Exodus 9.8-35-The Sixth and Seventh Plagues
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday November 6, 2011
Journey Through The Bible Series: Exodus 9:8-35-The Sixth and Seventh Plagues
Lesson # 9
Please turn in your Bibles to Exodus 9:8.
Exodus 9:8-12 presents the record of the sixth plague.
Exodus 9:8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 And the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. (NASB95)
The account of the sixth plague is the shortest of the plague accounts and was directed at the Egyptian goddess, Sekhmet, who was said to have the power over disease.
It was also directed at the Egyptian Sunu, who was the pestilence god and was also against Isis, who was the god of healing.
Like the third plague, the Lord does not give Pharaoh any advance warning before the sixth plague.
The severity of this plague is indicated by the fact that the magicians could not stand before Moses because of these boils that were on them.
Interestingly, this plague account is the last in which these magicians appear and they are never mentioned again in the book of Exodus or the entire Pentateuch.
The Egyptians regarded medicine, magic and miracles as linked thus when Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate one of the plagues or miracles like the staff and snake miracle, this would provide Pharaoh confidence to withstand the Lord’s demands.
The fact that they could not imitate this sixth plague and suffered themselves because of it and could not cure themselves reveals to Pharaoh that they are impotent.
Again, the sixth plague account closes like the other five with Pharaoh hardening his heart and not humbling himself before the Lord.
The account of the seventh plague appears in Exodus 9:13-35, which is divided into four sections: (1) The Lord’s instructions to Moses (verses 13-19). (2) The record of the destruction of the seventh plague (verses 20-26). (3) Moses’ conversation with Pharaoh after the plague (verses 27-32). (4) Pharaoh hardens his heart (verses 33-35).
Exodus 9:13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. 16 But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. 17 Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” (NASB95)
Exodus 9:13-19 records the Lord announcing to Moses and Aaron the seventh plague, which commences the third cycle of plagues that are more severe than the previous six.
The seventh, eighth and ninth plagues are also described in greater detail than the previous sixth and in fact, the accounts of the seventh and eighth plagues are the longest.
Like the first, second, fourth and fifth plague, the Lord would give Pharaoh advanced warning with regards to this seventh plague.
This was to give Pharaoh an opportunity to repent and spare himself and the Egyptians further suffering.
Like the first six plagues, this seventh plague revealed the impotence of an Egyptian god.
This seventh plague reveals the impotence of the Egyptian god, Nut, who was the sky goddess as well as the impotence of the Egyptian god, Osiris, who was the god of crops and fertility.
Lastly, it would be against the god, Set, who was the god of storms.
Like the first plague (7:15) and the fourth plague (8:20), the Lord instructs Moses to see Pharaoh early in the morning.
The purpose of the plagues is to demonstrate to Pharaoh that the God of Moses and Aaron and the Hebrews is incomparable with the implication being that the gods of Pharaoh and the Egyptians are impotent in relation to Him.
In Exodus 9:15-17, the Lord is instructing Moses to inform Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews and Moses and Aaron was demonstrating restraint with him in that He could have destroyed Pharaoh and Egypt with just one plague.
The God of the Hebrews was being gracious and magnanimous with Pharaoh by not killing him with one plague, which He could do at any time.
The Lord also says that He wants to demonstrate His power to Pharaoh with the implication that Pharaoh is impotent in comparison to the God of the Hebrews and is under His control.
Notice also in verse 16, that these plagues are to proclaims the Lord’s name, i.e. His character and person, to all the nations of the earth.
By the Lord attacking the greatest superpower in all the earth at that time, He would be demonstrating that He was sovereign over all the earth and not just Egypt.
Verse 19 records that this hail storm will kill both man and beast.
Notice that the Lord warns Pharaoh and the Egyptians telling them if they want to save the lives of their livestock and families, they all must seek shelter from this hailstorm that He was about to bring against Egypt.
So this seventh plague is the first of the plagues that results in the loss of human life.
Exodus 9:20 The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21 but he who paid no regard to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. 22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. (NASB95)
Verses 20 and 21 reveal that the servants of Pharaoh who feared the Word of the Lord ordered their servants to seek shelter and gave their livestock shelter as well.
Those who did not fear the Word of the Lord left their servants and livestock out in the field.
Verses 22-26 record the Lord executing this seventh judgment against Egypt through Moses and also records the devastating effects of this plague.
This hail storm was no ordinary hail storm but extraordinary since it was accompanied by fire and rain (verse 33).
Verse 24 records that fire flashed continually during this hail storm, which is reference to lightning flashing.
Rain was almost unknown in Egypt and hail and lightning were usually harmless and not deadly.
This hail storm was unique in the history of Egypt as indicated by the statement that nothing like it had ever occurred during the entire long history of Egypt as a nation.
Both man and beast were killed by the storm and this fulfilled the Lord’s prediction in Exodus 9:18.
Verse 25 records that this seventh plague stripped every tree and smashed every plant, thus anything growing in the field was destroyed, which would devastate the economy of Egypt.
This verse is qualified by verses 31 and 32. “All that was in the field” refers to crops that were about to be harvested, which would be flax, which is used in making linen cloth and barley.
Verse 32 records that the wheat and barley were spared.
Flax and barley blossomed in January and were harvested in March-April and wheat and spelt ripened about a month later in April and were harvested in June-July and so this plague may have taken place in the month of February.
Like the fourth plague account, verse 26 records that the land of Goshen where the Israelites resided did not suffer at all from this hail storm.
This again marks the Israelites out for deliverance and the beneficiaries of this plague and marks the Egyptians out for judgment by God.
Exodus 9:27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.) (NASB95)
Verse 27 records that in response to this seventh plague, Pharaoh sends for Moses and Aaron and acknowledges that he has sinned and is guilty before the Lord by not obeying the Lord’s demand for him to release the Israelites.
He also acknowledges that the Lord is righteous as well as his sin but he is not repentant and Moses knows this as indicated in verse 30.
He admits his sin of disobeying the Lord but refuses to let Israel go and thus goes right back to sinning against the Lord since verse 35 records he refused to let the Israelites go, thus, he is not repentant.
He only admits his sin to stop his suffering as indicated by his statement in verse 28 that he had enough of God’s thunder and hail.
If he was repentant he would have obeyed the Lord by immediately releasing the Israelites.
Verse 28 also records that Pharaoh requested that Moses intercede for him.
He made this request with regards to the second plague of frogs (Exodus 8:8) as well as the fourth plague of flies (Exodus 8:28).
Also, verse 28 says that Pharaoh promised Moses and Aaron that he would let Israel go.
He made this promise after the second plague of frogs (Exodus 8:8) as well as after the fourth plague of flies (Exodus 8:25).
Verse 29 records Moses responding to Pharaoh’s request for intercession in prayer on his behalf.
Moses says that he will go outside the city to do this, which demonstrated the Lord’s differentiated between the Egyptians and the Israelites.
Moses was not touched by this hailstorm.
Notice also, at the end of verse 29, Moses says that he will intercede for Pharaoh and bring an end to the storm so that Pharaoh will know experientially that the earth is the Lord’s.
It would tell Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews was the Creator and ruler of the earth reminding Pharaoh that he was under the authority of Moses’ God.
In verse 30, Moses says to Pharaoh that he knows he will not let the Israelites go even after he intercedes for him and ends this seventh plague since the Lord told him in Exodus 3:20 that Pharaoh would let Israel go after He performed His miracles.
He also told Moses that one of these miracles or signs would be the killing of Pharaoh’s firstborn son in Exodus 4:23.
He also told Moses in Exodus 3:20-22, that the Egyptians will give their wealth to the Israelites and plunder the Egyptians.
So up to this point, the Lord had yet to kill Pharaoh’s first born son, which would be the final plague.
Thus, Moses knows that Pharaoh is again going to be unrepentant since this final plague has yet to come.
Exodus 9:33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the Lord; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. (NASB95)
Verse 33 records Moses fulfilling his promise to Pharaoh to end the hail storm.
However, in verses 34 and 35, as soon as the storm ends, we have Pharaoh again reneging on his promise to let the Israelites go.
Instead he hardens his heart.
Therefore, Exodus 9:33-35 records the integrity of Moses and the lack of integrity on the part of Pharaoh.