In the accounts of plagues six and seven, we find a new development in the saga of Moses v. Pharaoh, God v. the gods. The development is this: for the first time in the story, the Scriptures record that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. In every plague up to the fifth, the stories recorded that Pharaoh hardened his heart, or simply that his heart became hardened. In plague six, though, the plague of boils, the Scripture says, “12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.(NKJV)”
Just a few thoughts come to mind when I read these two accounts. First, the plague of boils continues an escalation of sorts, in that it directly attacks the bodies of the Egyptians, while the Israelites were exempt from the plague. The seventh plague, hail, destroys not only crops, but any and all people who were outside at the time of the storm. Lightning, thunder, hail, and even fire came down on those outdoors, and the crops were destroyed, and any livestock or humans outside were killed.
It was a strange thing that the story said that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Did not God want the children of Israel set free? Did He not just warn Pharaoh of the impending danger? Why would He do that if He would not allow Pharaoh to respond appropriately? Just before the storm, though, the Lord gives the reader an explanation of why He may have hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
Exodus 9:14–16 (NKJV)
14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
Pharaoh was being used to bring about the news of the glory of God, and His power and might! After the hail storm that destroyed so much of Egypt, and killed so many people and livestock, Pharaoh called for Moses and repented, and told him he was sorry. He asked Moses to intercede on their behalf. Moses agreed to pray, with the caveat that he knew that Pharaoh would not truly let them go or change his mind. And, just as he said, Pharaoh backpedaled and hardened his heart again once the hail had stopped.
One last interesting thought: 400 years earlier, a son of Israel–Joseph–had come to Egypt and saved the day, gathering grain for seven years that sustained all of Egypt and the surrounding nations during the next seven years of famine. Now, 400 years after Joseph, God took away their grain through a hailstorm due to their oppression of Israel. Do not presume upon the grace or favor of God and forget all the blessings He has given you in the past. Praise God for the past, the present, and the future. Live with a healthy reverence for His glory, and a healthy appreciation for His love and provision!
Devoted To You 