Verses 1-3 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.
Moses is instructed to “go in unto” Pharaoh which implies that this meeting is on Pharaoh’s turf so to speak and probably in his palace or government chambers. Note that Moses’ message never changes: let my people go!
Application: For the believer today the message still never changes. We are to “let God’s people go.” How is that done today? Not through plagues and judgements, but still with the power of the LORD and through obedience to His commands. Mark 16:15 gives the believer his instructions. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Furthermore, Matthew 10:8 says, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Think about these verses.
Back in the day, the word ass or asses referred to donkeys and burros and not to a person’s anatomy. Also, the word “cattle” is the Hebrew word “migneh,” translated as flocks, substance, herds,and livestock. So cattle does not mean just cows. This is seen by the fact that God clarifies which critters will be affected and the list also includes camels.
Here the LORD is promising judgement will come by His hand. As stated before, finger, hand and arm all signify power. God is not using His finger this time but His hand, signifying a greater use of His power and a more terrible outcome for the Egyptian people. Remember that every word in the Bible is important in order to understand the truth of the scriptures.
So what is a murrain? It is translated from the Hebrew word “deber,” pronounced deh ber, and means pestilence or disease.
Verse 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.
Once again the LORD is going to separate the land of Goshen and His people from the rest of the land of Egypt with a hedge of protection so that their cattle will be protected from this fifth plague.
Application: Just as the Hebrew people were set apart from the surrounding world, believers today are set apart from their surrounding world. That is why believers do not fit into the world in their thinking, their actions, or in their words. That is also why non believers are often uncomfortable around believers. They do not understand why true Christians do not conform to the world’s standards. Romans 12:2 commands, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Verses 5-6 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.
Application: God’s timing is always perfect. He still sets times today in order to accomplish His will on the Earth and, just as He let Moses and Aaron know His plans, He will always let the believer know before it occurs that there is to be an event in his/her life. This writer was experiencing financial worries and the LORD warned that a family member was going to be fired from their job. So when the family member announced the loss of the job, this writer was not concerned because of being forewarned by the Holy Spirit. The believer just needs to be listening to the still, small voice of God.
Verse 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.
Why is Pharaoh so ridiculously and recklessly allowing the destruction of his nation? Because God is causing his heart to be so hard that his pride will not allow him to give in to Moses’ demands.
Application: Before the reader begins to feel sorry for this Pharaoh and think that since God is causing his hard heart, it really isn’t the Pharaoh’s fault that he is acting so foolishly, realize that God knows everything from the beginning to the ending and that He is not bound by time or space. God knew the nature of Pharaoh and the nature of his heart and that this man would never repent or listen to His words. Therefore, God was using him, a hopeless man spiritually, to reach not only His Hebrew people, but the Egyptian people with the knowledge of His power and sovereignty. In so doing, many people were able to find the one, true God. How do we know this? Because later in the book the reader will see that the Hebrew people did leave Egypt, taking many Egyptians with them. They were a great, mixed multitude as far as nationality and race was concerned. Although the religious Jews of today promote a purity of the Jewish race, the Bible shows over and over again that the original Syrian blood line of Abraham was constantly watered down through the adding of other people’s blood lines or genetic material. The Jewish people since the time of Jacob or Israel have always been a mixed race people.
Verses 8-10 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.
Deuteronomy 4:24 states, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” What better way to demonstrate His power over the elements and His jealous love of the Hebrew people than to take the byproducts of a consuming fire, the ashes, and turn them into dust that then brought forth a skin disease. The Hebrew word for boil comes from a root word that probably means “to burn.” This would have been an inflamed, painful eruption on the skin. The Hebrew word for blains comes from a root word that means to belch forth. From these descriptive root words, it can be imagined that this skin disease appeared quickly, spread over the body rapidly, and caused burning and pain. Not really sure, but it certainly was going to be a situation that impacted all the people and preoccupied their every waking moment. The Biblical number for man is six, and this was the sixth plague. Unlike the other five plagues, this one directly affected the bodies of the Egyptian people. There was no escaping the symptoms and the discomfort.
Verse 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.
The magicians had already admitted that Moses’ God was more powerful than their Egyptian gods. Now that they were struck with a physical disease, they could not even show up to be with Pharaoh when Moses and Aaron were present before him. They were not only in severe pain and discomfort, but they were utterly humiliated and without remedy for the plague.
Verse 12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
Application: Is Pharaoh a rare phenomenon of pride, anger and stupidity, or are there people like Pharaoh today, refusing to listen to the LORD and refusing to repent and get right with Him spiritually? The answer is “yes.” There are people just like Pharaoh in the world today. A true account that this writer witnessed was when a loving wife came to the pastor and asked help in reaching her husband, a non believer, with the truth about the LORD Jesus Christ. The man had become ill and none of the doctors he had seen could find the cause of his illness. It was and it remained a mystery to the medical practitioners. The pastor visited him on numerous occasions until the man was finally admitted to the hospital because he was dying from a cause that could not be identified. The LORD had revealed to the pastor that the illness was from Him and that, unless the man humbled himself to the will of the LORD and softened his heart unto repentance, he would die. The pastor told the man what the LORD had revealed and begged him to give his heart and life to the LORD. His last words were that he would never believe in a god of any kind and that he would rather die than ask the LORD for healing. A few days later he died. No cause of death could be listed on his death certificate, so his death was listed as, “natural causes.”
Verses 13-15 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.
Why was Moses instructed to “rise up early in the morning?” Could it be that he, Aaron and the Hebrew people were enjoying peaceful sleep while the Egyptians were awake all night due to the itching, burning, painful draining skin lesions all over their bodies?
God was threatening annihilation. It wouldn’t just be crops and critters that would die this time, but the people themselves. Being “cut off from the earth” means to be destroyed.
Verse 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.
Application: God sends disasters so that the unbelievers will know that “there is none like me in all the earth,” and so that His “name may be declared throughout all the earth.” God raised up Pharaoh and put him in a leadership position so that this could be accomplished. All the surrounding nations would know what was happening in Egypt and a fear of the Hebrew people would be in their hearts. And through this historical event, the name of the LORD has been declared down through the centuries as the story of the exodus is told from generation to generation.
Verses 17-19 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.
The seventh plague involved a very special hail that had never been seen before and that was composed of ice and fire. Since these two conditions are contrary to one another and should not coexist, everyone would know that a miracle was occurring that could not be explained away with magic, sorcery or pagan religious beliefs.
Verses 20-21 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.
Here we see that it wasn’t just Pharaoh that wouldn’t listen to the words of the LORD. Even after all the “natural disasters” that had happened in Egypt and not in Goshen, some still did not listen to the warnings of Moses.
Verses 22-26 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.
How amazing it would have been to send up a drone and see the dividing line between the land of the Egyptians and the land of the Hebrews. It must have been an awesome sight. Those Egyptians that survived would be able to see the protection the LORD had provided for the Hebrews and decide right then and there which side they wanted to stand on: stand with their nation and with Pharaoh and be destroyed or stand with the Hebrews and live.
Verses 27-28 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.
It appears that Pharaoh was beginning to have a change in his hardened heart. It must have been very difficult for him to admit to Moses, a common sheep herder and an abomination in Egyptian eyes, that both he and his people were wicked and had sinned against God and against the Hebrew people.
Application: Until a person can understand and admit that they are wicked and that they have sinned, they cannot receive salvation. A person has to see the truth about themselves and want to change in the direction of righteousness before they can see their need for a Savior and LORD.
Verses 29-30 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. 3
The Earth is the LORD’s. He created it and put everything into it during the six days of creation. He owns it. However, He has temporarily given it to mankind for a home. Psalms 115:16 says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” But the power to manipulate the elements is the LORD’s still.
Verses 31-32 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.
God always leaves a remnant, whether it be people, animals or plants. He promised that He would not destroy the Earth again like He did during Noah’s day. He kindly left two crops for the Egyptian people to have for their future survival as these crops had not sprouted yet and so were not destroyed. He was and is a caring and loving God.
Verses 33-35 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.