Exodus 10 A Plague of Locusts
1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. 2 I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”
All along, God has been demonstrating His mighty power. Many of the Israelites and Egyptians have come to believe in that power; however, some Egyptians and Israelites have continued to doubt whether or not He can really do whatever He chooses. God wants to demonstrate His power so dramatically that the Israelites-and Egyptians-will continue to tell the story for generations to come. Remember that God’s intention is never merely to deliver the Hebrews but also to bring the Egyptians to a saving knowledge of Him. Much of Egyptian agriculture lies in ruins, and now God is about to deal a death blow to that sector.
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. 4 If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country. 5 They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields. 6 They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
Well, by this time, Pharaoh’s officials are looking around at the wreckage of what was once the most prosperous and powerful country in the Middle East. No matter what Pharaoh thinks, these men realize that the God of the Hebrews is well able to complete the destruction of Egypt. These men are probably on their knees, prostrating themselves in supplication.
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “Go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”
9 Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord.”
10 Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. 11 Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.”
13 So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it. 15 For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you,” he confessed. 17 “Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the Lord your God to take away this death from me.”
18 So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the Lord. 19 The Lord responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go.
The locusts consume every leaf and every bit of fruit left after the horrible hail storm. The poor Egyptians look around their country and realize that they have nothing left. Finally, Pharaoh relents; however, notice that when Pharaoh is confessing, he makes no promises of releasing the Israelites whatsoever. Pharaoh is still convinced that somehow, he’s going to prove more powerful than the God that is steadily dismantling his country. Pharaoh has been programed to believe in his own divinity, and he’s not about to let go of that fundamental belief. The demons are still whispering lies to Pharaoh.
The Enduring Word Bible Commentary makes these points:
When Moses first came to Pharaoh, Pharaoh said: Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? (Exodus 5:2). The fact that Pharaoh still would not submit to the LORD showed that he didn’t know who the LORD was yet. This was despite the fact that the LORD God had made it clear that He was:
· Greater than the god Khnum (the guardian of the Nile).
· Greater than the god Hapi (the spirit of the Nile).
· Greater than the god Osiris (who had the Nile as his bloodstream).
· Greater than the goddess Heqt (the frog-goddess of fertility).
· Greater than the goddess Hathor (a cow-like mother goddess).
· Greater than the god Imhotep (the god of medicine).
· Greater than Nut (the sky goddess).
· Able to stop the whole worship of the Egyptian gods with loathsome lice and swarms of insects.
Despite all this, Pharaoh showed he still did not know the LORD God. Therefore, God would show him more.
Now the locusts ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: Yahweh showed Himself greater than the Egyptian god Osiris, thought to be the protector of crops.
Enduring Word continues to point out that “God did for Pharaoh what He will do in our lives – expose and topple every false god. When we trust in these gods it hurts to see them fall, but it is always best to have them exposed.”
Where’s the peace in this situation? Of course, the Egyptians have no peace, for their country is in a shambles. But for the Israelites sitting in the Land of Goshen, each time another plague hits only the Egyptians, sparing them, they stand amazed at God’s protection. For 400 years, the Israelites have heard the stories about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and frankly, they have assumed these tales were exaggerations. Now they begin to realize that the events in those stories really happened, and the God of their forefathers is the same God who is helping them now.
God is very economical; He’s always using one action to accomplish the maximum number of results. Look at these plagues: God wants the Egyptians to learn about Him, trusting Him rather than powerless deities. God is also using the plagues to convince the Egyptians to release the Israelites; in fact, eventually, the Egyptians will load the Israelites with all their treasures just to get them out of Egypt. God also is humbling Pharaoh and impacting the economy of Egypt as well as its military power. Who knows what wars of conquest the Egyptians might have embarked on had their economy not been severely damaged? And God wants His people to trust Him and to find their peace in Him, rather than in comfortable surroundings, for God knows the harsh conditions the Israelites will face once they leave Egypt.
As I am writing these meditations, people in America, Canada, and Europe are enduring unimaginable losses due to wildfires. Many have had to flee for their lives, losing everything dear to them apart from their lives. These people might justifiably demand to know where God’s peace is in the midst of these disasters. Yet, God is there and God remains faithful.
Hear God’s promises: Isaiah 43: But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.
Even when things are going wrong, God remains constant, faithful, and all-powerful. May God help us trust Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even when things are falling apart around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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