seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 11:1 Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)
4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.
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.
Here's the link to the commentary I use.The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: Pharaoh was still not quite convinced, but the people of Egypt were willing to see the people of Israel immediately leave. They were more than willing to give them gifts of silver and gold to persuade them to leave. This was how the slaves of Israel received their past wages from their time of slavery, and how they did not leave Egypt empty-handed.
“These jewels were employed afterwards in the adornment and enrichment of the Sanctuary. They flashed in the breastplate of the High Priest, and shone in the sacred vessels.” (Meyer)
Pharaoh will not heed you: If nine plagues had come from the hand of God, one might expect that the warning about a tenth plague would be believed; but Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and God strengthened Pharaoh in his hardness of heart.
So that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt: “The nine plagues can now be seen as a whole. They touched every phase of nature: mineral, animal, vegetable, human. They affected persons and property, and included all, from the highest to the lowest.” (Thomas)
The oldest son sure got a rough row to hoe. Since Abel [the youngest of the two] was murdered by Cain, the oldest son has had a hard way to go. Esau wanted to kill his brother Jacob for what he did to him by stealing his blessing and his inheritance. The oldest son has gotten a raw deal ever since Cain killed his little brother. Just saying.
My thoughts on these verses are all jumbled up.
I'm frustrated that God has hardened Pharaoh's heart leading so many through all these plagues including a mass murder.
I'm sad that the firstborn has to die. What did they do to deserve to be the victims of this mass murder?
I'm frustrated that Pharaoh has a god complex and others have to pay for his obnoxious narcissism.
I'm frustrated that God would use innocent unsuspecting men to prove His point to this big-headed narcissist.
I'm frustrated that stuttering Moses can't just tell the people what is about to happen to them.
I'm afraid history repeats itself.
I wish gold and silver weren't involved in this. I wonder if the Egyptians felt that paying off the Israelites would save their sons.
I wonder if the Israelites were truthful with the Egyptians about the impending mass murder. Did the Israelites tell the Egyptians they could save their sons by giving them gold and silver? That was never the plan.
I'm sad over the wailing of mothers finding their sons dead.
Plague 10.... Mass murder of first-born sons
