There is again no prior announcement

God told Aaron to take a handful of soot from the brick kiln and throw it up into the air. Soot is the lowest remainder of a burning process. In this and the remaining plagues, we see the wind. The soot became dust and covered the land of Egypt. The dust caused a disease of boils and sores in humans and animals.

The Magicians

The magician’s power weakens even further as they are inflicted with boils and unable to remove them even from themselves. This plague was probably directed against the Egyptian god Imhotep, who was said to be the god of medicine. Even those who were thought to be closest to the Egyptian gods (the court magicians) were stricken with this plague.

The Plagues are growing in Intensity

There is a growing intensity in these plagues and now the Egyptian people are being singled out. The Egyptians had participated in following the commands of Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew male babies. There were individuals (e.g., midwives) who refused to participate. One man who stopped lying could bring down a tyranny – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. An unjust ruler can cause an enormous amount of destruction to his people. The German people had descended into a materialistic atheism after World War I and Hitler would seek to bring back the old pagan gods to unite the people to his pursuit of the Fatherland. Hitler allowed the mob to bring out his darkest fantasies

There is to be no bitterness. The Hebrews will end up leaving and in Deuteronomy 23:7 one of the laws is to not hate the Egyptians. Proverbs 24:17 tells us, “When your enemy falls, do not rejoice.” In the Passover the pinkie finger is dipped into the wine ten times for each of the plague and their joy is diminished as they remember the pain of the Egyptians. Understanding evil can help to inoculate us from evil. It was bitterness and resentment that led to Germany seeking revenge in two world wars in the Twentieth Century.

God “strengthened” Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let the people go. It is God who strengthens Pharaoh’s heart in the second half of the plagues. Pharaoh is given his free will, and he chooses to do evil. We need to watch out ourselves that we are not stubborn like Pharaoh. His people are suffering but he is too proud to give up any part of his tyrannical power.

God shows Grace to Pharaoh and Egyptians

God invited Pharaoh and the Egyptians to trust Him by recommending precautions before the plague. Some took God’s invitation and spared their livestock, but others did not.

Categories: Exodus

Tags: bible, Exodus, god, moses, pharaoh