Exodus 10-11
Dear RTB’ers,
Exodus 10-11, two plagues today – the eighth and ninth, locusts and darkness – and the promise of another, the final plague, the death of the Egyptian firstborn.
Two days ago I spoke of Pharaoh wanting to compromise with Moses: So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away.” (Ex. 8:28) Today we see Pharaoh offering Moses two more compromises. First, Pharaoh wants Moses to keep the women and children behind: Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go…” Then he said to them, “So may the LORD be with you, when I let you and your little ones go! … Go now, but only the men among you…” (vv. 10:9-10a, 11a) Second, during the darkness plague Pharaoh demands that the flocks and herds be left behind: Then Pharaoh called for Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be left behind. Even your little ones may go with you.” (v. 10:24) But God does not compromise. His will be done!
Although Pharaoh’s heart has remained hardened, not so with his servants and the Egyptian people: Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” (v. 10:7); plus And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. (v. 11:3)
We close today with Moses warning Pharaoh of the tenth and final plague, the death of the Egyptian firstborn. We’ll see that played out tomorrow.
Blessings!