Exodus 7:7-10:27

In this section we look at the 9 plagues that came upon Pharaoh as evidence that he would be wise to let the people of Israel go. The plagues are presented in 3 groups of 3. But first we encounter a confrontation b/w Moses/Aaron and the magicians of Pharaoh. The magicians were able to duplicate the turning of a rod into a snake. How? A couple possibilities emerge:

1) They used sleight of hand / trickery
2) They actually had power from the supernatural realm

Whatever the case, Pharaoh's heart became hard despite the fact that Aaron's staff swallowed up the staffs of the magicians. And so, the plagues came 1 by 1. The pattern for the 3 trios of plagues is this: The first plague is announced in the morning, the second is announced before Pharaoh, and the third is simply given without warning.

1. The Plague of Blood
The waters of Egypt were turned to blood. The magicians duplicated this (of course, to a much smaller extent), and so Pharaoh's heart became hard again.

2. The Plague of Frogs
A multitude of frogs came upon Egypt, but, again, the magicians duplicated this in some way. They could not, however, get rid of the existing frogs and so Pharaoh begged for relief. But once he got it, via a prayer of Moses, he hardened his heart.

3. The Plague of Gnats
The dust of the ground was turned to gnats. The magicians could not duplicate this and even told Pharaoh "This is the finger of God," but his heart remained hard.

4. The Plague of Flies
The 2nd trio begins with a distinction made on God's part. From this point on, apparently, the plagues would only affect the Egyptians and the Israelites would be miraculously protected from harm. The flies invaded and Pharaoh offered a compromise: He would let the Israelites offer sacrifices to God, but they had to remain in Egypt. Moses rejected the compromise. Pharaoh raised his offer: He would let them go, but not go very far. Moses rejected this offer too. Moses prayed for the plague to end, and it did. But Pharaoh hardened his heart again.

5. The Plague of Livestock
Once again, only the Egyptians suffered from this plague. Pharaoh checked to make sure this was the case. Despite the obvious sign that this was divine judgment, Pharaoh's heart remained unyielding.

6. The Plague of Boils
Despite this horrible plague which made even the magicians leave Pharaoh's court, the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart against letting the people go.

7. The Plague of Hail
The 3rd trio begins with a plague of hail. God alerts Pharaoh to the fact that He could have wiped the Egyptians off the face of the earth, but was instead using these plagues to make His power known throughout the world. As a result of this plague, Pharaoh confessed his sin, but Moses knew he didn't truly fear the Lord. When the hail relented, Pharaoh sinned again.

8. The Plague of Locusts
God reminds Moses that these things are happening so that the Israelites will not forget God's power for many generations. On the threat of a locust invasion, Pharaoh's officials pleaded for their leader to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh offered a 3rd compromise: He would allow the men of Israel to go, but not the women or children. This was obviously not an option for Moses and so the locust invasion began. Pharaoh admitted his sin and asked forgiveness, but the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart once again as soon as relief was found. He would not yet let the people go.

9. The Plague of Darkness
Once again, this plague only impacted Egypt, not the Israelites. Pharaoh offered a 4th compromise. The women and children could go, but not the flocks and herds of animals. Moses refused to make this compromise and the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's resolve once again and he would not let them go.

Summary

Why was God allowing this?
1. So the Israelites would see God's power
2. So the Egyptians would come to know the true God
3. So the sin of the Amorites would be completed

The 4 offers of compromise from Pharaoh
1. Worship in Egypt
2. Don't go too far from Egypt
3. Leave your women & children
4. Leave your flocks & herds