Posted on by Abe Austin · 1 Comment

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 11:1

1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

There was one more plague for Egypt, and this one followed a different pattern than any that came before. First, as discussed before, Pharaoh and his people would be given no warning of it, and no ultimatum to avoid it. It would fall on them without Moses and Aaron prophesying of it, yet they would know that it had come from the Lord, just the same.

And, because of this curse, Pharaoh would “thrust [Israel] out.” Every time before, Moses had gone to see if Pharaoh would let them leave, but this time Pharaoh would go to Moses. Pharaoh wouldn’t need any convincing, this time he would outright demand that the Lord’s demands be fulfilled, down to the smallest detail.

Another difference that we will see with this plague is that Moses does not raise his staff or his hand or do anything else to signal its arrival. This one comes entirely from the unseen world, a curse that is prepared, triggered, and executed by God alone.

In short, yet another plague, seemingly just a continuation of all that came before, but already this one was being set apart from all the rest. Something familiar, yet totally new.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:27-29

27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

28 And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.

29 And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

At the start of this conversation Pharaoh had seemed quiet and subdued, but his follow-up in today’s verses makes me wonder if that quietness had actually been stifled rage. As soon as Moses reiterates his demands, that all of the Israelites must leave with all of their animals, Pharaoh drops all pretense of compliance and compromise. He gives a vicious threat: “Get thee from me…in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die!” Moses was now banished from the Pharaoh’s court on pain of death!

But Moses was not alarmed. Instead he approved Pharaoh’s words, foretelling that the two men would indeed no longer look one another in the face. There was only one curse yet to come upon Egypt, and this time Moses would not forewarn Pharaoh of its coming nor repeat God’s demands to Pharaoh. Pharaoh already knew everything he needed to know. There was nothing more to be understood, promised, or threatened. All that remained was for the breaking to occur.

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Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:24-26

24 And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.

25 And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.

26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

I wonder how the darkness must have affected the people psychologically. Speaking for myself, it sounds like a period of intense loneliness and despair. To all of a sudden have my sight cut off, and to have no one to help me because they are all just as blind as me, and to be unable to tell day from night, or do any work, in many ways I am sure this would break me.

It comes as little surprise then that Pharaoh sounded quite humbled in this conversation. His choice of words were much more subdued than before. There was no more melodramatic confession of sin, no vain promises, no begging for the Lord’s mercy. In as few words as possible he simply told Moses to go into the wilderness.

And yet…even in this moment Pharaoh was still holding something back. Previously Pharaoh said he would let the Israelites go if they left behind their women, children, and flocks. Now he allowed for the women and children, but he was still trying to restrict their flocks.

As with every time before, Moses neither tried to haggle or compromise. In no uncertain terms he reiterated that all of their flocks must come with them: “there shall not an hoof be left behind,” and that was that. In almost every other relationship in life we try to meet one another somewhere in the middle. But with God, we either meet His terms fully and completely or we accept the consequences that follow.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:20-23

20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Pharaoh had given his most solemn pledge yet, approving death and unforgiveness for him and his people if he ever again turned back on his promise. Yet in today’s verses he still “would not let the children of Israel go.”

Thus far Pharaoh had witnessed miracles of transfiguration, pests and vermin, and the destruction of crops and cattle. Now, though, a new sort of affliction was summoned, one more strange and fantastic. This one was an attack on something much more fundamental than any of the previous: the ability to see.

Darkness spread throughout the land, casting the Egyptians into pitch blackness. We are told that the darkness was “thick,” that it could even “be felt.” Some have suggested that the darkness might have been thick ash or dust, actual particles that were so dense as to block out the sun. Verse 22 tells us that in their blindness the Egyptians didn’t dare venture out into the streets, remaining still and alone in the darkness of their own homes.

The connection between this curse and the effects of sin is obvious. Prolonged sin blinds a people to the spiritual world, warping their sense of right and wrong, and obfuscating the connection between behavior and their consequences. A people so afflicted then grope stupidly through their relationships and attitudes, making wrong choices and causing harm without even knowing what they do.

As before, a division is put between the Egyptians and the Israelites, such that the Israelites still have “light in their dwellings.” It is unclear whether the exterior in the land of Goshen was still veiled in darkness, but at the very least we know that in the comfort of their own homes God’s people could still see. This, of course, is symbolic of “the light that shines in the darkness,” Jesus Christ. Even as all the world blinds itself to the truth, Christ is the light that will keep us grounded on solid principles and understanding.

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Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:18-19

18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the Lord.

19 And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.

Just as an east wind had brought the locusts into the land, a west wind took them out. This wind would have come from the Africa mainland, and evidently it blew across Egypt and into the Red Sea.

Once again, the effect of this healing is as absolute as the plague had been. In the time of affliction we were told that the locusts consumed “all the fruit of the trees…and there remained not any green thing.” So, too, here we are told there “remained not one locust.” God is able to take and give in absolute measure.

I can’t help but wonder what it was like for the Egyptians to see all the locusts blown away and witness the nakedness and barrenness of their land revealed underneath. This image of exposed desolation reminds me of Adam and Eve with their fig-leaf aprons, covering their shame from God, only to have Him see right through them. When we sin, our good fruit is withered and we are left with a shameful desolation that we typically go to great lengths to hide, but when a west wind blows our humiliation is uncovered, much to our embarrassment, but this can also be the first step to true repentance if we will allow it.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:16-17

16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.

17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

Pharaoh repents once more, again admitting that he has sinned against the Lord. This time, though, he also takes the dramatic step of setting restrictions on the forgiveness that he seeks. “Forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once,” he tells Moses. Also he asks that God “may take away from me this death only.” This seems to be Pharaoh saying he is so sincere about this repentance that he doesn’t need any other chances. If he were to violate his word again, then God and Moses shouldn’t forgive him any more! Then the punishment and the death that he asks to be spared from this time should be delivered in full measure.

Thus, Pharaoh was literally, and of his own volition, putting the lives of himself and the other Egyptians on the line. He was willingly inviting destruction should he go back on his word, and so one would think that this would be the end of the whole affair.

But it wasn’t. Even after this, Pharaoh would go back on his word yet again, and his words that God should withhold forgiveness and administer death would prove prophetic.

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Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:14-15

14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

These verses are full of dramatic phrases to describe just how great the multitude of locusts were. Verse 14 not only makes the point that they were more severe than had ever before been seen, but also the bold claim that neither would there be any swarm so severe ever again! Such a claim could only be made from a place of omniscience or prophecy. We are not told when and how the Lord told one of his servants that there would never be such a mass of locusts again, but apparently He did and the author was aware of that fact.

I’m captivated by the colorful imagery that verse 15 presents: “the land was darkened” by how the locusts “covered the face of the whole earth.” It then continues with the theme of light and color by further describing how “there remained not any green thing.” There is a clear picture being painted of how the locusts took away the color of the land, covering it in darkness.

Going back to the theme of how the curses represent the effects of sin, this description of the locusts seems to highlight how our sins cover and destroy all that was once beautiful, colorful, and growing. In environments of pervasive sin new creation is snuffed out. Think of the Dark Ages, a time where the words of Christ were made inaccessible to the common man, and at the same time innovation and invention halted and even moved backwards. Life became dark and dreary, without inspiration or beauty. Only as the words of scripture were translated, printed, and made available to all did the light of innovation and invention return to the people. When it prevails en masse, sin consumes all that is good and leaves the soul barren. When the truth prevails, it breathes life and color into all.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:12-13

12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.

13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

Once again, the Lord instructed Moses to begin the plague by stretching his hand over the land. In response to Moses’s action, an east wind blew across the land. It blew all day and night, and on the next day a swarm of locusts arrived with it. This seems to be proof that the locusts did not spontaneously pop into existence. They were gathered from some distant place, having been grown and cultivated by the Lord for some time in preparation of this curse. Thus, when Moses pronounced the plague it was already long in the making, all that remained was for it to be delivered.

It is also worth noting that this is not the first time that the east wind had been used as an ill omen for Egypt. Once before, Joseph had interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream of an east wind blasting the grain and withering it in the stalk. The east wind will also be used a third time as an instrument of destruction on the Egyptian people, when Moses parts the Red Sea and then drowns their armies in the midst of it.

Because of these accounts, the east wind has since been seen as a symbol of death and devastation. The question naturally arises, though, what was the significance of the wind being from the east? Though we are not given a definitive answer in the Bible, a brief examination of a map suggests two interesting possibilities.

First, nearly the entire eastern edge of Egypt is bordered the Red Sea. This sea is notable for its deep-red hue and for being one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth. It has long been considered a symbol of death, both for its blood-like appearance and because its water will kill any plant. Thus, one can see how an east wind that blew to Egypt from the Red Sea could be used as an omen for impending destruction.

There is also a second possible meaning for the east wind. We are told that the Israelites lived in the land of Goshen, which is high in the northern regions of Egypt. If the Egyptians resided nearby, such as in the valley of Ramses, then they also would be in that northern region. And the north part of Egypt is the only part that does not border the Red Sea to the east. It borders the land of Canaan, including the region where Jerusalem would one day be established! Thus it might have been that the east wind had blown in from the land of the Lord. The wind might have represented the hand of God, and if so, then it makes sense that while the east wind only brought death and destruction upon the Egyptians, it always elevated and supported the people of Israel. It empowered Joseph to be a prince of Egypt, it helped convince the Pharaoh to let the enslaved Israelites go, and we will soon read of it covering the retreat of the fleeing Israelites.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:8-11

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.

10 And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

11 Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

I mentioned yesterday how Pharaoh’s question “…but who are they that shall go?” sounded to me like he felt a need to deny the Israelites something. Perhaps he couldn’t let them get away with everything that they wanted. Perhaps he had to find some lingering piece that he could hold onto to maintain his sense of pride and control.

And so when Moses responded that all of them would go: the young and the old, the sons and the daughters, even the flocks and the herds, Pharaoh might have felt compelled to limit that somehow. “Not so: go now ye that are men,” he told them, reducing it to the smallest demographic possible. None of the women, none of the children, none of the livestock, only the men. And then there was no further discussion. Moses and Aaron ware promptly “driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”

Of course, Pharaoh might have seen this restriction as necessary to make sure that the slaves wouldn’t try to escape into the wilderness. Which, of course, was exactly what they planned to do, and what Pharaoh would ultimately have to submit to if he wanted the curses to end.

Pharaoh’s servants had pleaded with him to comply with the Israelites so that they could have relief from the plagues. Pharaoh had made an initial show of submitting to God, but couldn’t fully surrender himself in the end. He was still trying to restrict and control. I have to assume that he knew exactly what would follow: the Lord would refuse Pharaoh’s terms and send the promised plague. Pharaoh may not have wanted to fight, but he wasn’t ready to surrender, so he had to be broken even further.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:7-8

7 And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

In yesterday’s verses we discussed how the noose was growing ever tighter on Egypt. The Lord was taking away all of their food sources, one at a time, with little remaining now for them to rely upon, and today we see something new come as a result. Previously, both Pharaoh and his servants had hardened their hearts, but now the servants stubbornness had been broken. They had become desperate, and they urged Pharaoh to let the people go.

Thus, Pharaoh was now being pressured from both sides: without and within. His kingdom had been being whittled away by the Lord, made more meager day-by-day, yet he had remained its undisputed leader. Now, though, dissent in the court could be the first signs of losing that control.

As a result, we see something else that is new in verse 8. For the first time, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron back after they had prophesied of the new curse, but before they had actually summoned it. Pharaoh had interrupted his previously-established pattern and he told them to “Go, serve the Lord your God.” This is a very good sign. Pharaoh’s perpetual committing to let Israel go and then changing his mind reminds me of the behavior of an addict. Addicts are always swearing off their evil behavior, even thinking in their heart that they really mean it, but perpetually going back on their word. Breaking the pattern is the first sign that true repentance might finally be at hand.

However, even as Pharaoh was trying to change his old script…he could not leave well enough alone. We can see how Pharaoh’s mind and heart begins to turn back in the last sentence of verse 8. His reservations cannot help but make themselves manifest. “Go, serve the Lord your God…but…who are they that shall go?” As we will see in the following verses, this question of who will go is Pharaoh already looking for a way to impose a restriction on Israel’s departure.

This venomous question speaks deeply to me because it reflects the pride in my own heart. I see in it the desire to only partially comply with the word of the Lord, to look for some sliver of rebellion that can be held onto, even while ostensibly giving in to His will. Sometimes we are beaten and defeated, we have no alternative but to surrender, but we still try to hold something back, just so that we can tell ourselves that we are still our own true master. We will see how this plays out for Pharaoh tomorrow.