As the battle between Moses and Pharaoh draws to a close - several things change. Tonight we see 2 of the final 3 plagues - locusts, then darkness - and the final plague is introduced: death of the firstborn. The plagues are different, the purpose is different, and Moses’ actions towards Pharaoh are different.
Chapter 10
Verses 1 - 2
We’ve seen the progression of hardening - first Pharaoh hardened his own heart, then God participated with Pharaoh in hardening, now God does the final hardening of the heart. Pharaoh has made his decision - and there is now no going back, just as there is a point in everyone’s life when they must decide: am I going to give my heart to the Lord and repent of my sin, or fight against God.
There are three reasons given for this: to show God’s great signs, to have stories of God’s greatness to pass on, and so that they will know who is God and who is not. In a sense, this is not unlike the situation when Jesus came - the Jews were hard hearted that time - and God knew they would murder Jesus. It ended up being a great sign, and an account that has been passed on for two thousand years - and is the linchpin for deciding who is God, and which is THE Way to salvation.
Notice now how Moses’ dealings with Pharaoh have changed:
Verses 3 - 6
Moses simply gives the ultimatum, but does no bargaining with Pharaoh. Now is the time for overwhelming strength to be shown on God’s part. Long gone are the days when Pharaoh’s feeble magicians thought they could go man to man with Yahweh - gone are the warning shots across the bow - God is now playing for keeps. These plagues aren’t for Pharaoh’s benefit, they are to show once and for all who’s the boss. After making his speech, Moses simply turns and leaves Pharaoh and his cronies to stew.
Verse 7
"This fellow (derogatory) has caused enough ruin in Egypt already" the officials say. The feeling is that they are tired of being manipulated - but yet want to negotiate the outcome by only letting the men go - which was Pharaoh’s idea in chapter 7. They knew the men would not leave their families behind. They want out of the trap but don’t want to obey.
How often do we want to escape problems, problems of our own doing much of the time, but don’t realize they have come upon us so that we would know who is God and that we have sinned and should obey God.
Verses 8 - 11
Pharaoh thinks this is a negotiating session with a foreign power - terms of surrender if you will. But God will not accept "terms" - only unconditional 100% surrender. Pharaoh uses the name YAWEH here - unusual. What he may actually be saying is a really sarcastic comment: "I would rather wish YAWEH’s blessing on you than let you go with your little ones."
"You have some evil purpose in mind" is literally "evil is before your faces." Pharaoh, I think, knows that once they leave on this feast they are never coming back.
So Pharaoh thinks he is putting his foot down - obviously no intention of giving in - just going far enough to get rid of this pesky God. Notice this time Pharaoh drives Moses out - perhaps in retaliation for when Moses stormed out last time.
Verses 12 - 15
In early August of 2005, the BBC reported that millions of locusts were swarming over Mauritania, Senegal, Mali and Niger and are now threatening to move southwards towards West Africa. The desert locust can devour its own weight in food (2g) every 24 hours. A ton of locusts, which is a tiny part of the average swarm, eats the same amount of food in a single day as 10 elephants, 25 camels or 2,500 people. Swarms can travel up to 130km a day. Some locust species have gotten up to 6" long.
This particular swarm was the biggest ever seen. Interestingly - though God could have created the locusts miraculously, it seems likely that they were there, eggs, in the ground- that hatched and formed swarms. So God knew and was preparing this for Pharaoh before this day.
One of the things about locusts is that they adapt to eat anything green. Sometimes they will attack only one kind of tree - like a rubber tree - but they can and do eat absolutely everything in their path.
This was worse than the hail because the hail just drops - plop - and does its damage. Locusts seek out things to destroy. God is painting pictures of what is to come - darkness, the next plague, and the seeking out of the judged. There is no escaping God’s judgment. He will ferret out sin no matter where it is.
Verses 16 - 20
At first blush this sounds like full repentance. It isn’t. In essence he is saying "I’ve been a bad person and I messed up so please fix it." This is not the same thing at all as recognizing who the LORD is, that we by nature are sinful, and then fall on the mercy of the LORD. People will be sorry that bad things happen because of their actions, but do not put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. "Get me out of this jam, pretty please God" - it doesn’t work that way. Words alone will do you no good, only trust and faith and repentance.
Moses complies and God moves the locusts out of the way - they’d already done what they came to do anyway. And then Pharaoh’s true heart is revealed once again- now God giving Pharaoh the ability to get what he really wants, a hard heart.
Plague 9 - Darkness - Verses 21 - 29
Verses 21 - 23
This wasn’t just any ordinary darkness. I’ve been in places - like in the Oregon caves when they extinguish the lights - and you can’t see anything, I mean anything. We are so used to some ambient light - but this darkness wasn’t even ordinary darkness. There was a supernatural component to it.
The ESV says "Pitch darkness" - in the Hebrew it is literally "darkness of darkness" to indicate that there was something very odd about it. It was so intense that people didn’t even venture out of their houses.
I think this is not only a precursor to the darkness that will descend on the families who lose their firstborn- but also a foreshadowing of "outer darkness" that describes the place where the soul will go after death outside of Jesus Christ.
Even odder is that the Israelites had light- possibly even daylight. So were these clouds or fog or what? We don’t know.
John 1:3-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. NIV
John 3:18-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." NIV
Verses 24 - 29
Pharaoh doesn’t fake repentance this time - but he is still negotiating. He is hanging on to the thing he thinks Moses and the people will hang on to the least - their flocks. Moses has already said that the flocks will go, but Pharaoh will not give in to anything - he won’t admit defeat - even the darkness doesn’t really do it - because nothing has touched Pharaoh personally - yet.
Pharaoh thinks he has rejected Moses and threatens his life - but Moses now holds the upper hand. "Don’t come back or I’ll kill you" Pharaoh says. In fact, death will come - but to Pharaoh’s own.
Chapter 11
Verses 1 - 3
God lets Moses know this is the end. Not only will Pharaoh let them go he will "drive" them out. The word is repeated for emphasis in the Hebrew - Pharaoh will let them go with no restrictions.
As God promised - the people got booty from the Egyptians. Later this material would be used to create the Tabernacle and its furniture - but also the golden calf. Notice that by this time Moses is looked up to and respected by everyone - even the king’s counselors - except Pharaoh himself. This doesn’t actually happen right here - but God is saying it will happen in chapter 12.
Verses 4 - 10
This next plague is going to be different - even though God says no one in Israel will be affected, it’s only because they will appropriate the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. Moses is predicting Pharaoh’s response - but even that doesn’t move Pharaoh.
Now - how could this conversation have taken place since the last time Pharaoh said "next time I see you, you die!" It’s likely that verses 4-8 are actually a continuation of the conversation in Chapter 10. Verse 1 should actually read "God had said to Moses" to it’s a bit parenthetical to the continued conversation with Pharaoh - it’s like Moses says "Oh, one more thing before I go…"
In a real way - this killing of the firstborn is a payback for Pharaoh’s attempt to kill the first born of Israel - really God’s children. It is also an attack on Pharaoh’s power (considered a god), The Egyptian God Osiris - god of the dead, and of venerated Egyptian religious objects - cattle.
God is taking control of kingdom, spirituality, even life and death.
Conclusions
Pharaoh’s reactions to God’s demands - like our objections to the gospel:
Chapter 5 "I don’t know the Lord so why should I obey him?"
Chapter 7 He wouldn’t even listen but turned away into his house
Chapter 8 "Plead with the Lord - but take it away tomorrow" Frogs
Chapter 8: "Go - but not very far and plead for me" Flies
Chapter 9: "We’re wrong, the LORD is right, plead with the Lord" Hail
Chapter 10: "Go, but only the men" locusts - before. "I have sinned this time only - plead with God" after
Chapter 10: "Go with everyone but the flocks" then "you will die if I see you again." Darkness
Denial (who is Yahweh?)
Removal (plug your ears)
Postponement (I’ll get right with God - tomorrow)
Limitations (Do I have to give my whole heart to God?)
Partial acknowledgment of error (I guess I have done a few things wrong)
Partial repentance of sin (I guess I have sinned against God)
Rejection (I don’t want to ever hear this God stuff again)
Do you feel in darkness?
I admit - when it gets really dark I imagine all sorts of things are there to get me - you hear things but you can’t see and your imagination runs wild.
Darkness in life feels the same way. When difficulties come we feel like we are in the darkness - depression sets in, then despair. We think the worst is out there and the best is long gone.
Jesus wants you to know that if you belong to Him then you, like the Israelites, will have light in all of your dwellings.
Jesus said: "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
John 8:12-13 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." ESV
