Eighth plague:locusts
Exo 10:1 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:
Exodus 9:34 says that Pharaoh hardened his heart, by doing this continually the LORD continues to harden his heart for a purpose; to show signs and wonders.
Exo 10:2 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.
The parents were to share with their children their heritage. This would be something to remember about how the LORD delivered his people by signs and power. Hearing this builds faith.
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Exo 10:3 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.
Pharaoh had pride and stubbornness and he thought he was a god. He would see that the LORD is God.
Exo 10:4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:
Exo 10:5 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:
Exo 10:6 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.
Exo 10:7 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?
Exo 10:8 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?
Exo 10:9 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.
Exo 10:10 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.
Exo 10:11 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.
Pharaoh speaks a compromise, let the men go to worship, but the children stay in Egypt. This was not acceptable, the children must worship with the parents. Children are to learn to worship and to serve the LORD God as well. Tyrants know if they can train the children, then they will part from the ways of the parents.
Pro 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Pro 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Exo 10:12 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.
Exo 10:13 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.
Exo 10:14 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.
Exo 10:15 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.
Seth and his sister Isis were Egyptian gods of fertility. The locusts destroying all green things was a humbling of these false deities.
Exo 10:16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
Exo 10:17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.
Exo 10:18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.
Exo 10:19 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.
Exo 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
Pharaoh pretended to repent, but when the air was cleared he still would not let the children of Israel go.
Ninth plague: darkness
Exo 10:21 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.
Exo 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:
Another time of darkness would come when Jesus would hang on the cross.
Luk 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Luk 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Pharaoh was supposed to be a descendant of Amon-Ra, the sun god, so darkness took away his power. Darkness also fell on the land of Judah when Jesus was crucified. He spent three days in the darkness of the earth after this he arose from the grave; he lives! Nothing is so dark as a stubborn heart of unbelief.
Exo 10:23 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.
Again, the children of Israel were given light, the darkness did not overtake them in their dwellings.
Exo 10:24 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.
Pharaoh tries to bargain with Moses again, this time for the livestock. God is not bargained with. What he says goes, but people often compromise . Beware of compromising the truth of God and do not play games with God, he doesn't owe us anything and he cannot be manipulated.
Exo 10:25 And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.
Exo 10:26 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.
Exo 10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.
Exo 10:28 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.
Exo 10:29 And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.
(David Guzik quote)- To answer Pharaoh's question, Who is the LORD? (Exodus 5:2). In the plagues, God showed Himself greater than any of the false gods of Egypt
- To show the power of God through Moses (Exodus 9:16)
- To give a testimony to the children of Israel for future generations (Exodus 10:2)
- To judge the false gods - demons, really - of Egypt (Exodus 12:12,Numbers 33:4)
- To warn the nations - more than 400 years later, the Philistines remembered the LORD God of Israel as the one who plagued the Egyptians (1 Samuel 4:8)
- As a testimony of the greatness of God to Israel (Exodus 15:11,Deuteronomy 4:34)
Exodus 11
Exodus 9
Exodus 1 Table of contents
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