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 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.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”
29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”
31 (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.
Here's the link to the commentary I read.Gather your livestock and all that you have in the field: God invited Pharaoh and the Egyptians to trust Him by recommending precautions before the plague. Some took God’s invitation and spared their livestock, but others did not.
“Rainfall comes so occasionally in Upper Egypt that the prediction of a severe hailstorm accompanied by a violent electrical storm must have been greeted with much skepticism.” (Kaiser)
There was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it: This was perhaps the most frightening plague thus far. The Egyptians must have believed that the wrath of God was poured down from heaven in all severity.
I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God: Moses’ response to Pharaoh showed that he was starting to learn and to discern. Moses knew the promise to touch Pharaoh’s firstborn had not yet been fulfilled (first described by God back in Exodus 4:22-23).
“Moses does not believe that pharaoh will keep his word, yet he grants the request so that pharaoh may be without excuse.” (Cole)
OK... I missed it the first time through. As a matter of fact, I've missed it several times through... but thanks to the commentary.... Exodus 4 is where God said He would take out Pharaoh's first-born son if he didn't let the Israelites go. So, Moses knew Pharaoh was not going to do as God told him to. Moses knew what was going to happen and these first 7 plagues are just a sign that God will do as He said He would. Pharaoh thought he was a god. He thought anything God could hand him; he could stop or negate. He could whip out his magic marker and direct the storm to another coast. Even the weather would listen to him. Pharaoh thought he was god. So far, his magicians could only duplicate a couple of these minor plagues. But they weren't Pharaoh... Pharaoh was the only god in Egypt... right?
Pharaoh also had the economy to consider. It would be catastrophic if the crops and the livestock and the slave labor workforce were all wiped out. The economic impact would be devastating. Every time Moses made a prediction, it cost the Egyptian economy. Pharaoh should let the people go... and take the storm with them. That would save Egypt from economic disaster.
Pharaoh said... "ok... you can go". He figured as soon as he allowed the Israelites this small holiday, the forecast would change and his nation would be spared from this economic disaster. Remember, Israelites were the largest part of the slave workforce. Pharaoh could NOT just let them go. His economy was based on slave labor. They couldn't pay these people... they would have to raise prices.... and so on and so forth... we get it... right?
BUT... Moses said "as soon as the Israelites are all gone... then the storm will turn". Well that just didn't fit in Pharaoh's plan. If the storm was coming anyway, why give up the labor force?
Now I need to discuss Hail and Fire from the KJV version and the NIV storm of thunder, lightning, and hail. They are the same storm only the lightning is called fire in the KJV.
Here's how I know. In Maryland the lightning usually goes from cloud to ground. In Arizona, where it's extremely hot and dry, the lightning starts cloud to cloud. It really looks like the sky is on fire. I've seen it. I've seen major virga before the storms that spit out hail. Virga is when the clouds rain, but the air is so dry it sucks the rain out of the air before it can hit the ground. The hail in Arizona can be as large as baseballs. Generally, it's only the size of a quarter though. This is the kind of storm that brings in flash floods. The earth is so dry, any rain that falls, doesn't dissolve into the dirt or gravel, it just lays on top and after a while... It finds its way to a wash and becomes a raging river of water, mud, and debris. But that's for another plague.
This plague is simple. God's going to through baseball size hail and all kinds of lightning... It's not safe. Get your animals and your slaves and your family and your trashcans in.... cause buddy it's going to really be deadly. BUT...Check out verse 26. The Land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, did not suffer the storm. The Eastern Nile Delta would not have to endure the storm. The storm probably played itself out by the time it arrived at the Land of Goshen.
Plague 7.... Hail!
