God Conversation

Aaron’s rod, or staff, played an important part in God’s plan to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. In ancient Israelite culture, a rod was a symbol of authority. Shepherds used rods to guide and correct their flocks.

The background of this story is that the people of Israel have challenged the authority of Aaron. In Numbers 17 we read of how God had quelled the rebellion of Korah and his followers. Even after God destroyed the rebels against Moses and Aaron, there were still challenges against their authority. There were especially challenges to Aaron’s position as high priest.

More complaints from the people

It is in this context of so much rebellion and revolt that the Lord in Numbers 17 graciously and lovingly will yet give one more clear sign to the people whom He would have serve in the priestly office.

God commanded Moses to have the leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod or staff to the tent of meeting, with Aaron’s rod representing the tribe of Levi. Each of the twelve leaders was to have his name inscribed on his rod. The Lord told Moses, “Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you”

So twelve rods or tree sticks, were gathered, each one with their tribe’s name on it and brought to Moses. And what was Moses to do with the twelve rods? Numbers 17:4-7 tells us that Moses was to lay them before the LORD before the ark of the covenant, and the promise and word of God was that He would cause one of them to blossom, making clear as to who was to be the priestly tribe of God’s choosing.

Numbers 17:5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.”

They left their rods before the Lord, and in the morning “Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds” (verse 8). Aaron’s rod didn’t just sprout buds; it brought forth flowers and fruit, a clear demonstration of the power of the One who gives life. Verse 10 says, “And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.’”

What happened to the rod

Numbers 17:8  And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

The rod had some parts were in bud, others in bloom, and others had fruited.

It is clear from the last verses of this chapter [Numbers 17:12-13] that the people received the message from God. Finally the people realized their sin in challenging Aaron’s role.

Isaiah 11:1 foretells in view of Christ Jesus, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him.”

Don’t you find it beautiful how this scripture of Numbers 17 points us to Jesus Christ the Saviour?

That rod, Aaron’s rod, was the only one that bloomed meaning that the owner of the rod that bloomed blossoms and yielded almonds was the one chosen by Him, the Lord, to be the leader of the Levites and the High Priest.

What is it we carry in the world we live in? Is it barren and ordinary much like the staffs of other people? Or is it the living and fruitful?

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Let us each examine our lives. Are we producing fruit that will bring honour and glory to Christ? Despite our various backgrounds or disadvantages, the budded rod is a symbol of God's power to enable us to bear fruit for Him that will last forever.

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Exodus 17:5-7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Moses led the Israelites from the wilderness of Sin, then to Rephidim which would be the last stop, before reaching the Promise Land where they would remain for many years.

The Lord instructed Moses to pitch tents as there was no water there, and they had traveled through the desert for many miles. Once again the people began to grumble that Moses had led them, their children, and cattle to die of thirst in the wilderness. Moses cried to the Lord for help as he felt threatened, likely to be stoned to death. The Lord instructed Moses to go before the people and the elders, with the rod in hand to smite the rock, so water would spring forth.

The people had a problem with God

The people focused their complaint against Moses, but he understood their problem was with the Lord. God purposely, planned and allowed these circumstances to help them grow in their trust in Him. Moses faithfully did what Israel should have done. Moses had the proper response and placed the situation before God in prayer.

The doubts of the people

Moses did what God told him to do and struck the rock with his staff and the water flowed.!! They witnessed a great miracle of God’s provision to the unbelieving Israelites.

The attitude of the Israelites was their great sin, as they posed the question..” Is the Lord among us, or not?”. They doubted the love, care and presence of the Lord.The Bible tells us to “ look for the hand of God in all our situations “, we want to strive to a greater relationship with God through faith.

The Israelites were learning to be people of God and they were experiencing the meaning of God’s name, Jehovah, the “I am that I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

Are you doubtful or grateful?

How do we maintain a heart of gratitude for the things God has done and trust in His faithfulness for the future?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.

God’s provision of water was to be a reminder to future Israelite generations (and us) of His ability to meet their (and our) needs as well as a warning not to murmur against His appointed leaders which is really murmuring against Him.

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When the Israelites fled Egypt, after over four hundred years of slavery, they spent forty years wandering in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land. During this time, God provided substance for them to eat every day in the form of quail (meat) and manna (bread from heaven).

Psalm 78:24 and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven

Manna, basically a word that means “what is it?” is a bread-like substance that fell from heaven, and that tasted like honey.

Daily provision

We see manna first introduced in Exodus 16. Right before this, the Israelites complained to Moses, saying he brought them out to the desert to die, with no food substance.

The Israelites would go and collect a daily portion of manna each day, ensuring to get a double portion before the Sabbath (so they didn’t work for their food on the Sabbath). If they grabbed too much or too little, they suffered the consequences

Exodus 16:20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

Manna appeared for six days in a row. On Fridays, the Hebrews were to gather a double portion, because it did not appear on the next day, the Sabbath. And yet, the portion they saved for the Sabbath did not spoil.

They baked the manna

Numbers 11:8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.

Jesus is the "bread from heaven"

Jesus refers to himself as the bread of life (John 6:35) and explains that we need the true bread from heaven for our spiritual survival.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Why Did God Send Manna to the Israelites?

God sent manna for a few reasons during the Israelites’ time in the desert.

First, and most practically, he wanted to meet a physical need. They didn’t have many options for food in the wilderness, and they’d begun to think that God had led them into a death trap. God provides food for them to show he meets our needs, even when situations seem most dire.

Secondly, God wants the Israelites to practice trust and obedience.

Some Israelites take too much manna on some days, and it rots in their tents, full of maggots. Other Israelites don’t obey God’s command to collect double portions before the Sabbath, and they end up hungry on the Sabbath because manna didn’t fall that day.

Manna in the Book of Revelation

Today, most Christian churches celebrate a communion service or Lord's Supper, in which the participants eat some form of bread, as Jesus commanded his followers to do at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26).

The final mention of manna occurs in Revelation 2:17, "To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna..."One interpretation of this verse is that Christ supplies spiritual nourishment (hidden manna) as we wander through the wilderness of this world.

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Exodus 15:22-24 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

The people blamed Moses for the circumstances they where facing. When we face adverse situations we always try to find someone to blame for.

The desert has some challenges

When Israel was in Egypt, they drank of the river Nile. No ordinary water that. To this day the dwellers on the banks of the Nile assert that the water has a peculiar taste not to be discovered in any other stream, and they prefer the waters of the Nile to all the waters in the world besides. What a change from the sweetness of the Nile to the bitterness of Marah.

They must have water, it was no luxury, it was a necessity; with the hot, burning sand beneath them reflecting the fierce heat of a cruel sun, not to have water in the wilderness is to feel an urgent necessity producing a terrible pain.

When faced with challenges people have a tendency to look back and remember the pleasures of the past. When you do this you don’t remember that you where once a slave to sin and that is better to face bitterness free than being a slave to sin.

They spent 3 days without water and when they arrived to Mara God changed one challenge for another. They found the water they desired however a new challenge occurs, the waters are bitter.

God does a miracle

Exodus 15:25 And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,

Moses took the complaint to his Master. In all trials, the surest way to a remedy is prayer.

Note, next, that as soon as we have a prayer God has a remedy. The remedy is near at hand; but we do not perceive it till it is shown us. "The Lord showed him a tree." The tree had been growing for years on purpose to be used. God has a remedy for all our troubles before they happen to us.

Now that remedy for the healing of Marah's water was a very strange one. Why should a tree sweeten the waters?

The tree

This tree cut down is an emblem of the Savior! A glorious tree indeed was he, with spreading branches, and top reaching to heaven-but he must suffer the axe for our sakes; and now, to-day, contemplating his atoning sacrifice, and by faith resting in him, the troubles of life and the troubles of death are sweetened by his dear cross, which, though it be a bitter tree in itself, is the antidote for all the bitterness that comes upon us here and hereafter.

When they cut down the tree, and put it into the water, it turned the water sweet-they could drink of it; and let me assure you, that in the case of our trouble, the cross is a most effective sweetener.

The cross avails to sweeten all the bitterness of our mortal life, and even the last bitterness of death, it is assuredly available this morning to sweeten the bitterness of our present sorrow.

Just like the tree, the Cross has the power to transform every situation, every circumstance, and every relationship… from the bitter to the sweet!

In Egypt, they knew about God, but they knew very little about His nature. Here in a place of bitterness, God reveals His heart—not only to heal water—but to heal His people. Yahweh Rapha, as the following verse says,

“I am the LORD who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).

Galatians 3:13–14. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written: Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree.”

The blessings of the cross

Remember that the tree was the cross. Some people don’t understand that, but in some languages the word tree means a tree when it’s growing and a tree when it’s cut down

In other words, when Jesus hung on the cross, every Jew who knew his Old Testament recognized that Jesus was made a curse. Then we read the other side of the exchange in verse 14:

“That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

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Exodus 14:21-31 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[a]their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw[b] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

The Miracle

The miracle of the parting of the Red Sea was performed by God through Moses, seven days after the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. Pharaoh and the Egyptian armies had pursued Israel to the water. Moses turned to God in prayer, and He instructed him to raise his staff. A strong east wind blew, and the sea parted, allowing the Israelites to walk through it on dry land. When the Egyptian pursuers attempted to follow, the water came crashing down, drowning them in its churning depths. Recognizing the great miracle that had occurred, Moses and the people of Israel sang the Song of the Sea, and Miriam led the women in song and dance.

The Prayer of Moses

The Midrash tells us that, seeing the approaching Egyptian army, the Jewish people were divided into four camps. There were those who said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea.” A second group said, “Let us return to Egypt.” A third faction argued, “Let us wage war upon the Egyptians.” Finally, a fourth camp advocated, “Let us pray to God.”

Moses rejected all four options, saying to the people, “Fear not; stand by and see the salvation of God which He will show you today. For as you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again, forever. God shall fight for you, and you shall be silent.”

God's promises

God promised to deliver His people and though the situation seamed to be desperate Moses trusted the Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:20  For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

The passing through the Red Sea is used as a symbol of the believer’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul says,

Corinthians 10:1–4 “For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ”

The parting of the Red Sea not only finalized God’s redemption of His people from slavery in Egypt, but it also prefigured the greater spiritual reality of God’s redemption of His people from slavery to sin through the work of Christ.

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Exodus 12:29–30 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was ra great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.

We don’t usually think of Passover as a plague and we often forget that it came after a senate ceremony of 9 terrible events in the land of Egypt.

When Pharaoh persisted in his refusal to liberate the children of Israel, Moses and Aaron warned him that God would punish both him and his people. Passover is the most well known plague but we cannot just detach it from the 10 plagues.

The death of the first-born

Midnight of the fourteenth to the fifteenth of Nissan came, and God struck all first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of King Pharaoh, down to the first-born of a captive in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the cattle, exactly as Moses had warned. There was a loud and bitter wail in each house a loved one lay fatally stricken. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron during that very night, and said to them: "Arise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord as you have said; and take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also." At last, then, the pride of the stubborn king was broken.

The departure

Meanwhile the Hebrews had been preparing for their hasty departure. With beating hearts, they had assembled in groups to eat the Paschal lamb before midnight, arrayed as they had been commanded. The women had taken from the ovens the unleavened cakes, which were eaten with the meat of the roasted lamb. The preparations were at last concluded, and all was ready. At the word of command, the whole nation of the Hebrews poured forth into the cool, still Eastern morning. But not even amidst their trepidation and danger did they forget the pledge given by their ancestors to Joseph, and they carried his remains, with them, to inter them later in the Promised Land.

Relation Between Easter and Passover

Passover (or Pascha) sanctified Israel's time and life as a sign pointing them to the coming Incarnation of the Lord, Jesus Christ. In this feast, they were to remember Him and what He did for them in delivering them from Egyptian bondage. But more importantly, it pointed them to His coming in the flesh. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he told his followers, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The Israelites were to know Him in the blood of a slain lamb, a sign pointing to Him as the Lamb of God. Yet when He became incarnate as this Lamb, they did not recognize their own Lord who had delivered them from Egypt (John 1:11).

To this day, Jews all over the world celebrate the Passover in obedience to this command. Passover and the story of the exodus have great significance for Christians also, as Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, including the symbolism of the Passover (Matthew 5:17). Jesus is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7; Revelation 5:12). He was killed at Passover time, and the Last Supper was a Passover meal (Luke 22:7–8). By (spiritually) applying His blood to our lives by faith, we trust Christ to save us from death. The Israelites who, in faith, applied the blood of the Paschal lamb to their homes become a model for us. It was not the Israelites’ ancestry or good standing or amiable nature that saved them; it was only the blood of the lamb that made them exempt from death (see John 1:29 and Revelation 5:9–10).

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Exodus 10:21-23 Then 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.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They 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.

Social Darkness

The plague of darkness stands out from the others, among several reasons, because its effects are not physically threatening in the same way. The darkness was thick enough to touch, but it does not afflict the bodies of the Egyptians or their animals in the way that lice or boils did, nor does it threaten the water and food supply as happened when God turned the waters of the Nile into blood, summoned pestilence against the cattle, and sent hail and locusts to destroy Egypt’s crops.

The effects of the ninth plague were social and interpersonal: the darkness cut people off from one another: “No one saw his fellow or was able to get up from their place for three days” (Exodus 10:23).

The Book of Exodus tells us that they did not experience the darkness, but other texts suggest it engulfed them too. In Psalm 107, a psalm that recounts the plagues, we learn that the Exodus involved deliverance not just from slavery but also from “darkness.”

Darkness is specifically associated in the Bible with God's abandonment and that is one reason it is so severe a sign of His judgment.

Matthew  27:45 “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour, and about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Pharaoh's response

Pharaoh is not really interested in continuing the conversation. Pharaoh dismisses him with an unveiled threat. Basically it's this; “I’ll kill you if you show your face to me again. You come into my presence again and you show your face here again, I’ll kill you on the spot.

The darkness ends after three days, but Pharaoh never finds a way beyond his own mistrust. Following the plague, he summons Moses to tell him that he never wants to see him again, to which Moses responds,

“You speak correctly. I will not see your face again” (Exodus 10:28)

The plague of darkness basically returns us to the situation that existed in the world, in the universe prior to the first day of creation.

This plague of darkness shows the sovereignty of God over Ra, the sun god, the chief of the gods of Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped Ra. So, when God through Moses announces, not a day, not just the daylight hours, but three days of darkness, He is showing that the God of the Hebrews in sovereign over the chief deities over Egypt.

There is deliverance after darkness

This was the last plague before Passover. God is so sovereign that no force in this universe could possible challenge Him. Pharaoh was still defiant but when God has set a plan in motion nobody can stop Him.

The apostle Paul said, “if God is for us then who can be against us?”

The plagues were not only intended to punish Pharaoh and his people for their mistreatment of the Israelites, but also to show them the powerlessness of the gods in which they believed.

The word “Egypt” in Hebrew is “Mitzrayim.”  It is related to the word maytzarim, which means boundaries, constraints, or limitations.  It is symbolic of the limitations we experience in this physical world. God is telling us that even in this place of extreme darkness there can be found a light.    

The greater the darkness, the greater the light that can be found within.

This plague of darkness on the Egyptians, darkness so thick they could not see one another, nor could they even move around—while there being no effect on the Israelites—is a reminder to us of the power of light as a symbol of hope, even in the darkest of hours.

Matthew 4:16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”>

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Exodus 10:12-19 Then 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.” 13 So 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. 14 The 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. 15 They 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.16 Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 19 And 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.

The Locusts

In the Bible, God afflicts ancient Egyptians with ten plagues for their sins. One of them was the plague of locusts. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God will send so many locusts that they will "cover each and every tree of the land and eat all that is there to be eaten".

The locusts ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: God showed Himself greater than the Egyptian god Set, thought to be the protector of crops.

There remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field. There was a darkness covering the land of Egypt. This was no normal darkness, it had a supernatural element to it that could be felt. Light is not only a physical property; it is an aspect of God’s character (God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, 1 John 1:5). In judgment, God can withdraw His presence so significantly that the void remaining is darkness which may even be felt.

The destruction

What do locusts produce? Well, the land is going to be defoliated, the greenery is going to be gone, the food is going to be gone, there’s going to be nothing to eat. Mass starvation and famine is going to occur.

The devasta­tion from this plague was very extreme. The locust swarm has always been one of the worst scourges to afflict humanity. An area of one square kilometer can contain fifty million such insects. In a single night they could de­vour as much as one hundred thousand tons of vegetation. If this plague had stood alone it would have been devastating, but Egypt was already in ruin. Any vegeta­tion that remained following the hail would have been destroyed by the locusts.

The climate in Egypt was ideal for locusts. As a result the Egyptians looked to the gods for divine protection from locusts and other pests. The eighth plague made a mockery of the Egyptian gods responsible for defending Egypt against insects and o

Pharaoh acknowledged his sin

At the end Pharaoh said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you". Pharaoh did the same thing in Exodus 9:27-28. He said the words of repentance but did not follow through with the actions. His heart was only hardened more after God relented and showed mercy.

Pharaoh gives this superficial confession, but once again he lies. He’s dishonest, and God hardens his heart.  Pharaoh was considered to be a god, holy righteous. He was the incarnation of the god Ra. He’s only remorseful because he wants this situation to relent. And the minute that it relents, he goes right back to his former posture. But God is showing His sovereignty in all this. Pharaoh is being humbled before God, step by step, but he is refusing to bow the knee. And so God will break him in showing His sovereignty.

Moses' prayer

In response to Moses' prayer, God made a change in the wind. The prevailing winds in Egypt came from the direction of the Red Sea.

This verse literally says that "Jeho­vah turned the very strong wind of the sea." In other words, the Lord changed the direction of the wind to carry the locusts into the Red Sea.

God answers prayers!

Job 22:27 “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; And you will pay your vows.

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Exodus 9:23-24  When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

It appears that Moses, the author of the Torah could differentiate between fire (e.g. Gen 19:24) and lightning (e.g. Exodus 20:18). It is surprising that hail and fire would coexist at the same time ("fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail").

Before he announced the seventh plague, God reminded Pharaoh of his mercy towards him in the previous plagues. God could have destroyed him and his people in one mighty plague, but instead he sent these lesser plagues, each time giving Pharaoh an opportunity to repent. The longer Pharaoh delayed, the greater would be his downfall, and the greater would be God’s glory when he finally overthrew him. God gave good warning before the coming destruction by hail and lightning, so that people could escape the judgment if they wished. Many of Pharaoh’s courtiers, fearful of Israel’s God, heeded Moses’ warnings and so were not affected by the disaster (9:13-35).

Fire and ice

Moses stands with his arms stretched up toward the sky as hail, the seventh plague, begins to rain down on Egypt. Miraculously, the icy hailstones each contained a flame that burned within it.

As the hail destroyed the trees of Egypt, Pharaoh begged Moses to pray that there be no more hail, and promised to let the Israelites go (Exodus 9:27-28). The jewish tradition, midrash says that when Moses prayed for the hail to cease, the hailstones that were on the way down were suspended in midair. We don’t have that report in the Bible but this was a spectacular storm, never seen before in Egypt.

Heart of ice

In this passage we have the longest account of any of the plagues, except for the tenth (and final) one. This seventh plague concerns the destruction, by hail, of the land of Egypt. But even more sobering than this is the proof positive that Pharaoh had crossed the line of no return. He was now seen to be irremediably reprobate. In spite of incontrovertible evidence, Pharaoh would not surrender to God.

Some people have ice cold hearts that will not surrender to God in spite if the clear circumstances showing that the Lord is doing a show of force.

The gods of Egypt

The catastrophe of the hail was therefore a mockery of the Egyptian heavenly deities, including Nut (the female representative of the sky and personification of the vault of heaven), Shu (the supporter of the heavens who holds up the sky) and Tefnut (the goddess of moisture).”

Some of the Egyptians nevertheless believed the Word of the Lord and so took the necessary precautions.

Exodus 9:20-21 He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

We are not told how many believed Yahweh but it is significant that some did. The hand of the Lord was persuasive in their lives and so even though they ran the risk of being ostracised, they obeyed the Word of the Lord. And no doubt some 24 hours later, they were glad that they had.

The storm was strong and heavy but Pharaoh was a proud man and his heart didn’t move. Some people are like this man and remain in their ungodliness.

Hebrews 3:15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

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Exodus 9:8-11  8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.” 10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals.11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.

Soot

Like plague number three, there is no warning about what’s to come. And like the third plague of the first series, this one also involves dust.

After an undisclosed amount of time, the Lord _said to Moses and Aaron_the instructions for the sixth plague. They were told simply to get handfuls of soot from a kiln. The Hebrew word for “soot” is used only here and in verse 10 in the Old Testament. The “kiln” referred to here is one used for making pottery or bricks, making it a symbol of Israel’s oppression.

So, the Lord tells Moses to “take soot from the kiln.” This has opened the way for a variety of interpretations. Some scholars have argued the irony in the matter. The soot could have been a by-product of baking bricks. It would be the ultimate comeuppance. Pharaoh has gone out of his way to impose unrealistic brick-making quotas upon the Israelites. Those kilns would have been used day and night. In this case, the by-product from all that baking will be used to punish the Egyptians.

The Magicians

The magicians could not stand before Moses — We do not read of any attempt they made to vie with Moses in miracles since the plague of the lice. But it would seem from this passage that they still continued about Pharaoh, and endeavoured to settle him in his resolution not to let Israel go: persuading him, perhaps, that although Moses had the better of them for the present, yet they should at last be too hard for him. But now, being on a sudden smitten with these ulcers, in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, they were rendered so contemptible, that they durst not again look either Moses or Pharaoh in the face; for we hear no more of them after this time. To this, it seems, the apostle refers, (2 Timothy 3:9,) when he says their folly was “manifested unto all men.”

Pharaoh’s magicians make one final appearance, paving the way for all extraneous parties to fall away. The final conflicts have been heading towards a showdown between the Lord and Pharaoh.

After this plague we will so no more appearances of the magicians i n this conflict.

Pharaoh confronted

The Lord tells Moses, “Let Moses throw [the soot] in the air in the sight of Pharaoh.” Pharaoh is given no opportunity to speak or to halt the process.

Note that the previous plague affected mostly livestock. Certainly, the Egyptians have animals that aren’t livestock and there are leftover animals that where not in the field (last plague involved animals in the open).

We can also read, “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord has spoken to Moses.” That the Lord would “harden Pharaoh’s heart” is an appalling statement, but it cannot be taken out of its contextual setting. On two separate occasions, the Lord has foretold that this would happen (See 4:21; 7.3). On two previous occasions, Pharaoh hardened his own heart (see 8:15, 23). Now, the time has arrived: “The Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart.”

From the beginning, this has been a contest between the Lord and Pharaoh. Who has power, and who is in control? Pharaoh is used to having things his own way and to having the power at hand to enforce whatever decision he makes. The Lord has a way of showing him the errors of such thinking. In this instance, the Lord is exercising control. Pharaoh might be thinking that he still has options; he might be exploring disaster plans or recovery strategies. None of that enters into the text.

At this point Pharaoh he is no longer in charge of his thinking. The Lord is controlling everything, and that includes his mind and thoughts. Not that there is any reason to think Pharaoh might be on the verge of a change of heart. But the truth is that he cannot, even if it were to cross his mind. The Lord is in charge. The Lord has the power.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

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