[Exodus 9] The Difference God Sets Between the Believer and the Unbeliever. In chapter 9 of Exodus, the plagues continue to fall upon Egypt because of Pharaoh’s refusal to let the people go. Yet, the children of Israel are safe and unharmed in the land of Goshen. This shows us that God places a distinction between those who serve him and those who do not.
[Exo 9:1-35 KJV] 1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if thou refuse to let [them] go, and wilt hold them still, 3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which [is] in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: [there shall be] a very grievous murrain. 4 And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all [that is] the children’s of Israel. 5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. 8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth [with] blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth [with] blains upon man, and upon beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses. 13 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that [there is] none like me in all the earth. 15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16 And in very deed for this [cause] have I raised thee up, for to shew [in] thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18 Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 19 Send therefore now, [and] gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; [for upon] every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21 And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that [was] in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel [were], was there no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD [is] righteous, and I and my people [are] wicked. 28 Intreat the LORD (for [it is] enough) that there be no [more] mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. 29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; [and] the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth [is] the LORD’S. 30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God. 31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley [was] in the ear, and the flax [was] bolled. 32 But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they [were] not grown up. 33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
After several abortive attempts to coerce Pharaoh to let the people go, the Lord sends Moses yet again to let the people go “that they may serve me…” Here is the difference between the Old Covenant saint and a New Testament believer as states the writer of the book of Hebrews:
[Heb 3:5-6 KJV] 5 And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
In the New Birth experience, we are released as sons in service to the Father, but there is no such context for the Old Testament saint or even Moses himself. The Old Testament economy of God was based on adherence to the law and the conduct of animal sacrifice. The New Testament dealings of God are based on the shed blood of Christ that constitutes God as more than our master – He is our Father which is why Jesus celebrated this fact after His resurrection:
[Jhn 20:17 KJV] 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God.
In v. 3 Moses’ word from the Lord to Pharaoh is, if he refuses again, there will be a “grievous murrain” on the livestock of Egypt, on the camels, the cattle, oxen, and sheep as well. What is a murrain? The word itself means “to die.” This terminology is still used today with respect to infectious diseases that fall on livestock, animals, and cattle. In making this threat and giving Pharaoh this warning there is again reference to the fact that the Lord will “sever” between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of the Egyptians. God places a distinction in regard to casualty, disease, mishap, and misfortune, where the believer and the unbeliever are concerned. As a Christian, the scriptures are replete with the promise that life in Christ is uniquely protected and preserved here on earth as well as holding out hope of future reward in eternity.
After the plague on the livestock breaks out, Pharaoh sends spies to ascertain that the cattle of the Israelites were unmolested and true to God’s word that is indeed the case. Does Pharaoh relent? No, his heart is hardened, and he will not let the people go. Even today, the blessing of God upon the believer is cause for many outside of Christ to harden their hearts because they refuse to accept the evil of their deeds as the just recompense of their suffering. Thus the prosperity and blessing that falls out to the believer only inflame them in their opposition to the Cross.
With the next plague visited upon Egypt because of Pharaoh’s obstinance, there is no warning or prior meeting with Pharaoh. Moses is instructed to take ash from the furnace and cast it to the wind. He does so, and it becomes a very fine dust in all the land of Egypt, dust that causes boils and putrefying sores to break out upon man and beast throughout the king’s empire. Pharaoh calls his magicians again to duplicate this sign, but they cannot come because they are incapacitated by the boils that have heaped upon their bodies. For all this, Pharaoh’s heart is harder still, and he will not let the people go.
In Moses’ next meeting with the king, the word of the Lord is that all the plagues on the land would be sent upon Pharaoh’s heart – his human spirit within him – that he might know that the Lord is God and there is none on earth like Him. The Lord further denounces the king saying that for his own destruction, all was foreordained that all the earth might see God’s power and know His strength over men. To this great fact, Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived attests in Proverbs 16:4:
[Pro 16:4 KJV] 4 The LORD hath made all [things] for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
The next plague visited upon Egypt comes in the form of hail that came down in such horror that all who were in the field either man or beast were struck down and crushed. For this reason, Moses warned Pharaoh and his servants to bring all the cattle in and all the shepherds lest they die, but the counsel falls on deaf ears, and the loss of life is great upon the obstinate servants of the king. In the land of Goshen? No hail not so much as a single hailstone – and Pharaoh is shaken and calls out in repentance, asking Moses to entreat the Lord that the destruction might come to an end.
Now in v. 27, it does seem that Pharaoh repents. He confesses that he has sinned and concedes that the Lord, the God that Moses serves, is righteous and that he and his people are wicked. Then he promises once the hail is stopped, he will now, at last, let the people go. How does Moses respond? In v. 29 Moses gives his word, and God backs it up that as soon as he leaves the city, he will spread his hands toward heaven and petition that this plague would end. At the same time (v. 30), Moses points out that he knows, and God knows that Pharaoh has no genuine fear of God. Even so, God moved in such a way that while the flax and barley were destroyed, the wheat harvest was spared, why? Because God shows mercy on the just and the unjust, and Moses wants Pharaoh to realize this.
Moses goes out of the city, prays to God, and the hail stops. True to his character Pharaoh hardens his heart once again and refuses to let the people go. What would be your response if you were in Moses’ place? If you are going to ever do or be anything in the kingdom, you will deal with people like this. They will be implacable, unmerciful, and treacherous in every way. What did Moses do? He refrains now from blaming God, as so many do when things don’t work out in their lives. Moses remained patient, stayed in the place of obedience, and if you do likewise, you will as the children of Israel come out of your captivity by the hand of God’s faithfulness.
