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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
3 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:
5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:
6 And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.
At first a plague of locusts might sound like a step backward from the previous curses. God had just slain the Egyptians’ cattle with a plague, and their servants with fire and hail. There had been a real loss of life just recently, but locusts seem to be more of the caliber of the frogs, lice, and flies several curses ago.
But on closer examination, this is not the case at all. The previous animal nuisances may have been able to spread mild diseases or irritation, but the locusts would do far worse: they would eat all of the Egyptians’ grain! We had heard during the previous plague that the hailstorm had destroyed the flax and the barley, but not the edible crops like the wheat and the rye. God had been willing to leave Pharaoh the most important crops if he would let the Israelites go, and Pharaoh had initially agreed to this, but now Pharaoh went back on his word and so now the locusts were here to finish the job.
No more meat and no more grain, the Egyptians were drawing nearer and nearer to starvation! If God had taken just one source of food they could have relied upon the other, but piece-by-piece, He was taking it all. We can build up all manner of securities and contingencies against the powers of man, but no place is safe and no insurance is reliable when God comes calling.
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:
2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord.
Once again, I’ve made my case for why I believe the verses that suggest Pharaoh exercised his self-will to harden his own heart over the ones where God says that He is responsible for Pharaoh’s stubbornness. Obviously, these verses support the latter perspective, as they have God detailing exactly why He would be hardening Pharaoh’s heart, so that he “might shew these signs” and that Moses “mayest tell in the ears of thy son…what things I have wrought…that ye may know how that I am the Lord.”
I will say that while I still dispute that God hardened Pharaoh’s hearts, I have absolutely no qualms with the idea that God positioned the Egyptians and Pharaoh in a position of power for the express purpose of breaking their pride and sending a message to the world. And not only to the world, but most especially to the Israelite people that would forever rely upon Him.
God’s liberation of Israel in Egypt is an absolute seminal moment in the story of that people. It establishes the pattern and the surety that all future generations look back to. The covenant people may have at times fallen into disbelief, they may have entered into terrible afflictions, they may have been under the power of others for a time, but God has always come through, destroying any power of devil or world that held them bondage. This was true with the Egyptians, this was true with the Romans, and this was true with Nazi Germany. This is the legacy of Abraham’s people, that they will be tried by fire, but God will ultimately prevail and redeem them. It is a hard legacy, but an encouraging one. A trying story, but one with a hopeful ending.
Seeds are one of the most miraculous things I know of, and they have been quietly working their wonders every day for untold years. Seeds usually come in a miniscule package, sometimes no more than a pinpoint, yet from their confines entire trees will emerge, stand for hundreds of years, and produce millions of new seeds of their own.
I also find incredible how the saplings that emerge from the seed is able to take dirt and nutrient from the earth and transform it into stem and leaf. The transformation of material is one of the most strange and mysterious things, and the more we learn of the complex process by how it works the more miraculous it seems.
And here is one more miracle of seeds, most of them have incredible versatility, able to lay in sterile or hostile environments for multiple years, appearing absolutely dead to the world, but will still germinate and grow long after they fell from their parent tree. In some cases, seeds have been known to still grow after laying as a dead husk for more than a thousand years! Somehow they retain the potential for life without food or batteries or nourishment.
When a seed lays dormant, all that it is waiting for is the correct environment. Once it is put in the right levels of moisture, temperature, and oxygen, it finally begins to flourish.
And so it is with people.
I have met men and women who moved through their lives in a catatonic state, feeling useless and reaching for nothing. It can be all too easy to write such people off, to assume that if they have already spent years in this lifeless same state then they will remain there forever.
But these people still have the potential for life—real life. It may be laying dormant inside of them, but that doesn’t mean it is dead. Like a seed, they are often just waiting for the proper environment to flourish, and from what I’ve seen, that proper environment is being brought into the light of God’s love. I have seen how lethargic and passionless men and women fell into the soil of belief, were rained on by the saving power of Jesus Christ, and sprouted towards the sun! Suddenly they wanted to go back to school and get the education they had abandoned, and change jobs for something more purposeful, and begin engaging in their home and family! They started seeing and helping the needy around them, and meeting with their brothers and sisters with sincere purpose, and finding joy and nourishment in the little wonders they had never noticed before.
Not only did they sprout upward, but they also reached further downward, deepening their roots and stability. These people began operating from a seat of power, sure enough to finally thrive.
Before this sprouting, these people appeared to be dead. But they were not dead, they simply hadn’t yet been born. There are many people who are still waiting to start living for the first time, so help plant them somewhere good if you can, somewhere that they can finally open their shell and live.
In my scripture studies I have been making my way through the early chapters of Exodus, in which we read the story of God sending His plagues against the people of Egypt, afflicting them until finally they let the Israelites go. Recently I noted how these chapters show the side of God that is a God of vengeance. It has stood out to me a great deal just how vicious God’s breaking of Pharaoh and the Egyptians was.
God began the whole affair by summoning forth the blood of the innocent Israelite babes thrown into the river, symbolizing that He was about to require the same blood of the Egyptian people. He then procedurally and strategically took from the Egyptians their comfort, their health, their wealth, their sacred animals, and their safety. He announced that He had propped the entire nation up for the express purpose of beating it down in the sight of all the world. When finally He brought His death upon them, He made sure to take someone from each and every household, ensuring that all of the Egyptians had their hearts broken in the very same night.
One cannot seriously meditate on this story without being moved by the absolute devastation God inflicted upon those people. And more meaningful than the size of the devastation was just how methodical and purposeful it all was. God really knew just how, where, and when to intimidate, to apply pressure, and to break.
A Guilty Heart)
Personally, seeing this view of God does not disturb me. I have always understood and been comfortable with the view that God is to be trusted by the righteous, but feared by the wicked. I know that God endeavors to save the sinner, for He saved me. But before my time of repentance He stood against me and afflicted me, and never did I resent Him for that. I have come to see that the nature of my sins is that they inevitably lead to hurting others, especially those that I love most, and in those moments I am absolutely deserving of God’s judgment and punishment.
Granted, God hasn’t visited me with so great of curses as He did the Egyptians, but neither have I killed thousands of innocent babes as they did. I know that some people struggle with the magnitude of God’s punishments in the Old Testament, but when I read the accounts that are given I do not see that He did anything that was unwarranted. Yes, He smote Sodom and Gomorrah, and Egypt, and the various nations who possessed the land of Canaan, but we also know that they were given to all manner of cruelty and perversion. Many of them worshipped pagan gods which demanded horrifying and barbaric practices, such as the sacrifice of living children!
A Lost Perspective)
The fact is, if we struggle to understand the good in a God who uses great power in attacking the wicked and defending the righteous, it is only because we live a life that is so safe and secure that we cannot fathom the horrors of darkness that God has historically stood against.
In general, as a people today we have no firsthand knowledge of what it is like to live without a powerful government to protect us, or to spend our entire life as a slave to another, or to have no welfare support if we become sick or injured, or to be surrounded by a culture that doesn’t believe in the basic dignity of every person, or to be at the mercy of wild animals and natural elements, or to have the necessity of doing hard labor all day just to have enough food and shelter to survive, or to be constantly be at risk of being slaughtered by a roaming army. Some of the most unfortunate among us might encounter just one or two of these daily realities of ancient life, but overall we are left only to our imaginations of how such an existence must have been.
When one is as vulnerable, persecuted, and afraid as the ancient Israelites then, and only then, can one truly judge whether God’s mighty hand against the Egyptians was a good thing or not.
33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the Lord: 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.
35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.
I’ve already discussed this, but I’ll point out once again that in verse 34 it sounds as though Pharaoh willfully hardened his heart, rather than that the Lord did it to him. Particularly notable to me is that he “sinned” in the hardening of his heart. We typically consider a sin as requiring an intentional, coherent decision to do wrong. We say that someone who is taken by a sudden insanity is not necessarily culpable for the terrible things that they do in that state, so if God had afflicted Pharaoh with a temporary madness that hardened his heart, it seems unlikely that this verse would say that Pharaoh had “sinned.” He would not be culpable anymore.
Also, we are told in these verses that Pharaoh’s servants hardened their hearts as well. But who are these servants, and why would their hardness of heart be relevant to the story? Based on some upcoming references to the same servants, it seems most likely that these were Pharaoh’s advisors and officers. Thus, as they similarly hardened their hearts, they were encouraging and bolstering Pharaoh in his defiance. If it were otherwise, then his continued provocation of the Lord might have put him in danger of rebellion or even assassination!
In some later verses Pharaoh will eventually will lose the support of his servants, but even then he will not surrender to their arguments or be subdued by them. That would have been a surrender of man to man, but the story of Pharaoh was to be one of surrender to God, and God alone!
Spiritual Wanderings 