LESSON 9
THE FIFTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH PLAGUES
Exodus 9:1-35
—by E. L. Bynum
Memory Verse: v. 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.
Introduction:
The former plagues were against persons, but the following are AGAINST PROPERTY AND PERSONS.
“OUR Lord when on earth came NOT TO DESTROY men’s lives. And yet it was necessary, for our highest instruction, that we should NOT think of Him as revealing a Divinity wholly DEVOID of sternness. TWICE, therefore, a gleam of the FIRES OF JUSTICE fell on the eyes which followed Him—through the DESTRUCTION once of a BARREN TREE, and once of a HERD OF SWINE, which property no Jew should have possessed. So now, when HALF the gloomy round of the plagues was being completed, it was NECESSARY TO PROVE that LIFE ITSELF was staked on this desperate hazard; and this was done first by the very same expedient—the destruction of life which was NOT human.” —Expositor’s Bible Commentary.
I. THE FIFTH PLAGUE MURRAIN UPON THE LIVESTOCK vv. 1-7
A. The Bold Demand and the Plague of Murrain Announced, vv. 1-5.
1. The demand and the purpose, v. 1, “Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews,”
Note: “Warning given of another plague, namely, the murrain of beasts. When Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, after he had seemed to relent under the former plague, then Moses is sent to tell him there is another coming, to try what that would do towards reviving the impressions of the former plagues. Thus is the wrath of God revealed from heaven, both in his word and in his works, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary.
a. The DEMAND, “…let my people go ….”
b. The PURPOSE, “…that they may SERVE ME.”
Note: The IMPORTANCE of THIS PHRASE cannot be over emphasized. While we do not deny that God’s love, mercy, and grace was extended to Israel, yet even this is for His glory.
1) God SAVES SINNERS that they MIGHT SERVE HIM, Exodus 8:1, 20, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 20 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may SERVE ME.” See also: Exodus 9:1, 13; Exodus 10:3.
2) The MAIN PURPOSE of the SALVATION of the sinner is FOR GOD’S GLORY, 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, DO ALL TO the GLORY of God.”
01. In the NAME of the Lord Jesus, Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, DO ALL in the NAME of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father BY HIM.”
02. That Jesus Christ might RECEIVE the GLORY, 1 Peter 4:11, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be GLORIFIED through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
03. For HE IS THE PRINCE of the KINGS of the earth, Revelation 1:5-6, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the PRINCE of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be GLORY and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
04. For HE IS WORTHY, Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive GLORY and HONOUR and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
2. The REFUSAL would RESULT in the plague, vv. 2-3.
a. Refusal TO HEED God’s WARNING could bring even GREATER CONSEQUENCES, Leviticus 26:21, “And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring SEVEN TIMES MORE plagues upon you according to your sins.”
b. God will WOUND the HEADS of His ENEMIES, Psalms 68:21, “But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.”
3. The MEANING of this plague. “Murrain” == ANY OF VARIOUS DISEASES OF CATTLE AS ANTHRAX, HOOF-AND-MOUTH DISEASE, AND TEXAS FEVER.
a. Animals have always SUFFERED because of MAN’S SIN, Romans 8:22, “For we know that the WHOLE creation GROANETH and TRAVAILETH IN PAIN together until now.”
b. This was ANOTHER BLOW AGAINST IDOLATRY; cattle were SACRED in Egypt, for they worshiped the bull, APIS, and the calf, MNEVIS.
c. It SHOWED the POWER and RESOURCES of God.
d. It SHOWED God’s JUDGMENT upon man’s WORKS; the beasts were harnessed and labored for man, Proverbs 21:4, “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”
4. SEPARATION meant LIFE for the cattle of the ISRAELITES, v. 4.
5. The Lord SET THE TIME, v. 5. He operates on schedule.
B. The Plague EXECUTED and the RESULT, vv. 6-7.
1. The cattle die, v. 6. The “all” of v. 6 must be understood in the light of “IN THE FIELD” of v. 3. See vv. 19, 21; and Exodus 10:25, “And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.”
2. Pharaoh’s heart hardened. v. 7; Proverbs 28:14, “Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart SHALL FALL into mischief.”
a. The FEAR of the Lord, Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the BEGINNING OF WISDOM: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
b. Knowledge of God gives UNDERSTANDING, Ephesians 4:18, “Having the understanding DARKENED, being ALIENATED from the life of God through the IGNORANCE that is in them, because of the BLINDNESS of their heart.”
II. THE SIXTH PLAGUE: BOILS ON MAN AND BEAST vv. 8-12
A. The Plague of Boils, vv. 8-10.
1. The ASHES of the furnace sprinkled, v. 8. Egypt in its fiery persecution of Israel is called a furnace, Deuteronomy 4:20, “But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.” See also 1 Kings 8:51.
a. Chosen in the furnace of affliction, Isaiah 48:10, “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”
b. Brought out of the IRON furnace, Jeremiah 11:4, “Which I commanded your fathers in the day [that] I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God.”
Note: This furnace may have been the altar in Egypt upon which human sacrifice was made, to the god Typhon.
2. BOILS and RUNNING SORES on man and beast, v. 9. This plague shows the TRUE SPIRITUAL CONDITION of man, Isaiah 1:6, “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.”
3. The plague implemented, v. 10. God promised that if they DISOBEYED HIM in the land of CANAAN, that the SAME KIND of plague would FALL UPON THEM, Deuteronomy 28:27, “The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.” Deuteronomy 28:35, “The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.”
B. The Result of the Plague, vv. 11-12.
1. False religionists UNABLE TO STAND, v. 11.
a. This is PROPHETIC OF THE LAST DAYS and God’s judgment upon false religion, Revelation 16:2, “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”
b. This would make it IMPOSSIBLE for the Egyptians TO BATH and STAY CLEAN. Remember that they were DEVOTED to keeping themselves CLEAN.
2. The heart of Pharaoh hardened, v. 12; Proverbs 29:1, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
III. THE SEVENTH PLAGUE: GRIEVOUS HAIL vv. 13-35
A. The Demand and the Warning, vv. 13-21.
1. The demand to let Israel go, v. 13. (God’s purpose never changes).
2. God’s glorious purpose, vv. 14-16,
a. Pharaoh would learn that there is NONE LIKE Jehovah, v. 14, “that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.”
b. Pharaoh was to be cut off, v. 15; Exodus 14:25-28, “And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
c. Pharaoh was raised up TO SHOW God’s sovereign power, v. 16. Romans 9:17, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.”
1) Other CRUEL RULERS have had to learn the same lesson, Daniel 4:30-33, “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.”
2) Herod learned this lesson, Acts 12:21-23, “And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”
d. God’s name to be declared throughout all the earth, v. 16; 1 Chronicles 16:24, “Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.”
3. The promise of hail, “tomorrow about this time,”vv. 17- 18; 2 Kings 7:1, 18, “Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:”
4. Pharaoh warned to protect man and beast. v. 19.
a. This is God’s mercy at work, Psalms 103:8, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
b. Here mercy rejoices against judgment, James 2:13, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
5. Those who feared the Lord, v. 20; Acts 28:24, “And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.”
6. Those who feared not the Lord, v. 21; Proverbs 22:3, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”
B. The Execution of the Plague, vv. 22-26.
1. The command of God, v. 22, “Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven,”
2. The obedience of Moses, v. 23; Psalms 78:48, “He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.”
3. The terrible destruction, vv. 24-25.
a. This foreshadows the coming tribulation destruction, Revelation 8:5, 7, “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” See also Revelation 11:19; Revelation 16:18, 21.
b. Thunder symbolized the voice of God, John 12:28-29, “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.” See also Psalm 29.
C. The Result: A Shaken Pharaoh, vv. 27-35.
1. Pharaoh’s true confession, v. 27.
a. Like BALLAM, Pharaoh CONFESSED BUT did NOT repent, Numbers 22:34, “And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.”
b. Like Balaam, SAUL ONLY CONFESSED, 1 Samuel 15:24,30, “And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.”
c. Like Saul, JUDAS only confessed also, Matthew 27:3-4, “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.”
Note: This points out the DANGER OF EASY BELIEVISM based on fear or love, WITHOUT REPENTANCE.
d. The PRODIGAL SON made a TRUE confession and PROVED his repentance by a CHANGE OF CONDUCT, Luke 15:18, 20, “I will arise and GO TO MY FATHER, and will SAY unto him, Father, I have SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN, and BEFORE THEE, And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
e. David also PROVED his confession was SINCERE by his REPENTANCE, 2 Samuel 12:13, “And David said unto Nathan, I have SINNED against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” Psalms 51:4, “AGAINST THEE, THEE ONLY, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
2. Pharaoh’s request, v. 28, “Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings.” [Heb. voices of God.]
3. Moses’ consent and the reason given. v. 29, “that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’S.” Psalms 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” 1 Corinthians 10:26, “For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.”
4. Moses spiritual insight, v. 30; Isaiah 26:10, “Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.”
5. The extent of the damage, vv. 31-32. Month: March or April.
6. The plague ends, v. 33.
7. The unrepentant Pharaoh, vv. 34-35; Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
—Outline by E. L. Bynum; Revision by Art Davison
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. State the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues in their proper order
2. What was the chief purpose behind God’s demand, “let my people go?”
3. What is God’s main purpose in saving sinners?
4. How did the Egyptians highly esteem cattle?
5. What effect has man’s sin had upon the animal world?
6. Did each and every one of the Egyptian’s cattle die in the plague?
7. How does the plague of boils illustrate the true condition of man?
8. Name the four things of God’s purpose in the seventh plague
9. Why did God warn Pharaoh to protect man and beast from the seventh plague?
10. Did any of the Egyptians heed the warning given? If so who?