Exodus-10&11

Exodus 10 & 11 – 8^th Plague:  Locusts

Exodus 10:1-2(ESV)
¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, 
²and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly (hithpael)  with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

The Hebrew word “hithpael” or MSS “hitallaltiy b”  – can mean “abuse” or “mistreat” but in the sense of “humiliate” rather than to deal harshly with.    Consequently different translators handled the word differently:

ESV:   “…how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them,

NASB:            … how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them,

NKJV:  “…your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt…”

NIV:  “…how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians…”

Message:^1–2     Godsaid to Moses: “Go to Pharaoh. I’ve made him stubborn, him and his servants, so that I can force him to look at these signs and so you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you’ll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you’ll all know that I am God.”

The events of this time in Egypt was had an evangelistic purpose….  The text stated “It was so you could tell your children and generations after how God humiliated the Egyptians and how He performed great signs among them.”  They were to understand who God really is and how important it is to be rightly in covenant with him.  Truly:  that all will “know that I am the Lord” .

Exodus 10:3-6(ESV)
³So Moses and Aaron went in 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. 
⁴For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, 
⁵and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, 
⁶and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

THE QUESTION:  “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?”

The principle stands today for when one does not acknowledge the one true God as their own Lord they are in rebellion against their very nature and eventually must be taught who is boss.

Problem:  “Arrogance & Pride”  VS  “humility and reverence” 

V.4-6 – Describes the severity of the coming plague.  The hail has just knocked out their agrarian economy and the locust will take any possible recovery of their current crops away.   Invades everything, including their homes as this plague will be of such never seen in Egypt’s history. 

Exodus 10:7-11(ESV)   –  Again he tries to bargain without success
⁷Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” 
⁸So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” 
⁹Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” 
¹⁰But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.^£ 
11No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

The statement:  How long shall this man be a snare to us?  –  It was a metaphor saying that Moses had become a means by which the Egyptians were denied their freedom and trapped in a situation they did not want to be in.  

 “ Egypt is ruined”   –  the officials recognized the situation and it was obvious that Pharaoh should let them go.  They saw the hardships of the people, whereas Pharaoh’s pampered condition would shield him from much of the misery felt in the land.   Like many imperious leaders throughout history they fail to see the severity of what I their impending demise. 

V.8-11 – The proposed compromise by a partial agreement to let the people go so they could worship the Lord their God.      Moses reply that ALL must go….

Pharaoh’s response:  The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.^£ 

The original view of Pharaoh was the same that of his concern that they will rise up against him.   He is sure they have an evil intent as their true motive.  They say it is to go away ‘to worship’ but their intent is to do evil against Egypt.  He feared ‘payback’! 

Exodus 10:12-20(ESV)   –  The Plague and its Consequences
¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” 
¹³So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 
¹⁴The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 
¹⁵They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 
¹⁶Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 
¹⁷Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” 
¹⁸So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 
¹⁹And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 
²⁰But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

Today’s versions read:  “…eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”     Quote:  SP-LXX (Septuagint) –  MT = Mass Translation  –  “haplography” when 1 phase was left out when both should have been included.

Here also the SP and the lxx preserve the added wording “and all the fruit of the trees,” which is likely original, having been lost from the MT by haplography. The parallel wording in v. 15 supports its inclusion as well. Accordingly, the end of the verse should be regarded as having read originally “every plant in the land and all the fruit of the trees—everything that the hail had left.”

V.13-15 – God uses the natural order of things by bringing an East wind that brought the Locust that were hatched in sandy soil at a number far greater than ever was…    (It is said they were brought to Egypt from a distance of some 480 miles east it.)  –  They ‘blanked’ Egypt. 

V.16-17 – Pharaoh admits his guilt and asked for forgiveness and requests prayer for the removal of the plague.  He did not acknowledge sinning against the Lord and acknowledging that Moses and Aaron was right when he asks for them to forgive him. 

The Hebrew literally says:  “so that he may take away from me at least this death.”  He saw that his plague was not just inconvenient but a leading to death.    Was he seeing Romans 6:23 in action?

V.18-20 – Moses prays and God sends a STRONG west wind to drive the locust into the red sea.   THE Wind changing from a STRONG eastern wind to bring them into Egypt and now a STRONG westerly wind to take them out of Egypt.  (Show CONTROL of nature.)

Exodus 10:21-23 – 9^th plague Darkness

Exodus 10:21-23(ESV)
²¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 
²²So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 
²³They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 

This was an ominously darkness threatened ancient people.  They were virtually immobilized by the darkness and more so in the dark of the moon.  They considered confinement in darkness a grave punishment from God and associated it with death.  Three days without light would cause widespread panic and all would realize that the natural order had been overturned.

The darkness appears to be ‘instantaneous’ – a darkness that can be felt…  a darkness that will require groping around.  Hebrew word “hiphil”  “feel around with one’s hands – grope – feel one’s way.  

V.22 – Darkness for 3 days… –

V.23 – The Israelites had light…  That would show God’s power and his control…

Lamps would be a wick resting in the oil contained by the bowl and a very small light inside a home with no reflection items available at that time.  Thus, limited movement inside and less, if any on the outside.

Exodus 10:24-26(ESV)
²⁴Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 
²⁵But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 
²⁶Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 

Another ploy by Pharaoh as he says “they could go, but leave your flocks…”  Meaning, it would force them to come back for their flocks..

Moses states the livestock must go with them for sacrifices and burnt offerings – we don’t know yet what the Lord wants us to do in service to Him.    This statement would indicate that some aspects of Israelite sacrificial system was not yet revealed to him. 

Exodus 10:27-29(ESV)
²⁷But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 
²⁸Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 
²⁹Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

The behavior of Pharaoh demonstrates his frustration of not being able to get his own way.   “Don’t let me see you again” –  a strong possible warning or Moses would be put to death for appearing before him again.    (In essence, Pharaoh predicts the future as Moses is about to get out of Egypt for good.  Soon all the miseries of bondage in Egypt would be history.) 

God had not moved Pharaoh to make such a threat against Moses.  It was his own idea and outrageous in three ways:

1.      It violated the immunity Moses should have enjoyed as a prophet of God as he spoke for God. 

2.      It was mean-spirited and vindictive.  He had been given warning after warning but he did not listed to them.

3.      It was cowardly as he still acted as they were Egypt’s potential enemy. 

It statement that were poorly conceived to silence and intimidate the Israelites in general.

 QUOTE:  by: P. Enns – Exodus – Zondervan.

A tension that all Christians deal with sooner or later is having an understanding of God while at the same time recognizing that he is always open to directions that we have not anticipated. We feel this tension acutely, for example, when we find ourselves coming to grips with an understanding of a doctrinal issue that at an earlier time we would have found problematic or unorthodox. This tension is often difficult to hold in balance, but it is one that all Christians must try to respect. Knowledge of God is a powerful commodity, which is why it is so susceptible to abuse. It is always a temptation to think that you “understand” who God is and how he works. God has revealed himself to us, to be sure, and most clearly in his Son, but too often the wonder of his revelation is reduced to a narrow dogmatism that has everything in its place. It is the kind of faith that favors heated theological debate rather than unity in love.

For some, it seems that all the mysteries of the gospel and life have been entrusted to them. This is not just a danger for famous Christian thinkers (or cult leaders!) who make their livelihood from expounding the deep mysteries of the gospel, but for everyone. We all know Christians like this and, if we are honest, we would admit to similar transgressions. Yet there are others for whom the Christian life is shrouded in mystery to the point that dogma is an intrusion. Although theological systems have been exploited to the detriment of the gospel, it is also true that eschewing any sort of theological system can be detrimental to one’s faith. Such a view emphasizes the mystery of the gospel so that its revelatory content is not taken seriously.

The lessons of the plague narrative are a merciful slap in the face to both these extremes. The plagues are revelation. They are not done in private, but for all the world to see. They tell us, in no uncertain terms, who God is and what he can do. But God’s dealings with Pharaoh are also beyond our understanding. They cannot be contained in a series of tidy propositions handed down like a math formula or grocery list. We have in the Bible at once the openness of God and his hiddenness. The paradox we see hinted at already in the plagues is fully embodied in Christ, for the fullness of God dwells in him (Col. 1:19), but he is also like us in every way (Heb. 2:17).

All those who “have come to share in Christ” (Heb. 3:14) share in this tension, and we would do well to keep this in mind as we journey toward a deeper knowledge of Almighty God. God is in our midst, yet he is beyond us. We should be humble in our knowledge, for we are dealing with a God of boundless depth, who has creation at his fingertips. But we must also be bold in our limited understanding, for the same God has gone to great lengths to make himself known to us.

Exodus 11

By the use of the plagues God demonstrated his superiority to all the supposed other gods.  God demonstrated the superiority in connection with the supposed gods of the greatest economic-political-military power of the day.   This was an evangelistic enterprise to show the then world who he was.  So that they might know and have fulfill his desire that none should perish for lack of knowing He is God.  A large part of ‘truth’ is knowing that He is the only true God and provider of eternal life.   

After being in Egypt for some 430 years his people would have some disillusion of who the true God is among all the gods of Egypt.  God make sure that the belief system of the Egyptians and any other pagan group would know who the ‘true God’ is. 

Would this not be a convincing method to turn people away from the bad news toward the good news by the dramatically and decisively exposing them as truly bad and obviously false?  During the period of the 9 plagues the reality of the “good News” has had an opportunity to sink into the consciousness of those who witnessed the event. 

The Egyptians were considered to be ‘pantheists’.  Buy understanding what that means can shed light on the reason for the various plagues they suffered under.  The quote from the New American Commentary may shed some light on the situation.

The Egyptians were pantheists, as most ancient and many modern people were/are as well. Pantheism is a belief system in which all nature is thought to partake of the divine: anything that exists is a manifestation of, or a part of, or an extension of, a god. To see, or touch, or hear, or taste is to come in contact with a god because all things are in some way essentially part of a god or goddess. Therefore, ten or eleven supernatural acts of judgment showing control over ten or eleven different aspects of nature represent multiple judgment strikes against Egyptian religion (and ancient pagan religion as a whole). 

The worship of many gods had as its foremost goal to provide life. The gods were seen, above all, as the grantors of life and protectors of the living. To ignore the gods was to be in danger of ignoring the forces that provided life, the sustainers of existence. The gods, each in their particular ways, sustained the lives of those who worshiped them. The plagues, appropriately, were largely focused on death. Nearly all of them actually resulted in death (in the first nine, that of the plants or animals afflicted by or used by God as agents of the plague). The tenth and final plague was the ultimate one—and fittingly, it was the plague of death, showing that the gods, both severally and totally, of any sort and any status, could not save anyone or anything from death. If God can take the life of the firstborn, he can take the life of anyone regardless of birth order. If every household in Egypt was affected by the death that constituted this plague, then every household in Egypt should have been able to understand who held the power of life and death and who, by implication, did not. The gods did not. Yahweh did.

Note how 12:12 concludes with the words “I am the Lord.” – God was in effect saying by these words: “I’m doing something here that is basic to my (soon to be fully revealed) covenant with you. I’m showing you whom you must pay sole attention to and who alone can save you and grant you blessing—if you keep my covenant. I’m making sure by dramatic and decisive means that you cannot miss the fact that I alone am life and truth for you. Pay attention to no other gods. I have powerfully demonstrated to you that they don’t exist. I have also demonstrated to you what happens to people who think they do. Trust me alone and you’ll have made the choice from which everything else important follows.”  –  Quote: extracts from the New American Commentary

Exodus 11:1-3(ESV)
¹The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 
²Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 
³And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

The Egyptians were shown that their own gods were ineffective ‘nothings’.   The extent of punishment melted to them would cause Pharaoh not to just allow the Israelites to leave, but he would actually require them to leave or one could say:  “he would drive them away”. 

V2-3 – reveals the psychological distance that had developed between Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptians.  His people had come to their senses and realized that Israelites’ God Yahweh was in control and their gods were useless.  The people could see that they would be better off with the Israelites leaving.  They wanted them to go and get relief from the oppressive anger their God melted out to them. 

God wanted his people to be prepared for their new home.  They needed wealth and God gave his people the needed items and wealth needed for their future.  He put in the hearts of the Egyptians the desire to give their treasures to the Israelites when they asked for them.  God made the people think highly of Moses.  (In essence they were saying:  “Take this and leave.”  “Let me pay you to go.”

The spoils of war!  “spoils” were valuables left after a war.  Their condition was of ‘pain’ as “pain of war would be” –  it indicated the down trodden condition of the Egyptians.   They were defeated as they saw they had no gods’ great enough to protect them. 

Exodus 11:4-8(ESV)
⁴So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 
⁵and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 
⁶There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 
⁷But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 
⁸And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get 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. 

V.4 – God announces that He would be the one to go through-out the land striking the first born of man and beast. 

If a translation reads:  “every firstborn son in Egypt”, it would be misleading.  Instead most translations write it as:  “every firstborn in Egypt”.    (It shows that it is important to check other translations of the scriptures for differences and to see a different view.)

Hebrew word:  “bkor” is used and the sense of the word is “child”…  the firstborn child…

Why the killing done at Midnight?  The Israelites day began at dusk by reason of the creation order – the logical reckoning that when one day was coming to an end another must therefore be starting.   Dusk would be the time frequently people went to bed.  (There was no entertainment to occupy them.)   – A ‘grace’ factor is at work on the time the deaths would occur.  By being at midnight it would be most alarming to those dying as they would fall asleep and not know they died.  It would be in the morning when the deaths were noticed and the outcry went out throughout the land.    No household with a child would be speared.  That would be virtually every household in that society. 

V.5 – might generate the following questions:

1 – Was God fair to kill the firstborn of families all over Egypt?  At this time it was only the King that was in opposition to letting the people go. 

This involves the relationship between God’s wrath and his justice.  Pharaoh was hardly the only guilty one in the mistreatment of the Israelites as the people there were willingly to carry out Pharaoh’s orders?   Did they not assist in locating killing the boy babies?   Had they not developed an attitude it was alright to make a group of people their slaves that they miss-treated?  Thought-out time the Bible speaks of slaves and how they are to be treated.  It wasn’t that they were ‘a slave’, but it was that they were still to be given the level termed; ‘human dignity’ as God warrants this for all of mankind.

2 – Why kill the firstborn of cattle as well?

In human history there has been a close symbiotic relationship between cattle and humans.  Cattle was created in the 6^th day as was humans.  Cattle in ancient times were deeply appreciated.  It would bring a complete circle of humiliation for the Egyptians to have these animals struck down as well.  They considered the cow as sacred.  It was a prime animal in their false religion. 

V.6 – “wailing” “aqah” can be translated ‘outcry’  – a term used to describe the groaning/crying out of the Israelites from the misery of their horrific slave work.     Now the Egyptians were doing the ‘wailing’.   The oldest child in very household was found dead in their bed.    This Hebrew word used in Exodus, translated “cry”… (saqa(h)) Strongs:  6818. a shriek:—cry (-ing).

V.7 – “not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” 
In Bible times the dog was the least of the animals in terms of desirability or importance as it was dirty, unwelcomed scavenger.  It’s reputation was somewhat akin to that of a rat is in modern times.   This was a graphically idiomatic way of saying that the Israelite humans and cattle would simply see no harm.

not a dog (keleb) shall growl (Ishonah) against any of the people of Israel…

H3956.  לְשֹׁנָהl^eshônâh, lesh-o-naw´; from 3960; the tongue (of man or animals), used lit

V.8 – Moses prediction of Pharaoh’s action to seeing the death of his firstborn:  ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.”  (In Egyptian religion they had a god that would protect the first born.  For Pharaoh his firstborn was to be the future Pharaoh and was considered to be a god as his father was such.

Moses predicts:  the officials would leave the platform and would beg Moses and people to leave.  The king’s policies had been proven worthless by the officials and the people. 

Exodus 11:9-10(ESV)
⁹Then the Lord (had) said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
¹⁰Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

Exodus 11:9-10(NIV)
⁹ The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

NIV:  The Lord had said to Moses Pharaoh will refuse to listen…

“had said” is use of the pluperfect to stress the level of perfection.

Use of the pluperfect (plu-perfect)  (even better than perfect – extreme in degree)    Use of the pluperfect: “had said” at the outset of verse 9.  Today we’d say:  “Past-perfect” – such as “had written”  combining the past tense with perfect aspect.

Pharaoh was made a fool of by God as he continued to resist the obvious conclusion that the was to let the Israelites leave Egypt.