The Plagues Continues (Part 3) Series

The Story of Moses : Exodus 9

The Plagues Continue (Part 3)

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

05-18–2025

9-11

A few years ago, I was subbing at the junior high with seventh grade students on September 11th. Part of the day’s lesson was to go over the events of 9-11 with the students. One of the students asked me what my memories were of that day and it occurred to me that they hadn’t even been born.

I sat on a stool and told them the day from my perspective and then took questions. One of the students asked, “Why did they fly the planes into those buildings? Why those buildings?”

I told them that the hijackers wanted to hit the power centers of America so they hit our economic power, the Word Trade Centers, our military power at the Pentagon, and our political power at the Capital, which is where Flight 93 was headed before the passengers rebelled and Todd Beemer said, “Let’s roll!”

The students were fascinated. It had never occurred to them that the attacks were not random, but designed to send a message - we can, and will, destroy your power that you so deeply trust.

That is, in fact, what is happening in our story of the Yahweh versus Pharaoh throw down.

God is pounding Egypt, like a blacksmith hammering an anvil. Again and again, God will attack the economic and religious power structures of Egypt.

Pharaoh is given multiple opportunities to send the Israelites away with Moses and Aaron. And each time, Pharaoh refuses and his heart grows a little harder.

The plagues were God’s answer to Pharaoh’s taunting question:

“Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:1-2)

Pharaoh is about to find out who the Lord is and the wheels are set in motion for the Israelites to leave Egypt for good.

Review

Last week, we studied the second plague, frogs, the third plague, gnats, and the fourth plague, flies.

The Egyptians have endured their precious Nile turning to blood, piles and piles of dead frogs, gnats that stung, and flies that tormented animals and humans.

But the fourth plague was different. God made a distinction between Egypt and the Israelites in the land of Goshen. There would be no flies in Goshen.

 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’” (Exodus 8:22-23)

The Hebrews dug wells by the river for drinking water. The Israelites dealt with the frogs and the gnats right alongside the Egyptians.

There would be flies throughout the land but not in Goshen, where His people, the Hebrews lived. God is going to make a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites when it came to the flies.

Pharaoh tried to negotiate with Moses but, in the end, he refused to let the people go.

David Guzik writes:

"Despite God’s kindness to him and to Egypt, Pharaoh continued to harden his heart. This is a demonstration of how deep and severe the gradual hardening of a heart may become.”

Again, Pharaoh’s heart was hard, his gods```` useless, and his people growing anxious about what could come next.

What would come next would be worse than the first four combined!

Please turn with me to Exodus 9.

Prayer.

Plague 5: Pestilence!

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

Notice that all the fear and hesitation that Moses and Aaron felt at the beginning of the plagues are gone.

Again, God is gracious to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. He is given another advanced warning and He is sending a very clear message - I am God and you are not. These are my people not your people. If you do not open your hand and let them go, I will open my hand and continue to bring plagues against you.

And this time, God will attack the Pharaoh’s wealth and worship by bringing death upon the livestock.

Just like in Yellowstone and the Dutton’s, wealth in Egypt was measured by your livestock.

I was fishing at a little pond in North Carolina, and there was a group of cows on the other side of the water. Slowly, they came around the pond, never taking their eyes off of me.