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But He did so only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and incredible arrogance by saying, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice…?" He did so only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart again and again. In fact the Spirit uses two different words in the original language. No fewer than seven times, Scripture says that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Only after that does it say God hardened the heart of Pharaoh (Ex. 9:12).

God never compelled a man to be an unbeliever. In short, unbelief never begins as the result of God's judicial hardening. Is there no such thing then as hardening? Undoubtedly there is. It is an error to suppose that God hardens a person when He first sends a testimony. It is just as much an error to deny that He hardens a person after that person has refused His testimony.

But again and again we are reminded that this was no surprise to God. He saw the end from the beginning; but He removed His hand when Moses interceded for the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even in the presence of open rebellion.

Is God's sovereignty not seen here? Again and again God acted in sovereign mercy and removed the plagues. But this mercy only became the occasion of Pharaoh hardening his heart (see Ex. 7:13, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7).

God was very patient with Pharaoh and with Egypt when they persecuted His people. He gave them plenty of time and opportunity to repent and to obey His voice. But Pharaoh kept hardening his heart. So the Lord in judgment hardened it, and there was no longer room for repentance.

Moses, commissioned again, presented himself before Pharaoh. "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me" (9:1). The God of the Hebrews was persistent. He would take no denial. The slaves of Pharaoh, of Israel's race, had One who took up their cause. True, no invasion from beyond Egyptian territory threatened the security of the land. But a power did threaten its peace again. Pharaoh had felt that power before, and all the might of his armed forces could not deal with it, or even touch it.

The Exodus is the separation of the people of God from the world. One feature of the scene struck me: Israel was to go out of Egypt to serve, or hold a feast to, the Lord (Ex. 5:1; Ex. 3:18; Ex. 8:1, 20; Ex. 9:1, 13; Ex. 10:3, 9); for they could not serve Him or offer sacrifice to Him in the land of their bondage and in front of that people. Their religious service was of such a character that Egypt would not tolerate it.

So it was with Israel, and so it is with us. We too must be a fully and consciously delivered people before we can properly serve, worship, or walk with God. We must know the forgiveness of our sins, and our complete freedom from guilt, wrath, judgement, and condemnation. But we must also know our complete deliverance from this present evil world and everything belonging to it. Only then can we serve the Lord with understanding.

The fifth plague is now threatened by command of the Lord... A very severe "murrain," or "plague," would come on them. Again the Israelites would be completely spared. So it came to pass. On one side of the line of separation there was death, on the other not one animal was affected. This again was plainly the hand of God, but Pharaoh was unmoved, and remained hard and unrepentant. Therefore, as we see in verse 8, God tells Moses to act without giving Pharaoh any warning of what was coming... it seems to be a part of God's ways to warn twice, and if no one pays attention, then to strike the third time without any warning.

The fifth plague strikes animal creation. Cattle, like those named at the start of this chapter, were the most important part of Egypt's wealth. So the blow falls on Egypt's wealth. But God waited and warned before He carried out this judgment... Notice Pharaoh's curiosity. He sent to see if Israel had escaped, and found that not one had died. Yet his heart was hardened.

In one moment the blow deprived Egypt of its cavalry and of the service of its famous war chariots. It took away the beasts of burden from the trader. It removed the raw material from a large class of manufacturers. Above all, it destroyed a very important element in its religious worship. The ram was an emblem of a deity, as were bulls, cows, and goats!

The blow was sharper because of what came just before it. Pharaoh went back even on his promise of three days' absence. Moses had argued that it was not workable for Israel to sacrifice what the Egyptians held sacred in front of their eyes. How many victims fell now! It is well known what the ox and the sheep were in their eyes.

There is a pointed lesson in this: the selfish greed of man eventually destroys the very things that are necessary to serve his interests.

The God of the Hebrews was persistent. He would take no denial… But God, the God of the Hebrews, was, and is, slow to anger. So the fresh summons to let His people go came with a warning about the penalty for disobeying it: "If you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field."

So, as we see in verse 8, God tells Moses to act without giving Pharaoh any warning of what was coming. Note that this also marked the third plague, and we find it again at the ninth. Our chapters say nothing about it. But it seems to be part of God's ways to warn twice, and then, if no one listens, to strike the third time with no warning at all.

He claimed full deliverance for the people, on the ground of their being His, and so that they might hold a feast to Him in the wilderness. When it comes to His elect, nothing can ever satisfy God but their complete release from the yoke of bondage. "Loose him, and let him go" is really the great motto in God's gracious dealings with people held in bondage by Satan. They are still the objects of His eternal love.

The fifth plague strikes animal creation. Cattle, such as those mentioned at the opening of this chapter, formed the most important part of the wealth of Egypt. Egypt's wealth is therefore stricken. But God waited and warned before He carried out this judgment. Jehovah's power sheltered Israel in Goshen, and not a beast suffered there.

God sent the cattle plague not only to humble Egypt, but also to rebuke the profane belief in the sacredness of its bull and cow gods.

This blow was all the sharper because of what came just before. Pharaoh had gone back even on his promise of a three days' absence. And Moses had argued how unwise it would be for them to sacrifice what the Egyptians held sacred before their eyes. How many victims fell now! It is well known what the ox and the sheep were in their eyes.

There is a pointed lesson in this: the selfish greed of man ends up destroying the very things he needs to serve his interests.

So he places himself in direct and complete opposition to God. A solemn position! And this opposition never lessened. It went on until it ended in the overthrow and destruction of Pharaoh and his armies.

The God of the Hebrews was persistent. He would take no denial. The slaves of Pharaoh, of Israel's race, had One who took up their cause. But God, the God of the Hebrews, was, and is, slow to anger. So along with the fresh summons to let His people go there was the warning about the penalty for disobeying it… The animals had not sinned. They suffered for Pharaoh's disobedience. No human life was in danger. Animals died all around. The herds and flocks in the fields perished.

The Hebrew uses various words for the cow and the ox as 'cattle.' One of them, miqneh, is often translated 'cattle,' but it means 'possession.' The main property of nomadic tribes was their cattle. The word also includes sheep and goats, but not horses and donkeys.

We suggest this explanation. Some cattle were left out in the field day and night. Others were housed at times in stalls or other shelters. Exodus 9:3 mentions only cattle in the field. It says nothing about shelter for them at the homesteads. But verse 19 shows that cattle could be sheltered — a distinction which may throw light on the matter.

The first three plagues had caused terrible trouble for Egypt. The fourth had ruined their possessions. The fifth was to strike them in one of the chief sources of their wealth. Horses and donkeys are mentioned first, and Egypt was famous for these animals… God's way seems to be to warn twice. If no one pays attention, He strikes the third time without any warning.

In one moment the blow stripped Egypt of its cavalry and of the service of its famous war chariots. It took the beasts of burden from the trader. It removed the raw material from a large class of manufacturers. Above all, it destroyed a very important part of its religious worship. The ram was an emblem of a deity, as were bulls, cows, and goats!

The declaration went out, "on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments!" Each blow insults and humbles some of them… The bull-god, Apis, cannot protect himself or his fellow cattle from the disease.

The plague came and the cattle died. Once again a guarding wall stood around Israel, this time protecting the flocks and the herds. So even in a field where Egyptian and Hebrew cattle grazed together, all the Egyptian animals died, and the Hebrews lost not one.

Ten plagues in all fell upon rebellious Egypt. The captive Israelites were plainly exempt from nine of them… So the LORD openly showed the difference between those who were His and those who were not His. But then came the moment when the angel of death had to pass through the land… Israel could stay exempt no longer. God's grace had favoured this people in His sovereignty, yet they were sinners like all others (Ezekiel 20:5-9). So they could be spared the last dreadful stroke only on some righteous ground. This is why God prescribed the lamb.

A very severe disease would strike Egypt's animals, and again there would be complete exemption for the Israelites. And so it happened. On one side of the line of separation there was death; on the other, not one animal was touched. This again was plainly the hand of God, but Pharaoh was unmoved, and remained hard and unrepentant.

The plague came and the cattle died. Once more a guarding wall was built around Israel, this time protecting the flocks and the herds. Even in a field where Egyptian and Hebrew cattle grazed together, all the Egyptian animals died, and the Hebrews lost not one.

The fifth plague strikes animal creation. Cattle, like those listed at the start of this chapter, were the most important part of Egypt's wealth. Egypt's wealth is therefore stricken. But God waited and warned before He carried out this judgment. Jehovah's power sheltered Israel in Goshen, and not a beast suffered there.

God sent this cattle disease not only to humble Egypt, but also to rebuke its irreverent belief that its bull and cow gods were sacred.

He dealt this way with Pharaoh as the oppressor of His people, and as a picture of the god of this world. So His conflict was with Pharaoh and everything Pharaoh trusted in. We therefore read that He executed judgment on the gods of Egypt. This was the brilliant display of God's victorious power in the stronghold of Satan; for if Satan rises in conflict with God, the issue can only end in his utter defeat.

The plague fell on the cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, and sheep that were in the fields, and every animal it attacked died. Of the cattle of the children of Israel none were struck. Pharaoh sent to confirm this. You would have thought that finding them all safe would have convinced him that he was fighting the Almighty. But he would not let Israel go.

Ten plagues in all fell upon rebellious Egypt. From nine of them the captive Israelites were plainly exempt. When their oppressors were wrapped in darkness that could be felt, the Israelites had light in their homes. When the deadly disease destroyed the cattle of the Egyptians, the cattle of the Israelites escaped unharmed… So Jehovah openly marked out the difference between those who were His and those who were not His. But when the moment came that the angel of death had to be sent through the land… Israel could be exempted no longer. However favoured these people might be, in the sovereignty of God's grace, they were sinners like all others. So if they were to be spared the last dreadful stroke, some righteous ground for this had to be found. This is why the lamb was prescribed.

"Tomorrow," Moses had said — and what "tomorrows" there had been. "Tomorrow" Moses had said the swarms of flies would come (8:23). On the next day they came. "Tomorrow" the cattle plague had been threatened. The next day came, and the disease appeared (9:5). "Tomorrow" the hail had been predicted (9:18). On the next day the Lord rained hail on the land. Each time God sent the plague He had foretold. It did not delay a single day. Just one night came between the warning and the plague each time. And Pharaoh, waking on the new day, had to hear of the sorrow and destruction spreading over the country.

God's patience is so great that He sent Moses to Pharaoh once more, with a protest and a demand that he let the people go… In the previous chapter God twice announced a plague for tomorrow. That gave at least twenty-four hours of delay, in case Pharaoh should relent. In contrast to this, salvation, as we know, is always presented today.

In one moment the blow stripped Egypt of its cavalry and of the use of its famous war chariots. It took away the trader's pack animals. It removed the raw material from a large class of manufacturers. Above all, it destroyed a very important part of Egypt's religious worship. The ram was an emblem of a deity, as were bulls, cows, and goats!

God sent the cattle plague not only to humble Egypt, but also to rebuke the irreverence of believing its bull and cow gods were sacred.

It fell on the cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, and sheep that were in the fields, and all that were struck died. Of the cattle of the children of Israel, none were struck. Pharaoh sent to verify this, and one would have thought that finding them all safe would have convinced him he was fighting the Almighty. But he would not let Israel go.

He knows everything, so He knew that all nine plagues would not subdue the stubborn heart of Pharaoh. But the angelic rulers and powers in heavenly places do not know everything, and neither do men on earth. So He tested Pharaoh and gave space for repentance, as plague followed plague with increasing severity. Then no one could rightly question the final stroke when it came.

A very severe cattle disease, or "plague," would come on them, and again the Israelites would be completely spared. And so it happened. On one side of the dividing line there was death; on the other, not one animal was harmed.

The word miqneh, often used for "cattle," means "possession," because the main property of wandering tribes was their cattle. The word also includes sheep and goats, but not horses and donkeys.

The bull was treated as a god. People worshipped him, poured prayers into his ears in his stable, and expected favours from him. The worship of Apis was not the worship of a mere bull, but the worship of what the deity had produced. Through Apis the deity was thought to show himself to men. So the truth of God was turned into a lie.

The blow was all the sharper because of what had just happened. Pharaoh had gone back even on his promise of a three days' journey, and before that Moses had argued how unwise it would be to sacrifice, in full view of the Egyptians, what they found detestable. How many victims fell now! Everyone knows what the ox and the sheep meant to them.

The plague came and the cattle died. Once more a protecting wall stood around Israel, this time around the flocks and the herds. Even in a field where Egyptian and Hebrew cattle grazed together, all the Egyptian animals died, and the Hebrews lost not one.

At the fifth plague, God openly separates His people from the Egyptians. This seems to imply that Israel had suffered along with them in the earlier plagues. And if so, rightly; for Joshua later tells them they had served the gods of Egypt. They had to learn by experience the sin and folly of idolatry. But now, having taught His people that the gods of Egypt were no gods, God puts a difference between them and their oppressors.

The answer may be that the word "all" in verse 6 is not meant to be absolute, but used in a general sense. Or else other livestock could have been brought in after the fifth plague.

The cattle plague killed all the animals left out to graze. The hail would strike any cattle that had shelters, if they were not brought back into them.

Notice Pharaoh's curiosity. He sent men to see if Israel had escaped, and found that not one animal had died. What proof that the Lord God of the Hebrews is the Lord! Yet his heart stayed hard.

The fifth plague strikes animal creation. Cattle formed the most important part of the wealth of Egypt, so Egypt's wealth is stricken. But God waited and warned before He executed this judgment. Jehovah's power sheltered Israel in Goshen and not a beast suffered there. Notice Pharaoh's curiosity. He sent to see if Israel had escaped and found that not one had died. What an evidence that the Lord God of the Hebrews is the Lord. Yet his heart was hardened.

In one moment the blow took away Egypt's cavalry and the use of its famous war chariots. It took the beasts of burden from the trader. It removed the raw material from a large group of manufacturers. Above all, it destroyed a very important element in its religious worship. The ram was an emblem of a deity, as were bulls, cows, and goats!

There went out the decree, "On all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments!" Each blow insults and humbles some among them. Serapis blushes till his Nile waters, once so clear, turn blood red. Ra, the sun-god, is forced to smile on Israel and frown on Egypt. The sacred frog and fly become objects of disgust. The bull-god, Apis, cannot protect himself or his fellow cattle from the disease.

The plague came and the cattle died. Once more a guardian wall was built around Israel, this time protecting the flocks and the herds. Egyptians and Hebrews sometimes grazed their cattle together in one field. Even there, all the Egyptian animals died, and the Hebrews lost not one.

At the fifth plague, God expressly separates His people from the Egyptians. This seems to imply that Israel suffered along with them in the earlier plagues. And if so, it was just; Joshua later tells them they had served the gods of Egypt. They had to learn from experience the sin and folly of idolatry. Now, having taught His people that the gods of Egypt were no gods, God puts a difference between them and their oppressors. They are not tormented with flies; they have light in their dwellings; their cattle did not die; there was no hail in the land of Goshen.

Still Pharaoh refused to free the people. Dogged obstinacy marked him. The sight of the dying and dead cattle did not move him. The silent appeal of suffering animals, enough to soften a hard heart, seemed lost on him. The loss to his people, suddenly stripped of so much valuable property, did not concern him. He must have heard of the great damage caused by the disease. But we have no record of one word of regret from him, nor the slightest hint that he sympathised with his suffering people.

It is indeed true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But He did so only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and incredible arrogance by saying, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice …?" (Ex. 5:2) — and only after he had repeatedly hardened his own heart. In fact, the Spirit uses two different words in the original language. He states no less than seven times that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Only after that does He say that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh (Ex. 9:12).

To trifle with any truth is dangerous, and hardening of heart is the necessary result. How many people have a conscience paralysed in one spot (if we may say so), because they refused what they once recognised as the voice of God! Perhaps they refused to listen to something they feared God might be speaking through.

In this case there was no previous warning. The Lord told Moses to take ashes from a furnace in his hands and to scatter them toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. He was evidently to toss them upward, so that the wind would spread them in every direction. As he did this, the ashes became a fine dust. It carried such infection that it brought boils on people and animals.

The word "furnace" comes from a word meaning "to subdue." Some think it was a lime-kiln, or a furnace for smelting ore. It was connected with those public works in Egypt where Israel had to labour so cruelly. Egypt itself had been such a furnace for the people of God, and so it had earned righteous retribution for itself. This seems a very natural explanation of Moses' significant action.

The ashes of the furnace have a double meaning. Egypt in its fiery persecution of Israel is called a furnace. Divine retribution now came upon them in the boils, which must have burned like fire. But the furnace may have been the altar in Egypt on which sacrifices were offered to their god Typhon. Most likely the Egyptians brought such sacrifices to stop the plagues. Now the very thing they trusted in becomes a plague. This plague was the first that put human life in danger. So it pointed ahead to the death Pharaoh would bring on himself and his people by his wicked opposition.

Obedient to God, they acted as directed. Moses sprinkled the ashes towards heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. Clearly this was no trick of magicians, such as Jannes and Jambres might have played. Pharaoh saw what Moses did. Pharaoh heard no muttering of spells; Moses used none. He probably spoke no word; certainly none was needed. Pharaoh knew that in the ordinary way such means could do no harm to man or beast. But when God works, the results are certain, and they may be immediate.

The burning was evidently connected with a religious rite, since the ashes falling on the priests left them unfit to serve before their gods. Boils and sores broke out over them. Three times Jehovah had struck them. He had taken away their rods of authority. He had taken away their power of enchantment. Now He had taken away their ability to carry on with their religious rites. We hear no more of the magicians after this; they "could not stand before Moses" (v. 11).

All commentators note that the uncleanness caused by such an attack must have been especially hard on a people like the Egyptians. They were very careful about personal cleanliness, and this was part of their religion. As a picture, the plague speaks well of the corruption of sin. It is the breaking out of that moral disease which Isaiah describes in words that might have been drawn from it: "From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds" (Isa. 1:6).

The boils breaking out from the dust of the furnace show that God will leave man to his own corruption if he persists in his rebellion.

In this case there was no previous warning. The Lord told Moses to take ashes from a furnace in his hands and to scatter them toward the heavens in front of Pharaoh. He was clearly to toss them upward, so that the wind would carry them in every direction. As he did this, the ashes became a fine dust, and it carried an infection that brought boils on people and animals.

Pharaoh saw what Moses did. Pharaoh heard no muttering of spells; Moses used none. Probably he said no word; he certainly needed none. Pharaoh knew that in an ordinary way such means would do no harm to man or beast. When God works, however, He brings about results that are certain, and that may be immediate.

Egypt had been "a smoking furnace" (Gen. 15:17), and the children of Abraham had been plunged into it. Now the ashes of that furnace were to fall back on the heads of their oppressors, striking them with boils and blisters.

The ashes of the furnace have a double meaning. Egypt in its fiery persecution of Israel is called a furnace. Divine retribution now came upon them in the boils, which must have burned like fire. But the furnace may have been the altar in Egypt on which sacrifices were offered to their god Typhon. Most likely the Egyptians brought such sacrifices to stop the plagues. Now the very thing they trusted in becomes a plague itself.

The Hebrew word shechin means a common swelling on the flesh, with inflammation. The boils were no doubt malignant when God sent them as a plague in Egypt, Ex. 9:9-11; and they were severe in the case of Job when Satan struck him. Job 2:7.

All commentators note the same thing. Such an attack left people unclean, and that must have been especially severe on the Egyptians. They were so careful about personal cleanliness, and they made it part of their religion. As a type, this fits the corruption of sin. It pictures the outbreak of that moral disease which Isaiah describes in words that might have been drawn from this plague: "From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds" (Isa. 1:6).

This exposes the inward condition of the world. As already said, these plagues only show the true state of things before God... And who is exempt? Only the one whose heart holds Christ as its object, and whom the "precious and very great promises" deliver from the "corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."

The plague here referred to as "an evil and grievous sore" reminds us of the sixth Egyptian plague (Ex. 9:10-11). This was the first of the plagues that attacked the persons of the Egyptians... It was a disgusting and loathsome disease (see Deut. 28:27, 35).

They obeyed God and did as they were told. Moses sprinkled the ashes towards heaven in front of Pharaoh. Clearly this was no magician's trick, such as Jannes and Jambres, Egypt's magicians, might have played. Pharaoh heard no muttered spells; the men used none. Probably no one spoke a word; certainly none was needed. Pharaoh knew that in the ordinary way such means would produce no harm to man or beast. But when God works, the results are certain, and they may come at once. Straight away, boils breaking out into sores (perhaps pustules or ulcers) struck man and beast.

The word "furnace" comes from a word meaning "to subdue." Some think it was a lime-kiln, or a kiln for smelting ore. It was linked with the public works in Egypt where Israel had to labor so cruelly. Egypt itself had been such a furnace for the people of God, and had earned for itself righteous retribution. This seems a very natural explanation of what Moses did... As a picture, it fittingly speaks of the corruption of sin, the breaking out of that moral disease. Isaiah describes it in words that might have been drawn from this plague: "From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds." (Isa. 1:6.)

The ashes of the furnace have a double meaning. Egypt in its fiery persecution of Israel is called a furnace. Divine retribution now came upon them in the boils, which must have burned like fire. But the furnace may have been the altar in Egypt on which sacrifices were offered to their god Typhon. Most likely the Egyptians brought such sacrifices to stop the plagues. Now the very thing they trusted becomes a plague.

The plague here referred to as "an evil and grievous sore" reminds us of the sixth Egyptian plague (Ex. 9:10-11). This was the first plague to attack the Egyptians in their own bodies. The magicians, or wise men, suffered under it especially. It was a disgusting and loathsome disease (see Deut. 28:27, 35).

This plague was the first which endangered human life. So it pointed forward to the death Pharaoh would bring on himself and his people by his wicked opposition.

Three times Jehovah had struck them. He had taken away their rods of authority. He had taken away their power of enchantment. Now He had taken away their ability to carry on their religious rites. We hear no more of the magicians after this; they "could not stand before Moses" (v. 11).

More than this: if we hold steadily to God and His truth, the workings of Satan will be exposed in due time. Three times these instruments of his "withstood" Moses. But the plague of lice raised the question of producing life from the dust of the earth. There the magicians were powerless, and had to confess that it was "the finger of God." (Ex. 8:18-19.)... In the next chapter we find that they "could not stand before Moses because of the boils." (Ex. 9:11) They themselves had fallen under the punishing hand of God. So we may rest confidently, whatever success the evil one seems to have now; for "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Rom. 16:20.)

Shortly before that the magicians had owned their defeat. Aaron's rod struck the dust of the land, and it became lice. The magicians tried to produce lice too, but they could not. Defeated in front of the king, they told him that what Aaron had done was by the finger of God. The God of the Hebrews could do what they, with their incantations, could not. Already defeated, they now had to feel the power of God in their own bodies. The boil broke out on them, and "they could not stand before Moses because of the boils." God was triumphing, but Pharaoh stayed stubborn. Other plagues would follow, making clear what was already evident: the God of Moses and Aaron was the God of the whole earth. The Creator had absolute rights over His creatures, and no one could overturn them. How true the word is: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

The account makes a point of it: the boils were so severe that the magicians, suffering like everyone else, could not stand before Moses. They were completely defeated. We are not told why this striking of the magicians is singled out. But we know that these men, the very highest rank of idolatrous priests, had to be sound in body and clean. Without that they were not allowed to carry out their office or use their charms.

The burning clearly had a connection with a religious rite, and the ashes falling on the priests made them unfit to serve their gods. Three times Jehovah had struck them. He had taken away their rods of authority. He had taken away their power of enchantment. And now He had taken away their ability to carry on their religious rites. We hear no more after this of the magicians; they "could not stand before Moses."

Then came the sixth judgment: a boil breaking out with blisters on man and beast in all Egypt. It fell above all on the magicians, who could not stand before Moses. Such a festering eruption defeated their careful avoidance of impurity. The emptiness of their gods was as clear as that of their own arts of healing.

that they "could not stand before Moses because of the boils." They themselves have fallen under the punishing hand of God. So we can rest in confidence, however successful the evil one seems now, because "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet."

This was the first of the plagues which attacked the persons of the Egyptians, and the magicians, or wise men, suffered under it above all. It was a disgusting and loathsome disease.

This plague is typical of the personal moral corruption that results from resisting the truth of the Word of God.

This time Moses was to act in front of the king without any warning. He threw handfuls of ashes from the furnace into the air. Egypt had been "a smoking furnace" (Gen. 15:17), and the children of Abraham had been plunged into it. Now ashes from that furnace were to fall back on the heads of their oppressors and strike them with boils and blisters. The account makes a point of saying that the boils were so severe that the magicians, suffering like everyone else, could not stand before Moses. They were completely beaten. It gives no hint why the striking of the magicians is singled out. But we know these men were the very highest rank of idol priests, and they had to be sound and clean in body. Without that they could not carry out their office or work their charms.

The magicians did not even try to copy this miracle, because they were struck with boils themselves... This plague is a picture of the personal moral corruption that comes from resisting the truth of the Word of God. But even this did not move Pharaoh to turn from his stubborn refusal of God's Word to let His people go.

It is true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But He did so only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and incredible arrogance by saying, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice…?" (Ex. 5:2), and only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart again and again. In fact the Spirit uses two different words in the original language. No fewer than seven times He says that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7) before saying that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh (Ex. 9:12).

God had already said He would harden Pharaoh's heart, back in chapter 4:21. Eighteen times we read of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. But the Hebrew uses different words to show an important distinction. One means to "make firm" or "strong." The other, "to make stubborn."... Pharaoh hardened himself, then God hardened him. Pharaoh had his opportunities. He refused them and went on in unbelief, so God made him stubborn. God hardens as an act of judgment because man refuses His Word. God never hardens first, and He never forces a man to be an unbeliever.

God did not make Pharaoh wicked. God leads no man to sin; but when Pharaoh had proved himself wicked and stubborn, God hardened his heart in judgment. But this hardening never happens until a man has proved himself wicked. Fallen man, as Romans 1 describes him, gives God up first; only then does God give him up.

There is no need at all for anyone to try to escape the full, plain sense of this very solemn statement. If a man resists the light of God's testimony, he is shut up to blindness and hardness of heart as a judgment. God leaves him to himself, and then Satan comes in and carries him headlong to destruction... the real disposition of his heart was to act against God, and therefore God left him to himself, and made him a monument for the display of His glory "through all the earth."

There are five outstanding cases of this very solemn hardening on God's part: the non-Jewish nations, Rom. 1:28; Pharaoh or Egypt, Ex. 9:12; the kings of Canaan, Joshua 11:20; Israel, Isa. 6; Christendom, 2 Thess. 2. This hardening comes before destruction. But it comes only after much patience on God's part, and after man's incurable unbelief and stubborn refusal of God's testimony have shown that this judgment is necessary.

God's messengers, we presume, could enter the palace when the Lord commanded them. No place Pharaoh could go would put him beyond the reach of a message from God. Uninvited, Moses could appear, and very likely unexpectedly too. This proved true again. Moses sprinkled the ashes in front of the king on one day, and appeared early on the next. If Pharaoh had slept during the night, he must have been unsettled to face Moses and Aaron the next morning.

"Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'Let my people go, that they may serve me.'" The God of the Hebrews was persistent. He would take no denial. The slaves of Pharaoh, of Israel's race, had One who took up their cause. True, no invasion from beyond Egyptian territory threatened the security of the land. But a power did threaten its peace again. Pharaoh had felt that power before, and all the might of his armies could not deal with it, or even touch it.

He knew nothing of the Lord, the invisible and eternal God, and he laughed at the idea of His power. Were not the Lord's people Pharaoh's own slaves?

And note, it is "that they may hold a feast to me." If they were to leave Pharaoh behind, it was so that they might begin with God. This was a great change. Instead of toiling under Pharaoh's taskmasters, they were to feast in the company of the Lord.

The Exodus is the separation of the people of God from the world. One feature of the scene struck me. Israel was to go out of Egypt to serve the Lord, or hold a feast to Him. They could not serve Him or sacrifice to Him in the land of their slavery, in front of that people. Their religious service was of such a character that Egypt would not tolerate it.

A salvation which would have left them still in Egypt could not possibly be God's salvation. We must also keep in mind the Lord's purpose in saving Israel and in destroying Pharaoh. It was "that His name might be declared throughout all the earth." What declaration of that name or character could there be if His people were to try to worship Him in Egypt?

A third time the word of the Lord came to Moses: "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh." A protest followed. The words should be read to mean this: though God had stretched out His hand, He had not yet cut Pharaoh off. He kept him alive, so that Pharaoh might magnify God's name, either by humbling himself or by rejecting the divine warning.

The way this solemn announcement is made in Exodus 9:14 points to a special and singular character in these grave events. Nothing in the history of nations, then or since, has matched them.

He had no rest. No one could bribe or ignore the God of the Hebrews. God demanded unconditional surrender, and sooner or later the king had to give it. Severe plagues had already come. More could follow, and would, if the king stayed stubborn. "All My plagues," said God. What would they be? They came one by one, and God announced the next only when the last had failed to break the king's obstinacy.

To the proud Pharaoh, who in his haughtiness had said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go" (Ex. 5:2), God showed him his own nothingness. He was one of the inhabitants of the earth who are counted as nothing before Him… God said to Pharaoh, "I will at this time send all My plagues to your heart." But to Moses He says, "I will… multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt."

Pharaoh said he did not know the Lord, but Pharaoh must know Him (Ex. 5:2; Ex. 9:14). If Pharaoh would disown Him in goodness, he must know Him in righteousness. His judgments were now coming into full view, and "the Lord is known by the judgment which He executes." As His holy prophet says to Him, "When your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." God would be known in grace. But if Egypt refuses that lesson, she must know Him in the raised hand of power.

He was the god made flesh. He was actually divine, and at times would appear in a local group of three as one of its deities. In his own kingdom, and by flattering rulers abroad, he was addressed as a "god" — he even offered incense to himself! There was deep meaning in Pharaoh's enormous statues. They towered above temples and obelisks in city and plain, looking down on ordinary mortals… the mightiest, the most terrible, the supreme, none like him in all the earth.

By His plagues, God showed that the heavenly bodies were only His servants. He called up darkness and hid the sun and moon from human sight. He also showed that the animal and vegetable kingdoms obeyed Him. He commanded, and insects, reptiles, fish and animals either arose or died, and at His word the trees and the fruit of the field perished… He proved Himself to be God, both creating and overruling.

God was about "to do His work, His strange work, and perform His act, His unusual act." Judgment is His "strange work." He delights in mercy, but He must act consistently with all that He is. He had borne with great patience the many provocations of this proud and insolent monarch. By refusing to let God's people go, that king had made himself the declared enemy of God. So he brought on himself the necessity of learning that "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished."

God tells him that his life was completely in God's hands. He could cut him off, but He had not… And why was he kept alive? It was to show him God's power, and to declare God's name throughout all the earth (15-16).

God could rightly have cut him off in his sin against Him at that time. Instead He bore with the wicked king. In the end He hardened his heart in His government of the world, so that Pharaoh rushed headlong into the jaws of death in a way designed to show God's power.

God knew the stubborn self-will and pride of this man. Working behind the scenes, He raised him up to a place where he could keep mistreating His people, and even step it up, and so bring matters to a head. The time was now right for God to deal with him, and in doing so to display His power in such a way that His name would be declared throughout all the earth. A scripture like Joshua 2:8-11 bears witness that the name of Jehovah was declared that way in those days. And even in our day, 3,500 years later, the fame of it has not died away.

God never makes a man bad. Pharaoh was already a bad man, and he grew worse by resisting God's most striking appeals. What God did was put him on show. He had been raised from among men to such a height that his downfall would strike consciences far and wide throughout the world. He was hard from the start, and at last God sealed him up in a judicial hardening.

The wicked are not chosen for eternal misery. Far from it. We find that God bears with them — vessels of wrath — with great patience. They are fitted for destruction not by Him, but by their own deeds.

God showed His power at least in part when His dreadful judgment finally fell on Egypt. It came after much patience and many earlier steps, and through them all Pharaoh clearly told himself that nothing could touch him. God is patient today too, sending warning after warning to a stubborn world. Yet He will show His power, suddenly and terribly, to a world that is startled and still hard.

God tells him that his life was wholly in divine hands. He might cut him off, but He had not. God, of whom Pharaoh had known nothing at all, controlled his destiny... And why was he kept alive? It was to show him God's power, and that God's name might be declared throughout all the earth.

If Pharaoh had been an ordinary man in Egypt, no one would have seen his stubborn heart in public. But God raised him to a high place... Every fresh show of Pharaoh's stubborn will only brought out a fresh show of the mighty power of God. His pursuit of Israel only put before people the mighty power that could dry up the Red Sea, save His people, and destroy Pharaoh and his army.

God never made any man bad. But He may give people up to the consequences of their own folly and evil, and in certain cases He does. That is, He hardens in judgment those who disregard and reject His grace... Pharaoh was wicked, and his wickedness grew in proportion to the patience God displayed. In the end the God he had despised blinded him in judgment and made him an example. All are responsible. Sin destroys the capacity, not the responsibility of obeying God.

Pharaoh was already resisting God. He was already treating the people of God with cruel brutality. So the hardening of Pharaoh's heart was an act of God's government, and it was deserved. It was not at all an arbitrary use of sovereignty. What is more, we find Pharaoh hardening his own heart again and again. Who can fault God for doing to him what he deliberately did for himself?

The king stood in proud defiance of the LORD. "Who is the LORD?" he said... But God was carrying on His purpose. He was showing that man at his best was a failing creature, and that when he received power and authority he used it against God. It was right that God should show man for what he is, and set him aside to make room for the only Man who is able to rule. For this reason God raised Pharaoh up, so that in him the power of the world would be set aside.

God knew the stubborn self-will and pride of this man. Working behind the scenes, He raised him up to a place where he could carry on the ill-treatment of His people, and even make it worse, and so bring things to a head. The hour was now ripe for God to deal with him, and to display His power in such a way that His name would be declared throughout all the earth. A scripture such as Joshua 2:8-11 bears witness that in those days the name of the Lord really was declared. And even in our day, 3,500 years later, the fame of it has not died away.

The words of Moses would die away as soon as they were spoken, and if there had been no record of them, God's words could not have been recalled; but being recorded, it can be said, "The Scripture says to Pharaoh." This claims for Scripture that it is the Word of God.

Both were wicked — Israel and Pharaoh. Simple righteousness would have condemned both. He has mercy on one, and hardens the other. This is sovereignty. He proves Himself not only righteous — the day of judgment will prove that — but proves Himself God. This matters for us all: without it none would be saved.

We believe both statements — divine sovereignty and human responsibility — but we are not pretending to reconcile them in a logical way. Perhaps, as finite beings, we are never meant to do so in this world.

The word to him was, "Let My people go …" So the Lord at once claimed the people as His. But for a century or two the Pharaohs of Egypt had regarded the people as theirs, and as their slaves. So from the outset the issue was joined. Jehovah claimed the people that Pharaoh regarded as his own. Which claimant would prevail? The issue could not be in doubt for one moment.

We must take note of verse 17. In it we find an early example of a principle: God accepts what is done against His people as done against Himself. It came to light most clearly when these words stopped Saul of Tarsus: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" … By exalting himself against the children of Israel, Pharaoh was exalting himself against God. So he was hurrying on to his doom.

A protest followed. The words should read like this: God had stretched out His hand, yet He had not cut Pharaoh off. He kept him alive, so that Pharaoh might be the means of magnifying God's Name — either by humbling himself, or by rejecting the divine warning. "You are still exalting yourself" — like a dam set to hold back the waters.

But more. God tells him that his life was wholly in divine hands. He might cut him off, but He had not. Meneptah had known nothing at all about God, yet God controlled his destiny… No Pharaoh had ever been spoken to like this before, we may be sure. Courtiers might flatter and cringe before the king. Moses and Aaron did neither… This was the language of One who claimed to be above all. He had raised up Pharaoh, and He had absolute power over every living thing. It was the language of God, the one true God, speaking to His creature. And that creature was really a disobedient worm of the dust, though he might think of himself as an absolute ruler.

God had dealt with Pharaoh graciously. He gave him chance after chance to agree to what He asked. Still Pharaoh hardened his heart, and showed his deep-seated hatred and hostility to God and His people. Now this proud enemy is to come under the judicial hardening of God… Unbelief never starts as the result of judicial hardening on God's part. But let there be no doubt that there is such a thing as hardening. Two errors are equally wrong. One says this hardening comes before God first gives His testimony to men. The other denies that God may righteously use His sovereign right and harden a man after he has refused that testimony.

Pharaoh kept exalting himself against God's people, and so against God Himself. So God tells him that the next day He would send a very heavy hail, such as Egypt had never known before (v. 18). But God graciously warns him that animals left outside would be killed. Some of Pharaoh's servants feared the Word of the Lord and took the warning. Of course their animals were safe. Others had no respect for God's Word, and they suffered for it.

Then came a rebuke. The words should be read like this: God had stretched out His hand, yet Pharaoh was not cut off. God spared him, so that either by humbling himself or by rejecting God's warning, he might be the means of making God's Name great. "You are still exalting yourself against my people" — like a dam holding back the waters.

And why was he preserved in life? It was to show him God's power, and that God's name might be declared throughout all the earth (15-16). Never before had a Pharaoh been so addressed, we may be sure. Courtiers might flatter and cringe before the king. Moses and Aaron did neither.

Moses had said "tomorrow" for the swarms of flies (8:23). The next day they came. He had said "tomorrow" for the cattle plague. The next day came, and the cattle plague appeared (9:5). He had said "tomorrow" for the hail (9:18). On the next day the Lord rained hail on the land. Each time, God sent the plague He had foretold. It did not delay a single day. Just one night came between the warning and the plague each time.

The storm was terrifying. It thundered; it hailed; and the lightning fire ran along the ground. There was hail, and fire mixed with hail, such as no one had ever seen. The One who had power over the waters, the dust, and even over people's bodies had power over the air as well. The God of the Hebrews was almighty.

God threatens a very heavy hail to fall on man and beast; it would kill everything left out in the open field... God dealt with Pharaoh in this way so that he might know Jehovah and His power. He also acted so that what Jehovah did would make His name known throughout the earth... It was loving and gracious advice God gave through Moses (verse 19). No doubt there were many Egyptians who believed and escaped. The unbelieving suffered. Divine mercy still lingered.

Some among Pharaoh's servants feared the Word of the Lord and took the warning to heart. Of course their animals were safe. Others had no respect for God's Word, and they suffered the consequences.

The seventh plague in Egypt was one of "hail and fire," a tempest without parallel in the history of that most ancient of kingdoms (Ex. 9:18-25). The coming judgment announced in Revelation will be of a more terrible character, more ruinous and widespread.

Before God judges He always warns; and have not you, my friend, had many a warning note falling on your ear? Look at the grace of God in this chapter. The angels find their way to Sodom. They are, if I may say so, evangelists to the house of Lot. They announce what is coming, and they point out a place of safety.

It was loving and gracious advice that God gave through Moses (verse 19). No doubt there were many Egyptians who believed and escaped. The unbelieving suffered. Divine mercy still lingered.

Those Egyptians who believed the divine warning must have belonged to the mixed multitude that went out with Israel (chapter 12:38).

It was the merciful One whose message Moses delivered. He would spare the lives of His creatures, even the least of the cattle, if only they were sheltered from the coming judgment. The hail touched no living creature that was housed (19-21). Up to now we have not read of human life taken by any of the plagues. Now there was that risk, but only if people despised or denied shelter (20-21).

Some of the court believed and took the advice to house their cattle and their servants. Others despised the counsel and lost everything.

The answer may be that the word "all" in verse 6 is not meant to be absolute, but is used in a general sense. Or else the Egyptians may have brought in other livestock after the fifth plague.

A word here about the cattle. We learn from 9:3, and also from Genesis 47:16-17, that the Hebrew word covered far more than people would suppose from the language we use today. We suggest the explanation may lie in a difference between two kinds of cattle. Some were left out in the field day and night. Others were housed at times in stalls or other places prepared for them. Exodus 9:3 mentions only cattle in the field, and says nothing about any refuge provided for them at the homesteads. Verse 19, however, shows that cattle could be kept in shelters — a difference that may throw light on the matter. The disease killed all the cattle turned out for grazing. The hail would strike any cattle that had shelters, if they were not brought back to them.

Hail is a symbol of sharp, crushing judgment, sent straight from heaven. It comes so plainly from heaven that no one can put it down to anyone but God. We believe that history records storms of exceptional violence in which stones weighing a pound, or even a little more, fell with terrible effect, similar to what Exodus 9 records.

It was the merciful One whose message Moses delivered — One who would spare the lives of His creatures, even the lowliest of the cattle, if only they were sheltered from the coming judgment. The hail touched no living creature that was under shelter (19-21). Up to this point we have not read of human life taken by any of the plagues. Now there was that risk, but only if a man despised or refused shelter (20-21).

Some among Pharaoh's servants feared the word of the Lord and heeded the warning. Of course their animals were safe. But others had no respect for God's word, and they suffered the consequences.

The Lord always acts for His own glory, for His own name. Yet the king of Egypt was responsible, and his own people and the surrounding nations were witnesses of it. First, the magicians told Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). Second, in this verse, those among Pharaoh's servants who feared the word of the LORD hurried their slaves and their livestock into the houses (Exodus 9:20). Third, 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" (Exodus 10:7). This is evidence enough that the judgments were having their effect on people of every class.

No doubt there were many Egyptians who believed and escaped. The unbelieving suffered. Divine mercy was still lingering. Those Egyptians who believed the divine warning must have belonged to the mixed multitude that went out with Israel (chapter 12:38).

A difficulty may arise when we compare Exodus 9:6 with verse 19. If all the cattle died in the plague, what was left of them for the hail to endanger? We may be quite sure that Moses knew what he was writing... We would suggest here that the explanation may lie in a difference. Some cattle were left out in the field day and night. Others were housed at times in stalls or other places prepared for them. In verse 19 we learn that people could provide shelters for their cattle. The disease killed all the cattle turned out for grazing. The hail would attack any cattle that had shelters, if they were not brought back to them.

Moses told Pharaoh and his princes about the blow that would fall on them. This time he did not offer any of them a chance of escaping it, as he had in the earlier plague of the hail.

But we are warned so that we may escape. For there is a way of escape. "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24).

There was also something new for the Egyptians here. God gave a warning, so any of the common people who paid attention to the word of the Lord had the chance to act, and that action would save them from the worst of it. The hail storm was so violent that any person or animal left out in it would die.

Some of the court believed, and took the advice to bring their cattle and their servants under cover. Others despised the counsel, and lost everything.

The warning came in time. So the Egyptians could protect their cattle and their servants from the terrible storm that was coming. Some took the warning and did as God directed through Moses. Those who neglected the warning suffered the consequences of their unbelief.

Some feel a difficulty when they compare Exodus 9:6 with verse 19. If all the cattle died of the disease, what was left of them to be put in danger by the hail? We suggest the explanation may lie in the difference between cattle left out in the field day and night, and cattle kept at times in stalls or other places prepared for them. The disease attacked and killed all the cattle turned out to graze. The hail would strike any cattle that had shelters, if they were not brought back to them.

It was loving and gracious advice that God gave through Moses (verse 19). No doubt there were many Egyptians who believed and escaped. The unbelieving suffered. Divine mercy still lingered. The Egyptians who believed God's warning must have belonged to the mixed multitude that went out with Israel.

If the earth away from God becomes a scene of corruption and ruin, heaven will frown on it too. In the plague of hail we see the result of despising God. Hail is rain chilled into ice. The very mercies of heaven, when despised, are changed into pitiless judgment.

People today stand where the Egyptians stood before that fourteenth day of Nisan. They are warned of the coming judgment, so the way of escape is alike as well. The blood of the lamb alone brought deliverance then; the blood of God's Lamb brings deliverance now… And greater interests are at stake now than then. Losing your firstborn is a heavy blow. The everlasting ruin of your soul is a far more terrible disaster.

If the earth away from God turns into a scene of corruption and desolation like this, heaven will also frown upon it. In the plague of hail we see the result of this despising of God. Hail is rain chilled into ice. The very mercies of heaven, once despised, turn into pitiless judgment.

We may be quite sure that Moses knew what he was writing. He would not commit a blunder that left his account in a contradiction an ordinary schoolboy could spot... We suggest here that the explanation may lie in a difference. Some cattle stayed out in the field day and night. Others had stalls or other places prepared for them... The disease attacked and killed all the cattle turned out for grazing. The hail would attack any cattle that had shelters, if they were not brought back to them.

It first swallowed up the rods of Egypt. That showed no strength could stand before God's strength. It gave Egypt notice that it was hard to kick against the goads (Ex. 7:12). But Egypt would not learn that lesson. Then the rod brings the plagues of blood, of frogs, and of lice. At last the magicians admit that they could not measure their strength against the Lord's (Ex. 8:19). It is then used in the plagues of hail (Ex. 9:23), locusts (Ex. 10:13), and darkness (Ex. 10:22).

It was loving and gracious advice that God gave through Moses (verse 19). No doubt there were many Egyptians who believed and escaped. The unbelieving suffered. Divine mercy still lingered.

The message Moses delivered came from the merciful One. He would spare the lives of His creatures, even the lowliest of the cattle, if only they were sheltered from the coming judgment. The hail touched no living creature that was under shelter (19-21). Up to this point we have not read of human life taken by any of the plagues. Now there was that risk, but only for those who despised or refused shelter (20-21).

At its appointed time the storm burst. Fire and hail fell on the ground and destroyed trees and plants, and man and beast caught out in its violence. Only in Goshen, "the land of flowers," did nature smile. There the people heard the sound of the storm, but no wrath from heaven fell. The wall of partition separating Israel from Egypt rose right up to the sky.

The hail is frozen drops of rain. Those gentle showers that water the earth so it may bring forth its fruit now turn into death-dealing wrath! For a Christ-rejecting world there is stored up "wrath against the day of wrath," of which the hail is a figure (Ex. 9:22; Hag. 2:17; Ps. 18:12; Rev. 16:21).

It thundered; it hailed; and the lightning fire ran along the ground. There was hail, and fire mixed with hail, such as no one had ever seen. He who had power over the waters, the dust, and even over people's bodies, had power over the air as well. The God of the Hebrews was all-powerful. Man and beast must bow under His hand.

If the earth away from God is turned into a scene of corruption and ruin, then heaven will frown on it too. In the plague of hail we see the result of this despising of God. Hail is rain chilled into ice. Despise the mercies of heaven, and they turn into pitiless judgment.

The terrible hail came with thunder and with fire (lightning) that ran along the ground. In Hebrew these are called "the voices of God." The storm is a picture of God's wrath in judgment. Revelation mentions hail again and again, and calls it "the plague of hail" (Rev. 8:7, 11:19, 16:21).

The advice God gave through Moses was loving and gracious (verse 19). No doubt many Egyptians believed and escaped. The unbelieving suffered. God's mercy still lingered. The Egyptians who believed His warning must have been part of the mixed crowd that went out with Israel (chapter 12:38).

The message Moses delivered came from the merciful One. He would spare the lives of His creatures, even the lowliest of the cattle, if only they had shelter from the coming blow. Not one living creature under cover was touched by the hail. Until now we have not read of any human life taken by the plagues. Now that risk was there, but only if shelter was despised or refused.

At its appointed time the storm burst. Fire and hail fell on the ground. The storm destroyed the trees and plants, and the people and animals caught out in its violence. Only in Goshen, "the land of flowers," nature smiled. There, though the sound of the storm was heard, no wrath from heaven fell. The wall of partition separating Israel from Egypt rose right up to the sky.

Moses, however, was not fooled by this fresh show of repentance and piety. He told Pharaoh outright that he knew he would not keep his promise. Yet he went out and prayed for him, spreading his hands out to the Lord, and the storm stopped as suddenly as it began. In how it started and in how it ended, it proved itself to be an act of God.

Elsewhere hail is a symbol of sweeping desolation… Fire is another well-known symbol of judgment. The plagues of Egypt supply many of these figures, and there the two come together: "the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth." In Revelation the hail and fire are "mingled with blood," showing that the judgments they stand for destroy life.

With the terrible hail came fire (lightning) that ran along the ground, and thunder. The Hebrew calls these "the voices of God." The storm is a picture of God's wrath in judgment. Revelation mentions hail again and again, and calls it "the plague of hail" (Rev. 8:7, 11:19, 16:21).

He who had power over the waters, the dust, and even over people's bodies, had power over the air as well. The God of the Hebrews was all-powerful. Man and beast must bow under His hand. "The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field" (9:25). The land had never known such a storm before, and nothing since has matched it. Yet God showed mercy. The hail struck the flax and the barley — those crops, we conclude, were ruined for that year — but the wheat and the rye escaped, because they had not yet come up. So these crops would give food for the year. The note about the crops tells us the season when the hail came — the early spring — for the barley had formed ears and the flax was in bloom.

The advice God gave through Moses was loving and gracious (verse 19). No doubt many Egyptians believed and escaped. Those who did not believe suffered. God's mercy still lingered. The Egyptians who believed His warning must have belonged to the mixed crowd that went out with Israel (chapter 12:38).

The message Moses delivered came from the merciful One. He would spare the lives of His creatures, even the lowest of the cattle, if only they had shelter from the coming judgment. The hail touched no living creature that was under cover (19-21). Until now we have not read of any plague taking a human life. Now that risk was real, but only if someone scorned the shelter or withheld it (20-21).

At its appointed time the storm burst. Fire and hail fell on the ground. The storm destroyed trees and plants, and the people and animals left out in its fury. Only in Goshen, "the land of flowers," nature smiled. There the sound of the storm reached them, but no wrath from heaven fell. The wall that separated Israel from Egypt rose right up to the sky.

The king staggered under the blow and again begged for relief. He even confessed that he had sinned and that the Lord was righteous. Once more he promised to let the people go, if only there would be no more mighty thunder and hail. (Ex. 9:27-28.) This brings Pharaoh's sin to light. He sees his guilt and admits it, yet he keeps on in his evil course — his open war against the Lord.

This witness stands even in our own day, and people will remember it until the day of grace gives way to the age of judgment. Then God will act in righteous judgment and wrath, not with Egypt only but with the whole earth, as Revelation 6 - 11, 15, 16 pictures. Of that coming day of judgment the plagues of Egypt were a small sample.

It thundered; it hailed; and the lightning fire ran along the ground. There was hail, and fire mixed with hail, and no one had ever seen anything like it. He who had power over the waters, the dust, and even over people's bodies, had power over the sky as well. The God of the Hebrews was all-powerful. Man and beast must bow under His hand... The land had never known such a storm before, and nothing since has matched it.

Hail is the symbol of wrath (Ex. 9:18–33; Ex. 10:5–15; Ps. 78:47; Ps. 105:32; Ps. 148:8; Isa. 28:2, 17; Hag. 2:17)... Trees and grass are the simplest and most natural means of life for man and beast: for trees see Gen. 1:29; Gen. 2:9; Deut. 20:19; for grass, Gen. 1:11-12; Deut. 11:15; Ps. 104:14 and Ps. 106:20.

Hail is rain chilled into ice. The very mercies of heaven despised are changed into pitiless judgment (Ex. 9:13, etc.).

The hail does not speak of God simply withdrawing. It speaks of that withdrawal becoming a pitiless storm of judgment, and it subdues everything — except, sadly, the heart of man. His pain admits the power that is making him suffer, yet his heart stays hard and unrepentant. So that heart becomes the witness to the wrath it has brought down on itself, and the proof that the wrath is just.

The hail wrecked the crops and destroyed even the trees of the field. Verses 31 and 32 tell us exactly what was growing, and that shows us the time of year. It must have been late February or early March. In Egypt at that time the barley has formed its ears and the flax is in blossom, but the wheat and the rye are not yet standing in the stalk.

Yet mercy was shown. The hail struck the flax and the barley — those crops, we conclude, were spoiled for that year — but the wheat and the rye were unharmed, because they had not yet come up. So these crops would still give food for the year.

At the appointed time the storm burst. Fire and hail fell on the ground. It destroyed trees and plants, and every person and animal left out in its violence. Only in Goshen, "the land of flowers," did nature smile. The people there heard the sound of the storm, but no wrath from heaven fell. The wall that separated Israel from Egypt rose right up to the sky.

But God kindly warned Pharaoh that animals left outside would be killed. Some of Pharaoh's servants feared the Word of the Lord and took the warning, and of course their animals were safe. Others had no respect for God's Word, and they suffered the consequences.

Note Pharaoh's confession, which shows that this plague had made a deep impression on him (verse 27). Pharaoh used the name of "Jehovah" and the name of God (Elohim). "Entreat Jehovah that there be no more voices of God" (literal rendering). What a desperately wicked thing the human heart is. He sinned more after this than before.

This terrible blow so alarmed Pharaoh that he called for Moses and Aaron (v. 27). He told them, "This time I have sinned," and admitted that the Lord is righteous and that he and his people are wicked. He need not have said this at all, though it was true. But he should have meant it when he promised to let Israel go if God stopped the plague (v. 28).

The blow was so terrible that it frightened Pharaoh. As verse 27 shows, he was ready to make some confession of wrongdoing, and to promise to let the people go, if only this dreadful scourge would stop. Moses, however, was not deceived by this fresh profession of repentance and piety.

So the wickedness of Pharaoh is brought to light. He sees and admits his guilt, and yet keeps on in his evil course — his open hostility to the Lord. Despite his confession, as soon as the Lord answered Moses' plea, he went back to his hardened ways.

Many people in Scripture take the place of saying, "I have sinned." It is very striking that not all of them get cleansing. David (2 Samuel 12:13), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9:33), Job (Job 40:4; 42:6), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5; 64:6), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 14:7, 20), Daniel (Daniel 9:5), Micah (Micah 7:9), the prodigal son (Luke 15:21), and the thief on the cross (Luke 23:41) all took the place of sinners. They all got cleansing or blessing. But look at Pharaoh (Exodus 9:27; 10:16), Balaam (Numbers 22:34), Achan (Joshua 7:20), Saul (1 Samuel 15:24; 26:21), Shimei (2 Samuel 19:20), and Judas (Matthew 27:4). These all confess they have sinned, yet they perish… There was no hatred of the sin. There was no desire to turn from it and give it up.

Others have said the same, but to no purpose. God reads the heart, and He knows a person's motive. Pharaoh could say, "This time I have sinned" (Ex. 9:27), when the thunder and hail alarmed him and he wanted them gone. Yet he had not repented. He sinned still more and hardened his heart once the mighty thunderings had stopped. He confessed the same a second time, when the locusts had destroyed every plant the hail had spared. But his only aim was to get rid of that plague (Ex. 10:16-17)… David's case was very different. He was not thinking of his standing before other people, or how to save it. He saw and confessed what his guilt was before God.

Pharaoh is the classic example of the sinner who defies God, yet is quite ready to act humble if that helps him escape the punishment he deserves. We must remember this word: "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Prov. 28:13). Under chastisement Pharaoh did not mind doing a little bit of confessing, but he had no idea of forsaking his self-willed way.

When each blow stops, it shows that God is willing to withdraw His hand from judgment, and that judgment is strange work to Him. Pharaoh hardens his heart not only by refusing to bow under the plagues. He hardens it by keeping on in his course after God answered his cry and lifted the plague. So neither God's severity in sending the plague, nor His goodness in lifting it, has any effect on a man whose heart is set on doing evil.

The terrible hail came with fire (lightning) that ran along the ground, and with thunder. Hebrew calls these "the voices of God." The storm is a picture of God's wrath in judgment. Revelation mentions hail again and again, calling it "the plague of hail" (Rev. 8:7, 11:19, 16:21). The plagues of Egypt will come again on this earth during the great tribulation. Pharaoh used the name "Jehovah" and the name of God (Elohim). "Plead with Jehovah that there be no more voices of God" (literal rendering). What a desperately wicked thing the human heart is. He sinned more after this than before.

Others have said the same thing, yet to no purpose; for God reads the heart, and He knows the motive of the creature. Pharaoh could say, "I have sinned this time" (Ex. 9:27). He was alarmed by the thunder and hail and wanted them removed. Yet he had not repented: once the mighty thunderings had stopped, he sinned still more and hardened his heart.

This terrible affliction alarmed Pharaoh so much that he called for Moses and Aaron (v. 27). He told them, "I have sinned this time," and admitted that the Lord is righteous and that he and his people are wicked. He need not have said this at all, though it was true. But he should have meant it when he promised to let Israel go if the plague stopped (v. 28).

He even confessed that he had sinned, and that the Lord was righteous, and once more promised that he would let the people go, provided there might be no more mighty thunderings and hail. (Ex. 9:27-28.) The iniquity of Pharaoh is thus brought to light. He sees and admits his guilt, and yet keeps on in his evil course — his open opposition to the Lord.

Moses, however, was not deceived by this fresh show of repentance and piety. He told him plainly that he knew he would not keep his promise. Yet he went out as an intercessor and spread his hands out to the Lord, and the plague stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Both in its coming and in its stopping it proved itself to be an act of God.

It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is even the slightest turning of heart to Him, He is ready to hear — even though He knows the turning is not real. That is a striking testimony that He does not want the sinner to die.

I appeal to experience. Does a person who looks back at his own mind not know that he came to an inward state of hatred of sin, self-judgment and confession of sins, with humbling and self-loathing? In a word, was repentance not produced in his soul? It may have come through the terrors of the law, with fear and dread; yet, if real, it always came with some drawing to God as good, some love of holiness, some sense of responsibility in grace whatever the terror. For mere terror of consequences is not repentance at all.

When sober, man has to admit that God's judgment on him is just. But that does not make him love God. On the contrary, it hardens his heart... And when relief comes, if the patience of God has prolonged the day of salvation, it only finds the sinner's heart harder and further from God. "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil." (Ecc. 8:11.)

The plague was so terrifying that Pharaoh took fright. He was ready to make some confession of wrongdoing, as verse 27 shows, and to promise to let the people go, if only this dreadful scourge might stop. Moses, however, was not fooled by this fresh show of repentance and piety. He told him he knew he would not keep his promise. Yet he went out to pray for him and spread his hands out to the Lord. The plague stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Both in its start and in its ending, it proved itself to be an act of God.

He went so far, in the power of his God, that he would not even pray inside the walls of the idol-worshipping city. He lifted up his hands only once he was outside it, and at once the storm stopped. Then, just as had been foretold, Pharaoh and his court hardened their hearts.

The plagues of Egypt are built on the natural features Egypt already has. So what makes them unheard of and extraordinary is not so much the plagues themselves. It is their force, their reach, and how fast they follow one another the moment Moses gives the command. They are therefore both natural and supernatural. That leaves both faith and unbelief free to choose — and in Pharaoh, unbelief won. They are also fitted to convince the Egyptians that Jehovah is not just the national God of the Israelites. He is a God above all gods, and He holds in His hand all the powers of nature too — the powers Egypt was used to treating as gods.

Pharaoh said he did not know the Lord, but Pharaoh must know Him (Ex. 5:2; Ex. 9:14). If Pharaoh would disown Him in goodness, he must know Him in righteousness. He was now about to show His judgments openly, and "the Lord is known by the judgment He carries out."

He sees and admits his guilt, and yet keeps on in his evil course — his open opposition to the Lord. Despite his confession, the moment the Lord answered the prayer of Moses, he went back to his hardened ways. None of this surprised God. He lifted His hand at the prayer of Moses on behalf of the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even in the face of open rebellion. He waits for His own time, bearing with the wickedness of men in patience and grace.

The Lord gains glory out of the violence and wickedness of man (Ex. 9:14, 16, 29). Then He overrules it all. In the end He gathers around Himself a happy and worshipping people, and holds the whole earth in godly subjection to His sceptre as King of kings.

Pharaoh said the strange thunderings were the very "voices of God." He shrank back, and asked Moses to pray for him. He admitted he had sinned — an astounding descent from his throne of pride. Moses promised deliverance, but added, "As for you" — and we may well imagine him looking round at the court — "and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear Jehovah Elohim." He is the Sole and Only and Everlasting One, the Maker of All!

Others have said "I have sinned" too, and it came to nothing; for God reads the heart, and He knows the motive of the creature. Pharaoh could say, "This time I have sinned," when the thunder and hail alarmed him and he wanted them stopped. Yet he had not repented. Once the mighty thunderings had ceased, he sinned still more and hardened his heart.

Moses, however, was not deceived by this fresh claim of repentance and piety. He told the king straight out that he knew he would not keep his promise. Yet he went out as an intercessor and spread his hands out to the Lord. The visitation stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Both in its coming and in its going, it proved itself to be an act of God.

It is beautiful to notice God's tender ways of grace, even with a hardened sinner. If there is the slightest turning of heart towards Him, He is ready to hear — even though He knows it is not real. This is a striking testimony that He does not want the sinner to die. Indeed, He does not wish that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.)

The seventh plague (Ex. 9:13-35) was hail with thunder and consuming fire. It drew from Pharaoh the confession of his sin and a promise to let the people go. He broke that promise as soon as Jehovah heard the intercession of Moses.

Pharaoh said he did not know the Lord, but Pharaoh must know Him (Ex. 5:2; Ex. 9:14). If Pharaoh would disown Him in goodness, he must know Him in righteousness. He was now about to make His judgments plain, and "the LORD is known by the judgment He executes." As His holy prophet says to Him, "When Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." God would have Egypt know Him in grace. But if Egypt refuses that lesson, she must know Him in the uplifted hand of power.

Barley ripened early, well ahead of wheat, in Canaan as in Egypt (Ex. 9:31-32). In the sheltered valleys of Bethlehem, barley would usually be ripe and ready for the reaper in the first weeks of Nisan (March–April), the month that was made the first month of the sacred year for the new-born nation of Israel (see Ex. 12:2).

Verses 31 and 32 give clear information. It shows us that the time of year must have been late February or early March. In Egypt at that season the barley is in the ear and the flax in blossom (or, bolled), while the wheat and the rye are not yet in the stalk.

Because the flax and barley crops are named, we can fix the date of this plague. It was late in January or early in February. The end was near. There were only four weeks more, and Israel would be free.

Under this seventh plague Egypt must have lost nearly all its glory and been brought very low. Most of its livestock was destroyed, its trees broken, its barley and flax ruined — and the flax was a very valuable crop. But as soon as the punishment stopped, Pharaoh went back to his stubborn defiance, and so did his servants. All this should press home on our hearts that what is born of the flesh is still flesh, no matter how it is treated, and that the mind of the flesh is enmity against God.

Yet mercy was shown. The flax and the barley were struck — those crops, we conclude, were spoiled for that year — but the wheat and the rye were unharmed, because they had not yet come up. So there would still be food for the year from these crops. This note about the crops shows the season when the hail came — the early spring — for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled, that is, in bloom.

Even in those days people knew locusts as a serious plague, and the warning made plain how much worse this one would be: it would destroy all that was left in the land. The wheat and rye escaped before, but they would not escape this. The trees of the field had been broken by the hail, yet they were still in leaf; now they would be stripped bare. Only one way of escape was named: Pharaoh must humble himself before the Lord and let Israel go.

Verses 31 and 32 give clear information. It shows us that the time of year must have been late February or early March. That is when the barley in Egypt is in the ear and the flax in blossom, while the wheat and the rye are not yet in the stalk.

The account names the flax and barley crops, so we can fix the date of this judgment. It was late in January or early in February. The end was near. There were only four weeks more, and Israel would be free.

A number of words used here have their roots in the Egyptian language, not Hebrew. There are also references to Egyptian customs and geographical details that only people familiar with Egypt would know, and they come in without one word of explanation... The unbelieving "Higher Critics" insisted that Moses never wrote the Pentateuch. They said it was the work of Ezra, or of someone else about his time — a "pious fraud"... But Ezra, or anyone else coming from Babylon, would never have had this close knowledge of Egyptian words and customs from a thousand years before. And if he had obtained that knowledge by some miracle, he would have had to add explanations to make it clear to the readers of his day.

The land had never known such a storm before, and nothing since has equalled it. Yet mercy showed itself. The hail struck the flax and the barley — those crops, we conclude, were spoiled for that year. But the wheat and the rye came through unharmed, because they had not sprung up. So these crops would give food for the year.

If the earth away from God is turned into a scene of corruption and ruin, heaven will frown on it too. In the plague of hail we see the result of this despising of God. Hail is rain chilled into ice. The very mercies of heaven, when despised, become pitiless judgment.

Even in those days people knew locusts as a serious plague. The warning made plain that what was coming would be worse still: it would destroy all that was left in the land. The wheat and rye escaped before, but they would not escape this. The hail had broken the trees of the field, yet they were still in leaf; now they would be stripped bare. Only one way of escape was open: Pharaoh must humble himself before the Lord and let Israel go.

Under this seventh plague Egypt must have lost nearly all its glory and sunk very low. Most of its livestock destroyed, its trees broken, barley and flax ruined — and flax in particular was a very valuable crop. But as soon as the punishment stopped, Pharaoh went back to his stubborn defiance, and so did his servants. How all this should drive home into our hearts that what is born of the flesh is still flesh, whatever treatment it goes through.

In Scripture, spreading out the hands is the confession of weakness and the attitude of prayer. With his lifted hands Moses secured the victory of Israel over the Amalekites (Ex. 17), who are a figure of the flesh.

He went so far in the power of his God that he would not even pray inside the walls of the idol-worshipping city. He lifted up his hands when he was outside it, and at once the storm stopped. Then, exactly as predicted, Pharaoh and his court hardened their hearts.

On the basis of his promise, however, Moses agreed to ask the Lord to remove the plague. It would stop the moment Moses left the city, showing that the earth is the Lord's (v. 29). Yet Moses adds that he knew Pharaoh and his servants would go on being rebellious (v. 30).

Moses, however, was not deceived by this fresh show of repentance and piety. He told him plainly that he knew he would not keep his promise. Yet he went out as an intercessor and spread his hands out to the Lord, and the visitation stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Both in its arrival and in its ending it proved itself to be an act of God.

The terrible hail came with fire (lightning) that ran along the ground, and with thunderings. In Hebrew these are called "the voices of God." The tempest is the type of God's wrath in judgment. Hail is mentioned repeatedly in Revelation, where it is called "the plague of hail" (Rev. 8:7, 11:19, 16:21)... What a desperately wicked thing the human heart is. He sinned more after this than before.

The king staggered under the blow, and again begged for relief. He even confessed that he had sinned, and that the Lord was righteous. Once more he promised he would let the people go, if only there would be no more mighty thunderings and hail... He sees and admits his guilt, and yet keeps on in his evil course — his open opposition to the Lord. For despite his confession, he went back to his hardened ways as soon as the Lord answered the prayer of Moses.

The seventh plague (Ex. 9:13-35), hail with thunder and consuming fire, drew from Pharaoh the confession of his sin and a promise to let the people go, broken by him as soon as Jehovah heard the intercession of Moses.

Pharaoh could say, "I have sinned this time" (Ex. 9:27). He was alarmed by the thunder and hail, and he wanted them taken away. Yet he had not repented. He sinned even more and hardened his heart once the mighty thunderings had stopped.

He admitted he had sinned — an astounding fall from his throne of pride. Moses promised relief, but added, "But as for you" — and we may well picture him looking round at the court — "and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God" (Ex. 9:30), the Sole and Only and Everlasting One, the Maker of All!

God's judgment is against everyone who goes on doing evil. The only remedy is turning to God, whose goodness keeps inviting people to repentance. Yet His patience so often makes men despise the riches of that goodness... With Pharaoh, what hardened his heart was nothing other than God's forbearing mercy (Ex. 8:15; Ex. 9:34). So the revolt of man's will against his Maker turns what should be for good into evil, again and again.

As to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, notice that this never happened before Pharaoh's open unbelief. God never forced a man to be an unbeliever. Unbelief, at the start, is never the result of God's judicial hardening. Is there no such thing as hardening, then? ... Yes, there is. It is just as wrong to think God hardens a person the first time He sends a testimony as it is to deny that He hardens a person who has refused that testimony.

It is true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But He did so only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and incredible arrogance by saying, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice…?" (Ex. 5:2) — and only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart again and again.

Three different words in the original Hebrew are translated "harden" when Scripture speaks of the king. Seven times it says, "He hardened his own heart," or "His heart hardened itself"... After this sevenfold stubbornness, and not till then, it says, "The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." It says this four times, and on the last occasion the judgment includes the hearts of Pharaoh's servants... A definite and deliberate stubbornness marks Pharaoh's spirit, along with a determined rejection of the divine warnings, growing deeper and deeper.

It is very remarkable that many men in Scripture take the place of saying, "I have sinned," yet not all of them get cleansing. David... Daniel... the prodigal son, and the thief on the cross: these all took the place of sinners and all got cleansing or blessing. But look at Pharaoh (Exodus 9:27; 10:16), Balaam, Achan, Saul, Shimei, and Judas. These all confess they have sinned, yet they perish... There was no hatred of the sin. There was no desire to turn from it and give it up.

Next came the seventh plague (Ex. 9:13-35), hail with thunder and consuming fire. It drew from Pharaoh a confession of his sin and a promise to let the people go. He broke that promise as soon as the Lord heard Moses pray for him.

God reads the heart, and He knows the motive of the creature. Pharaoh could say, "This time I have sinned" (Ex. 9:27). The thunder and hail alarmed him, and he wanted them removed. Yet he had not repented. He sinned still more and hardened his heart once the mighty thunderings had stopped… Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned," but he gave away the state of his heart when he added, "Yet honour me now before the elders of my people and before Israel" (1 Sam. 15:30)… In none of these cases was there real repentance. In David's case how different. He was not thinking of his character before men, and how that could be saved. He saw and confessed what his guilt was before God.

Nature can take warnings and guard its course to escape the worst of judgment. Yet it never softens in the least into true repentance. This is just another form of selfishness. It saves itself. It takes enough interest in God's past ways to learn how it can go on ignoring and despising Him with the least danger to itself.

On the basis of his promise, however, Moses agreed to ask the Lord to remove the plague. Yet Moses adds that he knew Pharaoh and his servants would go on being rebellious (v. 30).

The iniquity of Pharaoh is thus brought to light. He sees and admits his guilt, and yet keeps on in his evil course — his open opposition to the Lord. Despite his confession, as soon as the Lord answered Moses' prayer, he went back to his hardened ways. But again and again Scripture reminds us that this was no surprise to God. All this happened "just as the Lord had spoken through Moses" (v. 35). He saw the end from the beginning. Yet He removed His hand when Moses pleaded for the Egyptian king. God is never impatient, even in the face of open rebellion. He waits His own time, bearing with the wickedness and ungodliness of men in long-suffering and grace.

It is indeed true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But He did so only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and unbelievable arrogance by saying, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice…?" (Ex. 5:2). He did so only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart again and again. In fact the Spirit uses two different words in the original language, and says no less than seven times that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Only after that does Scripture say that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh (Ex. 9:12).

If a man resists the light of God's testimony, God hands him over to blindness and hardness of heart as His judgment. God leaves him to himself. Then Satan comes in and carries him headlong to ruin. Pharaoh had plenty of light. It showed him the wild folly of trying to hold back the people God had commanded him to let go. But the real disposition of his heart was to act against God, and therefore God left him to himself.

"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart." God had already said this in chapter 4:21. Eighteen times we read of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. But the Hebrew uses different words here, and they mark an important distinction. One means to "make firm" or "strong." The other means "to make stubborn." These two words mark Pharaoh's hardening of his own heart, and God's hardening after Pharaoh kept on in his wicked way. Scripture says five times that Pharaoh hardened his heart. Only then did God begin His hardening and make Pharaoh's heart stubborn. Pharaoh hardened himself, then God hardened him. Pharaoh had his opportunities. As he refused and stayed in unbelief, God made him stubborn. God never hardens first, and He never forces anyone to be an unbeliever. There is a solemn warning here. Thousands harden their hearts now.

It is true that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. But He did so only after Pharaoh had shown extreme and unbelievable arrogance by saying, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice…?" (Ex. 5:2). And only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart again and again. In fact, the Spirit uses two different words in the original language, and states no less than seven times that Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7) before saying that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh (Ex. 9:12).

God never made any man bad. But He may, and in some cases does, give people up to the results of their own folly and evil. That is, He hardens in judgment those who make light of His grace and reject it… Pharaoh was wicked, and he grew more wicked the more patience God showed him. In the end the One he had despised blinded him in judgment and made him an example. All are responsible. Sin destroys the ability to obey God, not the responsibility to obey Him.

Pharaoh could not brush God's command aside by refusing to obey for ever. A creature resisting its Creator! Human will overcoming the Divine will! That could not be… Egypt's stubbornness would only display the glory of God more fully.

Again the Lord reminds Moses that He Himself had hardened Pharaoh's heart and the hearts of his servants. He did this so that He might show His signs before them in public. He did it too so that His great works of power might have a very real effect on Israel's own generation and on the generations to come. Then they would realize that it was indeed the living Lord of glory who was dealing with them.

The Philistines give us another striking witness against Pharaoh. The ark of God was with them, and they wanted rid of it… So they send for the priests and diviners. These men tell the people to "give glory to the God of Israel… Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had worked wonders among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?" Here is a witness three hundred and fifty years later to the fact of the Exodus. It is also an admission from the priests of a foreign nation that Pharaoh had acted wrongly. Israel's natural enemies drew the conclusion… that the king met a just judgment, since he had hardened his heart against the God of Israel.

Again the Lord reminds Moses that He Himself had hardened Pharaoh's heart and the hearts of his servants. He did this so that He might show His signs openly before them. He did it also so that God's great works of power might have a very real effect on Israel's present generation and on the generations to come. Then they would realize that it was indeed the living Lord of glory who was dealing with them (vv. 1-2).

God had dealt graciously with Pharaoh. He gave him chance after chance to agree to what He asked. Pharaoh still hardened his heart, and showed his deep-rooted hatred and hostility to God and His people. Now this proud enemy comes under the hardening God sends in judgment… Unbelief never begins as the result of that hardening. But let there be no doubt that there is such a thing as hardening.

God never made Pharaoh, or anyone else, wicked. They were wicked already, and they had plenty of urgent testimony. By God's judgment that testimony served only to blind the king. From the first he asked with scorn, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go."

Generations not yet born should hear of the works of the Lord, and of how He stepped in for Israel. They should know that He is the Lord. Egyptian stubbornness would only serve to display the glory of God further.

The plagues were signs as well as judgments. God sent them to prove who Jehovah was. Egypt once knew enough of God to keep it from idolatry. But it "did not see fit to acknowledge God," and so it had sunk into the worst idolatry. Above all, God sent the plagues to teach Israel that Jehovah alone is God.

God had "established a testimony" for the fathers to pass on to the children, and for the children to pass on to their children. He did it so that they might set their hope in God, walk in obedience, and not forget His works. In this way they would escape the stubbornness of earlier generations. Those generations did not set their affections on God, and their spirits were not steadfast with God.

And Christians may well tell their children what God has done. We should ground our little ones in the great truths of God's word. We should plant the facts of redemption, resurrection, and ascension in their minds and memories.

One thing is sure: what deeply affects the parents will make an impression on the children… The story must pass from generation to generation. And how it warms the hearts of parents to see the eager way the children listen to it.

Again Moses and Aaron entered the king's palace. Again they addressed him, carrying a fresh message from the God of the Hebrews. The language was plain. It was not the language of a courtier addressing his master. It was the true God speaking to His creature.

Pharaoh was learning, but was he submitting? He had now learned that the Lord was the God of the Hebrews. "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?" he had asked, in anything but a meek spirit. Now he learns that the Lord really exists, and something of His power… God was becoming known to the Egyptians by acts of judgment — a fearful way of revealing Himself.

Yet such is the patience of God that Moses was sent once more to Pharaoh with a protest and a demand that he let the people go. God warned him that, if he still refused, He would strike Egypt with swarms of locusts. This was to happen "tomorrow." In the previous chapter God twice announced a plague for tomorrow. That gave at least twenty-four hours' delay, in case Pharaoh should relent. In contrast, salvation, as we know, is always presented today.

The message named the only way of escape: Pharaoh must humble himself before the Lord, and let Israel go.

The word to him was, "Let My people go…" So the Lord at once claimed the people as His. For a century or two the Pharaohs of Egypt had regarded the people as theirs, and enslaved to them. From the very start the two claims stood against each other. The Lord claimed the people that Pharaoh regarded as his own. Which claimant would prevail? The issue could not be in doubt for one moment.

When God took up the people of Israel, He set His love on them, and wanted them to serve Him in response. The beginning of Exodus shows them under a slavery that was nothing like what God wanted for them. They were Pharaoh's slaves. Seven times, as far as I can trace, God said, "Let My son (or, let My people) go that they may serve Me." For the moment they were Pharaoh's servants. But God regarded them as "the sons of Israel," and He sets them free so that they might serve Him.

The Exodus is the separation of the people of God from the world… Israel was to go out of Egypt to serve the Lord, or hold a feast to Him. They could not serve Him or offer sacrifice to Him in the land of their slavery, in front of that people. Their religious service was of such a character that Egypt would not tolerate it.

He gives us the classic example of the sinner who defies God. Yet he is quite ready to take a humble attitude, if that helps him avoid reaping the punishment he deserves. We have to remember this word: "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Under punishment Pharaoh did not mind doing a little confessing. But he had no idea of giving up his self-willed way.

Pharaoh could not treat God's summons as nothing by refusing forever to obey. A creature resisting its Creator! Human will overcoming the divine will! That could not be. So God spoke to Moses again, told him what He would do, and gave His servant a fresh message for the stubborn ruler of the land of Egypt.

Yet God is so patient that He sent Moses once more to Pharaoh with a protest and a demand that he let the people go. God warned Pharaoh that if he still refused, He would strike Egypt with swarms of locusts. This was to happen "tomorrow." In the previous chapter God twice announced a plague for tomorrow. That gave at least twenty-four hours' delay in case Pharaoh should relent. By contrast, salvation, as we know, is always offered today.

The hail had killed the cattle. It also struck every plant of the field and broke every tree. The desolation was widespread. Now the locusts would complete it. Every green thing would be eaten. "Tomorrow," Moses had said, and the swarms of flies came the next day. "Tomorrow" was the warning for the disease on the livestock; the next day came, and it appeared. "Tomorrow" was the word for the hail, and the next day the Lord rained hail on the land. Every time, God sent the plague He had foretold. It did not wait a single day. Just one night came between the warning and the plague each time.

They are remarkable for the huge numbers that suddenly swarm over a district, and for the vast destruction of plant life they cause in a very short time. As the prophet says, before them the land may be like the garden of Eden, and behind them a desolate wilderness; nothing escapes them.

Locusts covered the face of the whole earth and every green thing was destroyed. There is a vivid description of the damage locusts do in the book of Joel. Locusts are typical of God's punishing judgments. The locust plague was meant to show the helplessness of the Egyptian god Serapis, whom the Egyptians trusted to protect them from locusts.

Man may have departed from God and become hostile to Him. Yet nature in its whole framework obeys Him and still serves Him. So the sinner finds himself in a stream of hostile forces — the armies of the Lord. The army of locusts vividly pictures them for us. "The locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank," says Agur. One observer says nothing in their habits is more striking than the stubbornness with which they all keep to the same line of march. They move like a disciplined army. This instinctive discipline, under an invisible king, shows whose armies they are and who marshals them: "His army," the Lord calls them.

Could Pharaoh still say, "Who is the Lord? I do not know the Lord"? What an answer he had already been given. The Lord he did not know had power over the waters and over the ground. He had power over the bodies of men and animals, and power over the air. In what area of the natural world was He not supreme? He could foretell the plagues. He could bring the plagues. He alone could remove the plagues.

Yet God is so patient that He sent Moses once more to Pharaoh with a protest and a demand that he let the people go. God warns him that if he still refused, He would strike Egypt with swarms of locusts. This was to happen "tomorrow." In the previous chapter God twice announced a plague for tomorrow. Each time He gave at least twenty-four hours of respite, in case Pharaoh might relent. In contrast to this, salvation, as we know, is always presented today.

Moses had said "tomorrow" for the swarms of flies (8:23). The next day they came. "Tomorrow" was the warning for the disease among the cattle. The next day came, and the disease appeared (9:5). "Tomorrow" was the word for the hail (9:18). The next day the Lord rained hail on the land. Each time God sent the plague He had foretold. It did not delay for a single day.

Even in those days everyone knew locusts as a serious plague. The warning made plain that this one would be worse: it would destroy all that was left in the land. The wheat and rye escaped before, but they would not escape this. The hail had broken the trees of the field, yet they were still in leaf. Now the locusts would strip them bare. Only one way of escape was open: Pharaoh must humble himself before the Lord and let Israel go.

Today, in the east and in some parts of Africa, no disaster is feared more, and none leaves man more helpless. Locusts often devour every green thing. They fly in masses so dense that they blot out sun and sky.

Locusts covered the face of the whole earth and destroyed every green thing. The book of Joel vividly describes the damage locusts do. Locusts are a picture of God's judgments that punish. This plague aimed to show the powerlessness of the Egyptian god Serapis, whom the Egyptians trusted as their protector against locusts.

The Lord whom he did not know had power over the waters, power over the ground, power over the bodies of men and animals, and power over the air. In what part of the natural world was He not supreme? He could foretell the plagues. He could bring the plagues. He alone could remove the plagues.

Chapter 10 opens with the Lord telling Moses that He had hardened their hearts, and so shut them up to their doom. That also gave the Lord the occasion to display Himself as the God of judgment in such a way that it would be remembered in generations to come. This witness still stands even in our day, and it will be remembered until the day of grace is followed by the time of judgment. Then God will deal in His righteous judgment and wrath not with Egypt only but with the whole earth, as pictured in Revelation 6-11, 15, 16. Of that coming day of judgment the plagues of Egypt were a small sample.

His servants protested. Moved by this, he recalled Moses and Aaron and proposed another cunning device, raising a question about who should go. In reply, Moses made it quite plain that there is no compromise permitted when God makes His demands. The Lord claimed the people as His: men, women, children and possessions.

The tone was severe. It is impossible to imagine them wringing their hands and bowing low before the king. "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me,'" and then the alternative — locusts! — and without waiting for a reply, Moses "turned and went out from Pharaoh."

Tomorrow he had said; what "tomorrows" there had been. "Tomorrow" Moses had said the swarms of flies would come (8:23). On the next day they came. "Tomorrow" the plague on the livestock had been threatened. The next day came, and the animals died (9:5). "Tomorrow" the hail had been predicted (9:18). On the next day the LORD rained hail on the land. Each time the plague foretold was sent. It did not delay for a single day. Just one night came between the warning and the plague each time. And Pharaoh, waking on the new day, had to hear of the sorrow and destruction spreading over the country.

Horses, donkeys, camels, oxen and sheep had died in the plague on the livestock. Cattle had also been killed by the hail, which struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree as well. The flax and the barley had been struck too. The ruin was truly widespread. Now the locusts would complete it. Every green thing would be eaten. Plant life would seem to stop.

The book of Joel gives a vivid description of the damage locusts do. Locusts are typical of God's punitive judgments. The plague of locusts was meant to show that the Egyptian god Serapis had no power. The Egyptians trusted him as their protector against locusts. Locusts are also mentioned in a symbolic way in Revelation 9:1-12.

In modern times enormous flights of locusts have covered an area of over a thousand miles. When they were driven into the sea, their bodies formed a bank on the shore about four feet high and fifty miles long! In India a piled-up mass of these insects stopped a railway train, as if it had run into a snowdrift. But the locusts threatened here were such as had never been before, and such as would never be again.