(Ex 8:23) "I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be."' " {24} And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted [was laid waste NASB] [the land was ruined] because of the swarms of flies. {25} Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."

 

So Moses sticks with the “three days' journey.”

(Ex 8:28) And Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me." {29} Then Moses said, "Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." {30} So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. {31} And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. {32} But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

 

So three more plagues have fallen:

The second, the plague of Frogs, Exo_8:2.

The third, the plague of Lice, Exo_8:16.

The fourth, Swarms of Flies, Exo_8:24.

 

So ended our study last time.  Tonight we study the next three plagues:

 

 

(Exo 9 NKJV)  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. {2} "For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, {3} "behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep; a very severe pestilence.

 

It is very important to note exactly what is said: "behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field,   Apparently not all cattle: those that were housed in barns, sheds, etc., escaped this “very severe pestilence” 

 

The first four plagues had been nuisances.  The fifth will begin to be very costly.  There will also be a difference between the Egyptians and children of Israel.

 

(Ex 9:4) "And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel."' "

(Ex 9:5) Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land." {6} So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. {7} Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

 

 

This is apparently all livestock left in the field.  Remember verse 3: {3} "behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field,

 

 

Remember the Golden Calf?  The cattle! 

These are their gods.  The Nile River has been stuck, and now their cattle have been stuck!

God is striking at the heart of their “power.”  He is going against Pharaoh, and He is striking at their gods!  Their highest power!

No requests by either side are mentioned:

the next plague begins:

 

(Ex 9:8) So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. {9} "And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt."

{10} Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. {11} And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

 

(Ex 9:12) But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses. {13} Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me, {14} "for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

 

 

(Ex 9:15) "Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

Compare what is said here with this verse:

 

(Rev 14:10 NKJV)  "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

 

I think what God is saying to Pharaoh is this:   “If I had poured out my wrath full strength, “then you would have been cut off from the earth.”  Now let’s continue Exodus 9.

 

(Ex 9:16) "But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. {17} "As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. {18} "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.

We hear of hail the size of baseballs.  I remember experiencing a hail of golf ball size hail.  Our car looked like someone worked on it with a ball peen hammer.  Imagine what this hail was like: “such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.”  Compare this to one of the plagues described in Revelation:

 

(Rev 16:21 NASB)  And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.

 

Now God’s advice to Pharaoh:

 

(Ex 9:19) "Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die."' "

{20} He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.

(Ex 9:21) But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

 

God had already made a distinction between the children of Israel and the Egyptians.  Now he makes a distinction between believing and unbelieving Egyptians.

 

(Ex 9:22) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt; on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt." {23} And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; [God is honoring Moses by not acting on his own without Moses being involved] and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. {24} So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

(Ex 9:25) And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck 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, there was no hail. {27} And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. {28} "Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer." {29} So Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord's.

{30} "But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God."

 

And Now a Parenthetical statement:

 

(Ex 9:31) Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.

(Ex 9:32) But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. {33} So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

 

 

(Ex 9:34) And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. {35} So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

 

 

The fifth, the grievous Plague on the livestock,

The sixth, the plague of Boils and Blains, on the 3d day of the seventh month; Exo_9:10.

The seventh, the grievous Hail, on the 5th day of the seventh month; Exo_9:18.

 

Scripture quotations marked "NKJV™" are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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