The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

“8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become dust all over the land of Egypt and shall cause festering boils on humans and animals throughout the whole land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw it in the air, and it caused festering boils on humans and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils afflicted the magicians as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.”

Moses and Aaron took handfuls of soot from the kiln and threw it into the air, in front of the Pharaoh, himself, to show him that the one true God caused the plague and not themselves.

God caused the dust from the kiln to become boils on people and beasts throughout the land of Egypt (The Hebrew word for “boils” can also be translated “inflamed spot, and was used to describe Job’s disease (2:7-8) and Hezekiah’s illness (Isaiah 38:21)).

The kiln from which Moses and Aaron took the dust was the same kiln in which the Israelites were forced to make bricks, and was a symbol of their oppression. 

God used the source of suffering for the Israelites as the source of suffering of the Egyptians.

“There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.” (Isaiah 48:22)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Fifth Plague

 Exodus 9: 1-7

“1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 the hand of the Lord will strike with a deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.’ ” 5 The Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And on the next day the Lord did so; all of the Egyptians’ livestock died, but none of the Israelites’ livestock died. 7 Pharaoh inquired and found that not even one of the Israelites’ livestock had died. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the people go.”

During the fifth plague all of the Egyptian livestock died. The livestock of Egypt represented much of the wealth of the Egyptian people, and the very possession of cattle meant material security.  God struck at the heart of their economy and material well-being.

The Pharaoh’s reaction was to compare the losses of the Egyptians with the losses of the Israelites.  What he found would have concerned him.  The Israelites had lost none of their livestock.  They were protected in some mysterious way from the deadly disease.

And, yet again, the Pharaoh refused to believe that this was God’s hand.  Even though his people had suffered physical and material loss, the Pharaoh’s pride prevented him from admitting that there was a greater power in the world than himself.

Our pride often prevents us from developing a meaningful relationship not only with God, but with those who would help us in our spiritual journey.  

We close our minds to the possibility that God is not like us, that God wants us to change, that we need to live differently.  

But God  “….opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

“20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may serve me, 21 because if you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, and your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, as will the land where they live. 22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I the Lord am in this land. 23 Thus I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign shall appear tomorrow.’ ” 24 The Lord did so, and great swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and into his officials’ houses; in all of Egypt the land was ruined because of the flies. 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the sacrifices that we offer to the Lord our God are offensive to the Egyptians. If we offer in the sight of the Egyptians sacrifices that are offensive to them, will they not stone us? 27 We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he commands us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, provided you do not go very far away. Pray for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people; only do not let Pharaoh again deal falsely by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked: he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and would not let the people go.”

The Pharaoh asked Moses to pray for him even though he had no intention of keeping his promise to Moses.  As soon as God withdrew the flies, Pharaoh withdrew his promise to Moses.

Have you ever known a person who asked for prayers for themselves but took no action in their personal lives to live in a better way or to address the problems that they faced?  God does expect us to pray for others.  But God does expect us to take action to improve our lives, especially our spiritual lives.

The Pharaoh’s pattern was to tell Moses what he wanted to hear, then take actions that were inconsistent with his words.  Each time, Moses was disappointed, but God was not.  

God knew the heart of the Pharaoh. God knew what needed to be done. God knew the progression of steps that needed to be taken in order to convince, not only the Pharaoh, but also the Egyptian people, that the Israelites should be set free.

God would deliver the Israelites, but in His time, and in His way.

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)”

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Third Plague

Exodus 8: 16-19

“16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt.’ ” 17 And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came on humans and animals alike; all the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, but they could not. There were gnats on both humans and animals. 19 And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.”

Years ago, while waiting near Charleston, S.C. for a 10k run to begin, I and all the other runners were covered from head to toe with tiny gnats that we could barely see.  All the runners were so miserable that they begged for the race to begin so that we could move away from that cursed spot of the earth.

The gnats sent from God covered all of the people and animals of Egypt. It is noteworthy that God created the gnats from the dust of the earth.  It harks back to the creation, when God created humans from the dust of the earth.

The magicians could not duplicate this feat, and, to their credit, they knew that it had the “finger of God” in it; the one true God.

But the Pharaoh was not yet convinced that he faced a power greater than himself, the most powerful ruler of the world, and the divine intermediary of the gods (albeit, false gods).

My mother used to say that the reason people would not go to church was because they did not want to believe there was a power greater than themselves.  We want to believe that we are all powerful, that we have all the answers, that our future is in our own hands.

We do have the freedom to choose and make decisions, but we are all acting within the will and power of God. 

His plan will ultimately prevail.

His goodness and love will ultimately triumph over all evil.

His glory will shine forth over all worldly things.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Second Plague

Exodus 8: 1-15

“1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your officials.’ ” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and brought frogs up on the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Kindly tell me when I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “As you say! So that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God, 11 the frogs shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs that he had brought upon Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did as Moses requested: the frogs died in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.”

The magicians of the Pharaoh could, supposedly, make the frogs appear in the same way that God made them appear.  But they could not make the frogs go away.  Only God could make them go away.

The “divine” Pharaoh was forced to ask Moses to pray for the removal of the frogs.  Pharaoh, who was supposed to be the intermediary between the people and the “gods”, asked Moses to intermediate between Egypt and the one true God.

God was gradually bringing the Pharaoh to an understanding of who He was and who he, the Pharaoh, was in relation to the one true God.

There are people who exist today who feel and act as if they are god.  But there is no position, power, or material wealth that a human being can ever hold or possess that will elevate them to that level.

And the Pharaoh was being taught this lesson.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The First Plague

Exodus 7:14-24 

“14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water; stand by at the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake. 16 Say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, “Let my people go, so that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But until now you have not listened. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord.” See, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall be turned to blood. 18 The fish in the river shall die, the river itself shall stink, and the Egyptians shall be unable to drink water from the Nile.’ ” 19 The Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its canals, and its ponds, and all its pools of water—so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout the whole land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.”20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and of his officials he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile; all the water in the river was turned into blood, 21 and the fish in the river died. The river stank so that the Egyptians could not drink its water, and there was blood throughout the whole land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts; so Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians had to dig along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the river.”

The magicians of the Pharaoh were able to turn the water into blood, so the Pharaoh went into his house with his heart still cold and hard. I am sure he drank a cup of cool, clear water that one of his slaves had dug from a new well along the Nile.

He did not take into his heart the suffering of his own people because he wanted to prove the the gods of Egypt were greater than any God of the Israelites.  And if he proved this, then this meant that he, Pharaoh, was also greater.

The struggle between Pharaoh and Moses was a struggle between the belief in the false gods of Egypt and the one true God; the struggle between the false belief in a divine Pharaoh and the true Creator of the Universe. 

Sometimes we cling to false beliefs because those beliefs support the way we live. If those beliefs were to be proven false, we would have to change in a way that would alter our way of seeing things, and our way of relating to people.

Moses represented change to the Pharaoh in the way Christ represents change to us.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Staff

Exodus 7: 8-13

“8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a wonder,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded; Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. 12 Each one threw down his staff, and they became snakes, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up theirs. 13 However, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.”

We do not know how the “wise men,sorcerers, and magicians” of the Pharaoh, with their secret arts, performed their “wonder”, but we do know that Aaron’s staff swallowed theirs.  

The power of God is the ultimate power of the universe. It is the power that spoke the universe into existence and created the heavens and the earth;  the power that

set into motion all the planets; the power that caused the light to shine into the darkness; the power that created all life.

No sorcerer’s magic will ever prevail against the one true God.  

Nothing false can prevail against God… 

the God of truth and love.

“No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.” 

(Proverbs 21:30)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)