Day 19: Exodus 7-9

(The previous post presented the events of Moses' first interaction with Pharoah. Moses returned to Egypt from his exile. Moses and Aaron made a request to Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to have a feast unto God. Pharaoh responded unjustly, while thinking he had equaled out Justice. Israel blamed Moses for Pharaoh's unjust response. The foundation was set for God to respond to Pharaoh.)

(The plagues of Egypt were covered in Exodus 7-11. Each plague seemed to have been directed against a specific Egyptian god in order to show that Jehovah was the One, True God.
-Bloody water (7:12) - against the god Nilus, the sacred river god.
-Frogs (8:6) - against Hekt, the goddess of reproduction.
-Lice (gnats) (8:17) - against Seb, the god of the earth.
-Flies (beetles) (8:24) - against Khephera, the sacred scarab (Scarab - a representation or image of a beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptians).
-Murrain (Plague) on Egyptian cattle (9:3) - against Apis and Hathor, the sacred bull and cow.
-Boils on man and beast (9:10) - against Typhon, the evil-eye god.
-Hail (9:23) - against Shu, the god of the atmosphere.
-Locusts (10:14) - against Serapis, the protector from locusts.
-Darkness (10:22) - against Ra, the sun god.
-Death of the first-born of man and beast (11:5) - against Ptah, the god of life.)

Exodus 7
¹ And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

(Moses was as God unto Pharaoh with Aaron as the prophet. They represented God to Pharaoh, with Pharaoh having his "followers" representing Pharaoh's gods.)

² Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
³ And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

(God said He would harden Pharaoh's heart as an effect of Pharaoh's decisions. Remember from the Seventh Day of Creation (Genesis 2:1-3): we are a first cause and God responds to us through Justice. This was the how of God's plan.)

(Pharaoh had made a wrong conclusion which put him on the wrong side of Justice. This allowed God to respond to Pharaoh, in effect equaling out Justice. However, God knew Pharaoh thought everything was already equal, so each time God equaled out Justice, Pharaoh would respond even worse.

If you pushed a person and they responded by hitting you, how would they respond if you hit them? Would they 1) do nothing, 2) hit you back, or 3) do something worse? If their response was to hit you for pushing them, they are going to do something worse than hit you if you hit them. That was all God was saying here. Every move God made to equal out Justice would only cause Pharaoh to respond worse because Pharaoh already responded worse to a lesser cause. God stated the limit to this interaction ahead of time: just enough to get Pharaoh to let the people go. God already knew the level that would take: killing the first-born sons.

Notice, God also stated He would do this to show His signs and wonders, in order to build Israel's faith. At every step, it was in Pharaoh's control whether he would continue to harden his heart. In fact, later in the Bible, the Philistines knew Pharaoh himself chose to harden his own heart. In 1 Samuel 6 the Philistines told each other to choose to do the opposite of what Pharaoh chose!)

⁴ But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
⁵ And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

(God gave an explanation of the why behind His plan.)

⁶ And Moses and Aaron did so; as Jehovah commanded them, so did they.
⁷ And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

(Moses was eighty years old, Aaron was eighty-three years old.)

⁸ And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
⁹ When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.
¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as Jehovah had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

(Moses and Aaron obeyed God. They began the process of showing the wonders from God before Pharaoh.)

¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments.
¹² For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

(Although Pharaoh's magicians used powers of darkness to attempt to replicate God's wonders, it was clear that the power from God was stronger.)

¹³ And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.

(Pharaoh's decision not to believe was set and he could be expected to continue this process.)

¹⁴ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go.
¹⁵ Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.
¹⁶ And thou shalt say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened.
¹⁷ Thus saith Jehovah, In this thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

(BLOOD - against the god Nilus, the sacred river god. Even though God knew Pharaoh's heart and knew how Pharaoh would respond, God was not only using the plagues as a form of judgment. God was also trying to help the Egyptians and Pharaoh know that Jehovah was God.)

¹⁸ And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.
¹⁹ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.
²⁰ And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
²¹ And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
²² And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.

(Pharaoh's heart was hardened after the river was turned to blood. Notice, it said: "as Jehovah had spoken." It did NOT say: "as the Lord made it happen" or "knew the future because it already happened.")

²³ And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart.
²⁴ And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
²⁵ And seven days were fulfilled, after that Jehovah had smitten the river.




Exodus 8
¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
² And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:

(FROGS - against Hekt, the goddess of reproduction. God was still giving Pharaoh a chance to let the Israelites go.)

³ and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs:
⁴ and the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
⁵ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.

(Moses was still using Aaron as his vessel for what God wanted done.)

⁶ And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
⁷ And the magicians did in like manner with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
⁸ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat Jehovah, that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto Jehovah.

(This plague got Pharaoh's attention. He even asked for the frogs to be taken away. Pharaoh said he would let the people go.)

⁹ And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Have thou this glory over me: against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only?

(Moses asked Pharaoh when he should ask God to take away the frogs.)

¹⁰ And he said, Against to-morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto Jehovah our God.

(Pharaoh said tomorrow. Did Pharaoh like frogs? Why did he want to spend another day with them?)

¹¹ And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.
¹² And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto Jehovah concerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh.
¹³ And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.
¹⁴ And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank.
¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken.

(Pharaoh changed his mind, which was taking a value and getting on the wrong side of Justice to a higher degree.)

¹⁶ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

(LICE - against Seb, the god of the earth. Pharaoh did not receive a warning before this plague came.)

¹⁷ And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
¹⁸ And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: and there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
¹⁹ Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.

(Pharaoh's magicians could not replicate this wonder and told Pharaoh that this was the Finger of God. Ignoring his followers from this point only made the Justice against Pharaoh greater.)

²⁰ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
²¹ Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
²² And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth.
²³ And I will put a division between my people and thy people: by to-morrow shall this sign be.

(Again, God wanted to show the Egyptians that Jehovah was God. Also, this plague would be special in that it would not affect the Israelites. This would be another way to show Pharaoh that God was intentionally directing these plagues at Pharaoh and the Egyptians.)

²⁴ And Jehovah did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses: and in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.

(FLIES - against Khephera, the sacred scarab (Scarab - a representation or image of a beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptians).)

²⁵ And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

(Pharaoh said to go sacrifice in the land and not the wilderness. Pharaoh was trying to compromise.)

²⁶ And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Jehovah our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
²⁷ We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, as he shall command us.

(Moses said it was three days journey to the sacrifice.)

²⁸ And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me.
²⁹ And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat Jehovah that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow: only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah.
³⁰ And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Jehovah.
³¹ And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

(God took away the flies after Moses asked Him to.)

³² And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

(Pharaoh changed his mind again and hardened his heart. The Justice against Pharaoh continued to increase.)




Exodus 9
¹ Then Jehovah said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
² For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
³ behold, the hand of Jehovah is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

(The word murrain meant "plague." The plagues would continue if Pharaoh continued to refuse to let the people go.)

⁴ And Jehovah shall make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the children of Israel.
⁵ And Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow Jehovah shall do this thing in the land.
⁶ And Jehovah did that thing on the morrow; and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

(CATTLE - against Apis and Hathor, the sacred bull and cow. Another plague that only affected the Egyptians.)

⁷ And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.

(Notice all of these hardenings occurred after an event and as a choice in response to the event.)

⁸ And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
⁹ And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
¹⁰ And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast.

(BOILS - against Typhon, the evil-eye god. Another plague that Pharaoh was not warned about.)

¹¹ And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
¹² And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken unto Moses.
¹³ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Pharaoh would be asked again to let the Hebrews go.)

¹⁴ For I will this time send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
¹⁵ For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth:
¹⁶ but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

(Moses was told to tell Pharaoh why God rose him up. Paul referenced this verse in Romans 9:17.)

¹⁷ As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

(Moses was told to ask Pharaoh why he still would not let them go.)

¹⁸ Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.

(Pharaoh was warned about the plague of hail.)

¹⁹ Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
²⁰ He that feared the word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses.

(Pharaoh's servants had enough faith to put the cattle into houses. This served as a witness against Pharaoh, which made the Justice against him even greater.)

²¹ And he that regarded not the word of Jehovah left his servants and his cattle in the field.

(Those who did not have faith paid the price. God left it to the individual to avoid judgment.)

²² And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
²³ And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

(HAIL - against Shu, the god of the atmosphere. Fire ran along the ground during the hail.)

²⁴ So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
²⁵ And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
²⁷ And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: Jehovah is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

(Pharaoh confessed. In fact, Pharaoh not only stated that he had sinned but also that God was Righteous.)

²⁸ Entreat Jehovah; for there hath been enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

(Pharaoh SAID his repentance.)

²⁹ And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto Jehovah; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is Jehovah's.
³⁰ But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear Jehovah God.
³¹ And the flax and the barley were smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.
³² But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten: for they were not grown up.
³³ And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto Jehovah: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
³⁴ And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

(After the hail stopped, Pharaoh did not DO his repentance. In fact, he sinned more and hardened his heart.)

³⁵ And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, as Jehovah had spoken by Moses.

(This post presented the events surrounding the first seven plagues brought against Pharaoh by God. God hardened Pharaoh's heart as an EFFECT of the choices Pharaoh made. Pharaoh was able to choose to do differently.)

Day 20