The Book Of Exodus
Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
Verses 1-7: The fifth judgment by God against Pharaoh and his people is a pestilence among all their livestock: sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys and oxen. Once again, God is proving that He is the one, true God above all the false gods of the Egyptians. Note from my study Bible: “Egypt’s religion included the worship of various animals, such as the bull-gods Apis and Mnevis, the cow-god Hathor, and the ram-god Khnum, as well as many animal-headed deities.” Not only that, Egypt is renowned throughout the world at this time for her horses and chariots. (1 Kings 10:28-29, 2 Chronicles 1:16-17, Isaiah 31:1, Ezekiel 17:15) As with the first plague, God is striking down one of the staples of the Egyptian economy as well as a symbol of her worldly might and power. And, as with all the other judgements, the livestock of Israel in the valley of Goshen is untouched and unharmed. (v.6-7)
Verses 8-12: The sixth judgment comes with no warning to Pharaoh. Moses and Aaron take handfuls of ash from a furnace in the presence of Pharaoh and hurl it into the air. Throughout all of Egypt, save for the Israelites, every man, woman and child is struck with grievous and sore boils. (Deuteronomy 28:27, Job 2:7-8, Revelation 16:2) Verse 11 states that Pharaoh’s magicians could not even stand before Moses and Aaron because the pain of the sores was so great. Yet Pharaoh still refuses to surrender to God and let the Israelites go. (v.12) Verses 13-21: Each of the first nine judgements against Pharaoh can be grouped into three cycles of three plagues each. Six are now completed, and God gives Pharaoh a more detailed warning before the final cycle of judgments. He commands Pharaoh to “…Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” (v.13) Then He reiterates for Pharaoh the reason for these judgments: “…that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth.” (v.14) God then goes into more detail regarding this pronouncement. What He is saying in verses 15 and 16 is, essentially, “I could have already judged you by killing you and your people at the start, but instead I have chosen you as a vessel to display My power, and that My name will be known throughout all the world.” Paul references verse 16 in Romans 9:17 as an example of God’s sovereignty. God is a righteous and jealous God. He is the creator of all things, and He will not share His glory with another. (Exodus 20:3, Isaiah 42:8, 48:11) Even if mankind does not willingly bow and submit to His sovereignty, God will still get the glory and honor. This is what Paul meant in Romans 9:22 when he spoke of “…vessels of wrath fitted to destruction…” Pharaoh is an example of a vessel of wrath. He chose from the very beginning to defy God (Exodus 5:2), and his pride and rebellion have only worsened during the first six judgments. He has stubbornly and consistently hardened his heart, and so God is using him as a vessel through which God’s sovereignty, majesty and power are displayed and magnified throughout the whole earth. God now warns Pharaoh that “…I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail…”, the kind of which has never been known in Egypt before now. (v.18) But even in the midst of severe judgment God is still a loving and merciful God, for He then tells Pharaoh to tell his people to get indoors and seek shelter, for only those who are out in the fields will die, both man and beast. (v.19) Verses 20 and 21 indicate that there were some in Pharaoh’s household who did believe the word of Moses and Aaron and sought shelter for themselves and their livestock. Others, sadly, hardened their hearts in the same prideful and rebellious manner as Pharaoh. Verses 22-26: The hail is actually a mixture of hail and fire. Hail is frozen rain. The fact that it is mixed with fire is yet more proof of the supernatural nature of these judgments. All of these plagues were not just unusual weather phenomena. In a manner similar to the judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, God rains fire and thunder from heaven, as well as hail, to both crush and devour every man, beast, tree and crop that is in the fields. (v.24-25) The only area left untouched by this plague is, of course, the valley of Goshen. (v.26) Verses 27-35: Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and confesses, “I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.” (v.27) But this is not genuine repentance. The key phrase is the words “this time”. Pharaoh’s heart is still hardened, for he refuses to acknowledge his previous sins of pride and rebellion up to this point. Pharaoh’s confession is nothing more than mere lip service, a show of false humility that he hopes will placate God for the moment so that the severe hail, thunder and fire will cease. This is an example of so many unsaved and lost today who only cry out to God when they are in the midst of great trouble and trials, but as soon as the crisis has passed they immediately forget God and continue in their life of sin and wickedness. Moses tells Pharaoh that he will petition God once again on Pharaoh’s behalf, but that he knows that Pharaoh and his servants do not truly fear and respect God. (v.30) Verses 31-32 state that not all of the crops were destroyed, for the wheat and rye had only just been planted and had not yet begun to sprout. This is yet another example of God’s mercy. There will still be food for the Egyptians after these judgements. Moses intreats the Lord, and the plague of hail and fire ceases. (v.33) But, as every time before, Pharaoh and all his house harden their hearts as soon as the judgment ceases, just as God predicted to Moses at the very beginning. (v.35)
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