Posted on by Abe Austin

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 10:16-17

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.

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.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 10:1-2

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.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 9:33-35

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!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 9:29-30

29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s.

30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God.

Pharaoh had made quite a statement of repentance, admitting that he was wicked and that the God of the Israelites was righteous. They were impressive words, but in verse 30 Moses tells Pharaoh that he already knows that the king will still go back on his promise. Moses tells Pharaoh that the Lord will draw away this curse, but he makes it clear that it isn’t because Moses or the Lord have been fooled by Pharaoh. The Lord will not recall the hail because of Pharaoh’s phony repentance, but so that Pharaoh “mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s.”

As I have discussed already, even more impressive than the curse is the healing. God would strike Egypt, and then, at the precisely prophesied moment, He would restore peace. Pharaoh was learning how God ruled from end to end, from start to finish, from destruction to creation, from life to death. Continuing to heal Egypt, even without Pharaoh’s full surrender, was still an opportunity to prove God’s absolute power.

It also might have helped to prove to Pharaoh the state of his own soul. It may have been that Pharaoh really did think he was going to let the Israelites go, and if God refused to call back the curse he would think that God was unfairly judging him. But by being given relief he could see how fickle his own heart really was, how deceitful and faithless he really was.

Certainly there are many of us who have misjudged the conviction of our own repentance. Sometimes God relieves our afflictions so that we can see how faithless we still are once everything gets back to being smooth and easy. He is convicting us of our own guilt, getting us to see ourselves as we really are. True repentance requires true appreciation of how deep our mischief runs.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 8:1

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Now begins the back-and-forth exchange between God and Pharaoh. There is a basic pattern that these discussions will follow:

  • God demands that Pharaoh let the Israelites go serve Him
  • Pharaoh refuses
  • God sends a plague upon the land
  • Pharaoh begs Moses to take the curse away, promising to let the Israelites go
  • Moses beseeches the Lord and the curse is removed
  • Pharaoh reneges on his promise

There might be some variations on that pattern here and there, but that’s generally how it will continue until Pharaoh finally relents. And this, of course, is the pattern that we so often see in our own lives. God calls us to live a better life, but we turn down those impulses to maintain our hedonistic pleasure or quiet complacency. Something goes wrong in our lives and we ask God to take it away, in the moment dedicating ourselves to Him, body and soul. God shows us grace, and we are grateful…but we don’t make good on our promise to better serve Him. We go back to our old ways and so it repeats. Our instinct might be to shake our heads at the strange actions of Pharaoh, but he is a representation of our own faithlessness.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 7:22-25

22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said.

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

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 the Lord had smitten the river.

The turning of the rod into the snakes had been a show of power and superiority from God, but turning the river into blood was truly a throwing down of the gauntlet, a challenge that actively hurt the people of Egypt, but also indicated greater suffering soon to come if Pharaoh would not relent.

Given that, Pharaoh’s response was incredibly arrogant and foolish. Pharaoh had his magicians repeat the same transfiguration, apparently turning some other vessel or body of water into blood like Aaron and Moses had. In essence, Pharaoh was accepting the challenge! He showed that he intended to literally return blood for blood. He was inviting God to continue His campaign against Egypt, and Pharaoh would most assuredly get what he asked for!

In the following verses we learn that the curse continued for a full seven days, a symbolic and holy number, a full measure of time. A week without water is fatal, and we hear how the people resorted to digging in the soil around the river, looking for something fresh. One can only imagine the crowding, the physical discomfort, and the loss of production and stability in Egypt during that time.

We are not told if, or to what extent, the Israelites were also affected by this plague. One might assume that leaving the Israelites a fresh pond of their own would only invite the Egyptians to overrun their land to reach it. I suppose God could have instructed the Israelites in ways to cure the tainted water, but we have no indication that this happened. It does seem likely that at least for some of the plagues the Israelites suffered collateral hardship. At least it was suffering for the purpose of their eventual freedom.