seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 11:9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.
When I first read these two verses the real message escaped me. This is not an end to chapter 11. It's more like a beginning for chapter 12.
Moses and Aaron have done what God told them to do. Every time the staff or the hand went up, a horrible plague took place. It's a wonder Pharaoh didn't send a couple thugs to try to break their arms so they couldn't raise the staff or their hands. Of course God wouldn't have allowed that.
I'm reminded of right before the Last Supper, when Judas could have backed out of the deal to surrender Jesus. I was thinking they were the same kind of deal but in that case it was a fight between Satan and God (Luke 22:3). The contrast here is in this story, it's the one and only God against a pipsqueak pharaoh who thinks he's god. There's a big difference.
The easy English site offers this.
The 9 previous plagues had happened after Moses and Aaron had reached up with Moses’ stick. Or Moses had reached up his hand as a sign. But for the final plague, God himself would go all through Egypt (Exodus 11:4; 12:12). God had given to Pharaoh many opportunities to change his decision. God gives to all people the opportunity to change their behaviour. But nobody can refuse to obey God for all time. God is the judge. And he must punish anyone who has refused to obey him. The time had come for God to punish Pharaoh and his people.
I found another commentary named bibletrack.org. It's pretty down to earth and readable.
Keep in mind that Moses has never asked Pharaoh for anything more than a vacation...three days into the wilderness to offer a sacrifice to God. The sticky point in the negotiations has been that Moses was not willing to leave anything behind to indicate that they would return after they made their sacrifices. Pharaoh has always seen that as a deal breaker. Well...here in verse 1, God tells Moses that Pharaoh will "thrust" him out of Egypt after they lose their firstborn sons.
If there's one thing we've learned about Pharaoh, it is that he bristles up at a challenge...as he does here. God instructs Moses to get the Hebrews to take up a collection before they go. While the KJV uses the word "borrow" in verse 2, trust me when I say that the Hebrew word (shaw-al´) holds no implication whatsoever that the Egyptians will be receiving their contributions back again at a future date.
Let's once again emphasize that Moses had only requested a temporary leave to go sacrifice in the wilderness, but we see in verse 1, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether." It is also interesting that only Pharaoh was the big holdout here. Look at verse 3, "And the LORD gave the people favour 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." God wasn't hardening their hearts - just that of Pharaoh.
I guess we should point out that the jewelry taken by the Hebrews would later be used to construct a tabernacle in the wilderness. Well...and that's the jewelry they used to also construct the golden calf.
If there's one thing we've learned about Pharaoh, it is that he bristles up at a challenge...as he does here. God instructs Moses to get the Hebrews to take up a collection before they go. While the KJV uses the word "borrow" in verse 2, trust me when I say that the Hebrew word (shaw-al´) holds no implication whatsoever that the Egyptians will be receiving their contributions back again at a future date.
Let's once again emphasize that Moses had only requested a temporary leave to go sacrifice in the wilderness, but we see in verse 1, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether." It is also interesting that only Pharaoh was the big holdout here. Look at verse 3, "And the LORD gave the people favour 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." God wasn't hardening their hearts - just that of Pharaoh.
I guess we should point out that the jewelry taken by the Hebrews would later be used to construct a tabernacle in the wilderness. Well...and that's the jewelry they used to also construct the golden calf.
In the previous plagues, God did all the work. All Moses or Aaron had to do was raise the staff or a hand while the Israelites went about their day or sheltered in place. This plague, however, would require the Israelites to mark their homes so that the stray Egyptian family living among the Israelites or the stray Israelite family living among the Egyptians would be protected.
This battle is God vs. god.
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