The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die
9:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the 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 fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” 5 And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
The Seventh Plague: Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord‘s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” 31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. (ESV)
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
Finally Pharaoh acknowledges his sin as the issue in the plagues that are tormenting Egypt. Unfortunately, Pharaoh’s acknowledgment of his sin is done merely to make the plagues stop, there is no true repentance. If he were repentant he would have turned from his sin and not continued to repeat it over and over again as we will see in the coming chapters. Pharaoh admits that he sins and asks Moses to pray to God to take the thunder and the hail away. Once the plague stops, Pharaoh returns to his sinful ways and refuses to let the Israelites go. This chapter reminded me how so many people in times of pain or trial turn to God for help and claim that they have become Christians. However, once the trial passes and their life goes back to “normal” they forsake God and go back to living their lives for themselves. As we learned at Winter Revival, the mark of a true Christian is that he “stays” a Christian. No season of good times or bad times can shake the faith of one who is truly a disciple of Christ. May we not be like Pharaoh who turns to God when he wants relief from pain, but then turns his back on God when the pain is over.
I hope to see all you girls at Girls’ Workshop this afternoon…12:00-2:00!
These plagues are incredible and they display the mighty power of the Lord… This makes me think of hardship and persectution today in the Christian lives. God here shows that he is the only true God and he will not take no for an answer. There wasn’t really a specific verse in this chapter for me, but it was solid!
15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
God is sovereign! If it weren’t for God, Pharaoh would not even be in authority over Egypt. We need to remember that before Pharaoh was even born, everything happening in this story was under God’s providential control. He wanted this to happen. He demonstrates his power through it. He wants his name to be known everywhere. And it will! Pharaoh will keep up the fight but in the end, God will get all the glory.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Being all-powerful, God could have never allowed the Egyptians to enslave the Israelites in the first place. Or, He could have had Pharaoh release them as soon as Moses returned. But instead, He chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he refuses to let them go. While this may seem contradictory to God’s plan (for Israel to have a homeland), God saw the bigger picture. By doing this – and judging Egypt with the plagues – His power was made known, and in the future nations would fear the God of Israel. Everything that happens happens according to God’s plan, and we can have confidence that God will work things out for the best – which is not necessarily what WE think is the best way.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me,
14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
Pharoah’s heart must be so hardened after not letting the Israelites off after all these plagues. God is making Pharoah know to that He is the True God by all these plagues and that there is no one like Him. Now God is saying that He is going to have a plague that will effect Pharoah, if i were Pharoah i would be scared and that God said that He could of sent down a plague to wipe out the earth and everything that God said through Moses came true.
35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
I just like how everytime God says something it happens! It just shows His how Holy He is! Just like us sinful people take back our words a lot like Pharoah.
This makes me a little dissappointed that we only have 5 comments, only 5 people commented?!?! and its about half way through the day…we as a group need to be seeking God!
God wasn’t killing the Egyptians for His own good pleasure. He does everything for a purpose and He is hardening the Pharaoh’s for His own glory, that His name be proclaimed through all the Earth. At least some of the officials got that this work could only be of God and went inside for the hailstorm… And Kyle I agree!
I would not want to be someone who didnt fear the Lord at this time! Getting hit with hail does not sound too fun to me. But really, Pharaoh, this is getting old. Please just let the Israelites go!! Gosh how hard is it to believe. I mean we believe and we didnt even get to see all these miracles, we just hear about them. He is actually standing right there when Moses is doing these things and he doesnt believe……That dude is crazyyyyyyyyyyyy
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Wow. Pharoah just can’t seem to get a hint. He has put his people through so much torment because of his selfishness and hunger for power. Even after all the plaugues that have happened so far, he still hardens his heart and will not let the Isrealites go. God’s power is shown in the most specatular, unthinkable ways and yet Pharaoh still does not fear Him.
Echoing Mr Matt Crane…. I love how God’s power is totally made manifest in this chapter. Pharaoh has completely turned against God and hardened his heart yet God pretty much just goes “booyea” and all these plagues happen to the egyptians! I think sometimes we as christians forget how powerful God is, I think this is one attribute we need to keep in mind as we are worshipping!!
I agree D$, God has a purpose for His actions.
20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.
21 But those who ignored the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field.
25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.
The Egyptians had a clear choice: obey or disobey the word of the LORD. Those that obeyed saved their livestock and slaves and those who disobeyed lost them. Clearly there are consequences for not obeying God’s word. In hindsight I would imagine many Egyptians were broken before God wishing they had obeyed the word of the LORD. We have that same choice today, either obey God’s word and receive blessing or disobey and receive consequences.
12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
I have always been very confused about this. I dont understand why the Lord would harden Pharaoh’ heart. I absolutely believe He had a reason and it was Completely valid, I… as a human… just dont understand it. My guess would be that by hardening Pharoah’s heart, it gave God more time to show His miracles. If you have any answer that would help me understand, it would be much appreciated.
Moses is the tpy of person that sticks to what God says nomater the cost I want to be like that God i pray this.Amen
Chelseaaaaaaaaaaa: Check out Romans chapter 9 it contains the answer to your question. Your guess is on the right track.
5 The LORD set a time and said, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
6 And the next day the LORD did it: God always fulfills his promises, I love these verses. We can have complete confidence that Jesus Christ is coming again.
6 And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
God was so faithful to the Israelites! Even though He knew that they would complain while they were in the dessert for 40 years and worship idols, He still was faithful by guarding them from these plagues.
11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.
I found this kind of funny. The one time that the magicians didn’t copy the same plague by using their “magic”, they still end up vicitim to this plague. As they copied the plagues in the past, who would want to copy this one? Would the magicians want to demonstrate that they could magically make boils appear on themselves? I don’t think so. Yet, God showed them who the REAL magician is, and made them so covered in boils, they couldn’t even stand before Moses. I think they’ll be thinking twice the next time they want to show off their magic skills…
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
28 Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”
29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God.”
Moses can see right through Pharaoh. He knows Pharoah just won’t follow through. After everything, Pharaoh simply says what he needs to in order to relieve the plagues. I agree with Beth…how many times do we run to God when things are tough, and forget Him completely when things are going well? We need to fear God at ALL times, praising Him through trials, and praising him through good times. Don’t let yourself become complacent, but know that we cannot do anything apart from God, and we need to submit to His power.
I hear people all the times saying “how can a loving God do …. ?” when something bad happens. But God is also just! Yes, God loves those who are called according to his purpose, but He also hates sin. God gave a fair warning in this passage that was not heeded, so He stuck to His word and had to follow through with the punishments of the plagues.
15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
These verses really stuck out to me because it reminds me of how powerful and mighty God is. A lot of times, we look to God as a loving, forgiving God. But God is also a just and jealous God. He can do anything he wants. In vs 16, God is showing that he has a purpose for everyone and our purpose is to glorify Him and tell everyone about the gospel. Even though Moses thought he wasn’t qualified enough (he’s 80 yrs old!!!), God still let him know that He has a purpose for him that will eventually lead to God’s glory.
20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.
oh yeahhh I also thought his verse was pretty cool too because I always imagined the Pharoah and his officials as bad guys who didn’t think about God but here it actually says that some of them feared God and because of their fear and respect of the Lord, their possessions didn’t get harmed since they believed in what Moses told them.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
God is all powerful and He can do anything. For God has chosen to punish Pharoah for his evil heart. He will not let him off easy. But, Pharoah did not know how powerful god is. God with his pleagues is amazing. Pharoah should have given up and let God’s people go.
Whoa I had completely forgotten about the hail! That must have been pretty awful considering how exhausted they must have been after all the other bad things that had been happening so recently.
20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.
21 But those who ignored the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field.
25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.
We are like this. We have the choice to either obey God and follow the signs or else reap the consequences (judgment, then hell) its our choice. We need to listen to Gods wprd and take it seriously. HE has proved many times that he is not kidding around and that he does not make empty threats. we Will be judged, and it is up to us on what we are judged on and how well it goes. We can choose if we are judged on all the sins and the way we lived for the worl or we can be judged on how we lived for God
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts.
35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Great comments Julia, Jasmine, and Rebekah!
This is just hard to imagine. How can anyone be this stubborn? Pharaoh has received many warnings, he has experienced the power of God first hand and yet, he refuses to let the Israelites go. Beth had such a good point when she said people often turn to God during difficult times, just to return to their sinful ways once the crisis is over. Pharaoh didn’t really want anything to do with God; he just wanted to maintain a certain level of comfort. When he found relief from the hail, he immediately returned to his old ways…. Some people never learn!
16.) But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
I am tracking with what Mike and Jasmine said… God is sovereign so just give Him the glory He deserves.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Pharoah was put in his position so that God’s power might be revealed to the whole world. God had a plan to use Pharaoh (a non-believer) to display his incredible glory. It’s pretty awesome that God uses the events of the world to reveal his power and glory!
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
Pharaoh acknowledged that he was wrong and surrendered to God’s power. Pharaoh was stubborn. He would not let the Israelites go even after Moses had calmed the plagues. His heart was hard and he was not truly sorry for his sins.
In this chapter I noticed after the different plagues that went through Egypt that none of the magicians tried to repeat the plagues. I’m hoping they didn’t even try because they finally realized how great Gods power is and His ability to do things.
16But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
what a good verse! I like how it says, “I have raised you up for this very purpose.” makes me think of how Christ has raised those who are saved up from hell and that our salvation and Our Lord himself should bring us that burning passion for bringing His name the glory He deserves.
Chelseaaaaaaa it also says in verse 16 why God hardened Pharoah’s heart checkachecka uh:
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
6 And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
I find it amazing how God’s promises are always fulfilled no matter what! The very next day God does what He says He’s going to do! It’s just a reminder that God’s promises will be fulfilled and we can trust that God will be with us always. We can trust that God is taking care of our future and the Lord IS coming back! It gets me so pumped whenever I’m reminded of it! MARANATHA! Lord I want to be with You at this very second! :)
First, I just want to say that the video of Tyler Blakey today (at the 5 ‘o-clock service) was hilarious!
14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
God is so great and the miracles he shows us are so amazing. But as it says in verse 14, there is no one like God on this earth. He is the only one that could perform the plagues told here, and that could be why he is hardening Pharoh’s heart because he wants to show everyone of his glory. And although he is sending all these plagues to kill the Egyptians but not the Israelites; and these plagues/signs changed Pharoh’s heart and showed him of his sins but Pharoh’s heart hardened and he sinned again by not letting the Israelites go. I can’t wait to read the rest of this story!
though it may have seemed weird at the time to the israelites, God was hardening pharaoh’s heart for a reason. He was able to demonstrate more of his power to the Israelites, and show his power to the Egyptions, and some of the egyptions, it seems, started to understand that He is the only God like when some of the officials pulled all of their slaves and livestock in for the hailstorm. Also, We can now read this story and be amazed at all of the things that God is able to do. It is neat to see how God’s plan always ends up better than any other alternatives when you read the bible. this gives me confidence that no matter what happens to me in this life, it will always be for the best.
35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Pharoah, Pharoah, oh baby let my people go… hahaha reminds me of the song….
Here you can see that pharoah has it coming for him. He’s ignoring what God has told Moses. He’s gonna pay the price for his mistake. When we don’t listen to God, we will have punishment in our near future. God is a just God. He has to punish those who deserve it. And Pharoah will eventually get it…. And end up at the bottom of the Red Sea!
Pharaoh definitely didn’t fear God, which is something we all need to do. Do we not know the power of the God that reigns over us? His life is in our hands, and He can do whatever he wants, whenever we wants. Who would be willing to be so stubborn and stand up to a God who causes plagues to come over an entire people? That wouldn’t happen today but God still has just as much power as he did then. We need to fear God!
Notice how clearly God’s purposes are presented to us in this chapter:
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”
He wants his people to go so that they can worship him.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
He hardens Pharoah’s heart to say no so that he can show his power.
Either way God gets the glory and Pharoah gets spanked!
I think that this whole situation shows so many things. But one thing that i really saw in this chapter was how God is truly in control of everything even the weather. God is so powerful that he can make it hail and not exactly where he wants it too…That is just so crazy to me. We have such an amazing God
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
28 Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”
29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God.”
31 (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom.
32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts.
35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
even though Pharaoh says repeatedly he will let them go he changes his mind and shows he had a repentance that was not real.
many of us do this as well we become a Christian and live it out while it is easy and fall away when times get tough.
Great quality stuff.