At the End of the 430 Years, to the Very Day
12: 37-42

At the end of the 430 years, to the very day DIG: As they left Egypt in haste, how do you think the Hebrews felt? The Egyptians? In the 430 years, whose patience was most tested – God’s or the Hebrews? Whose word was vindicated? Whose power was broken?

REFLECT: Egypt is symbolic of the world opposed to God (Revelation 11:8). We all have the same choice. Do we love the world (First John 2:15-17), or do we love God (Matthew 22:37)? Joshua said: Choose this day whom you shall serve, whether the gods of Egypt or the gods of the Amorites, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). Who is your first love (Revelation 2:4)? Have you left Egypt?

It was not until the blood of a lamb was shed that the redemption was affected. And as soon as it was shed, on the very day, Isra’el marched out of Egypt a free people. They were the Lord’s, bought with a price (First Corinthians 7:23), and that price was not bought with perishable things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lamb without blemish or defect (First Peter 1:18-19). One nation’s judgment became another nation’s redemption.

The date of the Exodus was 1447 BC (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see the clink click Ac – Deuteronomy from a Jewish Perspective: Date).

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth to the south. We don’t know where Rameses was located, but we do know it was a storage city (1:11). There were about six hundred thousand men twenty years old or more aside from the women and children (12:37). This is a rounded number for 603,550 is found in 38:26 (also see Numbers 1:46-47, 2:32, 26:51). The term for men distinguishes them from all others. If each man had a wife and a minimum of two children, there would have been at least two million people. But because we know that most Hebrew families had more than two children, it is estimated that the size of the Hebrew population at that time was between two and three million.

Those large numbers can be supported in light of the explosion of growth during the lifetime of Joseph. But after he died, a new king who did not know about Joseph came to power. He was Ahmose, who expelled the Hyksos invaders from Egypt and founded the Eighteenth Dynasty. At that time the war against the Hyksos had just recently been won, but the Egyptians worried that if war with the Hittites broke out, the Israelites, with their great numbers of fighting men, would join their enemies, fight against the Egyptians and leave the country (1:10). But the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land had been filled with them (1:7).

But they were not the only ones to leave Egypt because a mixed multitude went up with them (12:38a NKJ). Mixture is a Hebrew word that is used of miscellaneous peoples who attach themselves to a group to which they do not naturally belong (Jeremiah 25:20, 50:37; Nehemiah 13:3). Some translations render this word foreigners, foreign people, or all who were of foreign descent.

However you want to say it, the mixed multitude were troublemakers. We learn about them in Numbers 11. Actually, they were a mixed race where an Egyptian man would have married a Hebrew woman, or a Hebrew man an Egyptian woman. The offspring of such a marriage had to make a decision: Will I leave Egypt with the Hebrews, or stay with the Egyptians? Many of the mixed multitude left, and many stayed. Those who left often wondered if they had made a mistake and when trouble and hardship came, they were the first to complain. They were not Israelites in the true sense of the word.²²⁴

The Hebrews left Egypt with large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds (12:38b). This literally reads a very heavy flock. As noted earlier, the Hebrew word for heavy, or kabed, defines what God had done to Pharaoh’s heart throughout the account of the exodus. As God made Pharaoh’s heart heavy, or hard, He likewise had made Isra’el heavy in material possessions.²²⁵

On the first leg of their journey, the Israelites baked cakes of unleavened bread with the dough they had brought from Egypt. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves (12:39). They believed that God would provide for their needs in the wilderness.

Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years (12:40). At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, they left (12:41a). From the descent of Jacob into Egypt, to the death of Joseph, there were 71 years, from the death of Joseph to the birth of Moses, there were 278 years, from the birth of Moses to his flight into Midian, there were 40 years, from the flight of Moses to his return into Egypt, there were 40 years and from the return of Moses to the exodus, there was 1 year.

During the time of the patriarchs, God had told Abram that his descendants would be strangers in a country not their own and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years (Genesis 15:13), but that in the fourth generation they would leave Egypt and start the return to their homeland (Genesis 15:16). Since a generation in Abram’s case would have been one hundred years, his age when Isaac was born (Genesis 21:5),²²⁶ the figures in Genesis 15 and Acts 7:6 (which also uses the four hundred years figure) would be intended as a rounded number on the low side.

On the other hand, Paul, in giving an overview of salvation history in the book of Acts, uses a higher rounded number. He said that in addition to the time they spent in Egypt, they would have endured about forty years in the desert before He would give their land to His people as their inheritance. He said: All this took about 450 years (Acts 13:16-20a). This higher round number of about 450 years included about forty years in the desert in addition to the four hundred years of slavery in Egypt.

This discrepancy between these different figures can be easily explained. The lower number of four hundred years (Genesis 15:13, 16 and Acts 7:6), and the higher number of about 450 years (Acts 13:16-20a) are both rounded numbers. One is rounded down and the other is rounded up. But the figure used here is an exact number: Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years (12:40). We know it was an exact number because of the context. Moses would later write: At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all ADONAI’s divisions left Egypt (12:41). This is not a general statement, nor does it use the word about. This means they left in an orderly manner.

So the Israelites did everything ADONAI commanded Moses and that is the way they set out, each with his own clan, family, and each under his own standard (Numbers 2:34; 2:17b). The order of the line of march was according to the order that they would later be encamped around the Tabernacle (see Ep – The Camp of the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el). The tribe of Judah would lead, followed by Issachar, Zebulon, Reuben, Simeon and Gad. Then would come Moses, Aaron and the Levites, followed by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, then Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphtali.

ADONAI had kept vigil the night of the Passover to bring them out of Egypt the next day. He protected His people. Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:4). And because He kept vigil over them, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor ADONAI for the generations to come by observing the Passover (12:42). In contrast to God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, Amenhotep II had to be awakened in the middle of the night to be told his son was dead (12:30). The sun god Ra was unable to come to the aid of his people. Where were the gods of Egypt?²²⁷

From this point on, the exodus becomes the high point of Jewish history. To this very day, the rabbis speak of God as the one who brought us up out of the land of Egypt. But that will change some day. “The days are coming,” declares ADONAI, “When men will no longer say, ‘As surely as ADONAI lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but they will say, ‘As surely as ADONAI lives, who brought the Israelites up out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers” (Jeremiah 16:14-15, also see Jeremiah 23:7-8). In the far eschatological future we are told that God will regather His people from all the countries where he had banished them for the final restoration during the Messianic Kingdom. That will become the highpoint of Jewish history.

The fact that God neither slumbers nor sleeps should be a great comfort for those who claim Him as their Savior. God is constantly looking out for our benefit. He continually maintains and sustains the universe, and He has eternal and everlasting care and compassion for His children. It doesn’t matter if someone was one of the righteous of the TaNaKh, or a New Covenant believer, all can take great comfort from the knowledge that their heavenly Father’s care is continuous. It has no end.²²⁸

Redemption
12:31-42, 13:17 to 15:21

We have now come to the portion of the book of Exodus that tells the story of the exodus itself. It is, after all, the central theme of the book. To redeem means to purchase and set free (see the book of Hosea). When God freed His people from slavery in Egypt, His mighty hand (6:1) and outstretched arm (6:6) performed the greatest act of redemption in the TaNaKh. German scholars recognize its importance when they refer to the TaNaKh as Heilsgeschichte, which means history of salvation. Just as the redemption brought about by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ constitutes the main theme of the B’rit Chadashah, so the redemption brought about by God’s mighty acts of judgment (7:4) at the time of the exodus forms the main theme not only of the book of Exodus but of the entire TaNaKh as well. 

However, redemption in the TaNaKh and redemption in the B’rit Chadashah are not identical. The Exodus redemption was basically national and corporate, whereas the redemption effected by Jesus’ death on the cross is basically individual and personal. Redemption at the time of the exodus was primarily physical (political), whereas today redemption is primarily spiritual with a future physical dimension (heaven).

But, the similarities between the two covenants are striking indeed. In both cases death was the terrible price necessary to bring about redemption, in both cases the specific redemptive act became the most important event in the history of God’s people, and in both cases the redemptive event is celebrated each year by means of a joyful ceremony having its origin in the Passover meal.²²³

The crossing of the Sea of Reeds, coupled with the slaying of the Passover lamb make up Isra’els redemption. Both complement each other. Both are necessary to complete any discussion concerning redemption. It is the freeing of slaves through the payment of a price.

The first thing to note about redemption is the price which was paid. In Isra’el’s case, the one who paid the price was the poor innocent lamb. He was slain and his blood smeared on the door frames of the Jewish houses. If someone did not do this, it would have resulted in the death of the firstborn in that household. But ADONAI, in His grace made provisions for a substitute – the lamb. In like manner God also redeems on a spiritual level. We need to be set free from our slavery to sin. The price paid is the lifeblood of the Lamb of God, Yeshua.

Secondly, redemption implies freedom from our former master. To appreciate that freedom in its fullest, we need to remember what it was like to be slaves. On that day of redemption, no one had to remind Isra’el how bad slavery was. There did not appear to be any hesitation in their exit from Egypt. (They would forget later in 14:12 how much they hated the Egyptian slavery, but ADONAI would do things to them to help them remember!). This passage teaches us that complete redemption will require the LORD entirely breaking all claims Pharaoh had on Isra’el.

It is also true in our spiritual redemption. In reality, we had two masters: sin and Satan. As for the latter’s claim on us, the Scriptures teach that when Yeshua accomplished our redemption by His atoning death, He stripped the rulers and authorities of their power, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by means of the cross (Colossians 2:15). When Isra’el left Egypt, they really left it! It was not an illusion or a theoretical event. It was actual. In the same way, Paul of Tarsus writes concerning sin’s claim upon us. He says that when Yeshua died, our old sin nature also died with Him that we should no longer be slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). When Yeshua died for us, He really separated us from our spiritual “Egypt.” We died to those things which formerly were slavery to us. It is real. It is actual, not theoretical.

When Paul writes that when we died with Messiah and rose with Messiah, that our old sin nature also died, that we are no longer slaves, and we have a new Master (see the commentary on Romans, to see link click Bv – The New Master in Messiah). And that has to be taken with just the same certainly as the Exodus from Egypt by the Israelites. Now, that is something to really rejoice in! Both acts of redemption are historical truths for which we can praise the Eternal One forever (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer)!

At Midnight the LORD Struck Down
all the Firstborn in Egypt
12: 29-36

At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn of Egypt DIG: From Pharaoh’s response, how did the tenth plague differ in its impact from all the others? What was the result of all his efforts to resist against God?

REFLECT: If God kept his promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:14), will He keep His promise to you? Is your heart soft toward, or hardened against God? Have you been resisting His will in your life, or are you fully devoted to Him? What has been the result of your actions?

This is the last judgment and the last plague to come upon the land of Egypt. God had prepared His people for it. The land of Goshen had escaped the last three plagues but could not escape this one unless there was blood on the doorposts. Any Egyptian could have followed the example of the Israelites by putting blood on his doorpost as a statement of belief in the God of Isra’el, and the destroyer would have spared the firstborn in his house also. It is going to surprise many people someday when they discover that Christ is not going to ask you where you worship. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit has baptized you into His body, and you are His child (John 1:12).²¹⁷

At midnight God fulfilled what He had promised (11:5) and He had no respect for social or civil status. Up until now ADONAI had not touched human life, but that night He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon. Those who try to explain the ten plagues of Egypt as natural phenomenon cannot explain this one away. All the firstborn of Egypt were dead. If both the father and the son were firstborn, then there were two deaths in that house. It is difficult to imagine the impact that those deaths had on the Egyptian culture. Not only the deaths, but also what it implied. God Almighty was against them all. The plague included the firstborn of all the livestock as well (12:29). From what we know about the significance of the Apis bull and the god Hathor (9:1-7), this would have a major impact on the religious cults of Egypt.

Because Amenhotep II was not the firstborn of Thutmose III’s five sons, he did not die that night. But his own firstborn son could not escape the plague and was found dead. Therefore, his second son, Thutmose IV, eventually became his successor. After his father, Amenhotep II died, Thutmose IV spent the rest of his life trying to legitimize his position as Pharaoh because he was not the eldest son, nor the natural heir to the throne. He even invented a story called the Dream Stella. He said the Egyptian god Harem-akht appeared to him one night in a dream and promised that if he would uncover the Sphinx that was buried in the sand, he would become Pharaoh. That he did, by uncovering and restoring the Sphinx, and in so doing, he claimed that the gods of Egypt had given him the right to rule. During the remainder of his reign, Isra’el was in her wilderness wanderings.

Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead (12:30). The death of Pharaoh’s son was not a silent painless one. It was one that brought about the awakening of Pharaoh and his servants, for all over Egypt the wailing and the tears could be heard. While Amenhotep II may have found escape from the previous plagues, or perhaps even rationalized them, he could not escape this one. Its effects and implications were perfectly clear. That son whom he had cherished, the one born of the gods, now lay in his bed lifeless and limp.²¹⁸ The final plague was primarily directed against Pharaoh as a god of Egypt and against the royal succession.²¹⁹ The God of the Israelites was much more powerful than he had ever imagined. In that moment of spiritual clarity, his attitude changed from arrogance to desperation.

The King of Egypt was humbled. He was forced to summon to the palace the very men he had earlier banished from his sight (10:28). During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron from Goshen and demanded that they leave, saying: Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! For the first time he calls the Hebrews by the name Israelites, acknowledging their status as a people. Go, worship ADONAI as you have requested (12:31). Although he still probably held out hope that they would eventually come back, he said: Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go (12:32a). Until then Pharaoh was reluctant to give in to Moses’ demands but this plague had taken the life of his own son. God did not begin by taking the lives of the firstborn; He began the contest by changing Aaron’s staff into a snake. If Pharaoh had believed God then, the children of Isra’el could have left Egypt and he would have spared his own people the ten plagues. The accountability and the consequences lay on his shoulders alone.

However, there was more humiliation to come. And he also said: Bless me, or pray for me (12:32b). Previously, Pharaoh had questioned the existence and power of ADONAI (5:2), but now he asked for His blessing. This was quite amazing, seeing that he thought himself to be a god (to see link click Bc – Pharaoh as god and upholder of Ma’at)! Was this request honorable? Was it a sign of true remorse? Or was it sarcasm? We don’t know. But, the one thing that we do know is that there was no real repentance on his part. He wanted the blessing without the accountability, the shame, or the consequences. He simply wanted the plagues to be gone. We know this is the case because once the immediate shock following the final plague was over, the Egyptian king went after the Israelites in order to destroy them.²²⁰

The fear and frustration of the common people were clearly evident. Min and Isis, the god and goddess of reproduction, were nowhere to be found. ADONAI had brought judgment on their gods (Numbers 33:5). As a result, the Egyptians urged the Jews to hurry and leave the country. They said: For otherwise we will die (12:33). This verse literally reads: the Egyptians pressed hard and made strongly upon the people. There is a touch of irony here. The verb is the same one that was used of God hardening, or making heavy, Pharaoh’s heart (7:13 and 22, 8:15). So, before the Egyptian hearts were hardened and would not let the Israelites go (9:34), but now they were equally hardened to make them leave! The Egyptians didn’t know where the judgment of ADONAI would end. He had taken their firstborn. What would He do next? They were afraid that they would all die.

Before leaving Egypt, the Israelites performed two other tasks. First, the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing (12:34). They left in great haste. It is to remember this event that the unleavened bread has become a part of the Passover ceremony ever since. Deuteronomy 16:3 says in regard to the instructions for the Passover: Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste – so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.

Secondly, the Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold like jewelry, ornaments and the like, and for clothing (12:35). The silver and gold was used later for the golden calf (32:2-4) and the Tabernacle (35:22-24). ADONAI had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for, so they plundered the Egyptians (12:36). This is in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:14). The Israelites marched out of Egypt through the front door, with dignity, not like dogs crawling out through the back fence, but like God’s people. This was another humiliation for Egypt.²²¹

It is important to realize that the Passover was a historical event, that it was set and fixed in time and space. It was not merely an idea or a belief that found its reality in future celebrations, but it really did happen. The same can be said for the significance of the Seder, or Passover meal, today. That celebration truly represents the historical occurrence of the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul underscores the gravity and weight of the historicity of those events when he said: But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (First Corinthians 15:12-14). The very essence of biblical faith is the fact that the bible records actual historical events.²²²

He Will See the Blood and Pass Over that Doorway
12: 21-28

He will see the blood and pass over the doorway DIG: Why would the lamb be slaughtered in the doorway of their houses? What was the purpose in teaching the exodus story to their children? How long is the Passover to be celebrated? Is it for believers today?

REFLECT: How do you remember the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:12)? What part do ceremonies, such as communion or the Easter family meal, play in helping you remember what God has done for you, back then and now? How do you, or will you, keep these memories alive in your children?

Moses then gave the elders of Isra’el instructions (12:21-23) for the Passover similar to those that God had given him earlier. Then they were to pass on those instructions to the people. He summoned all the elders and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter Pischeynu, (our) the Passover lamb” (12:21).

As a mouthpiece for God, Moses continued: Slaughter the Passover lamb in the entrance, or doorway of your house (12:22a). The NIV translates this verse: Dip some hyssop into the blood in the basin. The Hebrew word translated basin has two distinct meanings. On the one hand, it can be translated as basin or goblet, as in Second Samuel 17:28 and First Kings 7:50, but on the other hand, it is more often translated doorway, as seen in Judges 19:27 and Ezeki’el 43:8. Because of the context, I believe doorway is the better translation here; however, it may be a play on words, a basin in the doorway. The Septuagint translates it along the doorway, and the Vulgate on the threshold. It implies that the entire structure of the doorframe, the top, both sides and the doorway was covered with blood.²⁰⁹

Then they were instructed to take many stalks of hyssop, and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe (12:22b). Hyssop is a small, bushy plant with thin stalks, and has masses of tiny white flowers. The rabbis teach that a bunch was to consist of three sticks. The hairy surface of its leaves and branches holds liquids well and makes it suitable as a sprinkling device for ceremonial purification and covering of sin (used figuratively in Psalm 51:7), the cleansing of lepers (Leviticus 14:4-6, 49-52), and the sacrifice of a red heifer (Numbers 19: 1-6, 18-19).²¹⁰ The hyssop is never found in connection with any of the offerings that point to Jesus Christ Himself. It is only found in the hands of the sinner.²¹¹

Therefore, the blood was not merely a sign that judgment would pass over the home, but it was also a blood sacrifice for the purpose of covering their sins. They were instructed not to go out the door of their houses until morning (12:22c). The rabbis teach that as God Himself was to pass through Egypt that night, it would not be proper for any Israelite to catch a glimpse of the Divine manifestation. There is no safety except behind the blood of Christ (Mark 16:16).²¹²

In Egypt, the Israelites put the blood of a spotless lamb on the doorposts of their homes and the spirit of death passed over them. The Messiah is our Passover Lamb. Through His blood, was pass from death to life.

When ADONAI goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and He will not permit the destroyer of the firstborn (Hebrews 11:28) to enter your houses and strike you down (12:23). As God began to move through the land of Egypt, the destroyer was right behind Him. As the source of the judgment, the destroyer was in obedience to God; however, ADONAI was the Protector of the faithful.

The focus was not simply on the instructions; the Passover was to be a lasting ordinance, not just a one-time event.²¹³ Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants (12:24). It needed to be taught to children so that its meaning and significance would be passed on from generation to generation. Their descendants would benefit most from the Egyptian Passover.²¹⁴ Today, the rabbis have adapted many things from the Egyptian Passover. One example is the presence of the shank bone of a lamb. Today, since the roasted lamb can no longer be served at the Passover meal, the shank bone of a lamb is substituted as a remembrance. Sometimes the bone itself is roasted or boiled. The rabbis teach that the shank bone, which is the forearm of the lamb, is used because God brought the Jews out of Egypt with an outstretched arm (6:6b).

The Land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is Canaan, and it was given to Abraham and his descendants many centuries before (Genesis 12:7). When you enter the Land that ADONAI will give you as He promised, observe this ceremony (12:25). They were not to forget what God had done for them as a people.²¹⁵ But except for the Egyptian Passover, only once did the Israelites keep the Passover in the forty years of wilderness wanderings, and that was in the second year after the exodus (Numbers 9:1-5).

When their children would see the events of the Passover ceremony, they would naturally be curious. Parents were to use that teachable moment to share the story of redemption from Egypt, and constantly remind them of how God bought them back from slavery. So it was not merely the story they were to share, but more importantly the children were to come to know its meaning and significance. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to ADONAI, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians” (12:26-27a, also see 13:14-15).

Then the people, grateful for their soon-to-be deliverance from centuries of slavery, bowed down and worshiped (12:27b). The phrase bowed down and worshiped is a Hebrew idiom reflecting a scene of worship and praise (also see 4:31). The worship of God was soon followed by action. Israelites did just what ADONAI commanded Moses and Aaron to do (12:28), obeying their instructions down to the last detail.

Since the Passover celebration is to be celebrated throughout history, from one generation to the next, how do we celebrate the Passover today? When Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, He said: Do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19). Every Passover meal included two basic elements: wine and unleavened bread. The wine symbolized the blood of the lamb that was shed for the Israelites to protect them from the avenging angel. Jesus reinterpreted those two elements and pronounces the Passover event a type of Himself and His ministry. Then Yeshua declared: Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty . . . I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (John 6:35, 48-51). Our Lord was emphasizing the importance of a living vital relationship. Matthew 26:26-28, Messiah says that the wine is a figure of the blood of Christ that takes away the sins of His people, and the bread is a figure of His body that was hung on the cross for sinners. In short, Jesus proclaimed that He is the Passover Lamb, who by the shedding of His blood is a substitute for His people, protecting them from the wrath and judgment of ADONAI. As the blood of the Passover lamb covers Isra’el, so the blood of Christ, the Messiah, covers the New Covenant believer (John 1:29; First Peter 1:19; First Corinthians 5:7).

The fact of the matter is that when believers celebrate the Lord’s Supper today they are keeping the Passover that ADONAI commanded His people to honor forever. It reminds them of the work of Christ in paying the ransom and delivering them from death and darkness. It is also a sign that believers are the people of God and He dwells in their midst. And, finally, it is a sign of the continuity from the righteous of the TaNaKh to the believers of the B’rit Chadashah.²¹⁶

Christ and the Passover
12: 1-20

Christ and the Passover DIG: Why was the blood a good symbol of death in this passage? God surely could have accomplished the exodus without the death of all the firstborn of Egypt. So why do you think He chose to do it that way? In what sense was this a judgment on all the gods of Egypt? What influence was the Passover to have on Pharaoh? On the Hebrews? On the Egyptians? On future Israelites? On us today? Do you think it succeeded?

REFLECT: What are the gods of your culture? Do you believe that the God of Isra’el is more powerful than they are? How does He show you His amazing power today? How does this passage help you to see the purpose for Christ’s shed blood and death?

Previously, ADONAI told Moses and Aaron that every firstborn son in Egypt would die (11:5a). Notice He did not say every firstborn of Egypt, but every firstborn in Egypt. The Divine sentence of judgment would fall upon both Egyptians and Israelites because both were sinners in nature and practice. Justice had to be satisfied. Yet we are told several verses later that God made a distinction between Egypt and Isra’el (11:7). And that distinction was His grace. All the firstborn in Egypt died, and yet the firstborn of Isra’el were delivered from the destroyer by means of a substitute. The sentence of death was satisfied, but it fell upon an innocent lamb.

Thus, the distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites was not a moral one, but was made solely by the blood of the lamb. It was in the blood that love and faithfulness meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85:10). The whole value of the blood of the Passover lamb lay in its being a type of Christ, because Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed for us (First Corinthians 5:6).¹⁹⁴

God spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt (12:1). Not every commandment governing the religious activities of the Israelites would be given at Mount Sinai. They were not a lawless people before then because the instructions concerning the Passover were given in Egypt. It is interesting that the commandments given at Mount Sinai rarely deal with any of the details of the Passover (except for Deuteronomy 16) because those instructions had already been established beforehand in Egypt.

Since the exodus from Egypt would trigger the start of a whole new way of life for the people of Isra’el, God gave them a brand new monthly calendar to symbolize their new beginning. He commanded: This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year (12:2), and would be in the spring, roughly equivalent to the thirty days from mid-March to mid-April. Before the Babylonian captivity this month was called Abib (Exodus 13:4, 23:15, 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1), which means young head of grain, and reflects the fresh, life-giving nature of springtime. But after Isra’el was taken into captivity, four of the twelve Hebrew months were given Babylonian names, and Abib was changed to Nisan (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7). Nevertheless, the start of Isra’el’s religious calendar with the institution of the Passover did not eliminate her civil or agricultural calendar that began in the fall at the end of the harvest season (23:16). Both calendars existed side by side until after the Babylonian captivity (or 586 BC), but today Judaism only uses the civil calendar because, for the most part, it is not a religious nation anymore.

God, however, chose the spring for the time of the exodus because it symbolized new life and budding growth. It therefore became the time for Isra’el’s national redemption from Egyptian slavery. The spring, or the month of Nisan, was an equally suitable time for the resurrection of the Christ. His birth also started a new religious calendar (this time a weekly calendar) by moving the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; First Corinthians 16:2), also called the Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10).¹⁹⁵

This is the first reference in the Scriptures to the whole community, or congregation of Isra’el. The word ‘dh means a gathering and suggests a new beginning. God commanded: Tell the whole community of Isra’el that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household (12:3). It is estimated that there were about 275,000 lambs sacrificed for the Passover just before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. From historical records we learn that there was to be one lamb for no less than ten people and no more than twenty people. So that meant that there were about two and a half million Jews celebrating the Passover at that time. The tenth day of the first month would become an important day. Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is celebrated on that day (Leviticus 23:27), and the nation of Isra’el crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month (Joshua 4:19). Christ rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey on Monday, the tenth of Nissan. For four days, from Monday through Thursday, He was tested by the Pharisees and Sadducees and found to be without defect or blemish.

If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. This verse does not say anything about the lamb being too little for the household. That would never happen because the lamb was sufficient. It was possible, however, for the household to be too little for the lamb. You are to determine that amount of lamb needed accordance with what each person will eat (12:4). I believe what we see here is God revealing His method of salvation. It was personal. Take, for example, the account of the Philippian jailer and the salvation of his household as told in the Book of Acts. His family was not saved because the jailer believed, but because each member of his family made a personal decision to partake of the Lamb. That was true on the Egyptian Passover. Each member had to exhibit faith in that way . . . Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved – you and your household (Acts 16:31). Now that didn’t mean that if he believed, his whole family would be saved. No! Each person had to participate, partake and obey in order to come in under the protection and redemption of the blood of the lamb that was out on the doorframe.¹⁹⁶

The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect (also see Leviticus 22:18-25), and you may take them from the sheep or the goats (12:5). Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could satisfy the requirements of God, who Himself is perfect. One who was sinful could not make atonement for sinners. And where was such a sacrifice to be found? Certainly not among the sons of men. None but the Son of God would do.¹⁹⁷ Isaiah used the imagery of the sacrificial lamb to picture the work of the coming Messiah. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Later, the Apostle Peter would also remind us that Christ, the lamb without spot or blemish, was sacrificed for us (First Peter 1:19).

The Passover lamb was to be slaughtered at dusk. Death would be executed upon the guilty sinner or upon the innocent substitute. Each family was to carefully test the lamb by searching for any defect during the four days before the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Isra’el must slaughter them simultaneously at dusk (12:6). The sacrifice was, and continues to be, a unified act of worship. The Jewish day does not start at midnight, but at dusk or sundown. We must remember that the Jewish way of reckoning time is different than ours. The Jewish day starts at sunset. In other words, the evening precedes the day. The Hebrew word dusk literally means, between the two evenings. But by the time of Messiah, because of the sheer number of Lambs, the Jews changed the time of this practice (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ke – Go and Make Preparations for the Passover).

Then ADONAI described how to observe the Passover. Then, after slaughtering the lamb at their doorways, they were to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and top of the doorframes of their houses (12:7). Literally, there was blood everywhere outside the door. How marvelously this pictured Messiah on the cross; blood above, where the thorns pierced His brow, blood on the sides, from His nail-pierced hands, and blood below, from His nail-pierced feet.¹⁹⁸ God would then pass over the houses marked with the blood, and those of faith would be saved. They kept the Passover by the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Isra’el (Hebrews 11:28). Redemption, including the forgiveness of sin, takes place only when the blood of an innocent offering is shed (Hebrews 9:22; First John 1:7).

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, because fire spoke of judgment. Sin must be judged. They were to eat the meat along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast (12:8). Although the main course in the Passover meal was lamb (roasted according to the method used by wandering shepherds), other items were to be included also. Unleavened bread, or matsah, was also to be eaten at the Passover meal. It signified the Hebrews’ quick exodus from Egypt. They did not have time to allow the bread to rise, so they carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing (12:34).¹⁹⁹ Bitter herbs (Numbers 9:11) such as endive, chicory and other plants with a bitter taste are native to Egypt, and eating them would remind the Israelites of their bitter experience there (Exodus 1:14).²⁰⁰ They were not to eat the meat raw because the fire spoke of the judgment of sin. When a person comes to Christ, the Messiah, he or she comes as a sinner. They were not to eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roasted over the fire, head, legs and inner parts. No parts were to be withheld from the fire. ADONAI said: Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left in the morning you must burn it (12:9-10). The total consumption of the lamb points to the completeness and effectiveness of Messiah’s sacrifice.

This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand in readiness for driving their beasts of burden out of Egypt. Eat it in haste. In Hebrew, the word in haste, does not only mean quickly, but it also conveys a great sense of alarm, fear or danger. In subsequent Passovers they would eat it reclining on pillows and eating on low Passover tables. But the Egyptian Passover was to be eaten in haste because they would have to suddenly leave the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:3). The Hebrew word for the Passover is pesah, and this is the first time it is used in the Bible. The Passover was not primarily about the deliverance of Isra’el out of Egypt, nor was it mainly about the humiliation of Pharaoh and Egypt. Rather, its essential purpose was the glorification and exaltation of God. It is ADONAI’s Passover (12:11), because as He Himself had told Abraham: God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering (Genesis 22:8).

The term Passover is used in three different ways throughout the Scriptures. First, it describes the entire festival because the tenth plague passed over the Jewish homes (12:13 and 27). A second usage describes the Passover lamb itself (12:21, 27; Second Chronicles 35:1, 6 and 13; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7). Thirdly, the term Passover describes a meal (Matthew 26:17, 19; Mark 14:12, 14-16; Luke 22:8 and 13).

The rabbis teach that almost every major event in Isra’el’s history happened on the Passover. God is considered to have revealed His future plans to Abraham on the Passover. Abraham is regarded as having entertained his heavenly guests near the great trees of Mamre on the Passover. Sodom is believed to have been destroyed following the Passover. Jericho is thought to have fallen on the Passover. And the handwriting on the wall of King Belshazzar, in the time of Dani’el, is believed to have been written on the Passover.

For Isra’el, the decision was clear, it was kill or be killed. God continued: On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn – both men and animals – and I will bring judgment on all the false gods of Egypt (Numbers 33:4), many of whom had already been judged individually by the previous nine plagues. I am ADONAI (12:12). After hearing what God had done to the Egyptians, Moses’ father-in-law, Reuel, would confess his belief that YHVH was supreme over all other gods (18:11). The spiritual contest was about to reach its climax.

Since the death of the firstborn involved both men and animals, it is quite apparent that it had far reaching religious and theological implications. The firstborn of Pharaoh was not only his successor to the throne, but by the act of the gods of Egypt was a specially born son having divine property. Egyptian gods associated with the birth of children would certainly have been involved in a plague of this nature. These included Min, the god of procreation and reproduction, along with Isis who symbolized the power of reproduction. Since Hathor was not only a goddess of love but also one of the seven deities who attended the birth of children, she, too, would be implicated in the disaster of this plague. From excavations we already have learned of the tremendous importance of the Apis bull, a firstborn animal and one revered in a very special way. The death of this animal would have tremendous theological impact on the temple priests as well as the common people who witnessed this tragic event. The death cry which was heard throughout Egypt was not only a wail that bemoaned the loss of a son or precious animal, but also the incapability of the many gods of Egypt to respond and protect them from such tragedy.²⁰¹

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Thus, the name Passover. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt (12:13). When the executioner of God’s judgment saw the blood upon the houses of the Israelites, he did not enter. Why? Because death had already done its work there! The innocent had died in the place of the guilty, and thus justice was satisfied. So God’s eye was not upon the house, but upon the blood.²⁰² The blood was merely an outward symbol of an inward faith. They kept the Passover by the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Isra’el (Hebrews 11:28). We all must remember that redemption, including the forgiveness of sin, takes place only when the blood of an innocent offering is shed (Hebrews 9:22; First John 1:7). Just as the lamb was substituted for the first-born, thus protecting him from death, so the Lamb of God would some day die in place of all sinners, thus providing escape from the judgment of God.²⁰³

The Isrealites were not saved because they were descendants of Abraham. If the Egyptians had obeyed God’s command, they, too, would have been saved. ADONAI said: When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No one was saved at that time because they were doing the best they could, or because they were honest, or because they were a good person. God said: When I see the blood, I will pass over you. The Death Angel was not making a survey of the neighborhood. The Hebrews were not supposed to open the window to their house and tell the Death Angel how good they were and how much charity work they had done. Anyone sticking his or her neck out of a window that night would have died. ADONAI said: When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing needed to be added. Who was saved that night? Those who believed in, trusted in, or had faith in the blood. Although I do not completely understand it, I believe what God says, and He tells me that the shed blood of Christ, or the Messiah, will save me. Nothing else will.²⁰⁴

During the many years of Jewish history since the Egyptian Passover, the rabbis have added many other things to it, which unknowingly point to the Messiah. In later generations the Maggid, or the telling of the exodus story, would be added to the Passover ceremony. On this night, every adult will drink four cups of red fermented wine and every cup has its own name. The first cup is the cup of blessing, with which the ceremony begins. Then they drink the second cup, which is called the cup of plagues. As each of the ten plagues are read, a drop of wine is poured out from the cup. Then they eat their Passover meal.

When the Temple at Jerusalem was built, the Passover meal centered on a lamb that was no longer slaughtered at home, but in the Temple Court. However, when the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, the rabbis taught that it was no longer possible to offer the lamb as a sacrifice, so they replaced sacrifice with prayer. Thus, sacrificing a lamb is forbidden today, and, as a form of mourning over the destruction of the Temple, most Jews substitute chicken or some other kind of kosher meat. After the Passover meal they drink the cup of redemption, symbolizing the physical redemption of Isra’el from Egypt achieved by the means of the shedding of the blood of the Passover lamb. Lastly, they drink the cup of praise and sing Psalm 113-118.²⁰⁵

This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to ADONAI – a lasting ordinance (12:14). The feast of the Passover would last one day, and that was followed immediately by the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But since unleavened bread was eaten on Pesach, it was considered part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But since unleavened bread was eaten on Pesach, the two feasts together were considered one seven-day festival. Today in Isra’el, Passover is the seven-day holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the first and last days celebrated as legal holidays and as holy days involving holiday meals, special prayer services, and abstention from work; the intervening days are known as Chol Ha’Moed (“Weekdays [of] the Festival”). Nothing that contained yeast is eaten during that seven-day period.

While the Passover itself was fulfilled by the death of the Messiah, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by the sinlessness of His blood-offering (Hebrews 9:11-10:18). In the Hebrews passage, His offering of sinless blood was for three things: first, it was for the cleansing of the heavenly Tabernacle, secondly, for the removal of the sins of the righteous of the Old Covenant and thirdly, for the application of the blood to the New Covenant believers.²⁰⁶

Whenever the word yeast is used symbolically in the Bible, it is always a symbol of sin (Matthew 16:5-6, 11-12; Mark 8:14-15; Luke 12:1; First Corinthians 5:6-8). That is why God would not even allow this symbol of sin to be eaten by the Jewish people during this period or to have it in their houses or to have it anywhere in the land of Isra’el. For seven days, from the fifteenth to the twenty-first, you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day, remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from the people of Isra’el (12:15). Being cut off from the people meant no longer being a member of the covenant community of Isra’el or receiving any of the blessings associated with its membership. The person was simply denied fellowship or access to the Tabernacle or Temple in later times. This was a deadly consequence. Jesus, however, was without sin. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). And when John the Baptist first saw Jesus he announced: Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 35).

On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat – that is all you may do (12:16). So the first and seventh days were especially sacred. Today, Jews do not work the first day, or the seventh day of this Feast of Unleavened Bread, but they do work the five days in between. But even though they work during the five days, they do not eat anything with yeast in it during that period of time.

Celebrate, literally guard, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. When the Israelites were led out of bondage in Egypt, ADONAI did not allow them to take any leavened bread (with yeast in it) with them, symbolically representing His intention that the people were not to take any influence of pagan Egypt with them into the Promised Land. Isra’el was to start life anew, with no contaminating influence from the wicked, ungodly land of her oppression.²⁰⁷

Although the Passover itself was observed in Egypt, the exodus occurred on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, God said: Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. The verb I brought is in the perfect tense and signifies completed or imminent action. Because God spoke these words, they would surely come to pass.²⁰⁸ Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come (12:17). These exact words occur in verse 14, and highlight the importance of the Passover for future generations.

During that entire week they were to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day (12:18). The eating of unleavened bread began on the evening of the fourteenth day with the Passover. Days that are sacred and set apart for God always began and ended at sundown in the evening. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your Sabbath (Leviticus 23:32). This probably came from the creation week where the days started in the evening: And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day (Genesis 1:5).

For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Isra’el, whether he is an alien or native-born (12:19). An alien was someone who had taken up permanent residence in Isra’el, but was not a Jew. In Isra’el, the alien could participate in religious activities if he was circumcised. Without this physical sign, he could not participate in the festival. Then a final reminder: Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread (12:20).

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