Exodus 10

 

The Eighth Blow: Locusts

Ex 10 1The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order to display these signs of mine before him, 

 

The more revelation that an unbeliever receives from God, the more this revelation hardens his intellect. The worst Christ-rejecters have usually received the most revelation.

 

2and in order that in the hearing of your son and your grandson you may tell how I made fools of the Egyptians and about my signs that I displayed among them, so that you may know that I am the Lord.”

 

One of the purposes of the ten plagues was to record history so that it could be revealed to future generations. Many secular historians will teach that the Greek Herodotus was the first historian. This is not true. The Biblical history was recorded 1000 years before Herodotus picked up his pen. 

 

The purpose of history is to learn the mind of God. One can study history and learn how God worked with man in his sinful condition. Secular historians will cite that Biblical history is unreliable. They come to this conclusion out of the biasness of their sin nature. If Biblical history is true, then this historical truth will send them to the Lake of Fire for eternity. Since the secular historians do not want to discontinue the sin in their life, and since these secular historians do not want to admit that there is a Lake of Fire, they must explain away Biblical history. The total depravity of man chooses to live their current lives in sin rather than live eternal life with a holy God who hates their sin.

 

Charismatics often claim that God is “the same today, yesterday, and forever.” They teach that God has always performed miracles. Therefore, He is still performing miracles today. However, this is not a true statement. There have only been three periods in history when God performed miracles. He performed miracles during the days of the Exodus, during the days of Elijah and Elisha, and during the days of Jesus and the apostles. 

 

Miracles have not been common in all eras of history. If miracles were common, then they would cease to be miracles. Jesus is “the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow” in His character, but not in His revelation. God has chosen to reveal Himself in different ways in different dispensations throughout history. The reason that God reveals Himself differently is so that those who reject Christ will have no excuse at the Great White Throne Judgment. They will not be able to say, “if you would have revealed yourself to me in a different way, then I would have believed.” 

 

God makes a general call to every man who has ever lived, but the total depravity of man rejects this general call. Therefore, God makes an irresistible call to those He has called before the foundations of the world. This call will not be resisted, because the Holy Spirit regenerates the listener so that he can understand and desire the gospel.

 

3So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and told him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: ‘How long do you refuse to humble yourself before me? Release my people so that they may serve me! 

 

Jehovah demanded that Pharaoh was to humble himself before God. Pharaoh claimed to be a god. He was using this arrogant claim to oppress God’s firstborn. 

 

4But if you refuse to release my people, I am going to bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. 

 

Jehovah, in His compassion, offered a warning to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt.

 

5They will cover the surface of the earth, so that you will be unable to see the ground. They will eat the remainder of what escaped – what is left over for you – from the hail, and they will eat every tree that grows for you from the field. 

 

This locust invasion will end the Egyptian dynasty, destroy their economy, and turn them into a third world power. This poverty can still be seen today in modern Egypt.

 

6They will fill your houses, the houses of your servants, and all the houses of Egypt, such as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since they have been in the land until this day!’” Then Moses turned and went out from Pharaoh.

 

Egypt was the oldest nation in existence. No nation in history will ever see a locust invasion as severe as this one (except for Joel’s supernatural demonic locust invasion which will occur in the future during the Great Tribulation).

 

7Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us? Release the people so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not know that Egypt is destroyed?”

 

The servants were beginning to learn that Pharaoh was no god. They asked Pharaoh to release the Israelites so that Egypt would not be destroyed.

 

8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Exactly who is going with you?” 

 

Pharaoh offered his third compromise. He has not kept his word as of yet.

 

9Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our sheep and our cattle we will go, because we are to hold a pilgrim feast for the Lord.”

 

Moses demanded that the elderly, children and flocks must go to this three day sacrifice.

 

10He said to them, “The Lord will need to be with you if I release you and your dependents! Watch out! Trouble is right in front of you! 

 

The Hebrew word for “trouble” is רָעָ֖ה (rah), meaning evil. Ra was also the proper name of the most powerful Egyptian God. Ra was the Egyptian god of the Sun. Pharaoh warned Moses that if Jehovah did not back off, then Ra would have to become involved to stop Jehovah. Pharaoh was showing contempt for Jehovah.

 

11No! Go, you men only, and serve the Lord, for that is what you want.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.

 

Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his presence, hoping that they would accept this compromise.

 

12The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat everything that grows in the ground, everything that the hail has left.” 

 

Aaron executed the first three plagues. God executed the next three plagues. Moses executed the third set of plagues. 

 

13So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all night. The morning came, and the east wind had brought up the locusts!

 

The east wind brought in a devastating locust invasion.

 

 14The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the territory of Egypt. It was very severe; there had been no locusts like them before, nor will there be such ever again. 

 

This was and will be the worst natural locust invasion in history. The supernatural demonic invasion of the Great Tribulation will be worse, but it will not be a natural locust invasion. It will be a demonic invasion. 

 

15They covered the surface of all the ground, so that the ground became dark with them, and they ate all the vegetation of the ground and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on the trees or on anything that grew in the fields throughout the whole land of Egypt.

 

Pharaoh claimed to be god, but he could not protect his own land from God’s locust invasion.

 

16Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you! 

 

Notice that Pharaoh sinned against the Lord "your" God. Pharaoh realized that he was powerless to stop this locust invasion, so he confessed his sin. This was an outward confession, but it was not inward. 

 

17So now, forgive my sin this time only, and pray to the Lord your God that he would only take this death away from me.” 

 

Notice that Pharaoh did not pray himself. He asked for the prayers of Moses.

 

18Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, 

 

Moses prayed. This was God’s method of eliminating the plagues. Charismatics often claim that the words of Christians are positive energy that can motivate God to move on their behalf. Human words do not move God. God moves human thoughts, words and actions. No prayer will be made that God has not ordained before the foundations of the world.

 

God has already decided before the foundations of the world what His will is to be and how He is to accomplish his work. Often, God will call one to pray before God accomplishes His will. When the believer gets to heaven, he will find out that a single simple prayer from a believer moved historical events which affected eternity.

 

19and the Lord turned a very strong west wind, and it picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.

 

God answered this preordained prayer, ending the locust judgment.  Egypt was devastated physically, spiritually and economically.  

 

20But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites.

 

The more revelation that an unbeliever receives from God, the more his intellect will be hardened. Divine revelation either softens or hardens the heart. The heart is the intellectual attitude of man towards God.

 

The Ninth Blow: Darkness

21The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness so thick it can be felt.”

 

There was no warning given for the ninth miracle. Ra was the most powerful God in Egypt. He was the sun god. God’s darkness would show Egyptians that their most powerful deity was not a god at all. Notice that the darkness was so thick that it could be felt.

 

22So Moses extended his hand toward heaven, and there was absolute darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days.

 

The land of Egypt was cast into absolute darkness for three days. This judgment of darkness will return at least five more times just before and during the Great Tribulation.

 

23No one could see another person, and no one could rise from his place for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

 

There was still light in Goshen. This darkness may be similar to the darkness of hell.

 

24Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord – only your flocks and herds will be detained. Even your families may go with you.”

 

This was Pharaoh’s fourth compromise. He had not kept his word yet.

 

25But Moses said, “Will you also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may present them to the Lord our God? 

 

The animals were necessary for sacrifice.

 

26Our livestock must also go with us! Not a hoof is to be left behind! For we must take these animals to serve the Lord our God. Until we arrive there, we do not know what we must use to serve the Lord.”

 

The Hebrews would not know which animals to sacrifice until they arrived at Mount Sinai.

 

27But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to release them. 

 

Divine revelation will harden the attitudes of unbelievers, but soften the attitudes of believers.

 

28Pharaoh said to him, “Go from me! Watch out for yourself! Do not appear before me again, for when you see my face you will die!” 

 

This was a political mistake made on account of Pharaoh’s human viewpoint. Pharaoh removed Egypt’s warning system. Egypt will be unprotected and unprepared for the tenth plague.

 

29Moses said, “As you wish! I will not see your face again.”

 

There will be no more bargaining between Moses and Pharaoh. Pharaoh will break his word again and see Moses at his departure.