Ex. 10: Still More Plagues: Locusts, Darkness

By now in Exodus 10, I imagine Moses is either getting kind of tired of all this drama with Pharaoh saying he'll let the people go, and then not letting them go. But he is probably resigned to God's promise that God will harden Pharaoh's heart all these times. I wonder if Moses is getting to the point that his patience is running thin. "When will you release us to worship you!?" That would be my exclamation. "It's getting pointless!" I'd think.

But God tells Moses that some of this is intended to demonstrate His power to Moses' descendants. So that they could see how harshly God dealt with Pharaoh. After all, God did say to Abram in Gen. 12, and Isaac in Gen. 27 that He would bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel.

So the boys go and tell Pharaoh that unless they are released from the cruel servitude, God will send a plague of locusts to devour and destroy whatever the hail didn't get to. And the Word says they will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. Can you imagine? It will be like that part in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when they discover the ground is moving, and it's all insects. Gross dude. And what's a locust? See I always though those little grasshoppers...way off. Bigger?

When Pharaoh's officials hear this, they finally have the guts to stand up to their unquestionable ruler. "Let them go!" These people got it.

Pharaoh: "OK, go worship your God. But who is going?"

Moses: "Well, all of us, duh."

Pharaoh: "The LORD be with you -- Hey! All of you! You're clearly bent on evil. Have only the men go, that was the deal." Well, this was a Three Stooges-like change of mind mid-sentence. And it was never the deal.

Moses: "You blew it."

So, The locusts came, and did exactly as promised by God...completely demolishing all of Egypt's remaining green plants.

Pharaoh replays his "I screwed up, make it go away, and you can leave" speech, and God blows the locusts into the Red Sea. And then the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart again. So God sends the plague, removes it, then hardens Pharaoh's heart.

So then God tells Moses to stretch his hand out toward the sky, and God covers Egypt with darkness for three days. No one could see anything. It wasn't night. There was nothing to see but blackness. But the Israelites had the light. Pharaoh, fumbling around in the dark, stubbing his toes on mummies and such, summons Moses, and says, "Go worship the God, but leave your flocks and herds."

Moses: "Whatever, we need our flocks and herds in case God tells us to sacrifice them."

Pharaoh: "Get out of my sight." Which, probably everything was out of his sight. "Do not appear before me again, or you will die."

Moses: "As you say, I will never appear before you again." I wonder if this prospect troubled Pharaoh, in spite of his hardened heart. So I wonder if this madness ends here? Moses appeared before Pharaoh eleven times. Would this really be the last time?