As Pharaoh continues to harden his heart and refuses to let God’s people go, Exodus 5:1 / Exodus 7:2 / Exodus 7:7 / Exodus 7:16 / Exodus 8:1 / Exodus 8:20, God continues to bring judgment against Egypt. Moses is to go to Pharaoh and tell him, the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says, let His people go, so that they may worship Him, Exodus 9:1.
If Pharaoh refuses to let God’s people go and continues to hold them back, then God’s hand is going to bring a terrible plague on Pharaoh’s livestock in the field, on his horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats, Exodus 9:2-3.
Here we find the fifth plague, the death of livestock, Exodus 9:2. This was a judgment on the goddess ‘Hathor’ and the god ‘Apis’, who were both depicted as cattle.
Unger, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Like all the plagues, this one also struck squarely at the pagan deities of Egypt. This one was Ptah (Apis), the god of Memphis, represented as a bull, as well as other gods represented by the goat, the ram, the cow, and other animals.’
God was steadily destroying the economy of Egypt while showing His ability to love, protect and provide for those who obeyed Him. As we go through these plagues, we see that God was slowly demonstrating not only to Pharaoh but to His people that He controls everything.
God was going to make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites would die, Exodus 9:4. God also set the time for this to happen; He would do it tomorrow, Exodus 9:5.
As with the previous plague, God protected His people from the plague, while the cattle of the Egyptians all died, Exodus 9:6 / Psalm 78:48. There is no way the Israelites could avoid witnessing the power of God as their livestock lived in Goshen but in Egypt, they all died, Exodus 9:6.
If you were an Israelite living during this time, wouldn’t you be thinking to yourself, what on earth is going on here? Remember, they have never witnessed anything like this before.
We don’t know which disease the livestock suffered; the point is, it was only the Egyptian’s livestock, not the Israelites. This should have been a clear declaration to Pharaoh that God was protecting the Israelites.
Notice that Pharaoh did some investigating into the matter, but his heart remained hard, and he wouldn’t allow God’s people to go, Exodus 9:7. In the seventh plague, Exodus 9:20-21, we read that the livestock was further afflicted.
Rawlinson, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The plague affected him less than the others had done, rather than more. He was so rich that an affliction which touched nothing but property seemed a trivial matter. What did he care for the sufferings of the poor beasts, or the ruin of those who depended upon the breeding and feeding of cattle?’
It appears that Moses and Aaron could go to Pharaoh at any time they wanted to, Exodus 9:8. Moses and Aaron were to now take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh, Exodus 9:8. Notice a furnace is mentioned.
Fields, in his commentary, says the following.
‘If these ashes did come from a brick kiln, there is a sardonic twist of vengeance revealed. The Israelites had been enslaved at brick-making, and now the ashes that made the lives of the oppressed bitter smite the oppressor with boils.’
Here we find the sixth plague, which was boils, Exodus 9:9. This was a judgment against several gods over health and disease: ‘Sekhmet’, ‘Sunu’, and ‘Isis’. Notice again, God gave Pharaoh no warning or time to think before sending this plague, just like He did earlier with the plague of gnats, Exodus 8:16. As the dust of the ashes spread through Egypt, it caused boils, Exodus 9:10 / Exodus 28:27.
Keil, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These boils were the first of the plagues to endanger (perhaps even destroy) the lives of men, and in this respect it was the first foreboding of the death which Pharaoh would bring upon himself by his continued resistance.’
The magicians are mentioned, and they couldn’t stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians, Exodus 9:11. This tells us that these religious leaders were powerless against the God of Israel.
We also find the first mention of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, Exodus 9:12, which we dealt with back in Exodus 4:21. As a result of Pharaoh’s hard heart, he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron and allow God’s people to go, Exodus 9:12.
Honeycutt Jr, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Any direct action which the Lord may have taken (in this hardening) was consonant with the character of Pharaoh and operated within the framework of Pharaoh’s freedom.’
Before God sent the last four plagues, Pharaoh was given a special message from God. These plagues would be more severe than the others, and they were designed to convince Pharaoh and all the people, ‘that there is none like me in all the earth’, Exodus 9:13-14.
You will notice that it was this plague that increased the hardships of those who were afflicted. The affliction would come within the household of Pharaoh so that he would understand that there was no god that man could conceive as the God of heaven.
God could have done away with Egypt in the blink of an eye, He could have wiped them off the face of the Earth and just taken Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He didn’t do that because He wanted to demonstrate that He was in control of absolutely everything, Exodus 9:15.
Notice also that it was God who raised Pharaoh up into the position he had at this time, Exodus 9:16. God foreknew that Pharaoh would resist His plan to deliver Israel from captivity.
He knew that all ten plagues would have to be unleashed on Egypt in order that He be glorified as the all-powerful God of heaven. God raised Pharaoh up precisely for the purpose of glorifying God’s Name, Exodus 9:16. God’s will is going to be done, but it was entirely up to Pharaoh as to just how that would happen.
Pharaoh set himself against God’s people and won’t let them go, and as a result, God once again sets up a time, tomorrow, when He will send the next plague, Exodus 9:17-18.
It will be the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, Exodus 9:18. Here we read of the seventh plague, hail, Exodus 9:18 / Psalm 78:48. This was an attack against ‘Nut’, the sky goddess, ‘Osiris’, the crop fertility god, and ‘Set’, the storm god.
And as an example of His grace, God warned Pharaoh to gather whatever cattle and crops remained from the previous plagues and shelter them from the coming storm, Exodus 9:19.
Notice that some officials feared the LORD and brought their salves and livestock inside, Exodus 9:20, while others ignored the LORD and left their slaves and livestock in the field, Exodus 9:21.
At the command of God, Moses stretches out his hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt, on people, animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt, Exodus 9:22.
When Moses did this the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground and so the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt, Exodus 9:23. Hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth, it was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation, Exodus 9:24.
What we see here is that this was the first plague that took human life, Exodus 9:25. It was more destructive to human property and was made known with the terrifying manifestation of hail mingled with fire.
This hail was unlike any that had been seen before; it was accompanied by a fire which ran along the ground, and everything left out in the open was devastated by the hail and fire, Exodus 9:25.
But once again, God’s people were miraculously protected, and no hail-damaged anything in their lands, Exodus 9:26. Can you imagine being there? I would be so tempted to step out of Goshen, pop into the part where the hail and fire were happening and pop back into Goshen again.
Imagine if you lived right on the borderline where you’ve got this line on the ground where no hail and fire are, and just watching this event. If you’re an Israelite, there would be no mistaking the awesomeness of God.
Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and confesses that this time he has have sinned, he says The LORD is in the right, and I and his people are in the wrong, Exodus 9:27.
He asks Moses and Aaron to pray on his behalf because they have had enough thunder and hail and he promises to let God’s people go, they don’t have to stay in Egypt any longer, Exodus 9:28.
Fields, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The desperate Egyptians were in sorrow and fright. Their sky-goddess Nut could not protect them from hail from the sky. Nut was often pictured as a lanky nude female arching from horizon to horizon across the sky, touching the ground with fingertips and toes. Isis and Seth were also thought to have care over agricultural production, but the pagan gods were silent and helpless.’
Moses tells him that he will pray when he goes out of the city and reassures him that the thunder and the hail will stop so that Pharaoh will know that the earth is the LORD’s, Exodus 9:29. However, notice that Moses tells Pharaoh that he knows that Pharaoh and your officials still don’t fear the LORD God, Exodus 9:30.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘What could Pharaoh have meant by this? He would have been more accurate if he had said, ‘I have sinned these seven times!’ In thus limiting his sin, Pharaoh, in fact, confessed nothing, and also laid a portion of the guilt upon ‘the people,’ as did Aaron regarding the golden calf, saying, ‘I and my people are wicked.’
Langley, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It was not Pharaoh in control of the earth, nor Pharaoh’s gods, but Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the Lord of all, Psalms 24:1.’
At this point, we are told that the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom, Exodus 9:31. We are also told that the wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later, Exodus 9:32.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Both of these were important, vital crops to the Egyptians. Linen made from flax provided the garments for the priesthood and all wealthy classes, and the barley was used both for men and for animals as food. By these crops being ‘in the ear’ and ‘in bloom’ respectively, the time of this plague can be fixed in late January or in early February.’
Once Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city, he spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, Exodus 9:33. Notice once again, when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again; he and his officials hardened their hearts, Exodus 9:34.
It appears that as soon as Pharaoh gets any relief from the plagues, his stubbornness kicks in and changes his mind about letting God’s people go, just as God said he would, Exodus 9:35.