God had called out Moses as the leader (Exodus 3:1-4:17) who would deliver the Israelites from their nearly 400 years of Egyptian bondage (Exodus 1-2). So far, Moses’ confrontations with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had not resulted in his freeing the children of Israel; in fact, Moses’ requests had caused Israel to fall into a more intense slavery and they blamed it on him (Exodus 4:18-6:13). Moses was desperate for God to intervene so at the appointed time God unleashed a series of plagues (judgments) upon Pharaoh and Egypt (7:14-12:30). Nine of the plagues would only cause Pharaoh’s heart to grow harder (7:14-10:29), but the final plague (11:1-30) would get his attention and result in Israel’s exodus from Egypt (12:31-51). Each of these plagues not only put God’s power on display, but also evidenced His superiority over the Egyptian gods who were connected to many of these natural elements. It is quite possible that these plagues occurred over the course of nine months. The following is a brief summary of the first nine plagues:
Plague 1: Nile River turns to blood (7:14-25) - The Nile River was the main source of water and its’ contamination would have caused widespread thirst and damage to the crops throughout the land. Pharaoh ignored the plague and hardened his heart before Moses (7:22-23).
Plague 2: Frogs covered Egypt (8:1-15) – Pharaoh’s refusal to let the children of Israel go free resulted in frogs covering the land which would have caused unsanitary living conditions (8:1-7). Pharaoh called for Moses to stop this plague and promised to let Israel go, but when the judgment had ceased he hardened his heart again (8:8-15).
Plague 3: Lice/Gnats covered Egypt (8:16-19) – This severe plague resulted in extreme annoyance and inconvenience. Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let Israel go (8:19).
Plague 4: Swarms of Flies (8:20-32) – These flies caused corruption of the land (8:24) and Pharaoh told Moses that he would allow the Israelites go if they stayed nearby (8:25-28); however, Pharaoh ended up hardening his heart and not allowing the children of Israel go free (8:32)
Plague 5: Livestock diseased/dead (9:1-12) – All types of Egyptian livestock got sick then died, which affected their food supply, farming ability, transportation and worship. Pharaoh still hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go (9:7).
Plague 6: Boils affect Egyptians/animals (9:8-12) – This is the first judgment involving human health and it caused severe pain for the Egyptians, but Pharaoh hardened his heart against Israel once more and would not free them (9:12).
Plague 7: Hail mingled with Fire (9:13-35) – This lightening from heaven delivered fireballs causing widespread destruction of crops and some livestock, terrible physical pain for people, and destruction of property. Pharaoh calls for Moses telling him that he had sinned (9:27), but his “confession” is short lived and he hardens his heart and will not free Israel (9:34-35).
Plague 8: Locusts cover Egypt (10:1-20) – Right before this plague strikes, Pharaoh agrees to let them go, but when he summons Moses, he gets angry, and then drives him out of the palace (10:8-11). God unleashes this horribly destructive plague so that no vegetation remained in Egypt (10:15). The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart (10:20).
Plague 9: Darkness across the land (10:21-29) – This claustrophobic darkness lasted three days before Pharaoh summoned Moses. Pharaoh committed to allow the men, women, and children leave Egypt, but he would not allow them to take their livestock with them (10:24). The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and Pharaoh commands Moses to never come before him again (10:27-28).
Nine judgments were sent to get Pharaoh’s attention, but each time he hardened his heart. Although the first nine plagues did not cause Pharaoh to allow the children of Israel to go free, the tenth and final judgment would finally break him.
Dear God, help me to see that nothing good comes when I harden my heart against You.
