The Egyptian Passover
12: 1-28

The rabbis named the first Passover, the Egyptian Passover, and it marked the beginning of the birth of Isra’el as a nation. We learn from Leviticus 23 that the Passover would become the first in a cycle of seven feasts. It is mentioned over fifty times in the TaNaKh and thirty-seven times in the B’rit Chadashah. This tells us something about the significance of this festival to the nation of Isra’el. In the celebration of the Egyptian Passover, rather than focusing on the confrontations of Moses with the king of Egypt, the story now shifts to Moses and the people of Isra’el. This passage has two sections. First, Christ and the Passover (12:1-20), and secondly, He Will See the Blood and Pass Over the Doorway (12:21-28).

What the Egyptian Passover Meant to Isra’el: This was destined to be, perhaps, one of the most meaningful nights of Isra’el’s history. There are several significant things that the Holy One wanted to impress upon the children of Isra’el from that time to today.

First, it was a night to remember. In Chapter Twelve there is a decisive turn of events. Moshe turned form his speeches to Pharaoh and, for the first time, began a long message to the children of Isra’el. The emphasis is for the Israelites to remember what ADONAI did on Pesach. It is not just the history that the LORD wants remembered; it is the spiritual pictures which the history paints that He wants us to keep in mind as well.

Second, mark your calendars. This was a night when YHVH would establish a new system of national dating for Jews. Ha’Shem was clearly in the process of making this large family, all the children of Jacob, into one nation. In doing so, He covered every conceivable detail, including giving the new nation her own calendar. The LORD fixed the date for the New Year for Isra’el as the first of Nisan. This is approximately late March or early April. This calendar has a definite spiritual message (see the commentary on Leviticus, to see link click Dw – God’s Appointed Times). In Exodus Chapter Twelve, four dates are given: Nisan 1, 10, 14 (and by implication also the fifteenth of Nisan) and 21. Lets take a look at these dates and see what we can learn.

The first of Nisan: When ADONAI said that the first of Nisan was the beginning of months for Messianic Jews and Gentiles, He meant it to be more than just ripping off a new page in the calendar. He meant it to be a time when He would start to do a new work in our lives on the spiritual level. What is the spiritual theme for Nisan? Redemption! Passover is the first of the appointed times in the new calendar. But we are not only to celebrate the events described here in Exodus, we are to celebrate one of the greatest events that we can ever experience, our own personal redemption from sin. Those who know the B’rit Chadashah know how this is accomplished! For us, it is clearly found in Yeshua (see Bw – Christ and the Passover). The physical Passover, then, becomes for us, a picture of the spiritual redemption accomplished by the One who is called greater than Moshe, Yeshua, our Passover.

The tenth of Nisan: Those who lived in the days of the Temple had a better understanding about what a sacrifice meant. They had to set aside a lamb and take special care of it until it had to be sacrificed on the fourteenth of Nisan. It is easy to see how the lamb would have become close and dear to the family, making it harder to kill and eat. For them, it was a real sacrifice to kill the lamb. The setting aside of the Passover Lamb was to be on the tenth of Nisan (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ix – The Examination of the Lamb). It was also on the tenth of Nisan that Yeshua, our Passover Lamb, also entered Yerushalayim (see the commentary on The Life of Christ It – Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb).

The fourteenth of Nisan: Early that day the children of Isra’el were commanded to remove all leaven from their homes. The Bible says: You are to keep [the lamb] until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra’el will slaughter it at twilight (12:6), or just before the sunset. During the Egyptian Passover, the lamb was slain at the entrance to the family home and the blood smeared on the doorpost of the house. But during Messiah’s lifetime, the lambs were slain in the Temple (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ke – Go and Make Preparations for the Passover). Thus, when the sun went down on the fourteenth of Nisan, a new day began on the fifteenth of Nisan.

The fifteenth of Nisan: The Jews recon time differently than Gentiles. The Jewish day starts at sundown: So there was evening, and then there was morning . . . (Genesis 1:5). Therefore, the Passover took place on the start of the day, after sundown, on the fifteenth of Nisan (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kf – I Desire to Eat the Passover With You Before I Suffer).

The twenty-first of Nisan: From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah. Exodus introduces the feast of Unleavened Bread (see the commentary on Leviticus Dz – Hag ha’Matzah) as being celebrated during the same seven days as the Passover. Not only were they forbidden to eat any leaven, they were forbidden to have it their homes. The punishment for anyone who ate leaven or failed to clean it from their homes must be cut off from Isra’el (12:15-20), meaning they should be executed!

What the Egyptian Passover meant to Egypt: True to the characteristics of ancient Near Eastern nations, when something bad happened to them, they tended not to keep records of it. This, there is no record found in Egyptian archaeology of the events of the Exodus. All the plagues had some connection with Egyptian gods. The ninth plague (see Bs – Moses Stretched Out His Hand Toward the Sky and Total Darkness Covered All Egypt for Three Days) was really one of the most important plagues. It attacked Ra, the sun god, as well as Egypt as a whole. Thus, by darkening all of Egypt, except where the children of Isra’el lived, ADONAI truly made a mockery of Egypt, as He said He would do (10:2). The Egyptian Passover totally dethroned them and place them under judgment. It is interesting to note that mere wood and stone cannot be judged. It seems that what YHVH did was bring about His judgment on the demonic forces behind those gods.

I Will Bring One More Plague on Pharaoh
11: 1-10

I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh DIG: How is this plague different from the others? Why do you think Pharaoh disregards Moses’ warning? How did this particular plague hit at the heart of the Egyptian religious beliefs?

REFLECT: How do you feel when someone rejects your warning? Why do think people disregard God’s warnings today? Have you rejected any warnings lately? How can the memory of these plagues help you heed His warnings for doing His will?

Much of the historical material in the TaNaKh is not organized in a strict chronological order, but is arranged topically. This section is one such example, and it deals exclusively with the threat of the tenth plague. It seems clear that Moses had remained in the presence of Pharaoh from 10:24 on and was not until 11:8 that he left Pharaoh’s court.

The contest between Pharaoh and God was almost over. Many opportunities had been given to Amenhotep II to repent. Warning after warning, plague after plague had been sent. But he continued to harden his heart. But a King mightier than Pharaoh would visit the land that night. God Himself would lay His righteous hand upon all the firstborn of Egypt. And with all their wisdom and learning, Pharaoh, the magicians and his people were helpless to do anything. There was no withstanding the Angel of Death!¹⁸⁵

During the three days of darkness, God had instructed Moses regarding the tenth plague and the Passover. Now ADONAI had said to Moses His servant: I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely (11:1). One more judgment was to be given, the heaviest of them all, and then not only would Pharaoh let the people go, he would kick them out (12:31-32)! At that time it would become clear that fighting against God is useless and foolish. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is God’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21).

For the first time Moses was able to see the end of the plagues. Previously God had probably not revealed the exact number of judgments. He merely indicated that several would be coming prior to Isra’el’s departure (3:19, 9:14). This plague was not an afterthought, but according to this verse, it would be the means by which the deliverance of Isra’el would finally be accomplished.¹⁸⁶

These two verses form a parenthesis as a brief notice of what had been revealed to Moses previously. Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold (11:2). The Israelites would come out of Egypt with great possessions, as was promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:14) and as was committed to Moses before the burning bush (3:21-22). These riches were not for the people themselves but for God, to fashion the Tabernacle and the implements of worship for Him (35:20 to 39:31). ADONAI made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people (11:3). From a natural standpoint, there was every reason why the Egyptians should hate the Israelites more than ever. Not only were they detestable to the Egyptians because they were shepherds (Genesis 46:34b), but it was the God of the Hebrews who had so severely plagued them in their land. As a result, it was only God’s all-mighty power, moving upon the hearts of the Egyptians that caused them to then regard the Israelites with favor.¹⁸⁷ The only one not favorably disposed was Pharaoh himself because his heart remained hard.¹⁸⁸

There is a striking introversion between the first and the last plague. In the first, the waters of the Nile turned to blood – the symbol of death; while here in the last plague, there was the actual death of the firstborn.¹⁸⁹

After the three days of darkness were over, Pharaoh had summoned Moses and Aaron to offer his fourth compromise. Moses had turned it down, and Pharaoh told him to get out of his sight (10:28). But before leaving, Moses warned the king about the imminent death of the firstborn: This is what ADONAI says: About midnight, I will go throughout Egypt (11:4). The three days of darkness had to be over to be able to discern day from night. And nighttime was an especially fearful time for the Egyptians. In the Hymn to Atum, the author describes the dread of night because the sun god Atum had departed to the underworld and was no longer protecting the Egyptians. For the Hebrews, on the other hand, He who watches over Isra’el will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:4).

Every firstborn son in Egypt will die. This was clearly retribution for Pharaoh’s attempt to kill the male children of Isra’el in 1:15-22. God would respond in kind by putting to death the firstborn children of Egypt.¹⁹⁰ From the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill and all the firstborn of the cattle as well, because the Egyptians worshiped them as deities (11:5). The last plague is distinctive because God Himself would strike the fatal blow, rather than through Moses and Aaron as all the previous plagues had been. The firstborn of animals would also die. The Egyptians attributed divine character to animals, so they would also be destroyed to show that God would claim the first fruits of the Egyptian gods.¹⁹¹

The firstborn of Pharaoh, thought to be a god himself, and heir to the throne of Egypt also died. His death ended the conflict with the gods of Egypt because it left no doubt who was more powerful. The Egyptian religious system was based on the belief that Amon-Ra, Pharaoh and his son were all gods without equal. But now, with the death of the firstborn of Pharaoh, it was obvious to everyone that the God of the Hebrews was the One who truly had the power over life and death. Pharaoh and his army soon found that out as they passed through the Red Sea (14:5-31).

Moses continued to warn the king, “There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt – worse than there has ever been or ever will be again” (11:6). One can only imagine what the multitude of households must have been like with the discovery of the death of the firstborn. Even if some did not have children, the death of the firstborn of their animals would bring anguish in the light of the great value of their domestic animals. In addition, a great cry would be a cry for help under distress and duress. Egypt would call upon her gods for help, but they would remain silent.¹⁹²

But when the time for the deliverance of the Israelites came, no one would resist their departure. This was expressed by a proverbial saying: Not a dog will bark at any man or animal. That expression signified angry growling. But when it was time for the Israelites to leave, the Egyptians would not be angry that they were leaving; in fact, they would be relieved. Then you will know that ADONAI makes a distinction between Egypt and Isra’el (11:7). The distinction was not the death angel that passed over both the lands of Egypt and Goshen. It did not lie in the fact that one race was Jewish and the other was Gentile. The difference was in the blood of the lamb on the doorpost. Each home, either Jew or Gentile, protected by the blood would not be touched by the death angel.¹⁹³

Then, as if shaking the dust off his feet (Matthew 10:14), Moses left the presence of Pharaoh with these prophetic words: All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying: Go, you and all the people who follow you! After that I will leave. The Egyptians would beg the Jews to leave the land. Then Moses, hot with righteous anger, left Pharaoh (11:8). The sun was setting on the thirteenth of Nisan. Twilight and the fourteenth day of the month (12:6) were approaching and Moses needed to get back to Goshen to slaughter his lamb for the first Passover.

Here is a summary statement of what had gone on before and what would soon come to pass. ADONAI had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you – so that My wonders will be multiplied in Egypt” (11:9). Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, and therefore fulfilled their mission as far as the plagues were concerned, because they had no part in the last plague. But ADONAI hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country (11:10). The condition of Pharaoh’s heart had not changed from the first plague until now. Even with the declaration of impending doom, Pharaoh refused to yield or repent. You would think he would have understood by this time, after nine plagues had destroyed Egypt, that the God of the Hebrews was more powerful than he. But he refused to repent.

Quite frankly, this should not surprise us. Even in the ultimate climax of the plagues in the book of Revelation, which, as we have seen, is far more harsh and painful than the plagues of Egypt, people respond with hardness. When the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast we are told that men gnawed their tongues in agony, and cursed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done (Revelation 16:10-11).

Apart from God’s grace, we are all like Pharaoh. Paul asked the question this way: Who makes you different than anyone else (First Corinthians 4:7a)? The answer of course is simple. It is God. It is not because our hearts are more tender, more responsive to the Holy Spirit, than the hearts of unbelievers; it is not that our wills are more adaptable and less stubborn. Nor is it because we are more intelligent and more able to see our need for a Savior. No, God’s grace is the difference. For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this grace is not from yourselves, it is THE gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Apart from God’s grace we are hardened and unrepentant. What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden (Romans 9:14-18).

The Tenth Plague and the Passover
11:1 to 12:36

This section comprises the Tenth Plague and the instructions referring to the Passover night. In order to understand it, one has to keep in mind that the instructions fall into two distinct categories: those applying to the first Passover night only, or as the Rabbis named it, the Egyptian Passover (pesah mizrayim), and those to be kept on all future Passover nights (pesah dorot). They are worked one into the other alternatively. In the diagram below, they are denoted by saying for the Egyptian Passover and for all future Passovers.¹⁸⁴

A   The command to plunder Egypt (11:1-3)

 B   The threat of the tenth plague (11:4-9)

  C   Moses leaving Pharaoh in anger (11:10)

   D   The Passover ritual described (12:1-6) for all future Passovers

    E   Placing the blood on the doorframes (12:7-8) for the Egyptian Passover

     F   Eating the roasted lamb (12:9-10) for all future Passovers

      G  Saved by the physical blood of a lamb (12:11-13) for the Egyptian Passover

     F   Eating the unleavened bread (12:14-20) for all future Passovers

    E   Placing the blood on the doorframes (12:21-23) for the Egyptian Passover

   D   The Passover ritual questioned (12:24-28) for all future Passovers

  B   The execution of the tenth plague (12:29-30)

 C   Pharaoh calling Moses in anger (12:31-33)

A   Egypt plundered (12:34-36).

Moses Stretched Out His Hand Toward the Sky
and Total Darkness Covered All Egypt for Three Days
10: 21-29

Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days DIG: Do you think withholding the Israelites from a three-day festival to God was punished – measure for measure – by three days of darkness in Egypt? What festival followed? What effect would three days of darkness have on the Egyptians? On the Israelites? Explain why God granted favor to the Israelites so the Egyptians would give up their riches.

REFLECT: Against which gods of your culture have you seen God display His power? How does this compare to His use of the plagues? What does this say about the Lord’s desire for you?

The ninth plague came without any warning, just like the third and sixth plagues, so it formed a fitting climax to the third cycle of plagues. Then ADONAI said to Moses, His servant: Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt – darkness that can be felt (10:21). Although Scripture here does not make mention of a staff in Moses’ hand, it is reasonable to assume that he produced the plague by means of it. The last three plagues produced increasing degrees of darkness, and here was the deepest darkness yet because this was not just darkness devoid of any light, it was something deeper than that. It was a spiritual darkness.

The plague of darkness was an attack against the most powerful god in the Egyptian Pantheon, that of Amon-Ra, the sun god. The Egyptians believed that he was the source of heat and light, warming and energizing the people. He was the national god of Egypt, and part of a very important triad of deities including his wife Nut, the sky goddess, and their son Khons. With this plague, major gods related to the sun like Ptah (creator of the sun, moon and earth), Atum (a sun god worshiped in Heliopolis), and Toth (the moon god) were silenced, as well as other minor gods like Tem, god of the sunset, and Shu, god of sunlight and air. Thus, this plague was yet another insult to Egypt’s religion and culture. It displayed the Lord’s sovereignty and plunged Egypt into a horrible darkness that could be felt.

There is an interesting introversion here with the second plague. Here there was an actual darkness, whereas the second plague had to do with frogs, or creatures of the night.

So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. The rabbis teach that the darkness was not caused by the sun ceasing to shine, but was due to a thick fog which settled over Egypt. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days (10:22-23a). The first day may have been explained away, but by the third day the Egyptians certainly had to be in great fear. Their cries were surely would have been heard throughout the land. One wonders what the prestige of Pharaoh must have been like at this point. Among the divine attributes of Pharaoh was the fact the he was supposed to be the Amon-Ra in the flesh “. . . by whose beams one sees, he is the one who illuminates Egypt more than the sun itself.”¹⁷⁹

During the end times, including the last days of the Church Age, as well as the Tribulation, the Scriptures speak of five blackouts that will occur (see my commentary on Revelation, to see link click Cq – The Sixth Seal: The Sun Turned Black Like Sackcloth). The first of these is clearly prophesied to occur before the Tribulation: The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Joel 2:31). A blackout means that the light of the sun, moon and stars is suddenly blacked out so that the earth is not receiving any light form these sources and is in total darkness. Those five blackouts in the last days will be similar to the plague of darkness that covered all Egypt for three days.

It is plain to see that God is light and the darkness is the withdrawal of that light: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all (First John 1:5b). Therefore, this judgment of darkness clearly showed that God had abandoned Egypt. Nothing remained but death itself. But just as there was a supernatural darkness, there was a supernatural light. Yet all the Israelites had the light of the Sh’khinah glory in the places where they lived (10:23b). The Egyptians had darkness they could not light up and Israel had light that they could not put out. It is the same today. We are children of the light (Ephesians 5:8), and do not belong to the night or to the darkness (First Thessalonians 5:5b), because God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus (Second Corinthians 4:6). But the way of the wicked is deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble (Proverbs 4:19), and this is because they are without hope and without God in the world (Eph 2:12b).

Once again Moses and Aaron were called before Pharaoh, this time in a desperate effort to preserve his prestige. Pharaoh’s fourth and last compromise was yet another ploy to get the Hebrews to return. He didn’t need their animals, but he knew the Israelites did. He wanted some kind of security so that the people would have to return.¹⁸⁰ After the three days of darkness, Pharaoh summoned Moses and said: Go, worship ADONAI. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind (10:24).

But Moses boldly cautioned: You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to ADONAI our God (10:25). Our livestock, too, must go with us, not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping ADONAI, and until we get there we will not know what animals we are to use to worship God (10:26). Moses’ courage in not giving an inch was magnificent. He said they would not leave a hoof in Egypt. They would need to worship God with their resources, so they had to take all of their belongings and dedicate them to God. Such worship would involve animal sacrifice.¹⁸¹

But ADONAI hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go (10:27). God has many reasons for doing what He does. One reason for the plagues was to make Pharaoh reveal that he was a godless man. ADONAI could have taken the children of Isra’el out of Egypt immediately without any contact with Pharaoh. If He had done so, the critic would say that God certainly was not fair to Pharaoh, that He should have given him an opportunity for salvation. Well, that is exactly what God did. God also wanted to demonstrate to His people what He was able to do before He took them into the wilderness. He wanted them to be absolutely sure that He was able to bring them into the Land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That story has been told through the observance of the Passover for about four thousand years.¹⁸²

As God deals with each of us, one of two things always happens. Either our pride and self-will is broken down and brings us to complete humility and submission to His Lordship, or the human heart rebels against God and becomes a heart of stone, calloused against God. If such a one does not repent, they are in danger of becoming reprobate, beyond God’s salvation. Not because God cannot or would not save them, but because they love their sin more than Him. Therefore, God gives them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:18-28). We can say no to God and make it stick, and that was the case with Amenhotep II.

Perhaps Pharaoh thought that his compromise was very reasonable and may have fully expected that Moses would agree to it. But when he did not, the king flew into a great rage and yelled uncontrollably: Moses, “Get out of my sight!” Make sure you do not appear before me again because the day you see my face you will die” (10:28)! He was really angry at the time, but that was just another hollow threat because they would meet once more, only for the king to cave in to Moses’ demand to let the people go (12:31-32). Measure for measure, Pharaoh would reap what he had sown. Egypt would lose both its firstborn sons and its firstborn cattle. Experience tells us that the wicked do not repent, even on the threshold of destruction.¹⁸³

“Just as you say,” Moses replied, “I will never appear before you again” (10:29). ADONAI had probably revealed the plague of the firstborn and its timing to Moses, so before he left Pharaoh’s presence he warned him, saying: All these officials of yours will come to me (after their firstborn sons were dead), bowing down before me saying: Go, you and all the people who follow you! After that I will leave Egypt. Then Moses, hot with righteous anger, left Pharaoh, seemingly for the last time.

This plague was also the forerunner of a catastrophe that appears in the book of Revelation (see the commentary on the book of Revelation Ef – The Fifth Angel Poured Out His Bowl on the Throne of the Antichrist, Plunging His Kingdom into Darkness). The physical pain that the ungodly will suffer underscores the horror experienced in the final plague during the Great Tribulation. The plague of darkness in Exodus was terrible, but the fifth bowl of judgment in Revelation will be overwhelming.

The Locusts Devoured Everything
and Nothing Green Remained in Egypt
10: 1-20

The locusts devoured everything and nothing green remained in Egypt DIG: Of the many references so far to Pharaoh’s hardened heart (see 7:3, 13-14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 34-35), what is new about the way God informs Moses this time? Why do you think God removes the plague each time Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go, even though Pharaoh changes his mind each time?

REFLECT: Does God often cause people to harden their hearts (see Romans 9:17-18)? For what purpose? Why is it that some people would rather self-destruct than admit they were wrong? How would ADONAI view their dilemma? Which would you rather be, strong and self-sufficient, or humble and dependent upon God? Why is this choice so difficult? Where does each eventually end up? Who was your Moses – the one who forced you to see the need for God in your life? How did you react to this person back then? And now?

Parashah 15: Bo (Go) 10:1-13:16
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link clickAf – Parashah)

The Key People are Moshe, Aaron, Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s servants, Egyptians, and Israelites (about 600,000 men and about 2 million all together).

The Scene is Egypt, with a journey from Rameses to Sukkot. 

The Main Events include the plague of locusts and darkness, affecting Egyptians but not the Israelites; the Egyptian Passover with blood on the doorposts to be observed with yearly with matzah; the death of the Egyptian firstborn, with Pharaoh kicking the Israelites out of Egypt; the Egyptians urging the Israelites to leave and giving away plunder; the Israelites leaving Egypt exactly 430 years after God prophesied that they would be strangers, enslaved and oppressed; and finally, all the Israelite firstborn being set apart for Him. 

The plague of swarming locusts is the second in the third cycle of plagues. They take God’s judgment to a higher and irreversible level. As a result, there was no chance that Pharaoh would change his heart. In fact, the eighth plague begins by telling us as much: God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The outcome of this and the following two encounters was never in doubt. Pharaoh was a rag doll in HYVH’s hands, and he was about to witness the bitter end to his confrontation with God. The process was proceeding as God had designed it, and Amenhotep II was helpless to do anything about it.¹⁷²

The pressure on Pharaoh mounted. Then ADONAI said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians (see Psalm 78). The verb to deal harshly carries with it a sense of mockery, and could be translated how I have made a toy of Egypt. How I performed My signs among them, and that you may know that I am ADONAI (10:1-2). Why was it necessary for the Israelites to tell their children and grandchildren about the miraculous signs that God performed in Egypt? The common misconception is that there were miracles performed in abundance throughout biblical history. That is not true. There are only three periods where miracles were in abundance. First is the period of the exodus and the wilderness wanderings. The second period of miracles was that of Elijah and Elisha. The third major period of miracles was the time of Jesus and the apostles. If miracles were common they would cease to be miracles. Miracles, by their very nature, need to be uncommon.

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh again and boldly said to him: This is what ADONAI, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow (10:3-4). According to rabbinic tradition, the ten plagues were spread over twelve months.

The locust is perhaps nature’s most awesome example of the collective destructive power of a species. An adult locust weighs two grams at most, but its combined destructive force can leave a large area with famine for years. Locust plagues were so feared in ancient Egypt that the peasants were in the habit of praying to the gods for protection. As the locusts blackened the sky they would have prayed to Nut, the goddess of the sky. Bewildered, they would have prayed to Isis and Seth who were the deities of agriculture, with Isis, in particular, being the goddess protector against locusts. But no matter how hard they prayed to these deities, they were useless. The locusts continued to come, wave after wave.

A locust is capable of eating its own weight daily. One square mile of a swarm will normally contain from 100 million to 200 million of the creatures. It is unusual, however, for such plagues to occupy an area of only one square mile. Swarms covering more than four hundred square miles have been recorded. Flying locusts have been regarded as marvels of stamina. They are able to flap their wings non-stop for seventeen hours, and may be able to fly at a cruising air speed of ten to twenty miles an hour for twenty hours or more. Depending on the wind, collective movements range from a few miles to more than sixty miles per day.

Even with modern technology, a swarm of locusts are still a serious problem. Massive numbers of them still breed and move with devastation over parts of South Africa. Reports of such plagues appeared in the Dallas Times Herald on Sunday, December 8, 1963. Areas covered by the locusts included approximately 30,000 square miles, an area almost as big as the state of Maine. The Department of Agriculture in Cape Province, South Africa, pushed 200 spray trucks into service and more than 1,000 volunteers, but even that wasn’t enough. The cost of fighting these small creatures ran about $30,000 a day in 1963. Just think what it would be today!

If the South Africans are afraid of locust plagues, where rain and vegetation are plentiful, one can only imagine the horror and despair that struck the hearts of the Egyptians when the last of their crops were destroyed by millions of flying locusts. Their agricultural resources were considerably limited and had already suffered major destruction as a result of previous plagues. Their herds of cattle had been depleted, and many of the men were incapable of work due to the effects of the plague of boils. It is against this background that Moses describes this plague of locusts.¹⁷³

The picture of the plague was graphic. Moses said: The locusts will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. The text literally says: The locusts will cover the eye of the land. That is, all that the eye can see, a number that cannot be counted. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. Like the frogs and the flies, they will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians, something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land until now (10:5-6). After Moses announced the plague, he and Aaron simply left Pharaoh’s presence without giving him any chance to respond. They knew what Pharaoh had to say.

The time for talking was over.

Pharaoh was the last to catch on. His magicians abandoned him long ago (8:19); now his frantic court officials begged him: How long will this man be a snare to us? The Egyptian officials scornfully refer to Moses as this man, or this one. They obviously did not fear God or His prophet. Let the people go, so that they may worship ADONAI their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is ruined (10:7)?¹⁷⁴ The patience of Pharaoh’s officials had come to an end. Because they were syncretistic and believed that all paths led to Aaru, or the land of eternity, it was easy for them to include the God of Moses into their own religious system. Therefore, they began to challenge Pharaoh’s divine wisdom because of his persistent and willful resistance to YHVH.

Pharaoh still pretended that he was in control. Fearing that they would never return, his third compromise was to try to get Moses to agree to leave the women and children behind as hostages, with only the men going off to worship. He knew that the men would not leave without their wives and children. Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh and he said: Go worship ADONAI your God. But just who will be going, literally who and who (10:8)? Moses responded by rejecting any conditions or limitations set by the king by replying: We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to God (10:9).

Pharaoh’s response was bitter and condescending. The king said that the only evidence that such a deity existed would be if he personally allowed them to leave: ADONAI be with you – if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are up to no good and bent on evil (10:10).¹⁷⁵ The Hebrew word for evil is the word ra. It is also the name of the Egyptian god Ra. So Pharaoh wasn’t saying Moses was bent on evil; he was really saying that the king’s god Ra was better than Moses’ God. And because of that, Pharaoh had no intention of letting the women and the children go. As a result, Pharaoh concluded: No! Have only the men go, and worship ADONAI, since that’s what you have been asking for. Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence because he was confident that this compromise would work (10:11). That set the stage for the final showdown.

Compare Satan’s reasoning then with his reasoning today. Satan argues, in effect that a holy, separated life is good enough for adults, but the young people should be left in the world to enjoy themselves and sow their wild oats, and then, when they get older they can attend to spiritual things. But young people today desperately need God. The community of believers needs them, and nothing is so encouraging as to see young people in these dark days coming out and taking a firm stand for God.¹⁷⁶

But the compromise did not work and because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness, ADONAI said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts will swarm over the land of Egypt and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail” (10:12). Measure for measure, the punishment began. Through the hand of Moses, the staff of judgment was raised.¹⁷⁷ So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and ADONAI made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts (10:13). This was a direct attack agains the Egyptian god Seth, the god of storms and disorder.

They invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers, literally very heavy. The same Hebrew word, kabed, is used throughout the ten plagues. Once again, the severity of the plague reflects the state of Pharaoh’s heart. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. They covered all the ground until it was black, as the last three plagues produced increasing degrees of darkness. They devoured all that was left after the hail – everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt (10:14-15). Referring to this plague, the psalmist said: ADONAI spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number; they ate up every green thing in their land; ate up the produce of their soil (105:34-35).

This disaster brought Pharaoh to his knees. Growing desperate, he quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and blurted out: I have sinned against God and against you. The king’s admittance of sin was shocking. The Egyptians believed him to be a sinless god while alive, and no need of judgment after death. They thought he was changed into the god Osiris, who had authority over judgment and death. But here he is pictured as one deserving of facing judgment and death. Nevertheless, he was still up to his old tricks, and asked for another chance and pleaded: Now forgive my sin once more and pray to ADONAI your God to take this deadly plague, this death, away from me. This sudden relapse into sin revealed his insincerity all along. Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to God, but it made no difference (10:16-18). It was a matter of too little, too late.

There is an interesting introversion here with the third plague. Here, Pharaoh said: I have sinned against God; however, in the third plague the magicians were forced to admit that the finger of God was against them.

The prevailing winds in Egypt came from the east, from the Red Sea. But ADONAI changed the wind to a very strong west wind, literally, a sea wind, meaning that it came from the Mediterranean Sea, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. In other words, God reversed the normal wind pattern and compelled the forces of nature to obey His sovereign will (Ex 14:21-22, Mt 8:23-27). Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt (10:19). While this plague had ended, the effects of this plague and the previous ones meant famine for the land of Egypt, and famine meant widespread robbery and social unrest. The economic, political, social and religious implications of these disasters were very obvious to the average Egyptian.¹⁷⁸

But God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go (10:20). The drama of Exodus was reaching a fever pitch. Both the beginning and ending verses of this section remind us of the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart. He and his officials were unyielding in their hatred of the God of the Hebrews. It didn’t seem to matter to them that Egypt was falling apart around them; they didn’t understand the spiritual implications of what was happening. This is true of the ungodly of all ages. They do not realize that a sovereign God is in control. Their hearts were hardened toward Him.

Locust plagues are used by God to mete out judgment in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 28:38; First Kings 8:37; Second Chronicles 7:13). This is especially true in the end times (see the commentary on Revelation Cz – The Fifth Trumpet: Demonic Locusts). So, once again, the plague of locusts in Exodus was just a mere foretaste of the final plague of locusts during the Great Tribulation.

So the LORD Rained Down Hail on the Land of Egypt
9: 13-35

So the LORD rained down hail on the land of  Egypt DIG: How has Moses’ tough talk gotten tougher? What does the full force of this plague do? Sparing whom? Why? After the hailstorm, what new tactic does Pharaoh use in his battle of wills? What does Moses see behind this façade? Read Ezeki’el 29:19-20 and Isaiah 43:3. As a world empire, Egypt oppressed Isra’el. Later, Egypt gave false comfort to Isra’el against Babylon. Explain the reason why God exacts from Egypt, wages for Babylon and ransom for Isra’el. 

REFLECT: Do you think God could have achieved His goals without the plagues? If so, how? If not, why? What do you see as the Lord’s main purpose in causing Egypt to suffer the plagues? Were they primarily for the benefit of Egypt or for the Israelites (see 6:1-8)? Do you believe that judgment is coming? How are you preparing for it?

This seventh plague starts the third cycle of three judgments, and once again the first in the triad (the blood, the flies, and the hail) came with an extended warning from Moses to Pharaoh. The contest was heating up. Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Get up early in the morning and literally, take your stand before Pharaoh, as he goes to the water and say to him, “This is what ADONAI, the God of the Hebrews says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me” (9:13).

The seventh plague had two purposes. The first purpose was to show the uniqueness of God. Moses went on to warn the king: Let My people go, or this time I will send the full force of My plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth (9:14). The heavens themselves were to be unleashed against Egypt. The Egyptians believed that Pharaoh’s heart was the all-controlling factor in both history and society. Now the King of Egypt’s heart was hardened against the Hebrews. ADONAI assaults his heart to demonstrate that only the God of the Hebrews is sovereign in the universe.¹⁵⁸ Secondly, the seventh plague demonstrated the power of God. For by now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth (9:15).

What is unique about this plague is that now Moses lets Pharaoh in on a secret, one the readers have been privy to from the beginning.¹⁵⁹ Pharaoh was allowed to remain alive, so that God might show Pharaoh His power and so that His name might be proclaimed everywhere. Therefore, God said through His prophets: But instead of destroying you, I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth (9:16). Paul quoted this verse almost verbatim as an outstanding illustration of God’s sovereignty in Romans 9:17.¹⁶⁰ Pharaoh needed to understand the he was serving God’s purpose, not the other way around.

Then God gets right to the heart of the matter. You still set yourself against My people and will not let them go (9:17). Pharaoh was playing god, lifting himself up against the Holy One of Isra’el. A line in the sand of Egypt had been clearly drawn. Moses continued as God’s mouthpiece: Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now (9:18). The last three plagues were phenomena that produced increasing degrees of darkness. Literally, I will cause a very heavy hail to rain down. Again, heavy is descriptive of the state of Pharaoh’s heart throughout the Exodus account. The harshness of the hailstorm mirrors the degree of hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.¹⁶¹ The fact that Moses predicted the time and day of the arrival and departure (9:29) of the plague sets it apart from a purely natural occurrence.¹⁶²

Then God gave Pharaoh and the Egyptians a test to see if they would take steps to comply with His warning and thus acknowledge Moses’ advice. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die (9:19). Pharaoh had huge amounts of livestock and he, more than anyone else in Egypt, needed to listen to Moses. There is no record of the king’s obedience, but for the first time, some Egyptians started to listen to Moses.

Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of ADONAI hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. But those who ignored His word left their slaves and livestock in the field (9:20-21). It is assumed that the livestock mentioned here are those not stricken by previous plagues.¹⁶³ Those who did not believe God made no provision for protection. The message God gave the Egyptians is the same one He gives to the world today. Judgment is coming. Mankind is not wise to go on as if nothing is going to happen. It was that way in the days of Noah, and it will be that way when Christ comes again in judgment. Many people in Egypt did not believe God and they paid the price for their unbelief. All God asks is that you believe and trust in Him.¹⁶⁴

The next day God commanded Moses to bring the plague on the land as He had said. Then ADONAI said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt – on men and animals and on everything growing in the field of Egypt” (9:22).

When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, ADONAI sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So He rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. The severity of the seventh plague was quite striking. The appearance of lightning and thunder in the TaNaKh, often pointed to the presence of God (19:16 and 20:18). It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation, spanning eighteen centuries (9:23-24).

Even though hailstorms were rare in the land, throughout Egypt hail struck down and killed everything in the fields – both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped away most every tree (9:25). The psalmist Asaph described the scene this way: He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to blots of lightning (Psalm 78:47-48). Although the damage done by the hailstorm was widespread and devastating, a few trees remained for the locusts of the next plague to devour (10:5).¹⁶⁵

One cannot help but be touched by the sorrow that must have existed in the homes throughout Egypt. Those who had labored long and hard in the hot sun witnessed in a few moments the total destruction of their crops. Their desperate cries to their gods brought no relief. We know from Egyptian documents that the loss of crops was one of the greatest disasters in the country. The economy and the life of the people were very much intertwined with agricultural success. Crop failure not only brought economic desperation, but also led to great sorrow and social chaos.

It is crucial to remember that the Egyptians believed their gods to be personified in the elements of nature. The catastrophe of the hailstorm was therefore a mockery of the Egyptian gods. What would the worshipers of Nut, the female goddess of the sky, think when they looked up to see the tragedy of storm and violence and not the blessings of the sun? It was from her domain that tragedy came. Shu, the supporter of the heavens who held up the sky and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, seemed not to hear.¹⁶⁶ They must have felt confused when both Isis and Seth, who had responsibilities relating to agricultural crops, were powerless. The black and burned fields of flax were a silent testimony to the impotence and incapacity of their wooden and stone gods. They indeed had ears, but did not hear (Jeremiah 5:21, Romans 11:8). The destruction of flax was also significant since it was flax that provided the linen for the garments of the priests throughout the land of Egypt.¹⁶⁷

The only place the plague did not fall was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were (9:26). Goshen remained untouched, safe, secure and tranquil. This time Pharaoh didn’t even send anyone to see the results of the seventh plague. He already knew in his heavy heart.

There is a striking introversion between the seventh and fourth plagues. Here in the seventh plague we read: The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived; so also in the fourth plague we are specifically told that God exempted the Israelites in the land of Goshen. No swarms of flies were found there.¹⁶⁸

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. No mention was made of the magicians or priests. For the first time Amenhotep II admitted that he had sinned when he said: ADONAI is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. It would be a mistake to think that Pharaoh had seen the light and was truly repentant. The ancient Egyptians believed he could do no wrong and was perfect. Therefore, God attacked Pharaoh’s character to show that He was the only One who was good and perfect. Nevertheless, Pharaoh continued and said: Pray to ADONAI, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer (9:27-28). This is the third time Pharaoh has asked Moses to pray for him. But he continued to lie. Like a snake in the grass, he waited for his opportunity to strike.

Moses replied: When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to ADONAI. Statues of men praying with hands upraised have been unearthed at several ancient cites (also see First Kings 8:22, 38 and 54, Second Chronicles 6:12-13 and 29, Ezra 9:5, Psalms 44:20, 88:9, 143:6, Isaiah 1:15). The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is ADONAI’s (9:29). It was God who ruled over the earth, not Pharaoh or the gods of Egypt. So Moses was very blunt with Pharaoh, saying: But I know that you and your officials still do not fear God (9:30). He knew the confession and asking for prayer were empty words, having a form of godliness but denying its power (Second Timothy 3:5a).

The flax and barley were destroyed, since in January or February the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. The wheat, which comes up in March or April, and spelt, however, were not destroyed because they ripen later (9:31-32). This showed God’s grace in the midst of judgment. Spelt is a grass related to wheat, and has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Therefore, about eight weeks passed between the seventh and eighth plagues.

Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward God; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land (9:33). That was no natural phenomenon.

When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again. He and his officials hardened their hearts (9:34). Again he refused to fulfill his word once the danger had passed. The text literally says: He added to or increased his sin. For the first time we see that his officials also hardened their hearts. Moses, in a strong show of force that, under normal circumstances, would have sealed his own fate, called Pharaoh a liar when he said to him: I know that you and your officials still do not fear God (9:30).¹⁶⁹

So Pharaoh’s heart was hard to the lesson he should have learned long ago. He could not compete with Israel’s God. And because his heart was hard, he would not let the Israelites go, just as ADONAI had said through Moses (9:35). This plague ends with the formula, found in one variation or another, at the end of every plague so far (7:22, 8:15, 19, 32, 9:7 and 12). Pharaoh remained adamant about preventing the Hebrews from leaving on a three-day journey to sacrifice to ADONAI. Therefore, the heart of Pharaoh was anesthetized from the pain that his people were experiencing. The end of the confrontation was drawing near.¹⁷⁰

Haftarah Va’era: Yechezk’el (Ezeki’el) 28:25-29:21
(See the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

In this reading, ADONAI reacts even more strongly against the self-dedication of Pharaoh, who claimed to have formed the Nile (Ezeki’el 29:3). Now, YHVH will execute judgments upon Egypt, and then all who live in Egypt will know that I am ADONAI (Ezeki’el 29:6). In fact, Egypt’s punishment will teach both Egypt and Isra’el that the LORD is God (Ezeki’el 29:9 and 21). The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar will bring ruin upon Egypt. Never again will she be a dominant world power (Ezeki’el 29:15, 17-20). History proves Ezeki’el’s prophecy. After a tidal wave robbed Nebuchadnezzar of all the booty he seized from Tyre, the king turned his rage upon Egypt. Never again has Egypt recovered her former glory as a world empire. Curiously, the Israelites found voice, as exiles and guests, in Egypt. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the TaNaKh, was written there and later read by all the nations of the world.

B’rit Chadashah suggested readings for Parashah Va’era:
Romans 9:14-17; Second Corinthians 6:14-7

We read in the Book of Revelation the following description of the seventh bowl of wrath that will be poured out on unbelievers: The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then came flashes of lightning, rumbling, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on the earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky, huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so horrible (Revelation 16:17-21).

The similarities between the first trumpet judgment in Revelation and the seventh plague in Egypt are remarkable (see the commentary on Revelation  Cw – The First Trumpet: Hail and Fire Mixed With Blood Were Hurled Down Upon the Earth). First, it should be noted that both plagues are accompanied by thunder and lightning. Secondly, the extent of the two plagues is underscored: in Egypt nothing like it had been seen in all the land of Egypt since the day it was founded as a nation (9:24); in Revelation nothing like it had occurred since man came to be on the earth. Both plagues were extremely severe, and in both instances mankind’s response to them was hardness of heart or blasphemy.

The size of the hailstones in Revelation underscores how severe the plague in the end times will be – it will be so much greater than the plague in Egypt. The disaster that befell the Egyptians was simply a foretaste of the final judgment. That ought to give us pause, and drive us to share the good news of the Messiah that delivers people from such an end.¹⁷¹

Moses Tossed Soot in the Air
and Festering Boils Broke Out All Over Egypt
9: 8-12

Moses tossed soot in the air and festering boils broke out all over Egypt DIG: What part is played by the soot? The boils? The magicians? Pharaoh’s heart?

REFLECT: Is your heart toward God soft as putty? Firm and alert? Or rock hard? Why? If God wants all mankind to know Him, why harden Pharaoh’s heart?

As the second cycle of plagues came to an end, this one, like the swarm of insects, came without warning. Perhaps since words had no effect on Pharaoh, none were wasted. Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Take handfuls of soot from a furnace. The furnace spoken of here was used for making bricks, and as a result was a symbol of Isra’el’s slavery (1:14, 5:7-19). It was by their sweat and tears that they made bricks for the Egyptians. Therefore, it was ironic that the very soot made by the slaves of Egypt was now to inflict punishment on their oppressors.

In addition to that, God said: Have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh (9:8). Amenhotep II was to witness the miraculous nature of the plague, and as a result, would be without excuse. He would be unable to explain away the nature of the plague. It came through God working through His prophets. When magicians would pronounce a curse on an individual, a village, or a country, they took ashes of cow-dung, or those from a common fire, and threw them in the air, saying to the object of their displeasure, “Such a sickness or such a curse shall surely come upon you.”¹⁵³

ADONAI said it would become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils would break out on men and animals throughout the land (9:9). Part of the miraculous nature of this plague is the multiplication of the handfuls of soot into the fine dust that would cover the whole land of Egypt. In addition, the divine nature is reflected in the changing of one substance, soot, into another, dust. Finally, the effect of dust in bringing disease upon people and animals also points to the plague’s supernatural make-up.¹⁵⁴ The type of disease is unknown. But whatever it was, we know it was dangerous and caused much suffering. This will be a foreshadowing of the wrath of God in the end times (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Eb – The First Bowl: Ugly and Painful Sores).

The thing that is common to both the sixth and fifth plagues was the fact that in each of them, the animals of the Egyptians were attacked. Thus, we see again the Divine hand in the arrangement and order of these different plagues.¹⁵⁵

Moses did exactly as God had commanded and the result was exactly as He had predicted. So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals (9:10). Once again the Egyptians got what they deserved. The sixth plague became a proverb in ancient Isra’el. Years later Moses would warn the Hebrews that if they disobey God’s commands: ADONAI will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head (Deuteronomy 28:35). This may explain why: the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians (9:11). The fact that they were called at all shows the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart. This is the final mention of the Egyptian magicians in the plague account. They appear more helpless than ever. They could not reproduce the plague, they could not remove it, nor could they escape it because they were similarly affected as they found their own deities powerless.

This plague, like the previous ones, most assuredly had religious implications for the Egyptians. While it did not bring death, it was serious and painful enough to cause many to seek relief from many of the Egyptian deities charged with the responsibility of healing. Imhotep was the god of medicine and Serapis was the god of healing. Thoth was the god of magic and healing. Isis was the goddess of healing. It was thought that through the use of her magic and healing arts, she brought Osiris back to life.

Sekmet was one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon. Her name meant one who is powerful, and she had the body of a woman and the head of a lioness. It was said that her breath created the desert and she was seen as the protector of the Pharaohs. She was the goddess who supposedly had the power to cause or stop disease. Called the Lady of Ma’at, her primary duty was the maintaining of order in the universe. Her priests were often the healers of the sick, but they could neither cause nor stop the plague of boils.

The priests who served in the Egyptian temples had to be clean, without any type of breaking out or sickness. Suddenly this plague of boils came upon them and they were unclean, and unfit to serve in the temples. There were over a thousand temples in Memphis alone, and the priests served in all of them.¹⁵⁶ But this brought a halt to all of the false worship in Egypt. There was nothing Imhotep, Serapis, Thoth, Isis, Sekmet or the priests could do about it. They were all out of business because they had met the One who is powerful.

This plague marks another turning point; for the first time God does the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, thus confirming the sin that was already there. But God hardened Pharaoh’s heart because he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as ADONAI had said to Moses (9:12). So the second triad of plagues came to an end. However, Pharaoh did not ask Moses to pray for him on his behalf on this occasion.

At this point, although Pharaoh, the magicians and the people of Egypt are, and have been, in pain, no one was asking for forgiveness. No one sought out the God of Heaven to repent. They were still doggedly looking to the gods of Egypt to protect them. It will be the same during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 16:2). After the seven last plagues, torture the entire world, seven bowls of wrath will be poured out on mankind. Nevertheless, men and women will gnaw their tongues in agony and curse the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they will refuse to repent of what they had done (Revelation 16:10b-11). As before, the plagues of Egypt serve to foreshadow the plagues that are to be directed upon the ungodly in the last days. But they will be much greater and more extreme. They confirm the nature of the final judgment against the followers of evil.¹⁵⁷

The LORD Will Bring a Terrible Plague
on Your Livestock in the Field
9: 1-7

The LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field DIG: Why do you think Pharaoh is so stubborn? What will Egypt lose as their livestock (lifestyle and livelihood) dies? How could this plague have been averted? What does that say about human nature? God’s mercy?

REFLECT: How are you like Pharaoh? What would make you bend or break? How could you sustain the loss of your livelihood, food, transportation, or status?

Once again the gods of Egypt were rebuked and ridiculed because they worshiped various animals. A large number of bulls and cows were considered sacred in Egypt. In the central area of the Delta, four provinces chose various types of bulls and cows as emblems. Apis, the bull god of fertility, was considered the sacred animal of the god Ptah. There was only one sacred Apis bull at any one time. But as soon as it died, another was chosen to take its place. The sacred bull was supposed to have been recognized by twenty-eight distinctive marks that identified him as deity and indicated that he was the object of worship. Thus, the second largest temple that Egypt ever built was located in Memphis and was dedicated to the worship of the black bull Apis.

The importance of the Apis bull is perhaps best illustrated by one of the more spectacular archaeological discoveries near Memphis in a place that was known for its worship of both Ptah and the sacred Apis bull. On November 13, 1856, an underground stairway was found, leading to a 1,120 foot tunnel that contained sixty-four large burial chambers. Near the center of each burial room was a huge red or black granite sarcophagus approximately twelve feet long and nine feet high, each weighing about sixty tons. In each of these, a sacred, embalmed Apis bull had been buried. The Apis bull was later called Serapis. This underground mausoleum, known as the Serapeum, can still be seen by visitors to Egypt even today.

Another deity whose worship would have been affected by the impact of this plague was Hathor, the goddess of love, beauty and joy, represented by the cow. The worship of this deity was popular in both Upper and Lower Egypt. This goddess was often depicted as a cow suckling the king, giving him divine nourishment. In Upper Egypt Hathor appeared as a woman with the head of a cow.¹⁴⁷ Isis, Nut and Bat were three goddesses who were often depicted with the horns and ears of a cow. Because of this, and because the Egyptians believed that Pharaoh was a living god, the cow came to symbolize the mother of Pharaoh.

Other bull cults included Mnevis, a sacred bull worshiped at Heliopolis and associated with the god Ra, and Buchis, the sacred bull of the Hermonthis. In addition, bulls were understood to be the embodiments of the great Egyptian gods Ptah and Ra. These would have been other deities associated with the effects of the plague. Lastly, there was also the ram-god Khnum. Numerous important female deities were pictured as livestock animals; Isis, queen of the gods, has cow’s horns on her head, and Hathor was given a bovine head for her task of protecting the king.

Therefore, an attack on the bull, the Apis bull, and the cows of Egypt would have been especially devastating to the religious cult of the Egyptians. God was leveling His judgments against the awful institution of idolatry that had a hold on the Egyptians as well as the Israelites. We shall see later that Isra’el also was dabbling in idolatry (32:1-6).¹⁴⁸

Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Go to Pharaoh and say to him, “This is what ADONAI, the God of the Hebrews says, ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me’” (9:1). The warning was repeated. Pharaoh was commanded to let the Israelites leave or face serious consequences. Also, the title the God of the Hebrews was once again used (7:16).

If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, then the hand of God will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field – on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats (9:2-3). The Hebrew word for plague is deber, which has the idea of pestilence. While the term is often used of pestilence in general (Exodus 5:3, Leviticus 26:25, Second Samuel 24:13-15), it is used here in a special sense of a plague on cattle (Psalm 78:48). Also, it was the livestock in the field that were to be affected, not those animals in barns or other shelters.

When the finger of God (8:19) failed to make an impression on Amenhotep II, God turned to His hand. Connected with the deliverance of the Israelites (3:19, 6:1, 9:2 and 13:3), the hand of God is a common term in Exodus, and is normally associated with some mighty act of judgment. This was the first plague in which the term was used, and it was the first plague that directly caused death. As such, it served as an indication of worse things to come, a pattern of death that ended in the tenth plague and the failed crossing of the Red Sea by the Egyptian army, both of which include the death of more animals.¹⁴⁹ There would be more failures of the false gods of Egypt to come.

The thing that is common to both the fifth and sixth plagues was the fact that in each of them the animals of the Egyptians were attacked. Thus, we see again the Divine hand in the arrangement and order of these different plagues.¹⁵⁰

This would have had great economic consequences for the land of Egypt. Donkeys were depended upon for heavy labor in agriculture. Camels and horses were used mainly for transportation. Cattle not only provided milk, but were also central to the worship there. In addition, Pharaoh owned a great number of livestock (Genesis 47:6 and 17), so the economic losses from this plague would have affected him personally.

But ADONAI will make a distinction between the livestock of Isra’el and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die (9:4). The first proof that God was the source of this plague is the fact that He spared the livestock of the Hebrews. The second proof was that God set a time for the plague to begin. Aaron said: Tomorrow ADONAI will do this in the land (9:5). God fixed a time for the start of the plague so that the Egyptians should not argue that it was merely a local outbreak.

And the next day ADONAI followed through on what He had said. All the livestock in the field of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died (9:6). But if all the livestock died, how can they be mentioned later (9:19)? The writer probably does not expect the reader to take this all literally. We must conclude this is nothing more than hyperbole and simply means most. In addition, the precise nature of the fifth plague itself is not specified, and is not important. The narrative is clearly focused on what effect it had on Egypt’s livestock.

In an act that showed diminished self-confidence, Pharaoh sent men to investigate what had happened in Goshen, and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet in spite of that, his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go (9:7). There is a wonderful play on words here. The verb sent is in the form of slb. Moses demanded that Pharaoh let the Israelites go (slb). But instead of sending the Israelites on their way, he sends his men to investigate. He intends to keep the Israelites under his thumb. Pharaoh still would not give in. The Holy Spirit describes his stubbornness with irony and even a sense of mockery.¹⁵¹

It may be appropriate at this point to consider how humanity normally views or understands so-called natural disasters. When calamities of nature strike, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or diseases of cattle, people almost always see no reason or source behind the disaster. They regard it as merely a matter of chance – disorder breaking in on the normal order of nature. “Mother Nature” is fickle and cannot be trusted. In other words, there is no purpose or meaning to natural calamities.

However, the Bible teaches something different. At the very heart and foundation of Scripture, is the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. What this means is that God is the Master of all, and His will is the cause of all things. Specifically, it is ADONAI who is on the throne of the universe, maintaining the creation, directing it and working all things according to His own will and purpose. The biblical picture is that everything that happens in heaven and on earth occurs because of God’s decree. Pharaoh and the Egyptians attempted to explain away the plagues as not originating with God. They looked for other explanations.¹⁵²

Dense Swarms of Flies Poured throughout Egypt
8: 20-32

Dense swarms of flies poured throughout Egypt DIG: Why do you think God distinguished between the land of Goshen and the rest of Egypt? What was He trying to tell Pharaoh? The Israelites? What do you suppose was detestable to the Egyptians about Hebrew sacrifices (also see Genesis 43:32)? Was God singling out the Israelites for special treatment because they were a superior people to the Egyptians, or because God chose them?

REFLECT: In what way does God make similar distinctions today between His followers and others? How does God’s favor make you feel? Which horse are you riding? The white horse or the black horse?

This fourth plague started the second cycle of three judgments, and once again the first in the triad (the blood, the flies, and the hail) came with a warning from Moses to Pharaoh. Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh, literally, take your stand before Pharaoh, as he goes to the water. Say to him, “This is what ADONAI says, ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.’” Pharaoh’s heart was so hard that even though Hapi, the god of the Nile, had been humiliated when it’s waters turned to blood, Amenhotep II returned to it. Moses said: If you do not let My people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people, and into your houses (the flies might have been drawn to the decaying frogs). The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are standing (8:20-21). The harshness of the plague was emphasized by the fact that not only will the Egyptian houses be filled with flies, but the very ground on which they stood will be covered with them. It was if a cloud of flies would descend upon Egypt.

The Hebrew text does not use the specific expression flies. The Hebrew word arob is used nine times and is always related to this plague (Psalm 105:31). However, using the word flies is not inappropriate here. This translation is suggested in the Septuagint. The seventy Hebrew scholars exiled in Alexandria, Egypt translated this word as kunomuia or dog-fly. Because these translators actually lived in Egypt, their first-hand observation was very important. The blood-sucking dog-fly was something to be feared because they were known for their painful bites. When enraged, they hurl themselves like a javelin and fasten themselves upon the body, especially the edges of the eyelids, disfiguring them by the swellings produced by their sting.¹³⁶ The psalmist said that God sent swarms of flies that devoured them (Psalm 78:45).

But the Hebrews were protected from this plague. God spoke through His prophet Moses when He said: On that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where My people live. The Hyksos Pharaoh originally gave Goshen to Joseph and his family (Genesis 45:10 and 46:28). It was there that the Hebrews settled and multiplied. But God said: No swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, ADONAI, am in this land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. So this plague was not only designed to humiliate Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, but it was also redemption and deliverance for the people of ADONAI. This verse literally reads: I will set a redemption between My people and your people.¹³⁷ The meaning clearly states that God would deliver His people from the plague and deliver Pharaoh’s people to the plague. Then almost as an afterthought, He adds: This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow (8:22-23). The fact that Moses predicted the day of the arrival and departure of the plague sets it apart from a purely natural occurrence.¹³⁸

What we are told is that the first three plagues affected both Jews and Egyptians alike. But from this point on, the plagues would only affect the Egyptians and the Israelites would be spared. This foreshadows those united with Christ in the end times, where they will be raptured out of this world before the events of the Great Tribulation (First Thessalonians 4:13-18). For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath (First Thessalonians 5:9). Jesus Himself says: I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earth (Revelation 3:10b).

In the fourth plague we are specifically told that God exempted the Israelites in the land of Goshen: No swarms of flies will be there; so also in the seventh plague we read: The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.

There is no mention of Moses’ staff initiating this plague, only that ADONAI did it. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials, and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies (8:24). The Hebrew word ruined expresses continuous action. In other words, Egypt was in the process of being destroyed.

With his empire collapsing around him, Pharaoh did not call for his trusted magicians. He realized they were no use to him in the battle against God. At this point Pharaoh made the first of four compromises. Still trying to retain some appearance of control, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said: Go, and sacrifice to your God here in the land of Egypt (8:25). He had not yet learned that it was in God’s power to let the people go and that, when all was said and done, his role in Israel’s release was not even significant. Later, God would harden Pharaoh’s heart to make that point painfully clear.¹³⁹

This is the first compromise Satan tries to make with one determined to live for God. He objects to separation from sin and the world, and would try to convince us that we can worship God just as well in the land without coming out and being separate, without publicly confessing Jesus before the world and taking a stand on God’s side.

But Moses refused Pharaoh’s compromise and said: That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer ADONAI our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. Moses, who had lived in Egypt for forty years and was an expert in their culture, understood that the Egyptians regarded the animals the Israelites would sacrifice as sacred to the Egyptians.¹⁴⁰ To them, the god Apis represented the bull and the goddess Hathor represented the cow.¹⁴¹ Therefore, Moses knew that they would take great offense of such practices within the borders of their own country. So Moses countered: And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us (8:26)?

In other words, rather than doing a polite political dance with Pharaoh, Moses was saying, “Don’t even try it, Pharaoh. You know as well as I that if we even tried to sacrifice to God on Egyptian soil, which you believe is home to your gods, the Egyptians would stone us to death. We’re a little cleverer than that! You think you can give the appearance of letting us have our way, but the end result would play right into your hands! Forget it! No deal! We’re leaving just as we said. It’s all or nothing.”¹⁴²

Although Pharaoh was beginning to compromise, God refused to give an inch. Therefore, Moses said: We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as He commanded us to do (8:27). This is a very ancient mode of estimating distances and is still in use today. The ordinary day’s journey of Scripture is probably about twenty miles.¹⁴³ Nothing short of a three-day journey into the desert would meet the demand. But Pharaoh, was not willing to concede everything requested. Therefore, he offered a second compromise.¹⁴⁴

Pharaoh saw that his subtle maneuver had not worked. Still he wanted to hold on. So he said, “OK, go head. Just don’t go too far”, literally saying: I, even I will let you go to offer sacrifices to ADONAI your God in the desert, only you must not go very far. In other words he wanted the Israelites to remain close enough to his eastern border that he could watch them and send his army after them if necessary. Now fully realizing where the real power lay, the king requested: Pray for me (8:28).

Satan would have God’s people compromise their faith and live so much like the unsaved that it is difficult to determine on which side they belong, God’s or the devil’s. This suits Satan’s purposes perfectly because it makes the individual worthless for the cause of Christ, and his example prevents others from becoming believers in Jesus. If we do not go very far away from Egypt, or the world, we become ineffective ambassadors for Christ.

Moses didn’t directly respond to Pharaoh’s new request, but said: As soon as I leave you, I will pray to ADONAI, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. However, just as Pharaoh placed a restriction on God’s people, saying: Only you must not go very far, Moses placed a restriction on the king, saying: Only be sure that Pharaoh does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to ADONAI (8:29). Moses saw right through Pharaoh’s dishonesty and he would not stand for it.

What will you stand for? We are in a race today with two horses. One horse is black and the other horse is white. If you decide to ride them and put one foot on one horse and one foot on the other, you will make an amazing discovery. These horses run in opposite directions. You must make up you mind which horse you want to ride.¹⁴⁵ What will it be? Light or darkness? Truth or lies? Purity or evil? It’s your choice, but the consequences are also yours.

Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to ADONAI, and God did what Moses asked: The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people just as the blood, frogs and insects had; not a fly remained (8:30-31). Pharaoh, who prided himself on being the possessor of ma’at in Egypt, could not restore order. Everyone could see that it was the God of the Hebrews who returned Egypt to order after the chaos of the plagues. The flies had been everywhere and were considered the ears of Beelzebub, god of the air. But when the plague of swarming flies came, they bit the Egyptians, driving them to despair and instead of being a blessing, they became a curse. Even Hatchit, the god of protection from flies, could do nothing about it.

Once again Moses kept his part of the bargain, and after praying, the flies were removed. But this, like before, did not change the heart of the wicked and proud king. As soon as the plague was taken away, he hardened his heart and would not let the people of Isra’el go (8:32). Pharaoh was hardening his heart and God was revealing what was already there.¹⁴⁶

That this plague was unique and amazing in nature is made clear by the language of 8:22. As previously stated, the land of Goshen was separated from the rest of Egypt. Is there a separation between you and Egypt, or the world? Are you an alien in this world? Or is the world your home? God’s Word is clear on this point. In Rabbi Sha’ul’s second letter to the believers at Corinth, he wrote: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and idols? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said,” I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore, as God says, ‘Come out from them and be separate’ (Second Corinthians 6:14-17).”

Strike the Ground
and the Dust of Egypt Will Become Gnats
8: 16-19

Strike the ground and the dust of Egypt Will Become Gnats DIG: Why do you think ADONAI now begins doing things the magicians of Egypt could not do? What does the finger of God imply (Luke 11:20)?

REFLECT: Is the finger of God pointing out any sin that needs changing in your life? What swarm of insects in your life is preventing you from drawing closer to the Lord?

The third plague arrived without warning to the Egyptians. There was no audience before Amenhotep II as there had been for the previous two plagues. There was no need for it. Pharaoh was deserving of the disaster because he had just lied to Ha’Shem and also hardened his heart. This plague receives the shortest account. It is brief and direct.

Then ADONAI said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats” (8:16). Some translations use the word lice, while others use vermin, or maggots, or fleas, or sand flies, or mosquitoes, or gnats. But the Hebrew word kinnim simply means mixture, and refers to a swarm of insects. Not any one particular insect, but swarms of many kinds of insects so small as to be hardly visible to the eye but with a very irritating and painful sting. They would even creep into the eyes and nose.¹³⁰

But why the dust of the ground? This is a common Hebrew expression that reflects a very large number. For example, when God promised Abraham that his offspring would be so numerous that they could not be counted, He said that they would be like the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16). That same promise was made to Jacob (Genesis 28:14). The point is that the swarm of insects that descend upon Egypt was so large they could not be counted.

They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, a swarm of insects came upon men and animals. The third plague was so great that neither people nor animals were spared. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became a mixture of insects (8:17-18). Small insects have always been a problem in Egypt. Fleas, aphids, lice, mosquitoes and gnats abound in great numbers in certain areas. The ancient Egyptians constructed many devices in an attempt to get relief from them such as ostrich plumes on the end of a stick that would be waved by servants to keep insects away from the faces of the king and lords. Floors and walls were often washed with a solution of soda. In one medical papyrus, cat grease was said to be effective in combating rats, and fish spawn against fleas.¹³¹

But when the magicians tried to produce a mixture of insects by their secret arts, they could not. By slight of hand, the magicians were somehow able to make it seem that they could turn their staffs to snakes, to make water turn to blood, and to produce frogs. But the third plague was beyond their capacity of deception. Hardly visible to the eye, they were too delicate to be caught and impossible to counterfeit. Their utter failure led to a very startling confession.

The magicians were put to shame and said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” In other words, they were saying that only the LORD Himself could make a swarm of insects out of dust; therefore, admitting that there was a power that was greater than their slight of hand. They referred to Him as God. The magicians knew they were in over their heads. From that point forward there would be no opposition from these magicians because they had been defeated (8:19a). Although they appear again in 9:11, they never again attempt to duplicate one of the miracles of ADONAI. God used the smallest of things to bring them to their knees.

The phrase, the finger of God, is an excellent description of a miracle. In the book of Dani’el, the finger of God wrote a message of doom for King Belshazzar on the wall of his temple (Dani’el 5:1-31). Later, we are told that the hand of ADONAI would bring a terrible plague on the livestock of Egypt (9:3). Also, when ADONAI finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God (31:18). God uses His fingers when He creates (Psalm 8:3), reminding us of The Creation of Man, Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. And on one occasion, Jesus drove out demons by the finger of God, that is, with God’s help (Luke 11:20).¹³²

But there is another striking similarity between this third plague and what is recorded in John 8:11. There we find a similar contest between God and His enemies. The Scribes and the Pharisees, using the woman caught in adultery as their bait, tried to trick Jesus. His only response was to bend down and write on the ground with His finger. After saying to them: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her, we read that again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. The effect was startling: Those who heard began to go away one at a time until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. What was this but the enemy of ADONAI acknowledging that this was the finger of God, as He wrote in the dust!¹³³

There is an interesting introversion here with the eighth plague. In the third plague, the magicians were forced to exclaim: This is the finger of God; while in the eighth plague Pharaoh said: I have sinned against ADONAI your God (10:16).

The Egyptians worshiped the earth-god Geb. But all the dust throughout the land of Egypt became a mixture of insects. That which was sacred to Geb was then despised. Pharaoh did not ask that the plague be taken away, and the Egyptian magicians could not reproduce the mixture of insects. They seemed to acknowledge that the One who brought this plague was supreme over the gods of Egypt.¹³⁴ In addition to Geb, Set was the god of the desert, storms and chaos. He was regarded as a fierce warrior, and thus became the patron god of soldiers who often wore Set amulets, hoping to acquire his destructive force, or Set’s infinite protection. But when God turned all the dust of Egypt into a swarm of insects, even the god of the desert could not protect them.

The swarm of insects not only humiliated the gods of Egypt, it also humiliated the priesthood. The priests of Egypt were noted for their physical purity. Daily rites were performed by a group of priests known as the Uab or the pure ones. Their purity was basically physical rather than spiritual. They were circumcised, shaved the hair from their heads and bodies every three days (even their eyebrows), washed frequently, and were dressed in beautiful linen robes. In the light of this, it would seem rather doubtful that the priesthood of Egypt could function very effectively having been polluted by the presence of these insects.¹³⁵ Furthermore, this plague extended to the animals, preventing any of them from being sacrificed to their gods because they were unclean. Thus, the entire Egyptian religious system began to buckle under the weight of the plagues.

Although the magicians were convinced that they were losing the spiritual battle, Pharaoh continued to respond in the same way he did to the earlier plagues. But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as God had said (8:19b).

We look at Amenhotep II, and we almost have to express a sense of amazement that after seeing all that God had done, that he could be so stubborn. Then later, the children of Isra’el, even after the miracle of the Exodus, would rebel against God in their wilderness wanderings. So we are startled by Pharaoh’s stubbornness on the one hand, and the Israelites subsequent unbelief, on the other. Yet as we do that, I wonder how many of us are in an even more embarrassing predicament than they were. We are stubborn and rebel against God when we have the Bible to teach us and the Holy Spirit to guide us! How headstrong can we sometimes be, when He is trying to speak to each one of us?

Stretch Out Your Hand
and Make Frogs Come Up on the Land of Egypt
8: 1-15

Stretch out your hand and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt DIG: How did God combat the gods of Egypt with the plague of frogs? What new pressure was applied to Pharaoh through this plague? Why did Pharaoh appeal to Moses and Aaron if his magicians were able to do the same things by their secret arts? Given a most timely answer to Moses’ and Aaron’s prayer, why did Pharaoh react as he did?

REFLECT: When have you taken answered prayer for granted? Do you pray more when things are going your way? Or when all seems lost? By now, Moses or Aaron may have been feeling used or manipulated by this unrepentant Pharaoh. When have you felt conned by a non-believer who strung you along? How do you respond to this type of a person?

Following the pollution and cleansing the Nile of blood, Moses once again went fully armed with God’s power before Pharaoh with the demand that the people of Isra’el be freed in order that they might worship God. Therefore, ADONAI said to Moses, “You are to go to Pharaoh and say: This is what God says, ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me’ (8:1).” The central question was this, who would the Hebrews serve? Who was their true God? ADONAI, or Pharaoh?

The second plague, like the former, was directed by Ha’Shem against the idolatry of Egypt. The Nile River was sacred in their eyes; therefore, God turned its waters into blood. The frog was also an object of worship among them, so Aaron was to say to the king, “If you refuse to let them go, God will plague your whole country with frogs” (8:2). As the waters of the Nile recede each year, frogs begin to appear. The frogs were viewed as a positive sign because the Nile was receding and the time of planting could begin. That was why the Egyptians worshiped them. Therefore, the sound of frogs was normally a cause of rejoicing because it meant that the land was once again fertile and ready for planting. The plague of frogs is repeated and intensified in the end times (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Eg – The Sixth Angel Poured Out His Bowl and I Saw Three Evil Spirits That Looked Like Frogs). In a reversal of the Exodus account, the frogs in the end times are evil spirits.¹¹⁸

The Nile teemed with frogs, their number was countless. As stated previously, the first three plagues have to do with the Nile, its pools and streams. Aaron prophesied that they would come up into Pharaoh’s palace, into his bedroom and onto his very bed. Since the frog was deified as the Egyptian goddess Heqt, who was believed to assist women in childbirth, there may be a touch of irony in the statement that large numbers of frogs would invade Pharaoh’s bedroom and even jump onto his bed.¹¹⁹ They will also come into the houses of his officials, his people and into their ovens and kneading troughs (8:3). The frogs would affect everyone in Egypt, the King himself, his people and all his officials (8:4). Frogs were everywhere – in their bedrooms, their kitchens, in every room of their houses. When they walked, they walked on frogs; when they sat, they sat on frogs. One could only imagine the frustration brought by the multiplication of these frogs. And because the frogs were sacred to the Egyptians, they were not supposed to be killed. But they became a blanket of filth. Slimy and wet, they crunched under their feet. If they happened to slip, they fell into a mass of decomposing uncleanness. And if they went to the Nile to cleanse themselves, it was also full of frogs. There was no escape. Once again the Nile had become a source of pollution. One can only imagine the cries of the people because of the multiplication of those frogs.¹²⁰

Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: You are to tell Aaron, “Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” All natural water sources were struck by the plague. So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land (8:5-6). According to the rabbinical account, the swarming of the frogs occurred over a seven-day period like the first plague. It was as if God was saying, “You want to worship frogs. I’ll give you frogs.”

There is an interesting introversion here with the ninth plague. The second plague had to do with frogs, which are creatures of the night, that is, of darkness; while the ninth plague had to do with the actual darkness itself.

But Pharaoh’s magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they seemingly made frogs come up on the land of Egypt (8:7). I say seemingly, because only God can create something out of nothing (Genesis 1:1). What is clear is that the magicians were incapable of removing the plague, only adding to it. Egypt certainly didn’t need any more frogs. This was only the second plague, but it is the last one that Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate. Three times the magicians displayed their satanic slight of hand. First, they seemingly changed their staffs into snakes (7:12), then they imitated turning water into blood (7:22), and thirdly they created the illusion of creating more frogs (8:7), but beyond that they could not go. The power of Satan can never remove that which God has created. Since the plague of frogs was created by the LORD’s power, the magicians were powerless to remove them. So it is with the prince of this world (John 16:11). He is unable to get rid of the evil that he has brought to ADONAI’s creation, and he cannot check its progress. All he can do is multiply evil.¹²¹

Yet, because they were able to imitate creating more frogs, Pharaoh once again refused to let the Israelites go. He saw that Israel’s God, despite his magicians’ ability to mimic the plague, was a power to be reckoned with. Therefore, he summoned Moses and Aaron. For the first time he acknowledged God when he said: Pray to ADONAI to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Him (8:8). Back in 5:2 he had said: I do not know ADONAI, but now he was asking Moses and Aaron to serve as intercessors on his behalf. Pharaoh was slowly starting to realize that although his magicians could mimic the plagues, they might not be able to get rid of them. The king then lied when he said that he would let the Israelites go. He had no intention of doing any such thing.¹²²

Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile” (8:9). Moses probably reasoned that if Amenhotep II was able to pick the time that the frogs would be removed, and if it really came to pass at that time, there would be no more doubting God’s power.

The answer of Pharaoh was somewhat perplexing at first, for he did not request an immediate end to the plague, but suggested that the frogs should be removed on the next day. Why not immediately? He was probably hoping against hope that they would go away by themselves, and then he would not be obligated to either Moses or God.¹²³ Nevertheless, Moses replied: It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like ADONAI your God, the frogs will leave you and your homes, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile (8:10-11). Moses promised that the frogs would depart from Egypt. However, he didn’t tell Pharaoh how they will leave. The frogs will remain in the Nile only. That is, God caused them to return to their natural habitat. He caused His creation to operate according to its normal laws that He had set in motion from the beginning.¹²⁴

After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses was true to his word and cried out to God about the frogs He had brought on Pharaoh. And ADONAI did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. The fact that Moses predicted the moment of the arrival and departure of the frogs sets it apart from a purely natural occurrence. Ordinarily the frogs would not die all at once, but would gradually disappear. However, on Pharaoh’s command, they died and were piled into heaps. So even though the plague was over, its consequences remained. They had to bury or burn all the dead frogs, and as a result, the land reeked of them (8:12-14).

Once the plague was over, Pharaoh’s true character was once again revealed. The confidence he had earlier in his own power started to erode, but as soon as the plague was out of sight, it was also out of mind.¹²⁵ It was still too much for the arrogant king to admit that the God of the Hebrews had surpassed the gods of Egypt in a demonstration of power. Of course, there was no way that he could admit that as ruler and god of Egypt, that he also had been outdone.¹²⁶ Therefore, when Amenhotep II saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as ADONAI had said (8:15). This gives us a more comprehensive picture of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. We are told that he hardened his own heart. God’s part in this was to bring to the surface that which was already there.¹²⁷

Hopi, the god of the Nile supposedly controlled the soil deposits to make Egypt fertile. He was depicted as holding a frog, out of whose mouth flowed a stream of nourishment. This indicated the close relationship between the god of the Nile and the frog goddess Heqt. She was the goddess of birth who had the body of a woman, but the head of a frog. She was considered to be the wife of the creator god Khnum, who was thought to fashion human bodies on his potter’s wheel. Then she would blow the breath of life into them. Therefore, she was a symbol of resurrection, the emblem of fertility, and the patroness of midwives. One Egyptian picture shows Heqt reciting spells to bring about the resurrection of Osiris. Another carving shows her kneeling before the queen and overseeing the birth of Hatshepsut.¹²⁸

Heqt was supposed to control the multiplication of frogs in ancient Egypt by protecting their enemy, the frog eating crocodiles. But God overwhelmed Heqt and caused her to be impotent in her task. She was powerless to repel or resist God’s overpowering regeneration of frogs. It is ADONAI who grants fertility; He produced frogs so fast that they became a curse upon Egypt. Just like the first plague, God was sovereign over fertility, over Egypt and over the Egyptian gods.¹²⁹ Oh yes, He is also sovereign over you and me!

Strike the Water of the Nile
and It Will Be Turned into Blood
7: 14-25

Strike the water of the Nile and it will be turned into blood DIG: How important was the Nile River to Egypt? By this plague of blood, what do you think God was trying to tell the Egyptians? The Israelites? What kind of pressure did this plague put on Pharaoh? On his magicians? What was his response?

REFLECT: Given the eyes of faith, what mighty acts of ADONAI have you personally seen in your life? Who are the magicians that imitate God’s work today and hinder your trust in the real thing? How do you cope with that?

The ten plagues start with God turning the Nile River into blood. But why did He choose to start with the Nile? Hardly any country in ancient or modern times has been so dependent on its waterways as ancient Egypt. This transportation led to widespread shipbuilding and a development of ports. Sea commerce also developed and provided many important products for Egypt. Perhaps most important for the average Egyptian, however, was the yearly contribution of the Nile to agricultural life. Its annual rise and flooding provided new deposits of fertile soil along with much needed water in the surrounding fields. If not for this flooding, Egypt would be as barren as the deserts on either side of it. Therefore, the Nile was worshiped because the very economic health of the land was dependent on its faithfulness. Poverty and calamity would come with its failure. The Egyptians fully recognized this fact, and in thanksgiving for the blessings of the Nile, hymns were written. The Hymn of the Nile best describes its importance.

Hail to you, Oh Nile, that issues from the earth and comes to keep Egypt alive! . . . He that waters the meadows which Recreated, in order to keep every kid alive. He that makes to drink the desert and the place distant from water: that is his dew coming down from heaven.¹⁰⁸

Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Pharaoh’s heart is heavy; he refuses to let the people go (7:14). Another Hebrew term is now used to present the nature of Pharaoh’s hardened heart. It is kabed, which means to be heavy. The term can be used in a literal quantitative sense. For example, Absalom’s hair was heavy (Second Samuel 14:26), and Moses’ hands were tired, or heavy (17:12). But kabed may also be used in a qualitative sense, that is, that something is weighty, or full of a particular quality or trait. Therefore, this verse is saying that Pharaoh’s heart was weighted down with something. But what was it?¹⁰⁹

The concept of a heavy heart, and the Weighing of the Heart, was pictured in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. They believed that when someone died, that person went to Duat, or the Egyptian underworld. There, the hearts of the dead were to be weighed on the scales of truth. If the heart was heavy with misdeeds, they believed it was unworthy, and it was thrown to the goddess Ammit to be eaten. Because the Egyptians believed that the heart was the location of the soul, that person would be condemned to remain in Duat forever. However, if the heart were pure, and was lighter than a feather, that person would go on to Aaru, the Egyptian equivalent of heaven. So when the Bible says: Pharaoh’s heart is heavy, it pictures his heart being filled with evil and injustice. HaShem was simply judging Pharaoh as someone who already had a heavy, or sinful heart.

In each of the three groupings, the first plagues (the blood, the flies, and the hail) came with a warning from Moses as Pharaoh went out in the morning to worship at the Nile River. God said: Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water to worship his gods. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. We need to remember that Moses went out to confront Amenhotep II who was one of the warrior kings and the most powerful man in the world at that time. Then say: ADONAI, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the desert. But until now you have not listened. Moses continued to challenge Pharaoh saying: This is what ADONAI says: By this you will know that I am ADONAI. With the staff that is in My hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood (7:15-17). Why would the LORD have Aaron strike the Nile with his staff and turn it into blood? To the Egyptians, the god Hapi gave birth to the Nile and sustained it. He is pictured as a bearded man with female breasts and a pregnant stomach. YHVH confronted this false god and defeated it.

There is a striking introversion here with the tenth plague. Here we see the waters of the Nile changed into blood – the symbol of death; while in the last plague there was actual blood-shedding, with the death of the firstborn. In addition, the Israelites would protect themselves on the Passover when they put the blood of a lamb on their doorframes.

The Nile River was the lifeblood of Egypt, but it became death to them. What had been a blessing became a curse.¹¹⁰ The fish in the Nile died, the river stank and the Egyptians were not able to drink its water (7:18). Some have attributed the plagues to some kind of natural phenomenon. Red silting of the Nile is indeed very common, but it never has brought about the widespread death of fish or created such a stench that it would seriously alter the life of the Egyptians. One wonders, if this was a purely natural event, why Moses would try to exploit it for his own purposes. Neither would a natural phenomenon explain the suddenness of the miracles, the starting of the plagues at the command of Aaron or Moses, the opposition and imitation from the magicians of Egypt, nor the exclusion of the Jewish area of Goshen from the effects of the plagues.

Many have attempted to explain the plagues of Egypt and the judgments of the Great Tribulation as totally natural phenomena. Their intent is to eliminate God from the equation, hence the need for repentance. However, it is important to understand that the miracles God performs are both providential and creative. Sometimes the LORD uses things that He has already created, like blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, thunder, hail, fire or rain in such a way (or combination, like a burning bush or hail mixed with blood) to make it a providential miracle (through the wisdom, care and guidance of God). In other miracles He creates something out of nothing, like matter (Genesis 1:1), wine (John 2:1-11), life (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25; Lk 7:11-15; Jn 11:1-44), eyesight (Matthew 9:27-31; John 9:1-32), speech and hearing (Mark 7:31-37), or fish and bread (John 6:5-13). Those are creative miracles. But whether a providential miracle or a creative miracle, they are miracles of God!

Then ADONAI said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt – over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs’ – and they will turn into blood”. For purposes of irrigation, canals were cut in various directions, and artificial pools were made to receive the waters of the Nile at its annual overflow.¹¹¹ The plagues were organized into three groups of three, with a climax at the end. In this first grouping, Aaron handled the staff. Blood was everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars where water was normally kept for daily use (7:19). Vessels of wood and stone are common expressions in the Bible for idolatry. These wooden buckets and stone jars that were used as offering bowls before the gods of Egypt also contained nothing but blood. The rabbis teach that Aaron, and not Moses, was told to start the plague because the Nile had protected Moses when he was placed in its waters by his mother as child.

Moses and Aaron did just as ADONAI had commanded. Then Aaron raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the flowing water was changed into blood (7:20). The entire plague account was a mere foreshadowing of the plagues that will strike the followers of Satan during the end times. It is also a model of judgment that will come upon all unbelievers. The first plague in Egypt is prominently repeated in the Great Tribulation. Revelation: 8:3-4 describes the second trumpet judgment in that light (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Cx – The Second Trumpet: A Third of the Sea Turned Into Blood). The similarities between Revelation and the Exodus account are obvious. The only difference is the extent and intensity of the plagues in Revelation, which are so much greater. Thus, this episode in the TaNaKh is a mere foreshadowing of what will come upon unbelievers in the final days.¹¹²

The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt (7:21). The Egyptians, especially the priests, were very particular about washing themselves and there was nothing that they held in greater disgust than blood. They must have been beside themselves when they realized that the river they worshiped as a god had changed to blood, the very thing that disgusted them.¹¹³

But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by the power of Satan in stagnant pools of water by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as ADONAI had said (7:22). If it were merely a natural phenomenon, Pharaoh could have said, “But this happens all the time, Moses! Can’t you do better than that?” But the fact that the Egyptian magicians had to appeal to their secret arts suggests that there was more than red sediment pouring into the Nile.¹¹⁴ There is opposition from the magicians of Egypt in the first three plagues, but no opposition in the last six. It is ironic that everyone was having trouble finding drinking water, and when they did find it, the Egyptian magicians seemingly turned it into blood. As if they needed more blood. Probably turning blood into fresh water would have been more helpful, but they couldn’t do that. But because the Egyptian magicians were able to counterfeit the miracle of turning water into blood, Pharaoh didn’t believe Moses and Aaron. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even the miracle to heart (7:23). However, the confrontation with Amenhotep II was only beginning.

And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. To supply their needs for clean drinking water, the Egyptians were forced to dig along the Nile because polluted waters would become safe for drinking only after being filtered through the sandy soil near the river bank.¹¹⁵ Seven days passed after ADONAI struck the Nile (7:24-25). The plague of blood, unlike the remainder of the plagues, continued for seven days. So the Nile was filled with blood for seven days. Seven is the number of completion in the Bible (see my commentary on Genesis Ae – The Number Seven), and that was the exact number of days God chose for the blood to be a sign of His complete victory over Hapi, the god of the Nile.

There was about eighty gods in the Egyptian pantheon. Some gods and goddesses had more than one function or area of responsibility. As a result, their religion was very complex and overlapping. The fertility of the land of Egypt depended upon the overflow of the Nile River to bring it both fertilizer and water. Therefore, this river was sacred to the god Osiris, whose all-seeing eye is found in many Egyptian paintings. Pagan rites were held every spring when the river brought life out of death. When the water was turned into blood, it brought death instead of life.¹¹⁶ This also assaulted Hapi (also called Apis), the spirit bull god of the Nile; Isis, goddess of the Nile; Khnum, the ram god, guardian of the Nile; Sepek, the god who was supposed to protect the crocodiles of the Nile who were dying and others.

Surely the pollution of the Nile would have taken on religious implications for the average Egyptian. Those who worshiped Neith, the eloquent warlike goddess who took a special interest in the lates, the largest fish to be found in the Nile, would have had second thoughts about the power of that goddess. Another god, Hathor, was supposed to have protected the chromis, a slightly smaller fish. Those Egyptians who depended heavily on fishing and on the Nile would have been greatly frustrated by a plague of this nature.

The first plague brought upon Egypt eloquently revealed the power of God and the impotence of Egyptian gods. For the Egyptian who wanted water for his cattle and for himself, it would have meant an exercise in deep frustration and despair. For the very religious Egyptian who faithfully sought the guidance and protection of the various gods associated with the Nile, it must have raised serious questions about them. To the Israelites who witnessed this event, it was a reminder of the awesome power of YHVH who had chosen and blessed them. To us who are alive today and witness the idolatry of this present generation, this miracle is a reminder of the tremendous power of God who will not only bring blessing upon those who are faithful to Him, but will, with equal power, bring judgment and humiliation upon those who lift up their hand in rebellion against ADONAI.¹¹⁷

The Ten Plagues of Egypt
7:14 to 12:36

Although there were ten plagues in all, the tenth was climactic and is therefore described at greater length from 11:1 to 12:30. The narrative of the tenth plague is interwoven with the account of the institution of the Passover in 12:1-28. The plagues continued for many months, so there was time in between each plague for Pharaoh to reflect on his decisions.

The story of the plagues is summarized in Psalm 78:22-51, where six of them are mentioned specifically (though not in chronological order): the blood, the flies, the frogs, the locusts, the hail, and the death of the firstborn. The story is also summarized in Psalm 105:28-36, where this time eight plagues are mentioned (again, not in chronological order): the darkness, the blood, the frogs, the flies, the gnats, the hail, the locusts and the death of the firstborn. In both psalms, the plague of the firstborn is mentioned last to stress its climactic importance. In Psalms 135:8 and 136:10, it is the only plague referred to at all, apparently because its story in Exodus made a much greater impression on later generations than the accounts of the other plagues. The tenth plague can therefore stand for all the plagues because it was the most astounding and destructive of them all.¹⁰⁷

The progressive nature of these plagues is easily seen. There is a steady advance in the severity of the divine judgments. The first three merely interfered with the comfort of the Egyptians. First, they were deprived of water to drink and wash in. In the second, their homes were invaded with frogs. Thirdly, they were attacked with gnats. In the second three, the LORD’s hand was laid upon their possessions. First, flies corrupted their land. Secondly, their livestock was destroyed. Thirdly, boils broke out on the Egyptians and their animals. The last set of three plagues brought desolation and death. First, hail destroyed both the livestock and every growing thing in the fields. Secondly, the locusts devoured even what the hail had left behind. Nothing green remained on any tree or plant in all of Egypt. Thirdly, darkness that could be felt foreshadowed the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn sons in all of Egypt.

The ten plagues had five purposes. First, the plagues were a judgment against Egypt and were specifically directed against their gods (7:4, 10:2, 12:12, and 18:11). Secondly, the plagues were used by God to compel Pharaoh to free the Israelites (7:4 and 18:10). Thirdly, they proved that ADONAI was sovereign and idolatry is foolishness (7:5, 9:14-15, 10:2, and 18:11). Fourthly, the land of Goshen was not affected by the plagues, thus showing that the Israelites were the LORD’s chosen people and were protected by Him (8:22-23, 11:7, 12:27). And lastly, the plagues demonstrated Ha’Shem’s supreme power and proclaimed His holiness (9:16).

Throw Your Staff Before Pharaoh
and It Will Become a Snake
6:28 to 7:13

Throw your staff before Pharaoh and it will become a snake DIG: How is Moses like God to Pharaoh? How did Moses overcome his speaking handicap? How and why will God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Why would Pharaoh want a miracle performed? What surprises you about the sorcerers’ power? Where does it come from? What is the meaning of Aaron’s snake swallowing theirs?

REFLECT: We have often heard the argument for boldness in evangelism: You may be the only Bible those whom you come in contact with will ever see. Taking a cue from this passage, we should take this a step further: You may be the only “God” they see. Or, perhaps more accurately, you may be the first “God” they see. As a people recreated in God’s image, we should be a means by which the good news of God’s salvation spreads. Do you preach the Gospel at all times, even without using words?

Scripture now resumes the narrative interrupted where verse 13 left off before the genealogy. Now when God spoke to Moses in Egypt, He said to him, “I AM ADONAI. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I tell you.” Moses repeated the complaint he had made in verse 12. But Moshe said to ADONAI, “Since I speak with a lack of eloquence and faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me” (6:28-30)? The same question remained unanswered. How will YHVH respond?

God continued to insist that Moses take action. The beginning of YHVH’s response to him is emphatic. The word see is an imperative. ADONAI is urging Moses to carefully consider the words that will follow. He would continue using a powerful metaphor, saying: See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet (7:1). Moses would operate with divine authority and, like the true God, would make His word known through the prophet. Therefore, Aaron became a prophet in the sense that Moses became a God to Pharaoh. As a prophet would be the spokesman for God, Aaron was the spokesman for Moses. At the very least, this declaration put Moses on an equal footing with Pharaoh, who was himself considered a god in ancient Egypt.¹⁰¹

God empowered Moses when He said: You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country (7:2). So the procedure is that God would speak to Moses, and Moses would speak to Aaron, and Aaron would speak to Pharaoh. The message was always the same: Let the Israelites go. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart (see comments on 4:21), and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you (7:2-4a). Moses was not to have any unreal expectations. Pharaoh’s rejection would be part of God’s plan.

Pharaoh’s hardness of heart would result in the ten plagues of judgment upon Egypt. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out My people, the Israelites. Earlier, Amenhotep II responded to Moses’ request that the Israelites be released by saying: I do not know ADONAI (5:2). God now announces that one of His purposes for the coming plagues is that the Egyptians will know that I am ADONAI when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it (7:4b-5). The plagues would serve as a rude awakening to Pharaoh. Although the primary purpose for bringing the ten plagues upon Egypt was for judgment, a secondary reason was for evangelism. Some Egyptians feared what ADONAI had said and acted upon it (9:20). And perhaps, some Egyptians even participated in the exodus with the nation of Isra’el.

Moses and Aaron obeyed God and did just as He commanded them (7:6). A literal reading of this verse contains a repetition: And Moses and Aaron did as God commanded them, thus they did. Repetition is common in Hebrew for the purpose of emphasis. Moses and Aaron were completely faithful in proclaiming the LORD’s message. In the last few chapters Moses had doubted God’s word and had been reluctant to carry out His calling. But that was a thing of the past. From this point on, to the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses was a man with a full heart toward God, with no hesitation.

Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh (7:7). In the Hebrew culture, the first-born son had many privileges. Nevertheless, God had continually shown that He was not bound by cultural mores. Here Aaron is mentioned as being second to Moses. This was not the first time YHVH had chosen the younger over the older brother. He had chosen Abram over Hebron, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau and Joseph over Reuben. The ages are also important. Ages of prominent figures in the TaNaKh, are given when a major event was about to occur (Genesis 16:16, 17:24-25). The ten plagues were about to start. Humanly speaking, their ages put them at a great disadvantage, but with God on their side, not even Pharaoh could succeed (Romans 8:31).

Knowing that Pharaoh would question Moses’ and Aaron’s authority, God instructed them how to respond. Then ADONAI said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake” (7:8-9). This snake confrontation foreshadows the LORD’s humiliation of Egypt from this point through the crossing of the Red Sea. The word that connects the two events is the word swallowed, which appears in 7:12 where Aaron’s staff swallowed up the staffs of the Egyptian magicians, and in 15:12 where the Egyptian army was swallowed up in the Red Sea. In addition, the staff that swallowed up the magicians’ snakes points to the staff that would cause the waters to overwhelm the Egyptian army (14:16 and 26).

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as ADONAI commanded (7:10a). Although Scripture does not always mention Aaron’s name in connection with the visits to Pharaoh, he always accompanied Moses. They meet Pharaoh for the second time. The basic pattern established here will be repeated in one form or another in connection with each of the ten plagues. Moses and/or Aaron will perform a miracle to demonstrate that God is superior to Pharaoh and his gods. Pharaoh’s magicians will try to duplicate the miracle by their secret arts. Eventually the plague caused by the miracle will subside, bringing relief to the Egyptians. Then Pharaoh will harden his heart further and continue to refuse to free the Jews and Moses or Aaron will perform another miracle, bringing on the next plague.¹⁰²

Aaron began the sequence when he threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials and it became a snake (7:10b), just as Moses had done earlier (4:3). In doing this, the Israelite leaders attacked Pharaoh and his people at the very heart of their beliefs.

In the first place, an image of an enraged cobra was placed on the front of the king’s crown. The Egyptians believed that it was charged with divine sovereignty and potency. As such, it was considered the symbol of Pharaoh’s power. It symbolized his divinity and majesty. When Aaron threw his staff-like snake down in front of Pharaoh, he was challenging Pharaoh’s sovereignty, and Pharaoh clearly understood the symbolic implication – the the God of Moshe was more powerful than the powers of darkness and the gods of Pharaoh.

In the second place, casting down the staff challenged the power of Egyptian magic as described in many of Egypt’s mythological books. There were many examples of Egyptian priests performing feats of the occult, including changing inanimate objects into animals. One text tells of a priest who made a wax crocodile that came to life when he threw it into a lake. Later he bent down, picked it up, and it became wax again.¹⁰³

Pharaoh responded to the challenge when he summoned his own wise men and illusionists, or sorcerers, two of whom were named Jannes and Jambres (Second Timothy 3:8). At that time, the Egyptian magicians imitated the miracle of Aaron’s staff with their secret arts. Only God can create life (Genesis 1:1). Each one threw down his staff and it appeared to become a snake. These Egyptian magicians were mentioned centuries earlier in the days of Joseph (Genesis 41:8 and 24), and the Babylonian magicians were to be found centuries later in the days of Dani’el (Dani’el 2:10 and 27, 4:7, 5:11). We learn from this that Satan can imitate miracles. This is why we need to be very careful about believing that all miracles are from God. During the Great Tribulation, Satan will be able to imitate numerous miracles. He will be able to deceive the entire world to worship the antichrist and display all kinds of counterfeit miracles signs and wonders (Second Thessalonians 2:9-12 and Revelation 13:3, 11-15). The test case is never miracles alone; the test case is always conformity to the Word of God and who gets the glory (Deuteronomy 18). But God’s power was superior to Satan’s power, and Aaron’s staff, or snake, swallowed up their staffs, or snakes (7:11-12).

Yet unimpressed, Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said (7:13). This was the first of several times that we are told that Pharaoh’s heart hardened more and more. He was not at all moved by the performance of Aaron, arguing that Aaron, like his own magicians, achieved the miracle by illusion. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart has been debated for centuries. In the book of Exodus, God appears to harden his heart nine times (4:21, 7:3, 9:12, 10:1, 20 and 27, 11:10, 14:4 and 8), while Pharaoh appears to harden his own heart an equal number of times (7:13, 14 and 22, 8:15, 19 and 32, 9:7, 34 and 35). The problem seems to be that YHVH initiates the process (4:21 and 7:3) before Pharaoh starts to harden his own heart. As a result, some have said that Pharaoh was a puppet with no will of his own, that Ha’Shem had forced him to harden his heart against his will. So when Pharaoh hardened his heart, he had set the stage for the ten plagues to fall upon Egypt. But although God is sovereign and does whatever He pleases (Psalm 135:6), He will not violate a person’s free will. We can say no to God and make it stick! Exodus tells us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but it also tells us that Pharaoh deliberately hardened his own heart over and over again. Let’s take a look at these eighteen references more closely.

The first two references (4:21 and 7:3) state that ADONAI will harden Pharaoh’s heart at some future time. The Hebrew verb used there is hazaq, and it means to be strong. In those earlier passages the verb was in the imperfect tense, indicating uncompleted action; the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart had not yet occurred.

But the next ten references indicate that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, with the only exception being 9:12. The final six references tell us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, with the only exception being 14:4. In those passages the verb is an imperfect introduced by a waw conversive that makes it act like a perfect. The perfect tense signifies a completed action. It was not that Pharaoh’s heart was in the process of being hardened, because it was already hardened at that point in time.¹⁰⁴

The picture that emerges, then, is that ADONAI, on the basis of His foreknowledge, predicted (4:21 and 7:3) and announced that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, but only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart. God then confirmed that hardening process in the last six references, beginning with His own involvement in 9:12, after Pharaoh’s willful hardening had passed the point of no return. Although mankind’s sin is God’s sorrow, the time comes when He gives hopelessly wicked people over to the sin they have chosen, and they are without excuse and judged accordingly (Romans 1:18-2:3).¹⁰⁵

Pharaoh is a typical example of an unbeliever. He asks for proof, a miracle that will attest to the truth and power of God. Then ADONAI responds. However, even with the physical evidence before him, Pharaoh does not believe. He simply will not be persuaded, no matter how much evidence is placed before his eyes because there is never enough evidence for unbelief. This is true of unbelievers throughout the ages. Even many of those who saw Jesus, heard Him preach and witnessed His miracles did not believe in Him, for though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand (Matthew 13:13). The same is true today. People cannot be talked into the Kingdom of Heaven. People need to have their hearts changed by the will and power of the Creator. There is no other way.¹⁰⁶

These Were the Heads of the Families of Moses and Aaron
6: 14-27

These were the heads of the families of Moses and Aaron DIG: Why do you think Moses included this genealogy into the action of the story? How would this help the Israelites when it was time to leave Egypt?

REFLECT: What would your genealogy reveal about the role each person plays in your household? What story of your roots defined the expectations for those growing up in your household? What would a family tree indicate about your extended family and your responsibility to them or for them?

The placement of a genealogy at this point strikes modern readers as somewhat odd. It does not fit the overall stream of the narrative. However, this is not an uncommon literary digression in ancient Near-Eastern literature. There has been great dramatic tension in the exodus story thus far, leading up to the installation of Moses and Aaron as the intercessors on behalf of Isra’el. A natural question for the reader is, “What was their genealogical status? What place did they occupy among the sons of Isra’el?”⁹⁶

These are the heads of their families: The clans of Reuben and Simeon are mentioned first in order to get to Levi, Jacob’s third son and Moses’ and Aaron’s ancestor. Extended families united as blood relatives comprise a clan. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben (6:14). The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. Intermarriage with pagans was taboo in Jewish society. Its inclusion here was possibly a subtle warning to the Jews coming out of Egypt not to do the same thing. These were the clans of Simeon (6:15).

These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years (16:16). The three sons mentioned here were the ancestors of the clans that were later to serve in the Tabernacle. In Numbers 3:25-37, the specific duty of each clan is described in the same order of the names given here.

The death date is not given for everyone, only those whose names are significant for this particular genealogy. The author does not give us the ages of the other two sons when they died. Only Levi’s longevity is recorded because his is the family through which Moses, the deliverer, comes. Both Simeon and Levi were under a curse because of the slaughter of the men of Shechem (Genesis 34:25-30 and 49:5-7). So the fact that God would select the deliverer of the Jewish people from Levi shows His incredible grace.

The genealogy of the sons of Jacob stop here because the purpose was to show where Moses and Aaron fit. Since Moses and Aaron were descendants of Jacob’s third son Levi, there was no point to go any further. Levi’s three sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei (6:17). The specific duties of the Gershonite clan of Levites at the Tabernacle could be divided into three main categories. First, they were responsible for the care of the Tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Secondly, the curtains of the courtyard, and the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle were under their care. And, finally, the Gershonites were to keep watch over the altar, the ropes and everything related to their use (Numbers 3:25-26).

The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years (6:18). We are told how long Kohath lived because he was the important one as far as Moses and Aaron were concerned. Kohath had a son named Amram, who eventually became the father of Moses and Aaron. The clan of the Kohathites had other duties in the Tabernacle. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain and everything related to their use (Numbers 31-32).

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi (6:19). The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the Tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well as the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes (Numbers 3:36-37). After reviewing all three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, the author returns to the most important line that which would bear Aaron and Moses.

Amram the first son of Kohath, the son of Levi, married his father’s sister Jochebed, which means the Lord is my glory (Numbers 26:59), who bore him Aaron and Moses. In actuality, Amram married his own aunt. This was something that would later be prohibited by the Torah, but at this point it was acceptable. And because he was significant, we are told that Amram lived 137 years (6:20). The question has been asked, “Why wasn’t the life of Aaron in as much danger as the life of Moses when the command to kill the Hebrew baby boys was given by Pharaoh (1:16)? The answer is simply that Aaron was older than Moses, and the decree had not been made yet. It was not until Pharaoh saw how quickly the Jews were increasing in number that he issued the orders to kill them.⁹⁷ Muslims teach that Moses was a Muslim and not a Jew because he was of the tribe of Levi, not Judah; but all twelve sons of Jacob are considered Jews, not just those from the tribe of Judah.

The sons of Izhar, the second son of Kohath, were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri (6:21). Although it is Amram’s line that the author is most interested in, he also records the descent of Amram’s nephew Korah who was later to become a thorn in Moses’ flesh. In Numbers 16, Korah led a rebellion against the authority of Moses and Aaron.⁹⁸

Hebron, the third son of Kohath, is not mentioned.

The sons of Uzziel, the fourth son of Kohath, were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri (6:22). Mishael and Elzaphan later appear in Leviticus 10. In that episode, Aaron’s two sons Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire before God, and were consumed by fire because of their sin. It was Mishael and Elzaphan who carried their cousin’s bodies outside the camp of Isra’el, just as Moses ordered (Leviticus 10:1-4).

Aaron married Elisheba, which means the oath of God, and the English name Elizabeth comes from this name. She was from the tribe of Judah (Numbers 2:3), and the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him four sons: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar (6:23). Because the father determines the nationality and tribal origin, the four sons of Aaron are considered fully Levites, and not half Levite and half Judean. Aaron’s sons are probably mentioned because they played such an important and, in the case of Nadab and Abihu, infamous role in the early priesthood of Isra’el. They were the priests who offered unauthorized fire before God. The fact that Aaron’s wife Elisheba was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon was important because those two men were ancestors of King David (Ruth 4:20). That tied the royal and priestly leaders of the nation of Isra’el together from the very beginning.

The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans (6:24). The family line of Korah is specifically mentioned here because they did not take part in their father’s rebellion (Numbers 16:31-33, 26:11). In their service at the Tabernacle, the Korahites were gatekeepers who were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Temple, just as their fathers had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of God (First Chronicles 9:19). They even played a part in the official singing of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple (Second Chronicles 20:19), and were also Temple musicians who wrote several of the Psalms (Psalm 42. 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87 and 88).

Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas (6:25a). After recording the infamous children of Aaron in verse 23, the author now refers to one of his most famous descendants, Phinehas. During the later wilderness wanderings, Phinehas proved to be faithful in the midst of a severe crisis of idolatry and harlotry among the Hebrews (Numbers 25:1-13). Because of this courageous act, he was rewarded and made a leader of the Israelite army (Numbers 31:6). Phinehas went on to enter the Promised Land (Joshua 20:28) and served as high priest before the Tabernacle (Judges 20:28). One of the greatest Hebrew leaders, Ezra, was a descendant of Phinehas (First Chronicles 9:20). Thus, the genealogy ends on a high and positive note. These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan (6:25b).

Although Aaron’s family is traced through his sons and grandson Phinehas, no lineage is provided for Moses. The reason for this may be that Moses’ second son Gershom had already been mentioned (2:22). On the other hand, the silence may have later protected the reputation of Moses because his descendants apparently became involved with idolatry. In Judges 18:30 we learn that Jonathan (the son of Gershom and the grandson of Moses), along with other members of the tribe of Dan, set up idols for themselves.

It was this same Moses and Aaron to whom ADONAI said: Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions. This had military overtones. Frequently, during the wilderness wanderings, the Israelites were organized by their divisions. They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron (6:26-27). This time Moses’ name precedes Aaron’s because the major responsibility of the Exodus was on his shoulders.

Moses was discouraged in Exodus 6:12. Neither the circumcised nor the un-circumcised would accept him. At that time YHVH stepped in and gave us the background of who Moses was. Moses had to live up to God’s claims before he could deliver the children of Isra’el.

There are those today who say that it is not essential to believe the virgin birth of Christ. I say that it is absolutely essential to believe it. It is part of the credentials of Messiah. You must trust in His death and resurrection to be saved. When you are saved, you will come to know Him. And when you know Him, you will find out that He was born of a virgin. If not, then you made a mistake in trusting in Him because He is not who He claims to be. No one who is truly saved will deny the virgin birth of Yeshua Messiah.

It is also essential that Moses and Aaron are who they claim to be. It had been forty years since Moses left Egypt. In the meantime he had married the daughter of the priest of Midian. Now he is back in Egypt. Who is he anyway? This genealogy tells who he is. He belongs to the tribe of Levi, and his father and mother are Amram and Jochebed.⁹⁹ This genealogy legitimizes Moses and Aaron as official representatives, who were authorized to speak God’s word to Pharaoh.¹⁰⁰

Now You Will See What I Will Do to Pharaoh
5:22 to 6:13

Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh DIG: Why does Moses react the way he does? How does ADONAI reaffirm His trustworthiness? How did Moses end up feeling? Read Isaiah 45:14 and 17. How does God’s Presence through prophecy change the hearts of unbelievers? 

REFLECT: In your own walk with God, which is more important: the past acts of YHVH, your present circumstances, or His future promises? Why? In what ways can the LORD deliver you from the might of the very thing oppressing you?

Moses confronted ADONAI over the reason why Isra’el has not yet been delivered from Egypt. Moshe complains directly to Him and is quite bold in addressing YHVH in this manner. But ADONAI does not rebuke Moses. Instead He patiently explains, in great detail, what is going to take place in Egypt and why it is going to happen. God’s forbearance with Moshe is a concession to the prophet’s weakness and impatience. He is being taught to wait upon the LORD who does things according to His own timing.⁸⁷

His fellow Hebrews had just accused Moses of wrongdoing; therefore, he returned to God. We should not regard the response of Moshe to Ha’Shem as being irreverent or insubordinate, but these were words of a searching heart and of one deeply confused by the turn of events. What is significant about all of this is that Moses did not surrender the cause to which the LORD had called him.⁸⁸ In faith, he turned to God and said: ADONAI, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all (5:22-23). Moses laments that things had gotten worse because of him and his confrontation with Amenhotep II. Moshe could not see the entire picture, but God was moving slowly and patiently to work out His plan. However He responded with words of assurance. He had much to teach Moses, the Israelites, the Egyptians and Pharaoh.⁸⁹

In every instance where God brings about judgment, He always brings someone to give warning and an opportunity to repent. Enoch warned the antediluvians, or the people before the flood, to repent. He even named his son Methuselah, which means, “When he dies, it shall be sent.” Noah built an ark for one hundred and twenty years on dry land as a testimony to preach a message of repentance. Jonah preached to Nineveh. Isaiah and other prophets preached to the northern kingdom of Isra’el before they were assimilated by Assyria. Jeremiah and other prophets preached to the southern kingdom of Judah before being taken to Babylon. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1) preached a message of repentance before the coming of Christ. And the hundred and forty-four thousand will preach a message of repentance before the plagues of the book of Revelation, which mirror the plagues of Egypt in many ways, will come upon the whole world. Who came, or has come into your life with the Gospel? What did you do with the message of repentance?

The Israelites were now at the end of their self-sufficiency. Moses and Aaron could not help them; Pharaoh would not help them; and they were powerless to help themselves. If help was to be had, it had to come from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Just then, when they had given up hope through any other source, was the time for ADONAI to step in and save them. That was just what He did.⁹⁰

First, God contrasted His strength with that of Pharaoh. Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of My mighty hand he will let them go and drive them out of this country (6:1). The initial failure of Moses was necessary to show him why God would drive him out of Egypt. Pharaoh had to be given the opportunity to repent and respond. At that point the opportunity had been given and rejected. Then the mighty hand of God would respond with ten plagues. In the final analysis, Pharaoh would not only allow the Hebrews to leave, but he would drive them away.

Haftarah Sh’mot: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 (A); Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1-2:3 (S)
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

Mightier works of the hand of ADONAI are not prophecies in order to redeem the fallen history of the sons of Jacob. Ephraim has lost his crown and the glory of leadership to Assyria (Isaiah 28:1-4). But YHVH, who redeemed Abraham when he as assimilating in Assyria (Isaiah 29:22), and delivered the house of Jacob from the power of Egypt, will act once more! The LORD’s hand will work out a new redemption. No longer will Jacob be embarrassed in the midst of the nations over his fallen holiness. When his descendants see the work of my hands among them, they will consecrate My name. Yes, they will consecrate the Holy one of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Isra’el (Isaiah 29:23). Unlike Ephraim, the House of Jacob will be delivered from the perils of national assimilation and loss of covenant status. 

B’rit Chadashah suggested readings for Parashah Sh’mot: Mattityahu (Matthew) 22:23-33; 41-46; Mark 12:18-27, 35-37; Luke 20:27-44; Acts 3:12-15, 5:27-32, 7:17-36, 22:12-16, 24:14-16 and Hebrews 11:23-26.

Up to now, foreign languages have been a sign of God’s judgment. Ha’Shem created languages to divide the nations (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Dn – Let Us Go Down and Confuse Their Language), and even to judge Isra’el among the Assyrians (see the Haftarah on Isaiah Fm – With Foreign Lips and Strange Tongues God Will Speak to This People). In the B’rit Chadashah, ADONAI chides the Corinthians for child-like immaturity, particularly when they judge the intensity of their personal experience in worship as a sign of spiritual maturity (First Corinthians 3:2 and 14:40). Prophecy, however, makes sense what foreign languages do not! In prophecy, secrets of the heart are laid bare, bringing the terrifying conviction that God dwells among His people (First Corinthians 14:25).

Parashah 14: Va’era (I appeared) 6:2-9:35
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People are Moshe, Aaron, Pharaoh, and the sorcerers.

The Scene is in Egypt.

The Main Events include God identifying Himself as YHVH, the God of the Covenant; Moshe’s reluctance to lead; lineage cited to validate Moshe and Aaron; wonders performed with Moshe’s staff becoming a snake; plagues of blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock dying, and boils; Pharaoh’s heart hardened first by himself and later by Ha’Shem; the plague of hail with warning to seek shelter; Pharaoh backing down, but only while under pressure, and then hardening his own heart again. 

Having established the principles by which God would act in the next few chapters, the promise that He had made to Moses earlier is now renewed. God also said to Moses, “I AM ADONAI” (6:2). This is God’s personal name and emphasized His ability to keep His covenant. This is important to understand because of what He says in the following verses.

Secondly, ADONAI showed Moshe that redemption of Isra’el from bondage was assured because it rested on His unconditional promises. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, or El Shaddai, or the provider, but by My name, YHVH (Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay), I did not make Myself known to them. This did not mean that the patriarchs did not know that God’s name was YHVH. Even non-Hebrews, such as the king of Sodom, were familiar with the Name. They knew Him by that name, but they did not experience what that name implied, namely that He is the One who keeps His covenants. The name El Shaddai emphasizes God as the One who would take care of them, provide for them and make a covenant with them. God did bring the patriarchs into the Land, and He did provide for them and YHVH did make the Abrahamic Covenant with them. But while God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they never experienced the fulfillment of that covenant because they all died before possessing the Land. Their only possession was a burial cave at Machpelah (Gen 23:9-20). Thus, they did not know Him as God who keeps the covenant; they only knew Him as El Shaddai, the One who makes covenants. Then He continued: I will also establish My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens (6:2-4).

But now God said that Isra’el was about to experience Him as ADONAI, because part of the Abrahamic Covenant said that after four hundred years they would be brought out of Egypt into the Promised Land. It was this generation of Hebrews and the following one, who would experience what the name God implied. He was not only the maker of the Abrahamic Covenant, but also the keeper of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Moreover, He said: I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant (6:5). In other words, He was prepared to act, and act very soon. In verses 6 through 8 ADONAI reveals the seven I wills of redemption (also see Genesis 17:1-8 and Jeremiah 31:31-34). These verses paint a marvelous picture for us today and were a great encouragement to Moses in his day. God announced who He is and what He is going to do. Today we have the same Savior who tells us who He is and what He is going to do. He is able to save all those who come to Him.⁹¹

Thirdly, YHVH made a sevenfold promise with the words: “I will” beginning each phrase. Therefore, say to the Israelites: I AM ADONAI; and I can be trusted to honor My promises.

Perhaps the most famous commentary written of the story of the Exodus is the Passover Haggadah. In it we find that the whole Passover celebration (Seder) is divided into four parts. Each section is marked off by the drinking of a cup of wine. These four cups of wine even have traditional names, two of which can be seen in the Passover Haggadah which Messiah participated in on the evening before He was crucified.

1. I will bring you out (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kg – The First Cup of Sanctification) from under the yoke of the Egyptians (6:6a). His people had been groaning under the intolerable cruelty of their taskmasters. Was there no one to deliver them? There was. The covenant God made with their fathers had promised that at the end of four hundred years of affliction, they should be delivered (Genesis 15:13-16). That time had come for God to make good on His promises. He declared, therefore, that He would bring them out from under the yoke of their burdens. And this is what God does for those who follow Him today. We are delivered from the burden of sin from our souls.

2. I will free you (the second cup of Salvation) from being slaves to them (6:6b). God was going to do far more than merely relieve the Israelites of their burdens, He would completely set them free. Instead of them toiling in the kilns of Egypt, He would have them out in the wilderness, in communion with Himself. Those who receive Jesus as their Savior are no longer a slave to sin, no longer a slave to Satan, or the fear of death. The one who believes in Christ is set free.

3. I will redeem you (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kk – The Third Cup of Redemption) with an outstretched arm, and with mighty acts of judgment (6:6c). To redeem means to purchase and set free. This is the mighty arm of God spoken of by Isaiah the prophet. Who had believed our message and to whom has the arm of ADONAI been revealed (Isaiah 53:1)? It turns out that the arm of ADONAI is none other than Jesus Christ (see the commentary on Isaiah Ja – Who Has Believed Our Message). He is the One who redeemed Isra’el and He is the same One who redeems today. Each of us needs a Savior from sin because we are corrupt in His sight. He loved us enough to die for us in order that we might be saved. If He was willing to do that, we must be willing to come to Him as sinners. If we place our faith in the work that Jesus did for us we will be saved. God has a great plan of salvation but we must come to Him for it. He will redeem you with an outstretched arm.

4. I will take you (the fourth cup of Acceptance) as My own people (6:7a). For Isra’el this meant from that time on, as a nation, they would have a unique relationship with God. They would be His treasure and the objects of His special care and favor. Amazingly, God Himself owned a downtrodden nation of slaves. But He did! On what basis? On the basis of redemption. With the mighty arm of ADONAI, Jesus Christ, He had purchased them by the blood of the Passover Lamb. This same truth is set forth in the B’rit Chadashah. Just think, God has lifted us out of the muck and mire of sin and made us His sons and daughters by faith in Christ! Now he tells them: I will be your God. But God does not save us and then run off and leave us. He wants to be your God and He wants us to be His people.

This cup of Acceptance introduces one of the most beautiful themes in the Bible – the theme of marriage between God and His people. The Hebrew word which is translated will take is a rather common word usually meaning to take. However, it is also used in reference to a man taking a bride for himself. For example it is used that way in Genesis 4:19, 6:2, 11:29 and 12:19, just to name a few places in the Torah alone. Based on this usage, we can say that here in Exodus, ADONAI is telling Isra’el that He will take her to be His wife! In other words, this is God’s engagement to Isra’el!

Let’s develop this theme a little more. YHVH first promised to separate Isra’el from all the other nations in the world. By His grace, He selected her as His bride and He intends to marry her. But His bride is held in slavery bondage to someone else. Therefore, the LORD promises to sever those bonds. Then the Exodus actually happens. God leads His bride to the wedding at Mount Sinai (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bf – God’s Chosen People). He even gives her a ring in the Sabbath (see Er – The Sabbath, the Sign of the Covenant). However, not all of His bride is ready. He is still adding on. Ephesians 5 tells us that all believers in Yeshua are His bride, along with the believing remnant Isra’el. Finally the wedding is consummated (see the commentary on Revelation Fg – Blessed Are Those Invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb).

There’s going to be a wedding: Therefore, if ADONAI makes a promise to be a husband to Isra’el, He will assuredly keep it. Now, it is true that this relationship with Isra’el has had some shaky moments throughout their history. But the Eternal One has assured Isra’el (in Hosea Chapters 1-3) that no matter how unfaithful Isra’el would be as a bride (or betrothed one) He would always remain faithful and keep His beloved one as His own.

The truth is that Gentile believers in Yeshua, though also called His bride, have NEVER replaced Isra’el in that position (Ephesians Chater 5). We know this because God’s promises, such as Exodus 6:7. They are only added to Isra’el by being grafted into the Olive Tree (see the commentary on Romans Cz – The Illustration of Isra’el’s Future).

Not only does this provide assurance for Isra’el on a national level, it also provides assurance for all of God’s children on a personal level. If the Eternal One can suffer all which He has from His bride and still love her infinitely and keep her as His bride, then He most assuredly will do so for the individual members of the bride . . . meaning us! The Eternal One who makes promises concerning Isra’el has also made promises to us individually. He will never leave us or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5), and there is nothing which is able to separate us from His covenant-keeping love (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

5. I will be your God. Then you will know that I AM ADONAI, your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians (6:7b). Who but God could have made a way through the Sea of Reeds so that His redeemed could pass through on dry land? Who but God could have caused that Sea to turn back and drown the chariots of the Egyptians? Who but ADONAI could have guided His people through the wilderness wanderings by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night? Who but the LORD could have quenched their thirst from a rock, and fed a hungry nation with manna and quail for forty years? Truly, He was God to Isra’el. And such is His promise to us today: I will be their God, and they will be My people (2 Corinthians 6:16). Every believer receives this promise daily. Who but YHVH could bring us out from under the yoke of our own sin?

6. I will bring you to the Land that I swore with an uplifted hand, as One taking an oath, to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. Not only did God bring His people out of the land of bondage, but He also brought them into the Land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is true that many died in the wilderness; however, God brought the nation of Isra’el into Canaan. And He will bring each of us, the ones bought by His blood, safely to heaven. The world, the flesh and the Devil may be against us, but not a single sheep of Christ will be lost (John 6:45-40).

7. I will give it to you as a possession. This is the goal to which God is working. All was done in order that they might enjoy that which He had promised to their fathers. This has not yet been completely fulfilled. It is in the messianic Kingdom that Isra’el will take the Land as their possession. In like manner, the full enjoyment of our heritage is in the future. But we already have the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13b-14). And notice it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).⁹²

The mention of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob connects the end of the divine speech with the beginning of it in verse 2. In addition, the divine formula of self-identification: I AM ADONAI, concludes the speech as it began (6:8).⁹³

Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him, or believe in what he had said, because of their discouragement and cruel bondage (6:9). Despite everything, however, the people of Isra’el were discouraged and unimpressed when Moses reported to them what God had promised.⁹⁴

Are you not listening to God today because of discouragement, or cruel circumstances in your life? I want to encourage you to walk in faith right now, and not to walk by sight. Just as God had deliverance and redemption right around the corner for the Israelites, He has deliverance and redemption right around the corner for you. Do not lose heart, the night has to come before the dawn can shine. I know that’s easy to say, but it’s true.

Nevertheless, even if the Hebrews didn’t want to listen to Moses and Aaron, God again commanded them to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let Isra’el go into the wilderness to worship Him. Then ADONAI said to Moses His servant: Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country (6:10-11).

But Moses hesitated, his zeal dampened by the people’s response, and said to ADONAI, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me.” He felt if he couldn’t convince his own fellow Jews that they would be delivered, what possible chance would he have with Pharaoh? Again he points out his speech impediment, saying: since I speak with faltering lips (6:12). He was looking at the circumstances rather than God. And before we get to critical of Moshe, we must remind ourselves that we do the same thing.

Now ADONAI spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and He commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (6:13). God had a message for both the elders of Isra’el and Pharaoh king of Egypt, who no longer believed Moses and Aaron. They both needed to understand that ADONAI commanded the Israelites to be set free.

The Israelites would do nothing to deliver themselves from Egypt, nor could they, beyond believing and obeying what ADONAI had told them. God did it all for the Hebrews then, and He continues to do it all for us today. He purchased us and set us free with His blood, whereby we escape death. He breaks Satan’s power, and He leads us up out of the enemy’s sphere of influence into our inheritance in Christ.⁹⁵

You Must Produce Your Full Quota of Bricks
5: 10-21

You must produce your full quota of bricks DIG: How would you characterize the response of the people when faced with extra work? Now who is surprised? Why? How is Isra’el’s vision and Moses’ leadership now tested?

REFLECT: How do you respond to temporary setbacks? To what extent do you respond like Isra’el here? When have you suffered for what someone else has done? When this happens, what reassurance can you draw from Isra’el’s experience here?

Then the Egyptian slave masters and the foremen went out and told the people that Pharaoh said they would not be given any more straw. Moses and Aaron were not able to mediate anything with Pharaoh. The King of Egypt even attempted to prove his power as a god (to see link click Bc – Pharaoh as god and upholder of Ma’at) by dictating how the slaves should work . Pharaoh’s commands were arrogantly announced in the same manner in which Moses and Aaron proclaimed His words when they first met.⁸³ They had said: This is what ADONAI, God of Isra’el says: Let My people go (5:1). But then, this was what Pharaoh, god of Egypt said: Go and get your own stubble wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all (5:10-11).

So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble left in the fields to use for straw (5:12). Stubble is the mere leftovers of straw, and therefore of poorer quality, making their work even more difficult. But in spite of everything, they were not permitted to reduce their daily quota of bricks (5:8, 11, 13-14, 18-19). The straw itself is not so much a binding agent, but its chemical decay in the clay released an acid (like glutamic or gallotannic acid), which gave the clay greater smoothness for brick making. It should be pointed out here that Moses did not present the Hebrews as making bricks without straw as is sometimes stated. The decree of Pharaoh clearly instructed them to use stubble, but the difference was that they had to gather it themselves.⁸⁴

The slave drivers kept pressing the Hebrew foremen, saying: Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw. The Israelite foreman appointed by Pharaoh’s slave drivers were beaten and were asked: Why didn’t you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before (5:13-14)? Out of sheer spite, they were given an impossible task and beaten when they did not complete it. Moses and Aaron had given Pharaoh a reason to destroy the Israelites, and he was taking advantage of it. This doesn’t seem like a logical thing to do. Why would he destroy his work force? But we must never forget that Satan is always behind the scenes working against the people of God. He knew what was at stake. If he could destroy the Jews, the Savior could not come.

But the task of meeting brick quotas by gathering stubble became too much for the already weary Israelites. Sometimes slaves were permitted to make their complaints directly to Pharaoh, bypassing the slave masters. Sometimes their complaints were successful, as Egyptian records show. So instead of going to God the Hebrew foremen cried out to Pharaoh saying: Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, “Make bricks!” Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people who refuse to give us straw as before (5:15-16). They were not loyal to God, but to Pharaoh. Three times they refer to themselves as Pharaoh’s servants, thus showing their true colors. They try to convince him that it was not their fault, but their cries fell on deaf ears. This is what happens to us when we go to the world (First John 2:15-17), when we should be going to the LORD.

Pharaoh not only refused to listen to their cry, but he mocks them as well. He not only made their work harder by providing no straw, but he also rubs salt in their wounds by accusing them of bringing this whole situation on themselves by saying: Lazy, that’s what you are – lazy! That is why you keep saying, “Let us go and sacrifice to ADONAI.” Pharaoh repeats his same accusation as in verse 8. He refuses to give an inch. His heart has truly been hardened. He said: Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks (5:17-18).

Therefore, the Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day” (5:19). The beginning of this verse literally says: The Israelite foremen realized they were in evil. Consequently, the Hebrew foremen finally realized that Pharaoh represented the Evil One or Satan.

For now, Pharaoh’s strategy of disparaging Moses’ reputation among the Israelites was working. When the foremen left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron and confronted them. They bitterly complained to them saying: May ADONAI look upon you and judge you! It was hypocritical that they called upon ADONAI to judge Moses and Aaron, when they themselves did not believe that He could, or would, save them! They literally said: You have caused our smell to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us (5:20-21). But Moses and Aaron were not to blame; Pharaoh was at fault. Jacob said the same thing to Simeon and Levi after they slaughtered the men of Shechem. He said: You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed (Genesis 34:30). How many times have we done the same thing and blamed God for something that Satan has done?

It wasn’t like they were hanging tough and seeing what God would do in their horrible situation. They first complained to Pharaoh, and when that didn’t work, they complained to Moses and Aaron. Moses did not attempt to answer the charge of those who stood before him, but in the quietness of the hours that followed we are informed that Moshe returned to God and brought his case before the One who had sent him.⁸⁵

At no time did God promise that Moses’ and Aaron’s task would be easy. Here we see that their work was fraught with danger and difficulties. Pharaoh responded to their demands by making life even more miserable for the Hebrews by forcing them to gather straw for making bricks. The Hebrew foremen were no consolation. They attacked Moses and Aaron as the source of their misery. The two prophets seemed to be standing alone.

When the LORD calls us, the road is not always easy, straight or simple. One need only think of a missionary like J. Hudson Taylor, whom God called to evangelize China in the mid-nineteenth century. He suffered great deprivations in his life and ministry, loss of loved ones in the field and illness. Yet ADONAI did wondrous things through that man, as many Chinese became believers. During one serious illness, Taylor admitted to a friend, “I believe that God has enabled me to do more for China during this long illness than I might have done had I been well.” He knew his mission was wholly dependent upon the power of God. Even today, a century and a half later, Taylor’s work lives on and is reaping great rewards in China. In our lives and ministries we are also to rely and depend upon God’s power and the strength given by the Holy Spirit. Like Moses, we are called to live by faith, and not by sight.⁸⁶

You Are No Longer to Supply the People with Straw
5: 1-9

You are no longer to supply the people with straw DIG: Carefully read verses 2 and 3. Compare and contrast Pharaoh’s response to that of Moses in 3:4 and 11, 4:1 and 10, 13, 19-20, and of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-4, 22:1-3), after each one hears a word from God.

REFLECT: When have you ever tried to serve the LORD faithfully, only to have things seemingly blow up in your face? How did you handle it? Did you blame ADONAI or Satan? Did you retreat or carry on? Did you put on the armor of God (Galatians 6:10-18), or turn to the world?

This must have been an exciting meeting. Moses and Aaron fully expected a quick end to Pharaoh’s destructive plan. But that’s not what happened. Things would get worse before they got better.⁷⁷ The Egyptian ruler, an absolute monarch, was proud and unyielding, and believed that he was a god. Therefore, he refused to listen to God and His servant Moses. As his resistance stiffened, the way was prepared for the horror of the ten plagues.⁷⁸

Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said confidently: This is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el says: Let My people go, so that they may hold a festival to Me in the desert (5:1). But where are the elders of Isra’el who were to accompany Moses and Aaron to the Egyptian court (3:18)? Their failure to show up was in direct disobedience to the command of God. Maybe this was a foreshadowing of their unbelief. The request: Let My people go, will be made seven times (5:1, 7:16, 8:1 and 20, 9:1 and 13, 10:3).

There’s going to be a wedding. In Exodus 6:7, YHVH tells Isra’el “I will take you.” This was the engagement. Here we see the separation of the bride. Thus being engaged, the bride, Isra’el, was not permitted to pursue other grooms. To help her, God began a separation process with the purpose of making her unreachable for other pursuers and helping to remove any temptations on her part. This process culminated with the Exodus. The theological terminology is called “sanctification,” a separation from everything else to serve only YHVH. Accordingly, notice that Moshe’s main plea to Pharaoh throughout the Ten Plagues was: This is what ADOANI says, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.” Next we see the segulah, the LORD telling His would-be bride, Isra’el, that she is His beloved treasure (see De – The Calling of Isra’el).

The ultimate purpose of God was the total freedom of Isra’el from the slavery of Egypt. But at this point Moses presents a very understated request, just a three-day journey to Mount Sinai to sacrifice to God in the desert. Work-lists from Deir el-Medina in Thebes reveal that workers had days off for a variety of reasons, including offering to one’s god. Thus, the request made by Moses and Aaron was not all that remarkable or unexpected.⁷⁹ The purpose of this request was to show the unreasonableness of Pharaoh. He would not grant even that very minimal request, let alone the freedom of the entire nation. Therefore, he deserved the punishment that would be given to him.

Pharaoh, of course, paid no attention to their demands and responded: Who is ADONAI that I should obey Him and let Isra’el go? I do not know ADONAI and I will not let Isra’el go (5:2). This is a rhetorical question with no answer expected. Pharaoh simply regarded himself as the true god of Egypt and was far superior to the God of the Hebrews. Yet, God would introduce Himself by bringing the ten plagues upon the land of Egypt (7:5).

Did Pharaoh not know the God of Isra’el? Of course he did. The Egyptians had ruled the Hebrews for some time, and while not agreeing with them, they knew exactly what and Whom they believed in. However, unlike other rulers in the ancient Near East, the Egyptian Pharaoh did not merely rule for the gods, but he was in a literal sense one of the gods. His birth was considered a divine act. In light of this, it is not difficult to see why Pharaoh reacted as he did to the initial request of Moses and Aaron. The king, as a god, was to have sole rule over his people. In fact, the Egyptians well-being was directly associated with that of the king (see Bc – Pharaoh as god and Upholder of Ma’at). It was his duty to maintain Ma’at, which would bring justice, peace and prosperity in the land.⁸⁰

Then they said: The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to ADONAI our God, or He may strike you with plagues or with the sword (5:3). It is almost as if the two Hebrew leaders were throwing themselves on the mercy of the Egyptian king.⁸¹ Unfortunately, the demand of Moses and Aaron backfired. Pharaoh decided to use it as an excuse for making the work of the Israelites harder. Now they had to find the straw to make the bricks on their own.

But kings do not respond well to threats, and here Amenhotep II makes no concessions whatsoever. In fact, he becomes the accuser. He declared: “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” (5:4).

Then Pharaoh said: “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working” (5:5). Literally, your people are now more numerous than the Egyptians. The Hebrews were so numerous that they posed a military threat. If they stopped their work, they would have time to align themselves with an enemy or plot sedition. He thought that he could smother their desire to leave Egypt by increasing their workload.

So that same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people (5:6). There were three levels of the slave labor supervision. First there were the slave masters, who oversaw the labor camps (1:11), and they were all Egyptians. Secondly, underneath them there were the slave drivers, or overseers, who were also Egyptian. Thirdly, below the slave drivers were the foremen (5:10, 13-15), or Hebrews who were in charge of the different labor groups doing the actual work.

He said: You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw (5:7). Straw was the glue that held the bricks together. They made bricks by combining mud from the Nile Valley with straw and chaff, placing the mixture in rectangular molds. Then they let them bake in the sun.⁸² Up to this point the straw had been provided to the Hebrews for the purpose of making bricks.

But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; this is why they are crying out: Let us go and sacrifice to our God (5:8). Pharaoh doesn’t even consider the possibility that there is any truth or reality in the God of the Hebrews. In his mind he was a god and would not tolerate any other! They had the same quota of bricks, but now they had to find their own straw. This amounted to more work, with less time to do it. Pharaoh was going to show Moses and his God who was in charge!

Make the work harder, or heavy, for the men so that they will keep working and not have time for what he perceived to be the lies of the two brothers (5:9). He accused Moses and Aaron of lying about their encounter with God. They were false prophets in his eyes, promising a salvation that could not be delivered. The actual verb used here for heavy is kabed. It is the same verb used later in 10:1, where God hardens Pharaoh’s heart. The king of Egypt sensed that the Hebrews had hope in the message of Moses and Aaron, so he wanted to stop it before it began. However, because Amenhotep II oppressed the Hebrews, God oppressed him.

Like the king of Egypt, today there are those who say that they don’t know God or can’t find God. They use this as an excuse to carry on with their sinful ways and suppress the truth by their wickedness. But the Bible says that what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men and women are without excuse (Romans 1:18b-20). Every time we see a sunset, every time we hear the waves crashing and smell the salty air, we see Him from what has been made. Pharaoh was blinded because he thought he was a god. Do you have an excuse to reject Him?

The First Encounter with Pharaoh
5:1 to 6:27

The first encounter between Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron was confrontational. The episode served to demonstrate Pharaoh’s true colors. He was playing at being god. Therefore, he persecuted the Hebrews still more and imposed even greater burdens upon them. The Hebrew prophets were certainly surprised by such a turn of events. They were rather confident that the king of Egypt would let the people go because God had commanded it. They were disappointed indeed.

But YHVH was at work. He was in the process of hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that the king would not release the Israelites. The reason was very clear. It was so the LORD would then bring judgments upon Egypt and miraculously bring His people out of that wicked land. And, in that manner, God would be highly glorified.⁷⁶

Pharaoh as god and upholder of Ma’at

The Pharaohs maintained many different titles and they played a vital role within the kingdom of Egypt. These titles consisted of Pharaoh as the Chief Priest of the gods, Pharaoh as the Chief Judge and Lawmaker, Pharaoh as Administrator and Pharaoh as a Military Leader. All of these were important to uphold Ma’at in Egypt.

Ma’at, thought to be pronounced as Muh-aht, was the Ancient Egyptian concept for order, law, morality and justice, which was deified as a goddess. Ma’at was seen as being charged with regulating the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and deities, after she had set the order of the universe from chaos at the moment of creation (the Egyptians didn’t believe in evolution either).

The Egyptians believed that she continuously prevented the universe from returning to chaos. Her primary role in Egyptian mythology dealt with the weighing of souls that took place in the underworld, called Duat. Her feather was the measure that determined whether the souls of the departed would reach the paradise of afterlife successfully.

In Duat, the hearts of the dead were said to be weighed against the single shu feather, symbolically represented by the goddess Ma’at, in the Hall of the Two Truths. There, Ammit, the personification of divine retribution, devoured a heart that was unworthy and its owner was condemned to remain in Duat. Ancient Egyptians considered the heart the location of the soul, and those people with good and pure hearts were sent to Aaru, which was the Egyptian equivalent of heaven. They described it as paradise, the land of eternity, a field of peace and interestingly enough, the water of life. Osiris eventually came to be seen as the guardian of the gates of the underworld after he became part of the Egyptian pantheon.

Thus, to the Egyptian mind, the goddess Ma’at bound all things together in an indestructible unity; the universe, the natural world, and the individual were all seen as parts of the wider order generated by her. It was the responsibility of Pharaoh, as a god, to maintain Ma’at. To that end, Pharaoh had four titles.

The first title of Pharaoh was Chief Priest of the gods. The most important function of Pharaoh was Chief Priest. This role was important because when Pharaoh maintained a good relationship between the gods and Egypt, Ma’at was guaranteed. He acted as a channel of divine power, and performed religious rituals. Of course the priests, on his behalf, carried out most of these tasks. One of the most important religious festivals was called Heb-sed, which renewed the Pharaoh’s powers to rule. This festival was held on the anniversary of the Pharaoh’s accession.

The second title of Pharaoh was Chief Judge and Lawmaker. Pharaoh’s number one responsibility as Chief Judge and Lawmaker was to maintain Ma’at. It consisted of the right order of things, where nature was in balance and Egypt was prosperous and secure. The Egyptians believed that Ma’at was a state of harmony between the gods and humans.

The third title of Pharaoh was Administrator. Pharaoh was responsible for everything undertaken in Egypt. The image of Administrator was represented as a ruler who ensured that all the land was productive and commerce was profitable. Although this was another important role, Pharaoh was not concerned with the monotonous day-to-day details of administration. Therefore, Pharaoh usually appointed a Prime Minister to carry out those duties. The Prime Minister held the most important position in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. They were normally chosen from Egyptian nobility. Joseph was chosen as Prime Minister during the rule of the Hyksos, precisely because they were not Egyptian, and neither was he.

The fourth title of Pharaoh was Commander. Pharaoh was in charge of the army and the navy. It was Pharaoh’s duty to preserve Ma’at by keeping foreign people out of Egypt. Some of the New Kingdom rulers have been referred to as Warrior Pharaohs. The first famous ruler to portray the Warrior Pharaoh image was Ahmose. He achieved this status from his grand military campaigns that inevitably expelled the Hyksos invaders. However, Thutmose III was perhaps that greatest of all the Warrior Pharaohs, and was called the Napoleon of Ancient Egypt.

Therefore, the ten plagues targeted the gods of Egypt, and threatened Pharaoh as the keeper of Ma’at. The plagues surely must have pointed out to the Egyptians that Pharaoh was incapable of turning the tide of the disastrous situation that they found themselves in, and therefore demonstrated his failure as both a ruler and a god.

Rulers of nations today think they and their governments are in control of their nation, but Elyon “God Most High” the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is sovereign over the entire world and in control of all. When world events seem out of control, we can be at peace knowing that God is watching over and nothing ever escapes his eye. He never sleeps, never slumbers. Our help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121).