Exodus 11:1-10 Last Chance: Plague on the Firstborn

"Now the LORD had said to Moses,

'I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt.

After that, he will let you go from here,

and when he does, he will drive you out completely.

Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors

for articles of silver and gold.'

(The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people,

and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt
by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.)

So Moses said, 'This is what the LORD says:

"About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.

Every firstborn son in Egypt will die,

from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who sits on the throne,

to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill,

and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.

There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt --

worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.

But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal."

Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying,

"Go, you and all the people who follow you!"

After that, I will leave.'

Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

The LORD had said to Moses,

'Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you --

so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.'

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."

Exodus 11:1-10 (NIV)

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This was a long section, but it all belongs together, so I did not want to split things up.  Previously, Pharaoh had (again) refused to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt, and the LORD had sent a plague of darkness. Pharaoh had ordered Moses out of his sight, and had threatened to kill him if he appeared before him again.  Then this section of Exodus 11:1-10 is introduced as a way to explain what the LORD had already told Moses before his appearance in Pharaoh's court.  There is a lot of material here, so I will just list some observations:

• One more plague remains.  The LORD at first does not go into detail about it, but simply instructs Moses to tell the people to ask their neighbors for silver and gold articles before it happens.  Whatever it is, it will cause Pharaoh to want to drive the Israelites out of his land.
• We are told that the LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the Israelites, which means that they will likely agree to these requests.  We are also told that Pharaoh's officials and the people had great regard for Moses himself.  Moses had in the past shown great military prowess, and his demonstration of the power of Israel's God had no doubt been impressive to all who witnessed the plagues which had come upon Egypt.  I also get the impression that Moses' character is involved here.  The Egyptians may not believe in his God, but they seem to have respect for Moses.
• The last plague is finally revealed.  All the firstborn sons of Egypt will die, whether of high or low position in society.  This will be a tragic, crushing blow to Egypt.  Its severity indicates the seriousness with which God viewed Pharaoh's rebellion and willful disobedience.
• Even the firstborn of the cattle will die.  At first I wondered why, for the animals had not rebelled against God.  Then I remembered how Pharaoh had wanted the Israelites to leave their cattle behind, which was both an attempt to hold the Israelites back from leaving Egypt, and an effort at robbing them of their wealth so that they had no resources with which to make a life elsewhere.  God is still keeping the promises which he made to Abraham.  One of them was that whoever blessed Israel would be blessed and whoever cursed Israel would be cursed.   Throughout history, God has kept that promise, and in a kind of ironic justice, has seemingly done to Israel's enemies the exact thing which they had attempted to do to Israel.  In this case the Egyptians had attempted to take Israel's cattle, so guess whose cattle takes a hit?
• The loud wailing throughout Egypt (at the realization of the death of the firstborn sons) would be worse than had ever happened before, or ever would happen again.
• The Israelites would be spared this tragedy, and the LORD would show the distinction between Israel and Egypt, because of their relationship with God.  Not even a dog would bark at them, a situation which emphasizes the providential care which God was taking of His people.
• Moses is angry at Pharaoh, and warns him that his own officials would come and beg him to leave Egypt.  Then he left Pharaoh's presence.  That is an awesome moment.  If Pharaoh had any real wisdom at all, he would have run after Moses and begged for God's forgiveness.  However, by now Pharaoh's heart -- continually hardened by his own repeated transgressions -- had been made hard enough that the thought of repentance was nowhere evident.
• The final verses of this text (v.9-10) remind us that all these things were no surprise to God.  Before Moses had even left his father-in-law's home to come to Egypt, God had told Moses that Pharaoh would not listen to him.  He had also told Moses that these events would take place so that God's wonders could be displayed in Egypt.  All of Pharaoh's resistance would merely allow God to be glorified and His miraculous control over all His creation to be displayed before the Israelites and the Egyptians alike.

Exodus 10:21-29 Deep Darkness

"Then the LORD said to Moses,

'Stretch out your hand toward the sky

so that darkness will spread over Egypt --

darkness that can be felt.'

So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky,

and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.

No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days.

Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said,

'Go, worship the LORD.

Even your women and children may go with you;

only leave your flocks and herds behind.'

But Moses said,

'You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings

to present to the LORD our God.

Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind.

We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God,

and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD.'

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart,

and he was not willing to let them go.

Pharaoh said to Moses, 'Get out of my sight!

Make sure you do not appear before me again!

The day you see my face you will die.'

'Just as you say,' Moses replied,

'I will never appear before you again.'

Exodus 10:21-29 (NIV)

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When Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, even after the plague of locusts, the LORD sent darkness over Egypt for three days.  This darkness was so thick that one person could not see another, and no one left home for three days.

However, in the homes of the Hebrews there was light.  That is an amazing thing.  Can you imagine what was going on in the minds of the Egyptians?  Aside from the darkness giving them a chance to think about the power of this God of the Israelites, they could see clearly that God was making a distinction between His people and the Egyptians.

Again, it is not that the Israelites were any more holy or superior than any other people, but their relationship with God made all the difference.  God was in a covenant relationship with the Israelites, and He was preparing to make good on His promise to bring them back to the land which He had given them, a land which they had not yet seen, although their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had lived there.  At the same time, God was revealing Himself to the Egyptians, so that they might come to know Him as well.

Pharaoh, however, was being the epitome of stubbornness.  Despite all the evidence of the superiority of the God of Israel over the 'gods' of Egypt, he remained resistant.  Even now, in the midst of the three-day darkness, he was still acting as if he was the one calling the shots.  He declared that the Hebrews could all go to worship the LORD, but that they must leave their flocks and herds behind.  Perhaps Pharaoh was becoming resigned to the fact that the people were going to leave, but he hoped to at least retain their wealth -- their animals.

Moses quickly makes it very clear that it was the LORD who was the sovereign here, and that the Israelites were waiting on His commands, not upon Pharaoh's.  The Israelites intended to worship the LORD, and needed to have all their resources with them so that they could respond to the LORD's leading regarding what type of worship would be pleasing to Him.  In reality, Pharaoh's power had been proved nonexistent.  His desires in this case were not even an issue.

Pharaoh responds with all the rage of a spoiled child who cannot have his own way.  He orders Moses out of his presence and warns him that if he appears before him again, he will have him put to death.

Moses replies courteously, with perhaps a twist of irony.  He agrees that he will never appear before Pharaoh again.  However, he says this because God has already revealed to him what will happen next. 

Exodus 9:1-7 The Plague on Livestock

"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.'

If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,

the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field --

on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.

But the LORD will make a distinction
between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt,
so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.' "

The LORD set a time and said,
'Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.'

And the next day the LORD did it:

All the livestock of the Egyptians died,

But not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.

Pharaoh sent men to investigate
and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died.

Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go." 

Exodus 9:1-7 (NIV)
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In these verses, the LORD continues to assert that the Israelites are His people and that He is their God.  He warns of the terrible plague which will come upon the Egyptians if they do not let the Hebrews go to worship Him.  Egyptian horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats which are left out in the field will all be affected.

However, none of the animals of the Israelites would die.  This in itself would be a sign that the LORD was in control of the plague.  Also, He gave Pharaoh further proof by setting a specific time when the plague would occur.  In this way, there would be no chance that Pharaoh could think that the death of the cattle was all merely a coincidence.

Apparently Pharaoh did not obey the LORD, and the plague occurred as scheduled, for the text says next that Pharaoh sent his men to investigate the status of the animals of the Israelites.  Although all the animals of the Egyptians (which had been left out in the field) had died, not even one of the Israelite animals died.

Despite this obvious evidence of the LORD's power, Pharaoh's heart remained unyielding.  It would take some determination to close your eyes to the truth in the face of such evidence of the LORD's sovereignty, but that is just what Pharaoh did.

Anyone else getting that cringing feeling like "oh boy, are you going to be in trouble now."?  It is almost like a net is closing in upon Pharaoh and his people because of Pharaoh's stubbornness.  Not that God is trying to 'catch' the Egyptians; on the contrary, God seems to be everything possible to bring Pharaoh to repent of his stubborn willfulness.

However, Pharaoh's heart seems to be getting steadily harder.  Repeated sin will do that to you.  This reminds me of a powerful illustration I saw once in a church youth group meeting.  They took the strongest guy in the room, (an athletic and muscular person), and began to wind ordinary household thread around his arms, as if to bind him.  At first, he was able to easily snap the thread.  However, when they wound it about him a bunch of times, even that flimsy thread was able to restrain him.  The point was that although a sinful behavior may at first seem to be small or unimportant, repeated sinful practice will result in the person being bound or enslaved by that sin.  Of course, every sin is significant.  We can't say, 'I'll just do it this one time.' and expect to remain spiritually strong.  But repeated willful sin such as Pharaoh is exhibiting is leading to a place where Pharaoh will eventually be powerless to do otherwise.  Sin is very destructive, and (as often happens), Pharaoh's sin will lead to unintended consequences for others around him -- in this case the people of Egypt.

Exodus 8:16-19 The Plague of Gnats

"Then the LORD said to Moses,

'Tell Aaron, "Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,"

and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.'

They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff

and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals.

All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.

But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, 

they could not.  And the gnats were on men and animals.

The magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.'

But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen,

just as the LORD had said."

Exodus 8:16-19 (NIV)

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The gnats produced in this latest plague were of great number, for the text says that "All the dust...became gnats." (v.17)  The gnats came upon men and animals alike.

The magicians were not able to duplicate this plague.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that it would be more difficult for the magicians to obtain [and contain!] great numbers of these tiny, biting creatures if the men were attempting to duplicate the miracle by sleight of hand.  Or perhaps the LORD was restraining them if they had attempted to use demonic powers.  At any rate, they were unsuccessful, although verse 18 says that they did give it a try.

Even the magicians are able to see that God's hand is in this matter.  They warn Pharaoh, but he would not listen to them, either.  His heart was hard, just as the LORD had predicted.  At this point, Pharaoh does not want to listen to anyone. 

Exodus 7:19-24 Blood in the Nile

"The LORD said to Moses,

'Tell Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand

over the waters of Egypt -- over the streams and canals,

over the ponds and all the reservoirs" --

And they will turn to blood.

Blood will be everywhere in Egypt,

even in the wooden buckets and stone jars.'

Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded.

He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials

and struck the water of the Nile,

and all the water was changed into blood.

The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad

that the Egyptians could not drink its water.

Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts,

and Pharaoh's heart became hard;

he would not listen to Moses and Aaron,

just as the LORD had said.

Instead, he turned and went into his palace,

and did not take even this to heart.

And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water,

because they could not drink the water of the river.

Exodus 7:19-24 (NIV)

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God instructs Moses to tell Aaron to take the staff and strike the waters of the Nile, which are immediately turned into blood.  Not only the river itself, but all water in the area -- streams, canals, ponds and reservoirs alike -- are affected.  Even water previously collected in buckets and jars for household use was changed to blood.

The effect must have been startling, especially as the Egyptians gazed at the mighty Nile.  The river was a main deity to the Egyptians, and sacrifices were thrown in as offerings to assure continued supplies of its life-giving waters.  Now the waters rolled past in a blood-red torrent.  The people were probably terrified that they had offended this 'god' in some way.

Pharaoh probably knew of the former Pharaoh's dealings with the Hebrews, and how many of their innocent newborn sons had been cast into the Nile's waters because of that Pharaoh's fears regarding a future uprising  of the rapidly-multiplying  Israelites.  He also knew that Moses and Aaron had come as representatives of the God of the Hebrews.  Did he see the bloody waters as a judgment against the human sacrifices which had occurred in that river?

Fish died in the bloody waters.  The river stank so badly that the Egyptians could not bring themselves to drink from it.

Magicians were summoned to answer this new threat.  They used their arts to duplicate the effects of the bloody waters.  Pharaoh's heart became hard.  He must have figured that this was only another magic trick -- one that his own men were even capable of imitating.  He went back to the palace and did not take this chastening to heart.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian people had to dig along the banks of the Nile in order to obtain water which had been somewhat filtered by the sand.  We are not told of their thoughts regarding this plague.  However, we can imagine that at least some of them were startled enough to begin to pay more attention to the words of Moses and Aaron, and to consider the power of this God whom the Hebrews worshipped.  This plague was not only a warning to Pharaoh, but also another example of God reaching out to the Egyptian people and leading them towards the truth about Himself.