Exodus 10-11: “The Lord Pours Out The Last Two Plagues Upon Pharaoh And The Egyptians”

By

Jim Bomkamp

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1.                  INTRO:

 

1.1.            In our last study, we looked at chapters 8 and 9 of Exodus.

 

1.1.1.      In that study, we looked at the second through the seventh plagues that were poured out upon the Egyptians by the Lord through Moses and Aaron.  We saw that with each plague that although Pharaoh was confronted with the power and glory of God that he chose to harden his heart against the Lord, just as the Lord told Moses that he would do. 

 

1.1.2.      We looked at how that during the 7 year Tribulation that many of the same plagues performed in Egypt will be occurring during that time as well.  We looked at the plagues of Egypt that will be occurring during that Tribulation period.  Interestingly, long before the book of Revelation was written, which detailed the events of the Tribulation, in the book of Micah it is prophesied that the same kinds of things that happened to the Egyptians when the Lord delivered them from Egypt will happen again:  Micah 7:15, “15As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.”

 

1.1.3.      We saw how that with each of the nine plagues that were poured out by the Lord on the Egyptians that the Lord was also judging a particular god or gods that the Egyptians worshipped.  With each plague we discussed which god or gods were being judged, and how that this was done to show Pharaoh and the Egyptians how that the Lord He alone is God.

 

1.1.4.      We saw that time and time again when Pharaoh experienced the judgment of God that he promised to let the Israelites go to worship their God, only to renege on his promise when the plague was removed and things got back to normal in his life.  He is like many people who promise to follow the Lord and do His will if He answers their prayer and helps them in some trouble, however after the Lord answers their prayer they don’t follow through on their promise and commitment to follow the Lord.

 

1.1.5.      We saw that Moses’ confidence in God grew with each plague.

 

1.2.            In our study today, we are going to look at chapters 10 and 11 of the book of Exodus.

 

1.2.1.      From the questions that I asked during our midweek study this past week as we discussed Pharaoh and what God was doing in his life during these plagues God was performing in the land of Egypt, several very intriguing and excellent insights from the group came out, including:

 

·        In spite of what Pharaoh experienced in these plagues, Pharaoh was a man who was so filled with pride that he couldn’t learn, because that is what pride does.

·        Pharaoh and the Egyptians were probably praying to their gods to counter act each of the plagues, yet their gods were failing them which led to their losing faith in their gods.  We talked about how today people’s gods are failing them.  They worship material success and yet the economies of the nations are going downhill.  We talked about how when we run into someone whom we realize is experiencing the failure of their gods that we need to share with them about the one true God who is creator and over all.

·        The plagues were judgments not only against Pharaoh and the Egyptians, they were also judgments against each of the “gods” of the Egyptians (which are really demons), and evidently after the Israelites left Egypt idolatry amongst the Egyptians was affected to a degree.  The Egyptians did continue in idolatry, but I found one source that mentioned that the Egyptians never again made sacrifices to the Nile after the Exodus of Israel (the Nile itself was one of the Egyptian’s gods).

·        God was warring with the principalities and powers over the nation of Egypt through the plagues.

 

1.2.2.      While we are on the subject of Egypt, I want to point out that in the scriptures it has been said that there are about 250 prophesies that deal specifically with the nation of Egypt.  Egypt is mentioned in end times prophecy, for instance:

 

1.2.2.1.In Daniel 11:40, Egypt is most likely the king of the south that will attack the forces of the Anti-Christ during the 7 year Tribulation of the book of Revelation, “40 At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.”

 

1.2.2.2.Ezekiel 29:9-15 we read that the Lord will judge Egypt in the future bringing them to utter desolation, “9 The land of Egypt will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’ 10 therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and even to the border of Ethiopia. 11 “A man’s foot will not pass through it, and the foot of a beast will not pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. 12 “So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.” 13 ‘For thus says the Lord God, “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 “I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 “It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations.”

 

1.2.2.3.In Isaiah 19:16-25, we see prophesied an event that will probably occur during the Millennium as Judah will be ruling over Egypt:  “16 In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is purposing against them. 18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. 19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord near its border. 20 It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them. 21 Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the Lord, and He will respond to them and will heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

 

1.2.3.      We will look at the last two of the nine plagues that the Lord pours out upon the Egyptians through Moses, prior to that last act in which the Lord kills the firstborn throughout the land of Egypt.

 

1.2.4.      We will see that the Lord is turning up the heat on Pharaoh to release the Israelites and let them leave and worship their God in the wilderness, however we see that the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart so that he will not respond to the warnings the Lord gives him and let the Israelites leave.

 

2.                  VS 10:1-6  - “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” 3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 ‘For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 ‘They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field. 6 ‘Then your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.” -  The Lord sends Moses to Pharaoh to warn him of a coming plague of locusts but also to appeal to him to humble himself before the Lord, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart so he would not humble himself

 

2.1.            It is interesting to note here that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not humble himself before the Lord.  The Lord tells Moses that He has hardened Pharaoh’s heart and the heart of Pharaoh’s servants so that He:   ‘may perform these signs of Mine among them and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them that you may know that I am the Lord.’

 

2.1.1.      Oh Christian, make sure that you tell your sons and your grandsons how that the Lord made a mockery of the Egyptians during the Exodus as He poured out His signs upon the them.

 

2.2.            The Lord has an appeal for Moses and Aaron to give to Pharaoh, namely, that he might humble himself before the Lord, for the Lord asks Pharaoh in essence what it will take in order for him to humble himself before the Lord:  ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?’  How much more destruction of the nation would Pharaoh be willing to witness all because he was too humble to listen to God and do His will by letting the Israelites go?

 

2.3.            The Lord again tells Pharaoh:  ‘Let My people go that they may serve me.’

 

2.4.            The Lord gives Pharaoh yet another opportunity to repent as He tells him that, ‘If you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.’ 

 

2.5.            Devastation of what crops and vegetation is left is promised with this plague of locusts that will come, that is, destruction of whatever is left after the hail that had already fallen.

 

3.                  VS 10:7-11  - “7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God! Who are the ones that are going?” 9 Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” 10 Then he said to them, “Thus may the Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is in your mind. 11 “Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desire.” So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.” -  When Pharaoh’s servants complain to him to let the Israelites go he summons Moses and Aaron to return to him, but when he asks who all will go with them Moses and Aaron tell him that it will be with their young and old and with all of their flocks and herds, then Pharaoh tells Moses that he can only take with him the men of Israel, and Moses and Aaron are driven out of Pharaoh’s presence

 

3.1.            We see the heat being turned up on Pharaoh here as his servants are confronting him to do something about Moses:  “’How long will this man be a snare to us?  Let the men go that they may serve the Lord their God.  Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?”  This reminds me of Nazi Germany near the end of the war when Hitler refused to surrender to the allied forces, opting instead to continue sacrificing more and more lives and of the very infrastructure of Germany.  Finally, Germany and even Berlin was in shambles, yet Hitler being the dictator he was would have sacrificed the entire country and the life of every German.

 

3.2.            When Moses tells Pharaoh that if they go that they must take with them their young ones and all of their herds, Pharaoh senses that the Israelites will not be planning on returning if they leave, thus he says:  ‘evil is in your mind.’

 

3.3.            Finally, hoping that Moses and Aaron will be appeased if he allows just the men to leave and sacrifice to the Lord he says:  ‘Go now the men among you and serve the Lord for that is what you desire.’

 

3.4.            Pharaoh drives Moses and Aaron out of his presence at this point.

 

4.                  VS 10:12-15  - “12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, even all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very numerous. There had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many again. 15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.” -  The Lord tells Moses to stretch out his hand over the land of Egypt that the locusts might come up on the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, and Moses did so and the plague broke out on the land of Egypt

 

4.1.            This is now the “eighth plague” on the land of Egypt, which was “a plague of locusts” which came up and ate every plant of the field, every fruit on the trees, and every green thing left on tree or plant of the field throughout all of the land of Egypt.  At this point the nation of Egypt was decimated from the plagues God had sent to them.

 

4.2.            The means by which the Lord brought about this plague was by blowing the creatures wherever they might be found into the land of Egypt.

 

4.3.            Chuck Missler has written the following about how the Lord was judging the gods of the Egyptians through this plague:

 

“Some of the earlier plagues may have been separated by extended intervals, but the eighth plague followed immediately on the heels of the seventh: locusts came upon the land. Every twig and leaf that had somehow escaped the hail and fire was now taken by the locusts. Where was Nepri, the grain god? Where was Ermutet, goddess of childbirth and crops? Where was Anubis , the jackal-headed guardian of the fields? And where was Osiris, great head of their senior trinity who was also their agricultural god? Having lost faith in their gods, rebellion was now in the air.”

 

5.                  VS 10:16-19  - “16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 “Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and make supplication to the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” 18 He went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. 19 So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.” -  Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and admits to them that he has sinned against God and them, and he asks them to forgive him his sin this once and make supplication to the Lord for him and remove this death from him

 

5.1.            Pharaoh admits that he has sinned against the Lord and against Moses, and in my mind I wonder what sin it might be that Pharaoh is admitting here?  Is he admitting sin in that he should not have been so blind so as not to recognize God’s hand working until now?  Is he admitting that he has sinned by simply being stubborn and unyielding?  Is he admitting that he has sinned by not having faith in God and His word as given to him by Moses?  What is he thinking?

 

5.2.            I see here that this plague didn’t need to last very long in order for Pharaoh to respond for it says here:  ‘Then Pharaoh hurried called for Moses and Aaron.’  Before this plague began Pharaoh’s servants had tried to get him to let the children of Israel to leave before the nation was destroyed, but he had refused.  Now, Pharaoh was sensing how angry the Egyptians were becoming with him.

 

5.3.            God’s hand must have been clearly seen when Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s presence for as soon as they went out ‘a very strong west wind …took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea.’  This action was so decisive that ‘not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.’

 

6.                  VS 10:21-23  - “20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go. 21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.” -  The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let Israel go, then the Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand toward the sky that there might be darkness over the land of Egypt, and he did so and darkness covered the entire land for three days

 

6.1.            This is yet the “ninth plague” that the Lord poured out upon the nation of Egypt, and this was one of “total darkness in all the land for three days.”

 

6.2.            Chuck Missler has written the following about how the Lord was judging the gods of the Egyptians through this plague:

 

“The ninth wonder was a darkness that could be felt! Josephus writes:

"But when Moses said that what he desired was unjust, since they were obliged to offer sacrifices to God of those cattle, and the time being prolonged on this account, a thick darkness, without the least light, spread itself over the Egyptians, whereby their sight being obstructed, and their breathing hindered by the thickness of the air, they were under terror lest they be swallowed up by the thick cloud. This darkness, after three days and as many nights was dissipated."

Where was Ra, god of the sun? In the school of On, or Heliopolis, city of the sun, the worship of Ra was virtually almost monotheistic. He and Aten, the sun's disc, were worshiped with the ankh, symbol of life from the sun, as almost a sort of trinity. Where was Horus, the god of the sunrise? Or Tem, the god of the sunset? Or Shu , the god of light? Or the deities of the moon and planets?”

 

6.3.            As amazing as the supernatural darkness was that covered the land of Egypt, so also was the light that covered where the children of Israel lived, in the land of Goshen.  Some have speculated that the light over the children of Israel was produced by the Shekinah glory of God.

 

6.4.            The ‘three days’ of darkness over the land of Egypt is interesting because it is yet another reference in the scriptures of ‘three days.’  In this case, the ‘three days’ refers to darkness and judgment that will lead to the greatest and last judgment, the death of the firstborn. 

 

6.5.            The city of Jerusalem was covered with darkness for three hours when the Son of God hung upon Calvary’s cross suffering the penalty of our sins, and the Father had forsaken His Son and did not want to look upon Him because He had been made to be sin for us.

 

7.                  VS 10:24-29  - “24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to the Lord our God. 26 “Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29 Moses said, “You are right; I shall never see your face again!”” -  Pharaoh called Moses and told him to go and to sacrifice the Lord and take with him his little ones, but when Moses insisted on taking his livestock with him Pharaoh refused to let them go and told Moses that if he ever saw his face again that he would kill Moses

 

7.1.            Pharaoh here seems to want to proactively alleviate his troubles and he calls to Moses and tells him to go ahead and worship, and he even allows him to take his young ones to go with him.  However, when Moses mentions that they must also take all of their livestock with them so that they could ‘have sacrifices and burnt offerings’ to sacrifice to the Lord since they would not even know what God wanted from them until they were gone, Pharaoh sends Moses and Aaron out of his sight.

 

7.2.            Note that again ‘the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.’  As time has gone on with more and more of the plagues that have been poured out on Egypt, we see that it wasn’t so much that Moses’ hardened his heart, but rather it was the Lord who was hardening Moses’ heart.  As we have mentioned before, in hardening Pharaoh’s heart the Lord was merely confirming him in the decision that he had already made to harden his heart against the Lord.

 

7.3.            Pharaoh warns Moses that if he sees his face again that Moses ‘shall die.’  However, Moses tells Pharaoh that he is right for he shall never see his face again.

 

8.                  VS 11:1-7  - “1 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. 2 “Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. 4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 ‘Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 ‘But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’” -  The Lord tells Moses that He is going to bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one last plague, the Lord is going to cause all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt to die, but nothing bad would happen to the Israelites

 

8.1.            The Lord tells Moses that with this last plague, the death of the firstborn in Egypt, that the Pharaoh ‘will surely drive you out from’ Egypt completely. 

 

8.2.            The Lord tells Moses that when the children of Israel finally do leave Egypt that they each would ask of their neighbors and they would give them silver and articles of gold, and the people would comply with them and thus they would not leave Egypt penniless.

 

8.3.            The Lord tells Moses exactly when this plague will happen in Egypt:  ‘about midnight.’ 

 

8.4.            Further, the Lord tells Moses that every firstborn in Egypt from Pharaoh’s house all of the way even to a slave girl behind a millstone working, including even the firstborn of all of the cattle.

 

8.5.            The Lord tells Pharaoh that there will be ‘a great cy in all the land of Egypt such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.’

 

8.6.            Conversely, not a single one of the firstborn in Israel will be touched, and in fact the Lord says that ‘a dog will not even bark,’ indicating that Israel will be completely untouched by this last plague.  The Lord tells Moses that the Israelites will be unaffected so ‘that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’

 

8.7.            We have seen that many of the same plagues that occurred in Egypt during the Exodus will occur again in the end times during the 7 year Tribulation of the book of Revelation.  I would point out here that just as the Israelites were unaffected by the judgments that occurred upon the Egyptians that in the same way the church will be unaffected by the judgments of the 7 year Tribulation of the book of Revelation.  I believe that this will occur by the Lord rapturing the church before the Tribulation period begins.

 

9.                  VS 11:8-10  - “8 “All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” -  Moses goes out from Pharaoh’s presence ‘in hot anger,’ and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land

 

9.1.            Moses tells Pharaoh here that his servants ‘will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.’  So, Moses even warned Pharaoh here that the firstborn all through out the land of Egypt would be killed by the Lord in this last plague.

 

9.2.             Moses finally went out of Pharaoh’s presence filled with ‘hot anger,’ this being “righteous anger” at a man who because of his stubborn self-will would be responsible for the lives of hundreds of Egyptians.

 

9.3.            One more time we read that ‘the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart’ and thus he refused to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

 

10.              CONCLUSIONS:

 

10.1.        Be prepared to tell people of the one true God when you see that their gods are failing them right and left, as is the experience of many in our day today.  The world economies are teetering, natural catastrophes are occurring almost daily, and people’s lives and quality of life are being affected all around us.

 

10.2.        Don’t harden your heart towards the Lord.

 

10.3.        Make sure that you tell your sons and your grandsons how that the Lord made a mockery of the Egyptians during the Exodus as He poured out His signs upon the them.

     

 

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