seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 9:13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up[a] for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”
20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.
20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.
a. Exodus 9:16 Or have spared you
A super hailstorm is the next problem Pharaoh and the Egyptians will face. God gave the Egyptians a chance to believe him, and heed his specific advice. God said "bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter". The choice was simple, believe and bring everything in or remain stupid.
Here's what the easy English site says.
God could have killed Pharaoh and his people completely. But God had been very patient with Pharaoh. Each plague had given to Pharaoh the opportunity to change. He could have let the Israelites go.
God had allowed Pharaoh to continue to live. God wanted people everywhere to know his power and his character. ‘Name’ means more than the word ‘God’ or ‘LORD’. It means all the ways in which people understand God’s character (Romans 9:17).
Pharaoh had become so proud that God punished him with 6 terrible plagues. But he still refused to listen. He would not let the Israelites go.
So God must punish him again. And the next day God would send a terrible storm of hail. ‘Hail’ is a kind of ice. It is rain that has frozen. Hail can be as small as a tiny seed. Or it can be as big as a small ball. It can hurt people. A strong storm of hail kills animals. And it damages crops and property.
That storm of hail would be terrible. It would be stronger than any storm that the Egyptians had known in their history. Pharaoh and his people could avoid damage from that plague. If they obeyed God’s order, they would bring their slaves and their animals inside a shelter. Then they would be safe. Some of Pharaoh’s officials believed God’s message. Quickly they obeyed the order. They brought their slaves and their animals inside. Other officials did not believe God. So they did not think that they ought to protect their property. Therefore, they left their slaves and their animals outside.
God had allowed Pharaoh to continue to live. God wanted people everywhere to know his power and his character. ‘Name’ means more than the word ‘God’ or ‘LORD’. It means all the ways in which people understand God’s character (Romans 9:17).
Pharaoh had become so proud that God punished him with 6 terrible plagues. But he still refused to listen. He would not let the Israelites go.
So God must punish him again. And the next day God would send a terrible storm of hail. ‘Hail’ is a kind of ice. It is rain that has frozen. Hail can be as small as a tiny seed. Or it can be as big as a small ball. It can hurt people. A strong storm of hail kills animals. And it damages crops and property.
That storm of hail would be terrible. It would be stronger than any storm that the Egyptians had known in their history. Pharaoh and his people could avoid damage from that plague. If they obeyed God’s order, they would bring their slaves and their animals inside a shelter. Then they would be safe. Some of Pharaoh’s officials believed God’s message. Quickly they obeyed the order. They brought their slaves and their animals inside. Other officials did not believe God. So they did not think that they ought to protect their property. Therefore, they left their slaves and their animals outside.
I have to keep telling myself that God knows how everything turns out. He has no conception of time and its limits. He knew Pharaoh and some of his officials would continue on their egotistical path. That's why God used Pharaoh in the first place. When Joseph was sold to the merchants and then taken to Egypt, God already knew this was going to happen. When Joseph brought his family to the land of Goshen, God already knew this would happen.
The timing of these plagues is discussed in the GodVine.com commentary.
This applies to all the plagues which follow; the effect of each was foreseen and foretold. The words "at this time" point to a rapid and continuous succession of blows. The plagues which precede appear to have been spread over a considerable time; the first message of Moses was delivered after the early harvest of the year before, when the Israelites could gather stubble, i. e. in May and April: the second mission, when the plagues began, was probably toward the end of June, and they went on at intervals until the winter; this plague was in February; see Exodus 9:31.
Remember, Pharaoh considered himself to be a god. All the plagues in the past had been directed at little gods. Now, God is dealing with the super ego of Pharaoh, the bully himself! Those officials who believed God would be defying or ignoring that little god Pharaoh.
