God Speaks
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. 2 I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. 4 If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country. 5 They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields. 6 They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”
9 Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord.”
10 Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. 11 Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.”
13 So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it. 15 For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you,” he confessed. 17 “Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the Lord your God to take away this death from me.”
18 So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the Lord. 19 The Lord responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go.
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” 22 So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. 23 During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.
24 Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the Lord,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.”
25 “No,” Moses said, “you must provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord our God. 26 All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the Lord our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the Lord until we get there.”
27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, and he would not let them go. 28 “Get out of here!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses. “I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die!”
29 “Very well,” Moses replied. “I will never see your face again.”
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country. In fact, he will be so eager to get rid of you that he will force you all to leave. 2 Tell all the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)
4 Moses had announced to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt. 5 All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die. 6 Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again. 7 But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites. 8 All the officials of Egypt will run to me and fall to the ground before me. ‘Please leave!’ they will beg. ‘Hurry! And take all your followers with you.’ Only then will I go!” Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.
9 Now the Lord had told Moses earlier, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, but then I will do even more mighty miracles in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed these miracles in Pharaoh’s presence, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let the Israelites leave the country.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Exodus 10 covers the eighth (locusts) and ninth (darkness) plagues. In verses 1 and 2, God told Moses why He was bringing all these plagues on Egypt, “. . . so you will know that I am the LORD.” With Pharaoh’s refusal to let God’s people go and worship Him, God sent locusts that consumed all vegetation that the hailstorm had not damaged. Only the area of Goshen was untouched. Pharaoh and his court made a superficial confession that lasted only until they saw relief. The ninth plague of deep, tangible darkness was a particular challenge to those who worshiped the Egyptian sun-god, Ra. It could not be explained by natural phenomena such as an eclipse, especially since it lasted much longer, and the Israelites had light in Goshen.
Exodus 11 covers Moses’ proclaiming of the tenth plague. Moses visited Pharaoh with one last request and warning. In what looks to people living in 21st century Western culture like an attempted payoff or reparations, the Israelites asked for and received large amounts of gold, silver, precious stones, and other valuables. In his last fiery encounter with Pharaoh, Moses announced that because the Egyptians had gravely mistreated God’s chosen (or first-born) people, He would kill the first-born son of every Egyptian from the highest position (Pharaoh) to the lowest (granary maid).
*The Rational Bible: Exodus by Dennis Prager, audio version disk 4, tracks 4 and 5
Prayer: Dear Almighty God who delivers those who trust in Jesus from all kinds of bondage, thank You for delivering, first the Hebrews and then after several millennia, me. The eighth plague of locusts represents all the things that “eat up” or destroy such as inflation, rust, violence, or rage. Please remove greed from my heart and replace it with generosity and true care for others. Please replace any tendency toward severe anger or jealousy with compassion and understanding. You know better than I what needs to be removed and replaced in my life: please do so. The ninth plague of tangible darkness represents the depth of sin in my own heart as well as in my culture. Thank You that Jesus Himself dealt with that darkness through His death on the cross. Now I am set free to live in the light of His mercy and grace. May the light of the Holy Spirit shine out of me to bless others, especially through my wounds. Please use me so that all the people I interact with will know that the great I AM is LORD and come and worship You alone. Please protect the hearts of Your people so that they are not consumed or even touched. As various leaders and celebrities make superficial confession that only lasts until they see relief, may my repentance reflect a true change of heart and life. O LORD, please forgive and remove the plague of the deep, tangible darkness of sin from my own heart and from this nation. It is a particular challenge to and rebellion against You and Your love, grace, and righteousness. Please do things that cannot be explained by natural phenomena and turn people to trust in You–Father, Son, and Spirit. Please bless and protect those who faithfully proclaim Your Word. May Your servants visit people (especially those in positions of authority) with one last request and warning. May people seeking to live for You ask for and receive (spiritually if not physically) large amounts of gold, silver, precious stones, and other valuables and use them to worship You and to further Your kingdom. Most important of all, may people everywhere from the highest position (President of the United States of America) to the lowest (an “untouchable” in India) come to believe that their sin killed the first-born son of God, but that by trusting in Him to save them that they will receive all of the rights and privileges He now has in Heaven and for all eternity. All for the glory of the Father. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will talk with my children and grandchildren (or other children I know) about what God says in the Bible so that they will know that the God of the Bible is the LORD.
- I will encourage people in authority to support the rights to be free and to worship as an individual chooses–in private, in groups, and in public.
- I will humble myself before God, honestly confess my sins, apologize to those I have harmed, and seek the Lord’s help to change both my attitude and behavior.
- I will listen to (pay attention with a desire to obey) what the LORD is saying to me through the Bible, good preaching, various circumstances, and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.