In today’s reading, the plagues continue in Egypt, escalating the standoff between Moses and Pharaoh. Pharaoh vacillates between releasing the Hebrews and retaining them with a hardened heart. The plagues, which increase in severity from nuisance to deadly, ravage the land, destroy the credibility of the Egyptian pantheon, and severely damage the reputation of the Pharaoh, who now seems driven by spite, and likely some real panic over the thought of losing his slave labor force. After the LORD institutes the Passover and releases the final plague - the death of the first-born of all Egyptians, from their cattle to Pharaoh’s own house - Pharaoh relents, and thrusts out the Hebrews with enormous amounts of plunder. In one final act of double-mindedness, Pharaoh pursues the liberated Hebrews, only to lose his army in the Red Sea after the LORD spectacularly parts the waters for the Hebrews to cross into the wilderness beyond, free at last. 

Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission