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Judgment of Plagues on Egypt
Exodus 6:28 – 11:10

The Plagues of Egypt. In other places we find that Israel at this time was in a very bad condition morally, and were serving the idols of Egypt. In Ezekiel 20 we read: “But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: none of them cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I thought to pour out my fury upon them, so as to accomplish mine anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were, in whose sight I had made myself known unto them in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt” (Ezek. 20:7-9). Israel really deserved these plagues to fall on them, but the Lord would not do that for His own name’s sake. Instead the judgments fell on Egypt, and God used them to make his power known (Rom. 9:17), and ultimately deliver Israel from Egypt by his own sovereign mercy.¹ Later on, when separated from Egypt in the wilderness, the Lord solemnly warned Israel that if they did not obey the Word of Jehovah, “Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee… every sickness and every plague.” (Deut. 28:60-61). We can learn much from the plagues. First, as literal supernatural judgments, they manifest the power of God over creation. Second, there is a moral lesson in the plagues. The plagues, if we would listen to them, separate us from the world. They are divided in three groups of three. Each group begins with a “morning” (Exodus 7:14, 8:20, and 9:13). The first two in each set are preceded by warnings which are ignored by Pharaoh. The third plague in each set is without warning. The tenth plague is unique. The three groups of plagues address plainly: what the world is, how we are to be separate from the world, and finally, future judgments that will fall on the world.

Contents

Deliverer’s Commission Renewed (6:28 – 7:7)
Presenting the Signs of Divine Authority (7:8-13)
1st Plague: Water Turned to Blood (7:14-24)
2nd Plague: Frogs (7:25 – 8:15)
3rd Plague: Lice (8:16-19)
4th Plague: Flies (8:20-32)
5th Plague: Against Livestock (9:1-7)
6th Plague: Boils (9:8-12)
7th Plague: Hail (9:13-35)
8th Plague: Locusts (10:1-20)
9th Plague: Darkness (10:21-29)
10th Plague Announced: Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 11)

Deliverer’s Commission Renewed (6:28 – 7:7)

28 And it came to pass on the day when Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, I am Jehovah: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30 And Moses said before Jehovah, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how will Pharaoh hearken unto me?

CHAPTER 7

1 And Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made thee God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3 And I will render Pharaoh’s heart obdurate, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 And Pharaoh will not hearken unto you; and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand on Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 6 And Moses and Aaron did as Jehovah had commanded them: so did they. 7 And Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Presenting the Signs of Divine Authority (7:8-13)

8 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak to you, saying, Do a miracle for yourselves, — then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy staff and cast it before Pharaoh — it will become a serpent. 10 And Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh, and before his bondmen, and it became a serpent. 11 And Pharaoh also called the sages and the sorcerers; and they too, the scribes of Egypt, did so with their enchantments: v.11 We have a type of the Anti-Christ the union of both pharaoh and the magicians – on the one hand royal power (saul, absalom, Ahaz, Balak, Pharaoh); and on the other a falsely prophetic character (witch, Ahithophel, Urijah, Balaam, magicians). The two are always connected together… characters linked in opposition to the Christ of God.

12 they cast down every man his staff, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staves. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he hearkened not to them, as Jehovah had said. v.13 Notice the translation error. The hardening of Pharaoh follows paraoh hardening his own heart … after he has heard and refused to believe, God seals him up in that state.

Ten Plagues, Three Groups

1st Group: The emptiness and corruption of the world
2nd Group: That which characterizes the world but is not found among God’s People
3rd Group: Future judgments that will fall on the this World
The Passover: a type of Christ

1st Plague: Water Turned to Blood (7:14-24)

Water turns into blood – death is at the source of this world’s life. The life stream of this world becomes death. All that the world turns to for pleasure and refreshment is under judgment. The 1st group of three plagues speaks of the emptiness and corruption of the world.

14 And Jehovah said to Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened: he refuseth to let the people go. 15 Go unto Pharaoh in the morning — behold, he will go out unto the water — and take thy stand by the bank of the river in front of him; and take in thy hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16 And say unto him, Jehovah the God of the Hebrews has sent me to thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; but behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened. 17 Thus saith Jehovah: In this shalt thou know that I am Jehovah — behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water which is in the river, and it shall be turned into blood. 18 And the fish that is in the river shall die; and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink the water out of the river. 19 And Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy staff, and stretch out thy hand upon the waters of the Egyptians — upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah had commanded; and he lifted up the staff, and smote the waters that were in the river before the eyes of Pharaoh, and before the eyes of his bondmen; and all the waters that were in the river were turned into blood. 21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river; and the blood was throughout the land of Egypt. 22 And the scribes of Egypt did so with their sorceries; and Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, neither did he hearken to them, as Jehovah had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and took not this to heart either. 24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

2nd Plague: Frogs (7:25 – 8:15)

Frogs come out of the water – uncleanness is all this world can produce. Evil spirits (Rev. 16:13) come out and manifest themselves with the religious aspects of the world.

25 And seven days were fulfilled, after Jehovah had smitten the river.

CHAPTER 8

1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah: Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs. 3 And the river shall swarm with frogs, and they shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedroom, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy bondmen, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs. 4 And the frogs shall come up both upon thee and upon thy people, and upon all thy bondmen. 5 And Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy hand with thy staff over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt. 6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the scribes did so with their sorceries, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. 8 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat Jehovah, that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to Jehovah. 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, Glory over me, for what time shall I intreat for thee, and for thy bondmen, and for thy people, to cut off the frogs from thee and from thy houses; so that they shall remain in the river only? 10 And he said, For to-morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like Jehovah our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy bondmen, and from thy people: they shall remain in the river only. 12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried to Jehovah because of the frogs that he had brought against Pharaoh. 13 And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. 14 And they gathered them in heaps; and the land stank. 15 And Pharaoh saw that there was respite; and he hardened his heart, and hearkened not to them, as Jehovah had said.

3rd Plague: Lice (8:16-19)

Dust turned to lice – the curse has fallen on man. Lice pictures personal contamination that tortures. It is the finger of God. Imitators cannot create life out of death, only the Spirit of God can do that. The folly of Janes and Jambres is manifest. The world’s inability to sustain divine life is revealed. After the first three plagues: the river stinks, the land stinks, and the people stink. The source of the world’s life (the river), the physical world itself (the land), and the people in the world – all are corrupted by sin.

16 And Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy staff, and smite the dust of the earth, and it shall become gnats throughout the land of Egypt. 17 And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and smote the dust of the earth, and there arose gnats on man and on beast: all the dust of the land became gnats throughout the land of Egypt. 18 And the scribes did so with their sorceries, to bring forth gnats; but they could not. And the gnats were on man and on beast. 19 Then the scribes said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God! But Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he hearkened not to them, as Jehovah had said.

4th Plague: Flies (8:20-32)

Flies – the pollution of the world. Speaks of the pollution of the world in homes and families. The second group of three plagues speak of that which characterizes the world but is not found among God’s people. After the first three plagues, a distinction is made between Goshen, where Israel dwelt, and Egypt. “I will put a separation between my people and thy people” (v.22).

20 And Jehovah said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh — behold, he will go out to the water — and say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 For, if thou do not let my people go, behold, I will send dog-flies upon thee, and upon thy bondmen, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of dog-flies, and also the ground on which they are. 22 And I will distinguish in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no dog-flies shall be there; that thou mayest know that I Jehovah am in the midst of the land. 23 And I will put a separation between my people and thy people; to-morrow shall this sign be. 24 And Jehovah did so; and there came dog-flies in a multitude into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his bondmen; and throughout the land of Egypt, the land was corrupted by the dog-flies. 25 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, Go, sacrifice to your God in the land. 26 And Moses said, It is not proper to do so; for we should sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Jehovah our God: lo, if we sacrificed the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, would they not stone us? 27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Jehovah our God, as he shall command us. 28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; only, go not very far away: intreat for me! 29 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and will intreat Jehovah; and the dog-flies will depart from Pharaoh, from his bondmen, and from his people, to-morrow; only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah. 30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated Jehovah. 31 And Jehovah did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the dog-flies from Pharaoh, from his bondmen, and from his people; there remained not one. 32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and would not let the people go.

5th Plague: Against Livestock (9:1-7)

Murrain – that which supports man is plagued. Speaks of the curse of financial gain (a blessing to God’s people).

CHAPTER 9

1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and shalt retain them still, 3 behold, the hand of Jehovah shall be on thy cattle which is in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the oxen and on the sheep, with a very grievous plague. 4 And Jehovah will distinguish between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that the children of Israel have. 5 And Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow will Jehovah do this thing in the land. 6 And Jehovah did this thing on the following day, and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

6th Plague: Boils (9:8-12)

Boils – internal evil that is manifested on the surface. Evil that comes up and out, springing up from the root of sin within.

8 And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron, Take to yourselves handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens before the eyes of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall become boils on man and on cattle, breaking out with blisters, throughout the land of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens; and it became boils with blisters breaking out on man and on cattle. 11 And the scribes could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the scribes, and on all the Egyptians. 12 And Jehovah made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, and he did not hearken to them, as Jehovah had told Moses.

7th Plague: Hail (9:13-35)

Hail – natural judgments. Perhaps representing the Beginning of Sorrows. The third group of plagues represent future judgments that will fall on the this world.

13 And Jehovah said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and set thyself before Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For I will at this time send all my plagues to thy heart, and on thy bondmen, and on thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For now shall I put forth my hand, and I will smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16 And for this very cause have I raised thee up, to shew thee my power; and that my name may be declared in all the earth. 17 Dost thou still exalt thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18 Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since its foundation until now. 19 And now send, and secure thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field: all the men and the cattle that are found in the field, and are not brought home — on them the hail shall come down, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of Jehovah among the bondmen of Pharaoh made his bondmen and his cattle flee into the houses. 21 But he that did not regard the word of Jehovah left his bondmen and his cattle in the field. 22 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward the heavens, that there may be hail throughout the land of Egypt, upon men, and upon cattle, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt. 23 And Moses stretched out his staff toward the heavens, and Jehovah gave thunder and hail; and the fire ran along the ground; and Jehovah rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 And there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there had been none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both men and cattle; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time: Jehovah is the righteous one, but I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 Intreat Jehovah that it may be enough, that there be no more thunder of God and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer! 29 And Moses said to him, When I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to Jehovah: the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is Jehovah’s. 30 But as to thee and thy bondmen, I know that ye do not yet fear Jehovah Elohim. 31 And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten; for they were not come out into ear. 33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to Jehovah; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not any more poured on the earth. 34 And Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, and he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he, and his bondmen. 35 And the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, neither would he let the children of Israel go, as Jehovah had spoken by Moses.

8th Plague: Locusts (10:1-20)

Locusts – military judgments. Perhaps representing the Great Tribulation, see Rev. 9:7.

CHAPTER 10

1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his bondmen, that I might do these my signs in their midst, 2 and that thou mightest tell in the ears of thy son and thy son’s son what I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 3 And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah the God of the Hebrews: How long dost thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. 4 For, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, I will to-morrow bring locusts into thy borders; 5 and they shall cover the face of the land, so that ye will not be able to see the land; and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which ye have remaining from the hail, and shall eat every tree which ye have growing in the field; 6 and they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy bondmen, 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 and went out from Pharaoh. 7 And Pharaoh’s bondmen said to him, How long shall this man be a snare to us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God: dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined? 8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. And he said to them, Go, serve Jehovah your God. 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 have a feast of Jehovah. 10 And he said to them, Let Jehovah be so with you, as I let you go, and your little ones: see that evil is before you! 11 Not so: go now, ye that are men, and serve Jehovah! for it is that ye have desired. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. 12 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land — all that the hail hath left. 13 And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt, very grievous; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them will be such. 15 And they covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing on the trees, and in the herbs of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 16 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against Jehovah your God, and against you. 17 And now, forgive, I pray you, my sin only this time, and intreat Jehovah your God that he may take away from me this death only! 18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated Jehovah. 19 And Jehovah turned a very powerful west wind, which took away the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea: there remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. 20 And Jehovah made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

9th Plague: Darkness (10:21-29)

Darkness – spiritual judgments. Perhaps beginning with judicial blindness in the tribulation, ending in the Lake of fire, the blackness of darkness forever.

21 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness in the land of Egypt — so that one may feel darkness. 22 And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens; and there was a thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt three days: 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. vv.21-23 The Plague of Darkness. The Egyptians worshipped many gods, but the highest deities in their pantheon were connected with the sun, the chief being Ra, the god of the noon-day sun. God caused all the light from heaven, from the sun and stars and even reflecting bodies, to be entirely blotted out over all the land of Egypt. But it was more than this, because Israel had light in their dwellings but the Egyptians did not. It would indicate that this supernatural darkness was more like a light-blocking fog that pervaded the land. It could not have been a solar eclipse, because those are very short in duration, and here the darkness complete and lasted three days! It is interesting that at the crucifixion of Christ there were three hours of darkness over all the land of Israel, although there it was for a totally different reason. If you have ever been in a mine or cave when artificial light is extinguished, you will understand total blackness. It is incredible! But this was “so that one may feel darkness” … “a thick darkness”. This was an unnatural elimination of natural light, which would have been terrifying! The effect of this darkness was to isolate people from one another; “they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place, for three days”. This was a literal darkness, but it represents a spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is the absence of the knowledge of God, which leads to confusion and lack of discernment. Spiritual darkness also hast the tendency to isolate the soul, and we see this in the world around us. By contrast the people of God “had light in their dwellings”, and no doubt fellowship as a result. Spiritually it represents the knowledge of God in the homes of believers. How important to make our homes the places where the knowledge of God is found, enjoyed, and taught!

24 And Pharaoh called Moses and said, Go, serve Jehovah; only, let your flocks and your herds remain; let your little ones also go with you. 25 And Moses said, Thou must give also sacrifices and burnt-offerings into our hands, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. 26 Our cattle also must go with us: there shall not a hoof be left behind; for we must take thereof to serve Jehovah our God; and we do not know with what we must serve Jehovah, until we come there. 27 But Jehovah made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, and he would not let them go. vv.24-27 Pharaoh’s Compromise. Once again, Pharaoh offers a compromise to Moses. This time he would allow all the people to leave, but their flocks and herds must remain behind. The flocks and herds represent the business-life of the Lord’s people, which Satan would like to use to control the saints. By leaving Egypt, the children of Israel could later be drawn back in. We need to understand, as Moses did here, that all of those things belong to the Lord. The Lord may ask us to sacrifice those things for Him; “we do not know with what we must serve Jehovah, until we come there”. We must work in the world, but there must be a certain level of detachment from the world, and our business dealings should not be on the principles of the world (dishonesty, etc.). If Pharaoh had his way, the children of Israel would have come to the presence of the Lord empty handed. At this point the sacrifices of Jehovah had not been delineated (Leviticus), but Moses had a sense that the animals would be needed for “sacrifices and burnt-offerings”. So it is with us. If Satan has his way, we will have no praise and worship to offer the Lord (Deut. 26:2), because it will already have been absorbed by the world-system. But Moses didn’t know ahead of time which animals would be offered. So it is with worship. There comes a time when the Lord directs what should be used publicly, but before that time we cannot prescribe anything; all must be available for the Lord’s use! Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he would not accept Moses’ righteous demand to let Israel go with everything they possessed.

28 And Pharaoh said to him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die. 29 And Moses said, Thou hast spoken rightly: I will see thy face again no more! vv.28-29 The Last Meeting. In anger, Pharaoh uttered a threat as he ordered Moses to disappear. Moses had the wisdom to discern the Lord’s irony in judgment; “Thou hast spoken rightly: I will see thy face again no more!” This is one of several occasions where a servant of God was able to pronounce a judgment without a word from the Lord (1 Kings 17:1). Moses final words to Pharaoh are in ch.11:4-8. In ch.12 Pharaoh sends a message to Moses and Aaron by night (Ex. 12:31), but we have every reason to believe that he never saw Moses again. “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). There was a time when Pharaoh could have repented, but now the time was passed.

10th Plague Announced: Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 11)

The Tenth Plague. God’s people are spared from the hail, locusts, and darkness, etc. However, in the final plague the people are to be judged along with the world, except they find refuge behind the blood-stained door. This illustrates the doctrine of Romans 3:22-23; “There is no difference, for all have sinned”.

CHAPTER 11

1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Yet one plague will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go altogether, he shall utterly drive you out hence. v.1 The Final Plague. Up to this point the Lord had brought nine devastating plagues on Egypt, but Pharaoh would not let Israel go completely; there was always some compromise. Now the Lord says He would bring one more plague, and this time Pharaoh would not only let them go but would “utterly drive” Israel out! And there would be nothing left behind; “he shall let you go altogether“.

2 Speak now in the ears of the people, that they ask every man of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, utensils of silver and utensils of gold. 3 And Jehovah gave the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt — in the eyes of Pharaoh’s bondmen, and in the eyes of the people. vv.2-3 The Riches of Egypt. In some translations there is a wrong idea implied. It isn’t that the children of Israel were to fool their Egyptian neighbors into lending them their gold, etc. which they would steal when they departed. Rather, they were to “ask” for the gold and silver, and “Jehovah gave the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians”. The people of Egypt were afraid of Moses (v.3) and were at the point of doing whatever Israel asked of them. Such was the effect of the plagues. This was God’s way of recompensing Israel for their years of hard toil in Egypt; their labor would be paid! This is an example of the righteousness government of God.²It would seem that vv.1-3 are parenthetical and v.4 resumes Moses speaking to Pharaoh.

4 And Moses said, Thus saith Jehovah: About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt. 5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sitteth on his throne, even unto the firstborn of the bondwoman that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of cattle. 6 And there shall be a great cry throughout the land of Egypt, such as there hath been none like it, nor shall be like it any more. 7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know that Jehovah distinguisheth between the Egyptians and Israel. 8 And all these thy bondmen shall come down unto me, and bow down to me, saying, Go out, thou, and all the people that follow thee; and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a glowing anger. vv.4-8 The Death of the Firstborn. Moses spoke before Pharaoh these words. Pharaoh was told that the firstborn of all Egypt would die, but that Israel would not be harmed. Not only people but also animals have fallen under the curse of sin. God has a claim on the firstborn of both (Ex. 13:13). It isn’t until ch.12 that we find what the provision would be for Israel, so that the destroying angel would not come into their dwellings. The distinction would be marked; “that ye may know that Jehovah distinguisheth between the Egyptians and Israel”. The Egyptians would clearly understand that the cause of all this death was the presence of Israel in Egypt, and they would come to Moses and beg him to depart. After saying this Moses left the presence of Pharaoh for the last time “in a glowing anger”. We are to be angry about sin, just as Christ was angry (Mark 3:5, Matt. 21:12). Even God is angry against what is sinful (Psa. 7:11, Psa. 139:22). But we need to be careful that we don’t let righteous indignation turn into fleshly anger (Eph. 4:26-27).

9 And Jehovah had said to Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken to you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. 10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; but Jehovah made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land. vv.9-10 Pharaoh’s Stubborn Heart. The Lord told Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh would not listen to him, because in spite of all the wonders done before him, the Lord had hardened his heart!