Exodus 9

V 1–7: MIRACULOUS PLAGUES: PLAGUE FIVE—LIVESTOCK The next plague involves all the livestock of Egypt being smitten with pestilence and dying, whereas not one of the Israelites’ animals dies. Despite the warning and the accomplishment by God, Pharaoh’s heart is so hard that he will not let the people go. V 8–12: MIRACULOUS PLAGUES: PLAGUE SIX—BOILS Next, in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron scatter handfuls of ash from a furnace and the fine dust causes boils that break out in sores on men and animals throughout the land of Egypt. The magicians, who now seem to have given up the task of replicating these miraculous plagues (possibly because they are too hard to stage-manage), cannot stand before Pharaoh because they are smitten by boils. Pharaoh still will not listen to what Moses has said, and his heart is hardened further. V 13–35: MIRACULOUS PLAGUES: PLAGUE SEVEN—HAIL Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh again and remind him that God is working all these plagues to show His power and that His name should be declared in all the earth. God has noted Pharaoh’s self-exaltation against his people and that he will not let them go. He will now unleash hail upon the replacement livestock that Egypt has acquired since the fifth plague. God gives a warning so that any Egyptians wise enough to believe Him can remove their livestock from the fields and put them in safe quarters to avoid their being killed by the hail. However, Israel’s livestock will not be touched. Moses stretches out God’s rod and hail and fire strike everything in the fields of Egypt—man, beast, herbs and trees. No problem is caused by the hail in the land of Goshen where the Israelites are situated. Because the wheat and spelt are late crops, they are not struck and therefore, through God’s graciousness, Egypt will not be smitten by a total famine. This time Pharaoh declares that he knows that God is righteous and his people and he are wicked. He asks Moses to stop the thunder and hail. He promises to let them all go and that they will stay no longer. As Moses calls out to God, the thunder and hail cease. Incredibly Pharaoh hardens his heart even more, reneges on what he has promised, and will not let the people go.