18 DESTRUCTION

I cannot think of a clearer picture of the truth that our stubbornness against God leads to our own ruin than the plagues in Egypt in Moses’ time. This is probably why the story is here in such detail telling of each of the ten plague. The lesson to be learned is abundantly clear because of the absurd degree to which ruin and destruction came on Pharaoh and Egypt. But lesser degrees of stubbornness can produce lesser amounts of destruction. None of us wants any destruction, so here is a clear story with a harsh yet helpful message. If you want things to go well, yield quickly to God.

I suspect that Moses was quite surprised at Pharaoh’s obstinacy and God’s severity. Moses had grown up in Egypt. This was the land of his childhood. How could he not be compassionately concerned for the desolations of Egypt, and at a loss to imagine what this contest would come to at last? In this context God tells him what He designed, not only Israel’s release, but the magnifying of His own name. Here it is in verses 1 and 2: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.””

To God’s glory, the ten plagues of Egypt must be inflicted and recorded for the generations to come as undeniable proofs of God’s overruling power in the kingdom of nature. They show His dominion over all creatures, and His authority to use them either as servants for His justice or sufferers by it, according to the His wisdom. This record of the plagues will also show God’s victorious power over the kingdom of Satan, to restrain the hatred and punish the arrogance of the enemies of His church. These plagues are standing monuments of the greatness of God, the happiness of the church, the sinfulness of sin, and long-lasting lessons to men and women in all ages not to think, speak or work against God, our Maker, Friend and Father. The benefit of these instructions to us and the entire world sufficiently validates their being included in Moses’ record of the Exodus.

Pharaoh is reproved in verse 3, “ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”’” It is correctly expected from the greatest of men that they humble themselves before the great God, and it is to their own ruin if they refuse to do it. This has more than once been God’s quarrel with princes. Belshazzar did not humble his heart as recorded in Daniel 5:22, “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.” Zedekiah did not humble himself before Jeremiah as recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:12, “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.” Those that will not humble themselves God will humble. Pharaoh had sometimes pretended to humble himself, but nothing ever came of it because he was neither sincere nor consistent.

The plague of locusts is threatened as verses 4-6 say, “‘If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’ Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.” The hail had broken down the vegetation, but these locusts would come and devour it: and not only that, but they would also fill their houses. That was getting personal. There would be no escape. The frogs had come in their houses and onto their beds. The Egyptians knew what this would be like. Moses, when he had delivered his message, not expecting any better answer than he had before, simply left.

Jesus also instructed his disciples to depart from those who would not receive them, and to shake off the dust of their feet for a testimony against them. The Scripture is consistent as 1 Samuel 15:27 also echos that Samuel left Saul, “As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore.” A possible lesson to be learned from this part of the contest is that we should try to discern if it is time to turn and leave as Moses did. In our case, we might find responsive people somewhere else so we should not waste our time on those who are determined not to respond.

Pharaoh’s wiser attendants, his ministers of state, or private counsellors, intervene, to persuade him to come to some terms with Moses. They, were duty bound to represent to Pharaoh the deplorable condition of the kingdom, that Egypt is destroyed, and advise him by all means to release his prisoners. Let them go, for Moses, they found, would be a snare to them until it was done, and it would be much better to consent at first than to be compelled at last. The Israelites had become a burdensome stone to the Egyptians, and now, at last, the princes of Egypt were finally willing to be rid of them. It is regrettable that a whole nation should be ruined because of the pride and obstinacy of its leader. Any national leader should consult the welfare of the people as a first law. Pharaoh did not.

Pharaoh tries to make an agreement with Moses. Pharaoh consents for the Israelites to go into the wilderness to do sacrifice; but the matter in dispute was who should go. Moses insists that they should take their whole families, and all their effects, along with them. Here is a quick lesson that those who serve God must serve Him with all they have. Moses pleads, “We must hold a feast, therefore we must have our families to feast with, and our flocks and herds to feast upon, to the honor of God.” Pharaoh will by no means grant this: he will allow the men only to go, assuming this was all they wanted. This matter was never yet mentioned in any of the former exchanges. As for the little ones, Pharaoh resolves to keep them as hostages, to obligate them all to return. In a passion he threatens that, if they insist on taking also their little ones, they will do it at their peril. Here is another quick lesson. Satan does all he can to hinder those that serve God themselves from bringing their children up to serve Him too. He is a sworn enemy to children’s training in godliness, knowing how destructive it is to the interests of his kingdom. Whatever or whoever would hinder us from involving our children in complete service to God, we have reason to suspect has the hand of Satan in it and should be resisted. Our children as simply more important than trying to appease our spiritual opponent.

The attempt at an agreement between Moses and Pharaoh stops abruptly; those that before went out from Pharaoh’s presence in verse 6 were now driven out. Pharaoh represents those who will quickly hear their doom because they cannot bear to hear their duty. God may deliver up to self pride those whom He intends to destroy. Few men are as proud and stubborn as this man was to his own ruin.

So the inevitable happens, the invasion of the land by the locusts—God’s great army similar to the army of locusts of which Joel also speaks. God tells Moses to stretch out his hand to bring in the locusts and he stretched out his rod. With the help of an east wind the locusts obey the call, flying on the wings of the east wind, “locusts came, grasshoppers without number;” (Psalm 105:15). A formidable army of horses and foot soldiers might more easily have been resisted than this host of insects. Who then is able to stand before the great God?

The destruction is described in verse 15, “They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.” God has given the earth to the children of men; yet, when God pleases, He can disturb their possession and send locusts and caterpillars to force them out. Herbs grow for the service of man; yet, when God pleases, contemptible insects will not only be fellow eaters of vegetation with man, but will plunder him, and eat the bread right out of his mouth. God can destroy and we are left with destruction if we do not obey Him.

Pharaoh makes a concession. He had driven Moses and Aaron from him, probably telling them he would have no more to do with them. But now he calls for them again to come quickly showing as much respect as before he had dismissed them with disdain. Pharaoh again confesses his fault: I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Verse 16 says, “Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.’” He now sees his own foolishness in the insults and affronts he had given to God and His ambassadors, and seems at last, to repent of it. When God convinces men of sin, and humbles them for it, their contempt of God’s ministers, and the Word of the Lord in their mouths, will certainly come back to bite them, and lie heavily on their consciences. When Pharaoh said, “The Lord your God,” he probably meant, “The Lord shall not be my God.” True penitents lament sin as committed against God, even their own God, to whom they stand obligated. Pharaoh begs pardon, not of God, as sincere penitents do, but of Moses, a mere man like himself. Counterfeit repentance commonly cheats men with general promises and is unwilling to agree against particular sins. Pharaoh entreats Moses and Aaron to pray for him. There are those who, in distress, request the help of other persons’ prayers, but have no mind to pray themselves. They show they have no true love for God, nor any delight in communion with Him. Pharaoh desires their prayers that this death only, not this sin, might be taken away. He dislikes the plague of locusts, but what of the plague of hard work his own hard heart had inflicted on the Hebrews for years?

Once again when Moses prays, the plague is removed. Verses 18, 19 say, “Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.” If we seek to appreciate God’s power to do miracles, this is as great an demonstration of the power of God as the judgment itself. An east wind brought the locusts, and now a west wind carried them off. Whatever point of the compass the wind is in, it is fulfilling God’s word, and turns according to His counsel. John 3:8 says, that Jesus said to Nicodemus, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” God directs the wind under the whole heaven. The judgment came in obedience to His summons, the removal of it was in answer to prayers to Him. The people had misunderstood Moses. Moses never desired the woeful day, though he threatened it. His commission indeed ran against Egypt, but his intercession was for it, which was a good reason why they should love him, though they feared him. It was also as strong an argument for their repentance as the judgment itself; for by this it is clear that God is ready to forgive, and swift to show mercy. Oh that this goodness of God might lead us to repentance!

So even with the destruction evident in this plague we see again Pharaoh’s return to his ungodly resolution not to let the people go. It is recorded in verse 20, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.” This happened through the righteous hand of God on him, hardening his heart, and confirming him in his obstinacy. What element in us makes decisions? Emotions or reason? Pharaoh’s love for his authority, financial gain from the work of the slaves, the prestige of his position went completely against reason. The plagues were destroying all that his authority, slaves and position should have given to him. It does not make sense. Pharaoh did not make sense. Sin does not make sense. If we want to do what is good for us, we will allow God to be God. Obedience is good for us! It is good for self-improvement! Other paths are bad for us! They lead to self- destruction!