The Very First Passover

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 12:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, (2) “This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."

Moses had just left Pharaoh for the last time he would be sent before Him by God to ask that the Israelite people be let go.  Now the Lord spoke to Moses.  Actually, several of the old commentaries suggest that the Lord had spoken to Moses before the plague of three days of darkness, and that it was just being mentioned here so that the history of the plagues would not be interrupted.  I can't yet see why that has to be the case, but Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible", explained it this way, "...seeing it seems necessary it should be four days before the passover, since on the tenth day the lamb was to be taken, and on the fourteenth slain, (Exo 12:3) and by what follows it looks as if it was at the beginning or first day of the month, and so the words may be rendered, "the Lord had spoke"; and the following account is deferred to this place, that there might be no interruption of the history of the plagues, and that the passover, with all its rites and ceremonies, both at the first institution and observance of it, and in later times, might be laid together."

What came after, as Dr. Gill alluded to, or rather what the Lord spoke to Moses, was that this month would now be considered the first month of the year to them.  We will later read that it was the month of Abib, which corresponds somewhere within our months of March and April.  As it was based on a Jewish lunar calendar, the days of Abib fluctuated, but it was the beginning of spring.  It was interesting to read the old commentaries which tried to explain why God called this to be their new first month, but that they still seemed to retain an old calendar which began about September for other than their religious rites.  I believe, in essence, it was to mark a new beginning for them, and they were to remember it as such.  "This is the first day of the rest of your lives", so to speak.

(3) “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. (4) And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s eating you shall make your count for the lamb.'"

Moses and Aaron were to deliver to the entire congregation of Israel God's instructions pertaining to the passover.  On the tenth of this now the first month of the year, every head of a household was to take a lamb for his household, unless his was too small for a whole lamb, in which case he was to share with his neighbor so that there would be the appropriate portions for each person's needs.

(5) "‘Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats. (6) And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.'"

God continued with specific instructions about the lamb each household was to take.  Actually, they could take from the sheep or the goats, but it was to be a young male animal less than a year old, probably meant to be in place of the firstborn male in each household.  It was to be without any natural imperfection, defect, disease, or deficiency in any parts.  Each household was to take its lamb or kid from the flock on the tenth day and keep it until the fourteenth day of this same month, when the entire congregation of Israel was to kill their lambs in the evening of that fourteenth day.

(7) "'And they shall take of the blood and put it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it.'"

God further instructed the Israelites to take some of the blood from the lamb or kid and put it on the side doorposts and on the top cross post of the door of the houses in which they would be eating the animal they had killed.  One of the old commentaries made it a point to note that they were not to put blood on the bottom threshold because this blood of an unblemished lamb was a picture of Christ, and out of a reverent regard for the blood of Christ, men should not tread over the Son of God.  However, none went as far to say that blood on the side posts and blood on the top dripping down to the ground could conjure up the image of a cross, a picture of Christ shedding His blood on the cross.  That is something I heard from a preacher in modern time, and it made a lasting impression on me.

(8) "'And they shall eat the flesh in that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (9) Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire, its head with its legs and with its inner organs. (10) And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning, and that which remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.'"

The old commentaries that I read along with my Bible study suggest that "night" is purposely distinguished from "evening" when they were to kill the lamb or kid.  They killed the animals before sunset on the evening of the fourteenth day, but as the Jews reckoned their days from sunset to sunset, eating their lambs "that night" would actually be on the fifteenth day.  So the people were to eat their lambs or kids that night, roasted with fire, and with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, a symbolic reference to their previous bitter sufferings from which God was about to deliver them.  They were not to eat the flesh raw or half-cooked, nor boiled, but roasted with fire.  They were to roast the entire animal.  They were to eat all of it; that is why there was the instruction to share with another household if a whole lamb was too much for a small household to consume.  None of it should be left the next morning, but if it should, then it should be burned with fire, including any parts that could not be eaten.  I imagine it was in reverence to God that something offered to Him not remain to spoil and draw flies, etc., or remain to be used by heathens in superstitious practices.  Also by not saving any for breakfast the next day, God would have them depend on Him for their daily bread, and not to take thought for the next day.

(11) "‘And thus you shall eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.'"

Furthermore, the people were to eat their lambs with their garments girded or belted about their loins, with shoes on their feet, and their staffs in their hands.  This would not have been the normal way to eat a meal.  Normally, garments were girded for traveling; shoes would have been removed for eating; and certainly a staff would not be in hand while one was eating.  However, in this case, they had to be ready for a sudden departure.  This would be the Lord's passover, a name He Himself had given it, when He would pass over the houses of the Israelites as explained in the next verses.

(12) "‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. (13) And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.'"

The Lord would pass through, in judgment, the land of Egypt, but He would pass over the Israelites in His mercy.  He would pass through to strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, of both man and beast.  However, when He came to a house with the blood on the doorposts as He had instructed, He would pass over that house, and they would not suffer the plague that was to fall on the whole land of Egypt.  It must be noted that God could certainly have exempted His people from this plague with no effort on their part just as He had distinguished between the Egyptians and the Israelites in the plagues before.  However, this time He wanted His children to look specifically to Him for their salvation.  It was a picture of Christ--the perfect lamb without blemish, slain, and His blood applied as protection from judgment.  By killing the firstborn of all men and beasts, God was executing judgment against all the gods and rulers of Egypt.  Whether it be animals considered sacred by them, or even their very princes and rulers, God executed judgment on all of them by killing their firstborn.

(14) "'And this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; you shall keep it as a feast by an ordinance forever.'"

This day was to be remembered and annually observed with a feast to the Lord throughout their generations, by an everlasting statute instituted by God Himself.  Forever!  Does that mean, as a Christian, I should be observing this annual feast?  "Forever" denotes an ordinance with no end in this world, and perhaps not even in the world to come.  This passover was representative of the true Passover Lamb of God whose blood sacrifice covers our sin and who endures forever.

(15) "'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.'"

Seven days the people were to eat unleavened bread.  This would seem to be instruction on how the people were to observe the feast in the future, for although they did make it a point to eat unleavened bread with their passover lamb, they continued to eat unleavened bread not just for seven days, but continued out of necessity to eat it because that was all they had.  The instruction to remember this day annually with a week of unleavened bread was commemorative of their hasty departure out of Egypt, not having time to leaven the dough in their troughs.  More than that, leaven was even to be removed from their houses.  Leaven was symbolic of sin and deceit and the old ways of the world from which they were being delivered.  Paul in his letter to the Corinthians wrote of a symbolic feast to be kept with unleavened bread:

"Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." - 1 Corinthians 5:8

Jesus spoke of leaven as false teaching and hypocrisy:

Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” - Matthew 16:6

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." - Luke 12:1b

Back to Exodus 12:15, whoever ate leavened bread during those seven days they were commanded not to eat it, would be cut off from Israel, an excommunication of sorts from the rights and privileges of an Israelite child of God.  All the old leaven of sin must be put away, as "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9).

(16) "'And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, but that which everyone must eat, that only may be done of you.'"

During the seven days that the people were to eat only unleavened bread, there was to be a public call to a sacred religious assembly, on the first day and on the seventh day.  On those two days the people were not to do any work other than what was necessary to feed themselves.

(17) "'And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever.'"

This feast of unleavened bread, which was distinct from the Passover feast, was to be observed as an annual memorial because this was the day that God brought their tribes out of Israel.  Though it wasn't actually done yet, it was as good as done, and this was the day to be remembered by the feast throughout their generations by an everlasting ordinance instituted by God.  Once again, I believe Christ fulfilled this.  Certainly, He was not leavened with the leaven of the world, but was the pure unleavened Bread of Life.

(18) "‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. (19) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or born in the land. (20) You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

God reiterated that in this, now reckoned as the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, they should eat unleavened bread from that day until the 21st day of that month at evening.  Again it was stated that there should be no leaven even found in their houses.  Whoever ate leavened bread was to be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he was a stranger or even if he was a native Israelite.  Once again, I believe the abstinence from leaven was a symbol that they should lead their lives without the leaven of malice and wickedness and hypocrisy, "but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth".

(21) Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Draw out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb."

Moses then called for all the elders of Israel to pass on God's instructions that He had told Moses to tell them.  They were instructed to take lambs from the fold, according to the need of their families, and to kill the lambs for the passover.  I believe we can be sure that Moses gave them complete instructions on choosing an unblemished lamb or kid, and how to share a lamb if one was too large for one family, etc.; it's just not completely recorded here.

(22) “And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side doorposts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. (23) For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two side doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you."

Moses continued with instructions from God, this time with a little more detail than we heard from God in verse 7.  I don't believe Moses was adding to God's words, but rather he just didn't record every single word.  With the combination of what he wrote that God said and with what he then told the people, I believe we have a pretty complete report of what God told Moses to tell the people.  They were to take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood.  There are varying opinions on exactly what hyssop was, but the consensus is that it was a plant commonly used for religious and medicinal purposes, and that it probably had long stalks with leaves of flowers at the end that were suitable for dipping and then sprinkling.  They were to dip into the blood that was in the basin, which reasonably sounds like a large bowl that received the blood of the lamb when it was slain.  Interestingly, the original word was actually "bason", and while it could mean "basin", it sometimes meant "threshold", which would indicate that the lamb was slain in the threshold of the door and from there the blood was sprinkled on the top and sides of the doorway.  I don't guess we can know for certain, as it was just the blood on the side doorposts and on the lintel across the top of the door that the Lord would look for and "pass over" when He came through to strike the firstborn of the Egyptians.  No one was to go outside their door until morning.  Even if "bason" meant "threshold", and the lamb was slain on the threshold, it would still be that the people did not tread over the symbol of the blood of Christ as suggested before.  Obviously, the destroying angel of the Lord would have known an Israelite from an Egyptian, but the people were to recognize that there was no protection outside from under the blood of the lamb, a perfect picture of Christ and His blood that protects us from eternal death.

(24) “And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. (25) And it shall come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He has promised, that you shall keep this service."

Interestingly, early commentaries, like this of Dr. John Gill, pointed out that "this thing" that was to be an ordinance forever was "not this last thing of sprinkling the blood, which was peculiar to the passover in Egypt; but the whole before observed relating to the feast of the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread, and all the rites appertaining to them, which were to be observed until the coming of Christ."  However, I would suggest that the very thing of the sprinkling of blood from the unblemished lamb was the very thing that would last as an ordinance FOREVER, as the covering from the blood of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, which endures forever.  However, I would have to agree that "this service" referred to in verse 25, would be the practice of the annual memorial of the Passover meal and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, that the people were to continue after they came to the land that the Lord had promised them since the days of Abraham.

(26) “And it shall come to pass, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ (27) That you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The reason for this annual remembrance was that it would be a continual opportunity for generations and generations to come to teach the next generation about the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover when He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck the firstborn of the Egyptians.  It would be a perfect opportunity to teach their children about the grace and mercy of their Lord who provided a substitute sacrifice of a lamb, instead of the firstborn, and in every house where the lamb was slain the firstborn was saved.  The people bowed their heads and worshiped, signifying the deep sense they had for the Lord's mercy to them, their thankfulness for it, and their readiness to observe the ordinance that was instituted.

(28) And the children of Israel went away and did so as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

Specifically, the elders of the children of Israel, who were the ones who had been called to Moses, went away and then obviously spread the word as apparently all the children of Israel did as Moses and Aaron told them the Lord had instructed them to do.

(29) And it came to pass that at midnight the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. (30) And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

At midnight that night the Lord indeed struck all the firstborn in the land from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat upon his throne to the firstborn of the lowliest person in prison, and likewise the firstborn of the livestock that remained.  Pharaoh arose in the night, he and his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in the land because there was not a house where there wasn't one dead.  Because of that statement, I don't think we can take "firstborn" in its literal sense the way we think of firstborn, because surely the firstborn child of each family was not still living and in that household, yet every house suffered a loss.  The word also means "chief", so it would seem that a chief person in each household must have died for every single house to have been affected.  Perhaps it was the firstborn in each house at that time.

(31) And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, and get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD as you have said. (32) Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”

After Pharaoh had told Moses he would see his face no more, even to the point of threatening Moses's death should he see him, now Pharaoh himself called for Moses and Aaron in the night after all the death struck.  He may not have actually called them before his throne but may have sent orders by night that they immediately leave and serve their Lord as they had said.  He told them to take their flocks and herds with them and to "be gone"; it was as the Lord told Moses in Exodus 6:1, that Pharaoh would drive them out of his land.  I found it extraordinary that Pharaoh would have asked to be blessed.  I wondered if he just meant that by their leaving, he would be blessed as there would be no more plagues.  However, most of the old commentaries do write that he asked for prayer from Moses.  Perhaps Pharaoh meant to bless him by sparing his life since he was agreeing to let them go as they wished.  Whatever way he meant it, it is obvious that he had fully submitted at this point and wanted to drive them out of his land.

(33) And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, “We shall all be dead.”

The Egyptians were "urgent".  The NKJV and the NIV translated that they "urged" the people, but the original meaning of the word "chazaq" is much more than "urged".  As a matter of fact, it is the same word that was used to describe Pharaoh's hardened heart.  They were strong and prevailed in pushing the people out in haste, just as the Lord had said.  It was Dr. John Gill who suggested that it might even be "the people" in authority that they were pressing upon to hurry up and drive the Israelites out of their land before they were all dead.  However it was meant, the Egyptians were in an urgent state to be rid of the Israelites quickly before they assumed they would all be dead.

(34) And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

The Lord had already told the people they were to commemorate this day by eating only unleavened bread and completely removing leaven from their houses.  It does indeed look as if that part was a memorial to their hasty departure out of Egypt, not having time to leaven the dough in their troughs.

(35) And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked from the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing. (36) And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

Just as the Lord had told Moses, the children of Israel asked of their neighbors precious jewels and clothing, and they were given favor in the sight of the Egyptians who gave them everything they requested.  It was in that way they were able to plunder the Egyptians.  It was not by war or force that they stripped them of their riches, but the Egyptians' fear of the Lord of the Israelites who might kill them next, had them almost throwing their riches to the Israelites without them ever having to lift a hand against them.

The chronological Bible study that I am following is one suggested by Skip Andrews, and at this point, he chose to skip a few verses and pick up with verse 40, and then skipped back and forth a great deal from Exodus to Numbers.  This is a good place to stop for now at the end of the ten plagues and with this description of the very first Passover.

Why We Can Trust the Bible to Be the True Word of God

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 10:1) And the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, (2) And that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son what things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”

The Lord told Moses to go back before Pharaoh once again.  I've explored the thought before that God could have changed Pharaoh's heart at any time or could have destroyed him and removed him as an obstacle at any time, but He told Moses at this time that He allowed Pharaoh's heart to remain hardened, as well as the hearts of his servants, so that He might have further opportunities to show His signs and wonders.  God further told Moses that because of all these miraculous things He had done in Egypt, Moses would have a story to pass down so that future generations would know that He was the one true eternal Lord and Savior of the world.  God's purpose was that this event be written by Moses to serve as a permanent record that would last until the ends of the earth for our instruction in the awesome power of our Lord over our enemies, and in His faithfulness, love, and mercy.  There lies the beginning of our Bible today!  God intended for us to have a record of Him.  If it was God's intention, can we really doubt that He could make sure we had a true record?  I think about how people today who profess to be Christians (me included, in my immature days) don't believe the Bible to be the true inspired inerrant Word of God.  After all, I can hear my own silly self saying many years ago, there have been errant human hands all over the creating of the Bible.  However, I have come to realize and have faith that my God is big enough to see that His Word remain intact.  And here we read of His intention that there be a record, so we can be certain it came to fruition.  Jesus Himself more than likely used the Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew Bible, and here is what He said about it:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus believed that Bible, that Word of God, that law and the prophets, from which He taught.  He did not come to change one thing about that Bible, but He was the fulfillment of all that was written.  He had no problem relying on a humanly translated Bible; nor should we!  However, He did warn against those who would break the commandments written of in scripture and teach men to do the same.  Additionally, and perhaps more powerfully, Jesus said at the very end of the Bible, in Revelation, chapter 22:

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things...For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies these things says, 'Surely I come quickly.'" - Revelation 22:16a and18-20a

While most would argue and say this referred only to the book of Revelation, there are too many other instances in the Bible where God warned not to add to or subtract from His word (Deut. 4:2, Deut. 12:32, Prov. 30:6).  Surely, if it was so important that we not add or subtract from the word of God, He would certainly see to it that His word was preserved intact!  Now that is not to say that there haven't been inaccurate translations of the Bible, especially in more recent times.  I do believe there are errant translations and I studied this in depth and wrote about it in this blog post.  Included in that post are some links that further explain in depth how and when the Bible became perverted.  I had occasion to read again one of the links I provided and most heartily recommend it again here:  1611 King James Bible. Com

Now after saying that I am certain that God's Word has remained intact and we can trust it, I have added that there are, after all, human perversions.  But once again, our God is big enough to make sure we get His true Word.  He said that if we seek Him with all our heart, we WILL FIND HIM, and that means the true HIM:

"But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you shall find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." - Deuteronomy 4:29

Okay, now back to Exodus:

(3) And Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.'"

Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and spoke the words of the Lord so that Pharaoh knew they were the very words of the Lord by beginning, "Thus says the Lord..."  How long would Pharaoh refuse to humble himself before the Lord and let God's people go?  Of course, God already knew how long it would be, but this does show that Pharaoh did have the choice.  He could have humbled himself before the Lord and repented and allowed the people to go before now.  Yes, God had a purpose in allowing Pharaoh's heart to remain hardened throughout all the plagues.  But the same God who was allowing time for the Israelites and even the Egyptians to know this was the true God, would have most assuredly accepted Pharaoh's true repentance, if there was any.  We always have a choice; no one is doomed to hell against his will for God's purposes.  However, as God is all-knowing and knows the future and what would happen in every possible instance, He can plan to carry out His will accordingly.  You can bet, if Pharaoh had humbled himself and relented, God would have found another way to carry out His will and show his signs and wonders to be recorded throughout history.

(4) "'Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring the locusts into your coast. (5) And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one will not be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. (6) And they shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

Moses (through his spokesman Aaron) continued the words of the Lord that if Pharaoh again refused to let God's people go, the next day God would bring locusts into Pharaoh's territory.  They would be so thick on the face of the earth that no one would be able to see.  They would consume whatever vegetation had remained after the hailstorm, including every tree.  They would be so thick they would fill the houses of Pharaoh and his servants and all the Egyptians.  This would be a plague of locusts such as had never been seen since the beginning of time.  With that, Moses (with his spokesman Aaron) turned and left Pharaoh.

(7) And Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God; do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

Pharaoh's servants got it!  They told Pharaoh to let the men go to serve their Lord, because Egypt was as good as destroyed because of his refusal to let them go thus far.

(8) And Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God, but who are they that shall go?”

Evidently, at the urging of his servants, Moses and Aaron were brought back in to Pharaoh.  Pharaoh appears to have relented somewhat and told them to go serve their Lord, but he wanted to know just who was going.  Pharaoh received much value and profit from the labor of the Israelites, and feared that they would not return if they all went, so he wanted an account of just who was going.

(9) And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

Moses insisted that they all should go, including all their flocks and herds.  They were going to participate in a feast to the Lord, so all had to go.  The adults would surely prepare the feast, and the children would be expected to witness it.  The animals would be needed for the feast and for sacrifice to the Lord.

(10) And he said to them, “Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; look to it; for evil is before you. (11) Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

Pharaoh's meaning in verse 10 is a little difficult to understand, but with the finished thought in verse 11, you get the gist.  He was probably mocking or cursing them, saying, in effect, it was at their peril if they tried to take their little ones.  It is obvious he did not intend to let them take their children.  He said only the men could go and serve their Lord.  He suggested that since they desired to go, they should accept his compromise and go and serve the Lord since that is what they said they wanted to do.  With that word, Moses and Aaron were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

(12) And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, all that the hail has left.”

Of course, only letting the men go, was not what God commanded, and He instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the land of Egypt and, in effect, summon the locusts.  They would eat every herb left in the land after the hailstorm.

(13) And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

This is not the first time the scripture says that God told Moses to stretch out his hand, and Moses wrote that he then stretched out his rod.  Moses may have been making it a point to show that it was the rod of God, God Himself, who summoned the plagues.  Of course, that is what God Himself told Moses to do in the beginning, but I still find it interesting that Moses quoted God's words, "Stretch out your hand...", but then made it a point to show that it was God through this rod of God that did the summoning.  I believe it is further proof of how accurate Moses tried to be in his writing, and how modest he usually was regarding himself.  God had said "tomorrow" He would send the locusts.  This time rather than immediately bringing locusts upon the land, He first brought the east wind, blowing all the rest of that day and that night, and when it was morning, on the morrow, then came the locusts. 

(14) And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt; very grievous were they; before them there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. (15) For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

The locusts went all over the land of Egypt, but they miraculously rested within the coasts of Egypt.  God had used natural means, the winds that were at His disposal, to bring the locusts, but it was indeed a miracle that they came just when He had said they would, and they remained within the borders of Egypt.  The locusts were more severe than had ever been seen in the land since the beginning, as God had said in verse 6 they would be.  They were so thick that the land was darkened, and they ate every bit of green that had remained in Egypt after the hailstorm.

(16) Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. (17) Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.”

Moses and Aaron had been driven out of Pharaoh's presence, but now he called them back quickly.  Of course, he realized the power of God and he knew the right words to say to ask that they ask their God to remove the plague of locusts.  Just as we might imagine the prayer of any sinner, Pharaoh asked that he be forgiven "just this one time", insinuating that he would not sin again.  However, Pharaoh's words are not sincere.  He is as sorry as one who has just been caught is sorry that he got caught, but it is not a sincere repentance to God.  He just said the words he hoped would work to take this plague away.

(18) And he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. (19) And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.

Sincere or not, Moses took Pharaoh's words at face value, and went out from Pharaoh and asked the Lord, in Pharaoh's behalf, to remove the locusts.  And the Lord did as Moses asked, now sending a mighty west wind to take all the locusts away and casting them into the Red Sea.  Evidence that this was truly a miracle of God was that not a single locust was left within the borders of Egypt!

(20) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

Once again might come the discussion about a just God hardening the heart of a man against his will.  There was a discussion about this in Exodus, chapter 4, especially verse 21.  Additionally, there was discussion about it in chapter 9, verse 14, when God determined to send all His plagues on Pharaoh's heart.  It was evident that Pharaoh had not been sincere or truly repentant, so it may be that God truly did harden his heart at this time, or rather kept it hardened, until the fruition of the plagues.  His heart was already hard and unrepentant, and he would not let the children of Israel go.

(21) And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” (22) And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. (23) They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

With no further warning to Pharaoh, God told Moses to stretch his hand toward heaven which would bring darkness over the land of Egypt, and that he did.  It was a darkness so thick and dark that it was even felt.  Although God could have used any means to bring darkness, it seems reasonable to think that perhaps it was caused by a thick fog, because it could be felt, and perhaps the heavy misty dampness of the fog is what put out all the candles and fires in the Egyptian homes.  It was so dark and thick that the Egyptians could not see one another, nor did they even try to arise from their places for three days.  However, the Israelites had light in their homes.

As so many of the plagues seemed to do, this plague showed God's control over one of the Egyptians' chief objects of worship, the Sun-god.  I don't know that God was purposely choosing a plague for each one of the Egyptian gods; the fact was, that the Egyptians used nature and things created by God as their gods.  Of course, God was greater than anything or anyone He Himself created.  If all of heaven and earth is at God's disposal, and one has false gods he came up with himself, then they are bound to be controlled by God; it's just going to happen without any particular plan on God's part to expose one's false gods.

(24) And Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back; let your little ones also go with you.”

After three days of the thick darkness, Pharaoh called Moses in and he decided to relent a little further this time.  He would allow all the people to go, including the little ones, but their herds and flocks must be kept back.  Obviously, Pharaoh was trying to make sure the Israelites would return; their livestock would be his security that the Israelites would not permanently leave Egypt, leaving him without all their forced labor from which he had obviously profited.  Also, when you think about it, he and the Egyptians had lost a great deal of their livestock to the plagues; all the more reason he may have wanted the livestock to stay, and not risk them leaving forever.

(25) And Moses said, “You must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. (26) Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind, for from them we must take to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”

Moses refused Pharaoh's offer, saying the livestock was necessary as they would need some of them to offer as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord, and they would not know which animals they would need until they got to the place where they would serve the Lord.

(27) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

Of course, Pharaoh would not agree to this.  If he had relented, we may be sure it would have been short-lived, as it has been obvious that he had not been sincere in any repentance up to this point.  Therefore, the Lord may have hardened his heart because, "He had yet another miracle to work for the complete conviction of the Egyptians and triumph of his people; and till that was wrought He permitted the natural obstinacy of Pharaoh’s haughty heart to have its full sway, after each resistance of the gracious influence which was intended to soften and bring him to repentance." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible)

(28) And Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take heed to yourself and see my face no more, for in the day you see my face you shall die.” (29) And Moses said, “You have spoken well; I will see your face no more.”

Pharaoh got angry when he couldn't make Moses adhere to his terms, and sent him away, saying he never wanted to see him again.  He was so angry that he told Moses to take heed, for if he ever saw him again, Moses would die!  Pretty strong words against someone Pharaoh himself had on more than one occasion called before him to save him from God's plagues.  To threaten someone with death who had shown himself quite able to inflict plagues away from his presence wasn't very smart.  But how often do people say dumb things they don't mean in anger?  In this case, Moses told Pharaoh he had spoken true words.  He may have known by a spirit of prophecy that he would not again be sent to Pharaoh, and that Pharaoh would soon meet death at the Red Sea.

(Exodus 11:1) And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out of here altogether."

I have included chapter 11 in this present study as it became evident that this short chapter was a continuation of Moses's last meeting with Pharaoh.  It seems these words of the Lord had been given previously to Moses so that he had known for certain that he would not be sent again to Pharaoh.  It is also possible they were being divinely given to him as he spoke to Pharaoh, but it will soon become apparent that Moses was still in the presence of Pharaoh.  This is the reason that Moses said that Pharaoh had spoken well in that he would not see him again, because the Lord told him that He would bring one final plague on Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and after that, Pharaoh would let the Israelites go. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't only let them go, he would thrust them out of there!

(2) “Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, jewels of silver and jewels of gold.” (3) And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

The children of Israel were about to be delivered from their bondage in Egypt, and would have left empty-handed, having been slaves to the Egyptians without rightful pay, but their Lord saw to it that they were justly rewarded for their services.  They did not have to raid, loot, or steal, but had only to ask of their neighbors, and the Lord gave them such favor with the Egyptians, that the Egyptian people would gladly give the Israelites articles of silver and gold.  Furthermore, Moses was held in high regard by Pharaoh's servants and by the Egyptian people.  They had seen what he had done in the name of the Israelites' God, and they came to respect him.  I believe it is fair to conclude that many Egyptians were indeed saved because of their witnessing of the many plagues up to this point, as was suggested was one of the reasons for the prolonging of the plagues--see post notes on Exodus 4, verse 21.  This does not mean that the Egyptians wouldn't die a physical death, but if saved by believing on the Lord who had wrought such miracles in their country, they wouldn't have to die an eternal death in hell.

(4) And Moses said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; (5) And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of the animals. (6) And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it any more.'"

Moses spoke to Pharaoh; after he had said Pharaoh had spoken well, he now spoke these words of the Lord to Pharaoh.  At about midnight the Lord would go through the midst of Egypt and all the firstborn of man and beast, including Pharaoh's firstborn son, would die.  There would be a great wailing of grief throughout the land of Egypt when all the firstborn died, such as had never been heard before, nor would ever be afterward.  This is what the Lord had warned to Pharaoh in the beginning, in Exodus 4:22-23, that if he did not let God's son Israel go, He would slay Pharaoh's firstborn son. 

(7) "‘But against any of the children of Israel a dog shall not move its tongue against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. (8) And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow themselves down to me, saying, "Get out, and all the people who follow you," and after that I will go out.'” And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

The firstborn of all the Egyptians would die, but there was not to be so much as a dog moving its tongue toward a snarl or growl against the Israelites.  In that, they would know that the Lord did distinguish between His children Israel and the Egyptians.  Then Pharaoh's own servants would bow before the Lord and tell Him and His people to get out of their land, and at that point, they would go; that was a certainty.  And with that final message, Moses went out from Pharaoh's presence in anger.

(9) And the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

Moses was angered, justifiably, it would seem, by the stubborn arrogance of Pharaoh, but the Lord reminded him that Pharaoh would not yet listen to him, for God's express purpose in magnifying His wonders in the land of Egypt.  This is something I must remind myself--even though I may feel justified in my anger against a Godless government and its ungodly agenda that leads the people astray, I must remember that God alone raises up leaders for His purposes.  Sadly, His purposes may be for judgment against a country's wickedness, as in the case of Egypt, but good can ultimately come to the individual persons who come to the end of themselves and look to their Lord for their salvation.  When things are too easy, we often become lazy and forgetful and unthankful for all that the Lord has done for us; we can even take Him for granted and compromise His word and relegate Him to a distant second place.  It is in His mercy, that God will allow terrible tragedies that bring us back to Him!

(10) And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

I believe this is a sort of parenthetical comment relating to all the signs and wonders up to this point.  Moses and Aaron had brought all these miraculous plagues in the sight of Pharaoh, but the Lord had hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land up to this point, so that the Lord's wonders could be multiplied in the land of Egypt for the maximum good of the most people.  I believe that means not only the Israelite people at this time, but also the pagan Egyptians who would come to know God as Lord, and maybe most importantly, to the countless generations of Jews and Gentiles who would afterward read the report of these marvelous wonders, and come to know the Lord as their Savior!

Pharaoh A Saint Compared to Us?

Continuing with a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 9:1) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me."'"

At the end of the last chapter, the plague of the flies had been lifted from the land of Egypt because Pharaoh had asked that Moses entreat the Lord for him, which he did.  Furthermore, Pharaoh had said he would let the Israelite people go; however, he did not.  Now the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him that the Lord God of the Hebrews again told him to let His people go.

(2) "'“For if you refuse to let them go, and will hold them still, (3) Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon your cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep; there shall be a very severe pestilence. (4) And the LORD shall separate between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.”’”

Again Moses, through his spokesman Aaron, was to give Pharaoh a warning of what would happen if he refused to let God's people go.  The phrase "there shall be" was added by the KJV translators for clarity; it was not in the original text.  Although it does seem to be needed to correctly express the idea, I think the sense is that the Lord, with His hand on the beasts of the land, could immediately bring pestilence to them, without any stretching forth of Aaron's rod or any other fanfare.  The Lord's hand was already on them with pestilence ready to be let go at His bidding.  The beasts of the earth, all things in nature, and every person's life are held in God's hand and are at His command at any given moment.  Because they are at His command, He could easily distinguish between the beasts of Israel and the beasts of Egypt, and He would not allow any of the Israelites' animals to die.

(5) And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”

Not only could the Lord's hand immediately bring pestilence, but it could do it at any particular appointed time, proving that it could only be the Lord who brought the pestilence.  This also gave Pharaoh time to change his mind before the Lord followed through with what He warned would happen if Pharaoh refused to let God's people go.

(6) And the LORD did that thing on the next day, and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel, not one died.

The Lord did as He warned on the next day, bringing pestilence to the livestock of the Egyptians.  Regarding "all the cattle of Egypt", I believe it must be read and understood that all the cattle which died were of Egypt, because we later read of a plague affecting the cattle again.  Perhaps the plague was brought upon only the "cattle which are in the field", as stated in verse 3, and there were others not affected, or perhaps the pestilence was upon all the Egyptian livestock, but not all died, but all that did die were of Egypt; none of the livestock of the Israelites died.  Once again, it must be noted that a plague affected objects of worship by the Egyptians.  Egyptian deities proved again to be under the power of the Israelites' God.

(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.

Pharaoh apparently sent messengers to inquire about the Israelite cattle, and found that none were dead of the Israelites' livestock.  It's interesting that he purposely sent messengers to see if what had been promised was indeed true, and remarkable that when he found it was true, he dug in his heels all the more and did not let the Israelites go.

(8) And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. (9) And it shall become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall become boils breaking forth in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”

After Pharaoh again hardened his heart and refused to let the people go, this next plague was to come without warning.  The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes and scatter them toward heaven where Pharaoh could see what they were doing.  Throwing the ashes from the fiery furnace up to heaven may have been symbolic; the very furnace at which the Hebrews had been oppressed and enslaved now became the source of the plague upon the Egyptians.  The ashes would come down as a fine dust over the land of Egypt causing inflamed boils and blisters all over the Egyptian people and the animals throughout the land of Egypt.  Additionally, the symbolic act could have also been a reference to the fact that there were times that the Egyptians sacrificed men, burning them alive, and throwing their ashes up to the heavens.

(10) And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled them toward heaven; and they became boils breaking forth in sores on man and beast. (11) And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

Moses and Aaron did as God told them, and the ash dust became boils and blistery pustules on man and beast, so severe that Pharaoh's magicians could not even stand before Moses!

(12) And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not hearken to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

Pharaoh still stood obstinate and would not let the people go, as God had told Moses he would.  For a previous discussion on the Lord hardening Pharaoh's heart, please see the post on Exodus 4, especially the notes on verse 21.

(13) And the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says 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 on your heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth."'"

The Lord told Moses to again rise up early in the morning to meet with Pharaoh and tell him God's words, to let His people go in order to serve Him.  God said He would at this time send all His plagues on Pharaoh's heart, etc.  This would have to be all the remaining plagues He had planned, and it appears that they all would be sent, with no chance to stop them midstream.  Either God knew that Pharaoh would not have repented and let the people go before all were accomplished, or else after all the chances Pharaoh had up to this point to repent, now there would be no further chances and God would accomplish all He had planned so that Pharaoh would know in his heart that there was none like Him in all the earth.  In the end, everyone will know the truth.  All the atheists, all those who ridicule God and the Bible and those who believe, will in the end come to know the truth, for the Bible tells us "every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God" (Romans 14:11).  They will bow and confess because they will know that truly they are in the presence of the Lord Almighty.  Likewise, Pharaoh would know in his heart that there was none like the one true almighty God of heaven and earth after He sent all His plagues.  I do believe it is possible that God would reach a point when He would give no more chances to repent because of the scripture in Isaiah, chapter 55, specifically verse 6, which says, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found..."  "While" suggests there will be a time when He won't be found.

(15) "'"For now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. (16) And indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, to show in you My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth."'"

Although the KJV translated verse 15 in the future tense, Biblical scholars say that in the Hebrew the verbs were in the past tense and not in the future, so I have used the translation above that most scholars agree is the correct one.  After all, God never struck Pharaoh and all the people with pestilence that removed them from the earth, but it is certainly something He could have done at any time with great ease.  That has to be the message to Pharaoh now, that God could have stretched out His hand and struck Pharaoh and all the Egyptians and killed them instantly, but He had a purpose in raising him up and allowing him to be in this position of power at this time.  It was to show through him God's power over him and over all his worthless gods and idols, that only the one true God would be declared as Lord of all throughout all the earth.

I have to remind myself of this fact that it is God alone who raises up leaders, when I look around at how far from God we are at this present time in our country.  A country that was founded on Christian principles, a country that sought the blessing of Almighty God, one that regularly prayed to Him and sought His guidance, now seeks to remove Him from everything.  We now have a president that regularly "quotes" from the founding documents, but leaves out all references to God in those documents.  He has actually covered up a reference to Jesus on a stage where he was to talk; he couldn't even be seen in the presence of a reference to Jesus that he didn't himself even make!  Actually, that has a very strong spiritual implication that Obama cannot stand in the presence of Jesus, but that is another topic.  His party just this last presidential election cycle decided they did not even want God as a part of their platform.  We wonder why everything is so bad in this country right now--it is because we tossed aside everything God stands for and decided we wanted Godless people to rule over us!  And GOD alone raised Obama up to bring judgment on this country.  We wanted Godlessness and God allowed us to have what we wanted.  We, as a country, that is.  I certainly never wanted a Godless man as president!  There are many good Christian people in this country who didn't want him, but as a country, we elected him.  He is the very picture of what we have become.  He is the most pro-abortion president we have ever had, voting on three occasions before becoming president to allow babies born alive after botched abortions to die on a shelf with no attempt to save their lives!  I think of that abortion doctor, Kermit Gosnell, who was found guilty of murder because he killed babies born alive that had survived botched abortions.  I remember that bewildered look he had when he was found guilty.  In his mind, he was only carrying out what he had been paid to do, end the life of a mother's baby, as was her choice.  What he did was a very picture of abortion, this woman's reproductive "right" to murder her child!  It made people uncomfortable to think he killed a baby outside of the womb, but just inside the womb is okay.  When you think about it, Dr. Gosnell was much more humane in killing the baby right away, rather than letting it slowly die on a shelf with no care as Obama proposed we do!!  In addition, Obama has done more to promote the homosexual agenda than any other president, something God called an abomination, and something He warned us against when He told us to remember Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of what would happen, "suffering the vengeance of eternal fire".  Obama is the most lawless president we have ever had, ignoring laws he does not like, changing laws at his whim, using his pen and his phone to act as our king, and our Congress seems impotent against him.  It is because God alone raised him up!  Our country chose to be ruled by a Godless man, and here we are!

(17) "'"As yet you exalt yourself against My people, that you will not let them go? (18) Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since its foundation until now. (19) Therefore send now and gather your cattle and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and beast which shall be found in the field and is not brought home, and they shall die.”’”

God was still speaking to Moses, telling him to speak these words to Pharaoh, as thus said the Lord.  Still Pharaoh exalted himself above God's people and refused to let them go, but God was about to send all His remaining plagues striking the very heart of Pharaoh, and showing him His power as Lord of all the earth, as stated in verses 14-16 above.  God now warned Pharaoh that tomorrow at this time He would send a rain of hail such as had never been seen before.  However, He actually mercifully still gave Pharaoh a chance to avoid the hail, if he would just gather all the livestock in the field and bring them in, they would avoid being killed by the hail.  Any man or beast in the fields at this time tomorrow would be killed by hail, but they had about 24 hours warning to avoid what was sure to come.

(20) He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee to the houses. (21) And he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

I love this!  It's so simple.  Those who believed and feared God among the servants of Pharaoh heeded God's warning and brought all the servants and cattle in from the fields.  I believe this is proof that God drew out these plagues upon Egypt in order to give some of the Egyptians time to repent and be saved.  He could have swooped in, struck down or frozen Pharaoh and his servants, and allowed His people to go immediately, but He had a purpose in doing it the way He did.  He told us in verse 16 it was to show His power that His name be magnified in all the earth.  He could have shown His power immediately, but to us dense sinners, we need a much longer look for it to sink in!  Adam Clarke wrote a beautiful commentary on this, part of which can be found in my post on chapter 4, especially the notes on verse 21, linked here.  Those who believed what they had thus far seen and feared the Lord, were spared; those who did not heed the word of the Lord left their servants and livestock in the fields.

(22) And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch forth your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, on beast, and on 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 fire ran along on the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

The next day at the appointed time, the Lord told Moses to stretch forth his hand toward heaven and thus call the hailstorm onto the land of Egypt, on every man, beast, and herb in the fields.  Moses did as the Lord told him, and the Lord sent a horrific hailstorm with thunder and lightning that ran along the ground.  This must have been very frightening to the Egyptians who didn't see much rain, let alone thunderstorms, not to mention fierce thunderstorms with severe lightning and heavy hail.  This must surely have looked like the wrath of God raining down on the Egyptians, and the ones who had believed were not in the fields and were spared.

(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 struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. (26) Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

The hailstorm with fierce lightning causing hail and fire all through the land of Egypt was like nothing that had ever been seen before in the land of Egypt.  The hail struck every man and beast in the field, and struck every herb and broke every tree where it rained.  But it did not rain in Goshen where the children of Israel were.  God had given warning, and the children of Israel could have easily heeded the warning and brought their livestock and come in and avoided the hail, but God made a very dramatic point in separating His people from the Egyptians.  They and their animals, and their herbs, plants, and trees were spared.

(27) And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. (28) Entreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

So fierce and frightening was the plague of hail and lightning, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron to ask them to ask the Lord to remove it.  On one hand, Pharaoh called the Lord "Jehovah", the proper name for the one true eternal God, admitted his sin, and called himself and his people wicked.  You might think he had had an epiphany and saw the light; he used some of the right words.  But I couldn't help notice that he said he sinned "this time"; now maybe he meant that this time, for the first time, he saw his sin and wickedness, but he continued on to ask that they ask the Lord to remove the hail and thundering because "it is enough".  Who is he to say that it had been enough?  Maybe it had been enough to make him see the light.  Although he tried to use the right words, I rather think his arrogance showed through.  He did not have a truly repentant heart as he could not totally admit his sin and he seemed to tell the Lord what was enough.  He did ask Moses and Aaron to entreat the Lord to end the hailstorms and he did say that he would then let the Israelite people go.

(29) And Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; and the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. (30) But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.”

Moses agreed to Pharaoh's request.  He said as soon as he had left the city, he would spread his hands to the Lord, and the Lord would stop the hail and thunder, so that Pharaoh would know that the earth was the Lord's and at His command.  However, Moses indeed did see that Pharaoh's admission of guilt and acknowledgment of Jehovah God were not true and heartfelt; he knew and told him so that he knew Pharaoh and his servants did not yet fear the Lord.

(31) And the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. (32) But the wheat and the rye were not struck, for they were not grown up.

These verses speak of the plants that were struck and destroyed by the hailstorm.  The barley had ears and the flax was in bud, so it was struck, but the wheat and rye, as later bloomers, were not yet sprouted from the ground, and so not struck by hail.  By this, the time of year can be approximated, which a consensus of the early commentaries state, must have been late February or early March.

(33) And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

Moses did as he told Pharaoh he would, and went out of the city and spread his hands out to the Lord in prayer and supplication for Pharaoh.  Indeed the thunder and hailstorm ceased, just as Moses had told Pharaoh it would.

(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.

Once the hailstorm ceased, Pharaoh sinned again; to begin with, we know he was not thankful to the Lord for answered prayer!  He hardened his heart, which sin does, he and his servants both.  He sinned again by not fulfilling his promise to let the Israelites go if Moses asked the Lord to remove the hailstorm.  It's funny; I started out typing "Unbelievably", etc.; but it's actually not so unbelievable.  When you read of these events just boom-boom, one immediately after another, it's hard to believe that Pharaoh could return to his ways after just witnessing such miracles.  However, imagine a person praying to God to remove a big problem and promising to change his ways, and after God answers the prayer, he returns to his former ways.  Actually, Pharaoh's actions are sadly too credible.  His heart was hardened and he would not let the children of Israel go, and this was just as Moses had said, for he knew that Pharaoh did not yet fear the Lord, as he said in verse 30. Moses spoke it, but God had said all along that Pharaoh would not let the children of Israel go until all His signs and wonders were accomplished.

Adam Clarke wrote a scathing rebuke to any self-righteous Christian who would think that it was unbelievable that Pharaoh could continue to sin and resist God after so many signs, to those who might believe the only possible explanation must be that God was controlling and hardening Pharaoh's heart against his will:

"...is not the conduct of Pharaoh and his courtiers copied and reacted by thousands who are never suspected to be under any such necessitating decree? Every sinner under heaven, who has the Bible in his hand, is acting the same part. God says to the swearer and the profane, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; and yet common swearing and profaneness are most scandalously common among multitudes who bear the Christian name, and who presume on the mercy of God to get at last to the kingdom of heaven! He says also, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not covet; and sanctions all these commandments with the most awful penalties: and yet, with all these things before them, and the professed belief that they came from God, Sabbath-breakers, men-slayers, adulterers, fornicators, thieves, dishonest men, false witnesses, liars, slanderers, backbiters, covetous men, lovers of the world more than lovers of God, are found by hundreds and thousands! What were the crimes of the poor half-blind Egyptian king when compared with these! He sinned against a comparatively unknown God; these sin against the God of their fathers - against the God and Father of Him whom they call their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! They sin with the Bible in their hand, and a conviction of its Divine authority in their hearts. They sin against light and knowledge; against the checks of their consciences, the reproofs of their friends, the admonitions of the messengers of God; against Moses and Aaron in the law; against the testimony of all the prophets; against the evangelists, the apostles, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Judge of all men, and the Savior of the world! What were Pharaoh’s crimes to the crimes of these? On comparison, his atom of moral turpitude is lost in their world of iniquity. And yet who supposes these to be under any necessitating decree to sin on, and go to perdition? Nor are they; nor was Pharaoh. In all things God has proved both his justice and mercy to be clear in this point. Pharaoh, through a principle of covetousness, refused to dismiss the Israelites, whose services he found profitable to the state: these are absorbed in the love of the world, the love of pleasure, and the love of gain; nor will they let one lust go, even in the presence of the thunders of Sinai, or in sight of the agony, bloody sweat, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ! Alas! how many are in the habit of considering Pharaoh the worst of human beings, inevitably cut off from the possibility of being saved because of his iniquities, who outdo him so far in the viciousness of their lives, that Pharaoh, hardening his heart against ten plagues, appears a saint when compared with those who are hardening their hearts against ten millions of mercies. Reader, art thou of this number? Proceed no farther! God’s judgments linger not. Desperate as thy state is, thou mayest return; and thou, even thou, find mercy through the blood of the Lamb."

Wow!  Definitely thought-provoking words!  Bring them into present time and culture, and imagine Christians with Bible in hand who condone the murder of the most innocent as a reproductive right of the mother; those who elevate the sin of homosexuality, something God called an abomination (an act, not a person!), to the status of God-ordained unions and marriage; those who affect to be so intelligent and enlightened that they understand that while they profess to love the Lord, they "understand" that God must be separated from civil society; and all of the above vote for a political party that wants no part of God in its platform.  All this from a people who have no excuse!  The people in our country have grown up free with God's word readily available in books, on TV, on radio, in a church on every corner.  While it's true that not every church or medium that professes to be Christian, truly is the true word of God, any person who truly seeks the Lord and His truth will have no trouble finding it.  But they reject the Bible as the inspired word of God and as Mr. Clarke said above, they reject the words of God, Jesus, the prophets, the apostles, and Moses and Aaron in the Mosaic law.  This country is without excuse and just look at us!  It does make Pharaoh look like a saint in comparison!

Three More Plagues Are Sent

Continuing from the last post with a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 8:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.”’”

In the last chapter, Moses and Aaron had been refused by Pharaoh, and they brought the first plague by striking the waters and they turned to blood, making them unfit to drink, and killing all the fish.  Pharaoh was unmoved, and now God was instructing Moses to go back to Pharaoh.  Once again Moses (or Aaron as his spokesman) was to begin with "Thus says the Lord", and he was to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go.

(2) "'"And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. (3) And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. (4) And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.”’”

It was a merciful God who gave a warning of what He would do if Pharaoh refused to let His people go. Having had this warning, the plague might have been prevented by a true humiliation and return to God.  However, if Pharaoh continued in his refusal to let God's people go, then God would strike all his land with a plague of frogs. The river would be overcome by frogs that would go into the houses, all over the people, and in their beds, their ovens, and kneading bowls.  It was from reading Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible that I learned, just as the Nile (which was turned to blood) was worshiped by the Egyptians, so did this plague perhaps have a direct bearing on Egyptian idolatry.  "There was a female deity with a frog’s head, and the frog was connected with the most ancient forms of nature-worship in Egypt."  Once again God was more powerful and ruled over the Egyptian gods.

(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch forth your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’” (6) And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

It can be assumed that Pharaoh once again refused to let God's people go, as the Lord now told Moses to instruct Aaron to stretch out his hand with the rod over the waters of Egypt and cause the plague of frogs.  Aaron did as he was instructed and indeed frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

(7) And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

Supposedly, Pharaoh's magicians also brought frogs with their enchantments.  I find this a little amusing.  There was already an abundance of frogs; why would anyone be swayed by the apparent producing of more?  Would it not have been a more effective show of their power to remove the frogs rather than to add to them?  But of course, they had no real power over God's plague.

(8) Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”

Here appears the first sign of Pharaoh's yielding to the power of God.  He acknowledged that the plagues have come from God Himself.  He asked Moses and Aaron to ask the Lord to take away the frogs and he would let God's people go to sacrifice to Him.

(9) And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Have this honor over me; when shall I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only?”

By allowing Pharaoh to pick the time when Moses would ask God to remove the plague of frogs would be further proof that this was not some preplanned parlor trick, but was by the power of Jehovah God.

(10) And he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. (11) And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people; they shall remain in the river only.”

Pharaoh answered that he wanted Moses to intercede for him the next day.  If the frogs were such an extreme nuisance so as to drive Pharaoh to ask Moses to have the Lord take them away, then why would he wait until the next day, and not have the plague removed immediately?  Who knows exactly, but it might have been nighttime and time for bed and perhaps a time when the frogs could be somewhat ignored during sleep.  Also I can imagine that Pharaoh wanted to control the situation, and perhaps give the impression that he was not as moved by the situation as he might have seemed by asking that it may be removed.  Perhaps he thought it might be removed during the night when it could be attributed to more natural means.  One can only guess at the thoughts of an arrogant king.  At any rate, Moses agreed that the time would be according to Pharaoh's wishes, that he would know that there was no one like the Lord God who could send plagues and remove them at His pleasure, something Pharaoh's gods and magicians could not do.

(12) And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried to the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. (13) And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. (14) And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.

Moses cried out to the Lord in prayer for Pharaoh that He remove the plague of frogs.  The Lord did as Moses asked, and we can assume that the frogs died at the appointed time the next day.  God could have removed them back to the waters from whence they came, but He chose to kill them all at once.  I imagine this would have made a greater impression on the people as they raked heaps of stinking dead frog carcasses into piles, an experience and image they should not soon forget.

(15) But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not hearken to them, as the LORD had said.

Well, it may have worked for people other than an arrogant and foolish king.  When Pharaoh saw there was relief from the plague of frogs, he himself, in his obstinate pride, hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron when they again asked that God's people be allowed to go and sacrifice to the Lord.  This was just as the Lord had said it would be.

(16) And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” (17) And they did so, for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

Notice that there appeared to be no warning before this next plague.  I had never noticed this before, but Albert Barnes and others wrote that it was observed by Hebrew commentators that the first nine plagues were divided into three groups of three.  Distinct warnings were given for the first two plagues in each group; the third in each was inflicted without any warning. The plague of lice was the third in the first group of three plagues--the blood, the frogs, and the lice.  Also noted by Mr. Barnes was that while the first two plagues fell on the Nile, worshiped by the Egyptians, this plague fell on the earth, also worshiped in Egypt, as the father of the gods.  God could use every part of His creation to bring plagues, and He was more powerful than any of Egypt's gods that were created by Him.  God told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his rod over the dust of the land and strike it, and that he did, and the dust became lice throughout the land of Egypt, upon man and beast alike.

This time it was Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Entire Bible who pointed out that while the first two plagues appeared to have a natural element about them, and many naysayers attempted to explain them away by calling them natural phenomena, lice do not spring from the dirt.  These were created out of the dust of the earth by the same God who created man from the dust.  Some have tried to suggest that the word translated as lice may have actually been better translated as gnats or mosquitoes; they point out that it was only used as "lice" when describing this plague.  However, the original word "ken" is used elsewhere and stems from a root word that means "to make firm, fix, fasten".  That sense of fastening to, cannot be said of gnats, especially, and even mosquitoes swarm a great deal and are ever changing places to light.  Some have suggested that ticks might come from the dirt and attach to people and animals.  However, a similar word to that original word used in verse 16, "kinnah", was indeed used by Talmudists to mean the louse.

(18) And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not; so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

Aha!  Pharaoh's magicians could not accomplish this act of God by their enchantments.  I believe this possibly insinuates that all they were ever able to do was to simulate by trickery.  After all, if the first plagues could be explained by natural phenomena, then the magicians could have used natural phenomena to pretend to conjure up similar plagues.  However, if this plague had no natural explanation, they could have been without "power" to duplicate it.  If the magicians had performed their enchantments by Satan and his spiritual agents, this proves they had limits and were only allowed to perform what God allowed them to perform.

(19) Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God”; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the LORD had said.

The Egyptian magicians themselves acknowledged that this must have been by the finger of God.  Albert Barnes was the one lone voice I read that suggested that the "finger of God" was a thoroughly Egyptian phrase, and not necessarily proof that the Egyptians recognized Yahweh, the God who performed the miracle.  However, the original word used and translated as "God" was "Elohim".  They did not call Him "Jehovah", who was the traditional God of Israel and a God I have read that the Egyptians found to be a trivial god.  They themselves were calling Him "Elohim", if not the Supreme God, at least a superior Godhead.  This may not have been by any admission or recognition on their part that this was indeed the one and only eternal Supreme God of the universe, but rather that it was due to a superior power.  They may have admitted it was by a superior power to detract from the power of Moses and Aaron, because they would not admit that they were more skilful in magic and enchantments than they were.  They may have been purposely not acknowledging "Jehovah", the God of Israel, so they suggested, in essence, that this could not have been done by any power of Moses and Aaron, nor by the God of Israel, but by a Superior God.  With regard to the phrase "finger of God" being a thoroughly Egyptian phrase, Jesus used that phrase in Luke 11:20 when He said, "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."

Regardless of what God the magicians told Pharaoh had done this miracle, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not accept what they were saying.  He dug in his heels and grew more and more obstinate.  For a discussion on just by whom or what Pharaoh's heart was being hardened, see the post on Exodus 4, specifically verse 21, here at the post entitled, "Moses Begins His Mission After More Objections".

(20) And the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes forth to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (21) Else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand."'"

Next the Lord told Moses to rise up early in the morning in order to stand before Pharaoh when he came out to the water, which was either a daily morning ritual or a predetermined occasion this particular morning.  He was to again declare the words of the Lord that he let God's people go.  This next plague came with a warning; Moses was to warn Pharaoh that if he did not let God's people go, God would send swarms on Pharaoh and on his servants, and into their houses, and into the houses of all the Egyptians.  In the original text, there is only the word "arob", translated as "swarms".  The phrase "of flies" was added for clarification, but the original does not specify flies.  As the word came from a word that meant "mixed" or "mingled", it is thought that these were swarms of various pesky flying insects.  Indeed, when this incident appeared to have been written about in Psalms 78:45, it was written as "diverse sorts of flies".  Following the pattern set forth with the earlier plagues, if God was sending plagues by way of the false gods that the Egyptians served (the Nile, the land) showing His superiority over them, some of the early commentaries suggest these "flies" were likewise sending a similar message to them.  Many suggest it was a swarm of dog-flies, which would have been particularly loathsome to the Egyptians because they held dogs in the highest veneration, and worshiped Anubis under the form of a dog.  A few had the opinion that the swarming insects were of a kind of beetle, which was worshiped by the Egyptians as a symbol of life, of reproductive or creative power. The sun-god Chepera was represented with the head of a beetle.  Baalzebub, or Beelzebub, was said to be the fly-god, or lord of the flies.  Probably, as already discussed, there were various species of swarming pests, and once again God would prove supreme over the false gods of Egypt.
 
(22) “'"And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. (23) And I will put a division between my people and your people; tomorrow shall this sign be.”’”

If Pharaoh refused to let the children of Israel go, then in the day that He sent the swarms of flying insects, God would separate the land of Goshen where His people dwelt, and there would be no flies there.  As this was the first time that God spoke of separating His people from a plague, one would have to assume that the first three plagues of waters turned to blood, frogs, and lice, must have been indiscriminate in the land. As these plagues progressed, it was becoming more and more evident that only the one true God of the children of Israel could be bringing them about.  Initially, Pharaoh's magicians were allowed to conjure up something similar, then they reached a plague they could not replicate, and now God could exempt His people from the plague of flies.  Swarming flies, it would seem, could never be contained in one area, yet the Lord God of the Israelites could contain them to the area He wished.  Additionally, if this plague of swarms was a particular affront to an Egyptian god, there was no way Pharaoh could attribute the exemption of Goshen to an Egyptian deity!  God reiterated that there would be a division between His people and the Egyptian people.  Actually, the word "peduth", that was translated as "division" means "redemption".  God's people would be redeemed or delivered from the plague, a perfect picture of Christ who redeems or delivers His people from eternal death that has been brought upon all men, but they may be redeemed by His blood.

(24) And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt; the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

The verse said "The Lord did so..."  We can assume it was the next day, as verse 23 said the sign would be "tomorrow".  But in this instance, there appears to be no rod of Aaron used to bring about the plague, but the Lord Himself did so as He had told Moses to tell Pharaoh He would.  The Lord sent a very heavy and severe swarm of flies that went into all the houses and all through the land of Egypt.  The land was corrupted, or perhaps better said, ruined or destroyed, because of the swarms of flies. 

(25) And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

Because of the swarms of flies, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron to him and told them to go sacrifice to their God, obviously recognizing it was their God who had sent the flies.  However, note he told them to go sacrifice to Him "in the land", that is, there in the land of Egypt.

(26) And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God; lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? (27) We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.”

Moses rejected that idea, telling Pharaoh it would not be right to do so because they would be sacrificing something the Egyptians found abhorrent, either because they would be sacrificing some animal that the Egyptians held in high regard, or perhaps just by the bloody act of sacrificing itself.  Moses told Pharaoh that surely if they did something that they knew was an abomination to the Egyptians, wasn't it reasonable to believe they would stone them?  Moses told Pharaoh they would go three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to their Lord there.  The Lord had already told them to go sacrifice there, but by the phrase "as He will command us", he referred to the manner in which they would worship and sacrifice to Him, perhaps with what animals to be sacrificed, etc. Note that Moses used common sense reason to reject Pharaoh's plan.  He could have refused just because God told him not to do it this way, but he used a reasonable argument as to why this would not work.

(28) And Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away; entreat for me.”

Pharaoh appeared to have relented when he said he would let them go sacrifice to their God in the wilderness, as long as they did not go too far.  Pharaoh obviously wanted them within his reach to snatch them back, for fear that if they went too far, they would not return.  Moses had already said it would be three days' journey.  Whether or not this was too far by Pharaoh's standards at this point is not clear.  He may have been relenting part of the way with Moses, and suggesting they could go a little way, but not as far as the three days they had wanted, or maybe he was suggesting they may go the three days, but no longer.  Whatever he meant, he surely realized this was the only way to be rid of the flies, so he relented at that moment.  He also asked that Moses intercede for him to the Lord.

(29) And Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

Moses agreed to entreat to the Lord for Pharaoh that the flies depart from him and his people on the next day, but he warned Pharaoh not to deal deceitfully with the children of Israel by not keeping up his end of the bargain in letting them go sacrifice to their Lord.

(30) And Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. (31) And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

Moses left Pharaoh and it appears that he immediately did as he promised, and entreated the Lord on Pharaoh's behalf.  The Lord did as Moses asked and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his land so that not even one single fly remained.

(32) And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

It appears Pharaoh did indeed act deceitfully, and when the plague was removed, he hardened his heart as he had done before when the plague of frogs was removed, and he refused to let the people go.