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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Text Commentaries</title>
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<h2><a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'all');">Exd 10</a> - The Plagues Continue</h2>
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<p>A. The eighth plague: Locusts.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'1-6');">1-6</a>) God tells Moses to bring another warning to Pharaoh.</p>
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<p class="c2">Now the <span class="c6">Lord</span> said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I <i>am </i>the <span class="c6">Lord</span>." So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.' " And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">I have hardened his heart</span></b>: Here the <span class="c6">Lord</span> says that He <b><span class="c3">hardened</span></b> Pharaoh's heart, yet in <a onclick="return mV('Exd',9,34);">Exd 9:34</a> it says that <i>he</i> [Pharaoh] <i>hardened his heart</i>. Which was true? Both are true, and one does not deny the other. In hardening Pharaoh's heart, God allowed him to have what he sinfully desired - a hard heart.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">That you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt</span></b>: God's work was not only for the sake of the generation of Moses and Pharaoh; it was also for <b><span class="c3">your son and your son's son</span></b>. God does mighty works among us so that we can encourage generations to come.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?</span></b> Getting to the heart of the matter, God warns Pharaoh to <b><span class="c3">humble</span></b> himself or the worst plague of locusts ever seen will come upon Egypt. <i>Pride</i> was at the heart of Pharaoh's problem; he simply didn't want to give into God.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'7-11');">7-11</a>) Pharaoh seems to relent - with qualifications.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span> their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?" So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span> your God. Who <i>are </i>the ones that are going?" And Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>." Then he said to them, "The <span class="c6">Lord</span> had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. Not so! Go now, you <i>who are </i>men, and serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, for that is what you desired." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">How long shall this man be a snare to us?</span></b> These men, known as <b><span class="c3">Pharaoh's servants</span></b> hardened their hearts before (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',9,34);">Exd 9:34</a>). Still now, even <i>they</i> relent in light of the destruction that has come upon Egypt - but Pharaoh's heart is harder still!</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Who are the ones that are going?</span></b> Pharaoh again wants to bargain with God and Moses. He wants to allow some to go into the wilderness to worship, but keep the women and children home as hostages.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Pharaoh offered a compromise in <a onclick="return mV('Exd',8,'25-26');">Exd 8:25-26</a>, suggesting that they could have a day to sacrifice to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> while still in Egypt. Moses rejected that compromise, and will reject this one also. God won't strike this bargain, because He doesn't need to - God holds all the negotiating leverage.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. What Pharaoh wanted is what many of us want in the flesh - a way to "give in" to God, without fully submitting to Him. Sometimes we look for a way to sort of bargain with God as an equal, instead of submitting to Him as Creator and <span class="c6">Lord</span>.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. When Moses first came to Pharaoh, Pharaoh said: <i>Who is the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',5,2);">Exd 5:2</a>). The fact that Pharaoh still will not submit to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> shows that he doesn't know who the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is yet. This is despite the fact that the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God has made it clear that He is:</p><ul class="c6"><li></span>Greater than the god <i>Khnum</i> (the guardian of the Nile)</li><li></span>Greater than the god <i>Hapi</i> (the spirit of the Nile)</li><li></span>Greater than the god <i>Osiris</i> (who had the Nile as his bloodstream)</li><li></span>Greater than the goddess <i>Heqt</i> (the frog-goddess of fertility)</li><li></span>Greater than the goddess <i>Hathor</i> (a cow-like mother goddess)</li><li></span>Greater than the god <i>Imhotep</i> (the god of medicine)</li><li></span>Greater than <i>Nut</i> (the sky goddess)</li><li></span>Able to stop the whole worship of the Egyptian gods with loathsome lice and swarms of insects</li></ul>
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<p class="c5">iv. Despite all this, Pharaoh shows he still does not know the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God. Very well, God will show him more!</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'12-15');">12-15</a>) The plague of locusts comes.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land; all that the hail has left." So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the <span class="c6">Lord</span> brought an east wind on the land all that day and all <i>that </i>night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. <i>They were </i>very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">They ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left</span></b>: Now the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God shows Himself greater than the Egyptian god <i>Seth</i>, thought to be the protector of crops.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">There remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field</span></b>: God did for Pharaoh what He will do in our lives: expose and topple every false god. When trust in these gods it hurts to see them fall, but it is always best to have them exposed.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'16-20');">16-20</a>) Another false repentance by Pharaoh.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, "I have sinned against the <span class="c6">Lord</span> your God and against you. Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the <span class="c6">Lord</span> your God, that He may take away from me this death only." So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. And the <span class="c6">Lord</span> turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. But the <span class="c6">Lord</span> hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">I have sinned against the <span class="c6">Lord</span> your God and against you</span></b>: Pharaoh did the same thing in <a onclick="return mV('Exd',9,'27-28');">Exd 9:27-28</a>. He said the words of repentance but did not follow through with the actions. His heart was only hardened more after God relented and showed mercy.</p>
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<p>B. The ninth plague: Darkness.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'21-23');">21-23</a>) A plague of darkness comes without warning.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness <i>which </i>may even be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt</span></b>: As was the pattern with the previous plagues, the third in this set of three comes without warning.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Darkness which may even be felt</span></b>: This was no normal darkness, it had a supernatural element to it that could <b><span class="c3">be felt</span></b>. Light is not only a physical property; it is an aspect of God's character (<i>God is light and in Him is no darkness at all</i>, <a onclick="return mV('1Jo',1,5);">1Jo 1:5</a>). In judgment, God can withdraw His presence so significantly that the void remaining is <b><span class="c3">darkness which may even be felt</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Seemingly, God did not even allow artificial light sources to work. The Egyptians would attempt to use candles and lamps but were unable to produce light. This was dramatic show of greatness over the prominent Egyptian god <i>Ra</i>, thought to be the sun god.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">All the children of Israel had light in their dwellings</span></b>: We don't know if this was because God spared them the plague or because God granted them His unique presence, bringing a supernatural light.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,'24-29');">24-29</a>) Pharaoh's last attempt at a compromise with Moses.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span>; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you." But Moses said, "You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span> our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span> until we arrive there." But the <span class="c6">Lord</span> hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!" And Moses said, "You have spoken well. I will never see your face again."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Go, serve the <span class="c6">Lord</span>; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back</span></b>: With this, Pharaoh makes his "final offer" to Moses. All the children of Israel can go into the wilderness for three days of sacrifice unto the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God, but they must leave their livestock behind.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Undoubtedly, Pharaoh felt God was a hard bargainer and made the best deal for Himself He could. Pharaoh still saw things as someone who thinks he can bargain with the Creator - he still doesn't really know who the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God is, because He still has not submitted to Him.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more!</span></b> In exasperation, Pharaoh orders Moses out - telling him to never come back. Moses assured Pharaoh, "<b><span class="c3">You have spoken well. I will never see your face again</span></b>" - but this was not good news for Pharaoh.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. This ends the account of the nine plagues, and though there is one yet to come - the plague upon the firstborn - it is so unique that it must be considered by itself. As review, we see the Bible tells us there are several reasons why God sent these plagues upon Pharaoh and Egypt.</p><ul class="c6"><li>To answer Pharaoh's question, <i>Who is the <span class="c6">Lord</span>?</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',5,2);">Exd 5:2</a>). In the plagues, God showed Himself greater than any of the false gods of Egypt</li><li>To show the power of God through Moses (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',9,16);">Exd 9:16</a>)</li><li>To give a testimony to the children of Israel for future generations (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',10,2);">Exd 10:2</a>)</li><li>To judge the false gods - demons, really - of Egypt (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',12,12);">Exd 12:12</a>; <a onclick="return mV('Num',33,4);">Num 33:4</a>)</li><li>To warn the nations - more than 400 years later, the Philistines remembered the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God of Israel as the one who plagued the Egyptians (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',4,8);">1Sa 4:8</a>)</li><li>As a testimony of the greatness of God to Israel (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',15,11);">Exd 15:11</a>; <a onclick="return mV('Deu',4,34);">Deu 4:34</a>)</li></ul>
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