Pharaoh has refused, through five plagues, to let the people go. He's stubbornly resisted the word of the Lord through plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, and the death of all the livestock of the Egyptians. He's been personally inconvenienced and financially inconvenienced. But he remains unmoved. Today the sixth plague falls and his health is affected by it.
Our study picks up right after we were told at the conclusion of yesterday's study, "Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go." At that point the Bible tells us, "Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.'" (Exodus 9:8-9) Some scholars suggest that the soot comes from one of the brick kilns where the Hebrews are being forced to bake bricks for Pharaoh. If so, we see some poetic justice happening now. The soot represents the misery and oppression the Hebrews are experiencing at the hands of the Egyptians, and now the soot will bring misery upon their Egyptian tormentors.
In the fifth plague all the livestock of the Egyptians perished. In the sixth plague we find boils appearing not only on the Egyptian people but also on their animals. What are these animals and where did they come from? I think we have to assume that the Egyptians purchased and imported new livestock after the previous livestock was lost. They really cannot run their country without livestock. They need animals to produce meat, eggs, and milk. They need animals to pull the plows for farming and to keep fields and meadows cleared. They need sheep's wool for clothing. Their army uses horses for riding and to pull battle chariots. Wealthy private citizens also use horses to pull chariots. They need horses, donkeys, and camels for riding. They need donkeys to pull wagons and carts. Daily life in Egypt would have pretty much come to a standstill without livestock so I think we can safely conclude that any Egyptian citizen who could afford it has purchased more animals since the fifth plague. The Bible doesn't tell us how much time passed between the fifth and sixth plagues. Unlike the case with some of the previous plagues, the Lord didn't say to Moses right after the fifth, "Go and speak to Pharaoh in the morning by the river." I think weeks or perhaps even a few months passed between the fifth and sixth plagues, and that would be plenty of time for the Egyptians to procure new livestock.
The sixth plague is going to be quite painful but it doesn't appear that it's deadly. "So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals." (Exodus 9:10) The Bible doesn't say that these boils were fatal. But the boils prevent people and animals from going about their work. Even Pharaoh's magicians refuse to come to the palace when he calls for them during this time. They are simply too uncomfortable to leave their homes. "The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians." (Exodus 9:11)
I believe Pharaoh calls for the magicians to see if they can lift the plague. It's hard to imagine he'd want them to reproduce the plague as they did with the first two: turning water to blood and bringing frogs onto the land. Though impressive, their reproduction of the first two plagues was unhelpful. Did Pharaoh need more water to turn to blood? Did Pharaoh need more frogs crawling all over his house? Now, with the sixth plague, does Pharaoh need more boils to break out on his body or on anyone else's? No, I think he wants these men to perform a spell of healing or at the very least to mix up a pain-killing potion. But the magicians don't even bother answering his summons. They are too incapacitated themselves to try to put their fancy robes on over their painful boils, climb stiffly into chariots, and make a bumpy and excruciating ride to the palace. I can't help picturing messengers limping to the doors of the magicians to deliver the summons and having the magicians answer, "That'll be a 'no' from me, dude."
The Lord has performed a number of signs and wonders in Egypt already. When those didn't get through to Pharaoh's stony heart, the Lord hit him in the pocketbook. But the loss of his investment in his livestock, and the loss of the money required to replace the livestock, didn't change Pharaoh's mind. Now the Lord has affected Pharaoh's physical health and still the man grits his teeth and grows an even thicker shell around his heart. Just imagine how wicked a man has to be to say a defiant "no" in the face of God while in so much physical distress! The king knows the Lord would immediately relieve his pain and heal his nation if he'd only say "yes" to Him, but he steels himself against any thought or inclination or desire to give in. Because he wants to keep living in sin and rebellion, the Lord allows him to keep living in sin and rebellion. The Lord's perfect will for this man is that he would repent and turn to the truth, but since he won't, the Lord's permissive will is to let him keep on hardening himself to the truth. "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses." (Exodus 9:12)
The most dangerous thing to possess, spiritually speaking, is a hard heart. It's possible to reach a point where the Lord says to us, "Fine, have it your way. Remain a rebel. Remain an unrepentant sinner. Leave this world someday with your soul unsaved if that's your heart's desire. Spend eternity away from My presence and away from everything that is goodness and light. You've made your choice. You've built so many tough shells around your heart that it has become an impenetrable fortress. You can no longer hear My voice. I'm a gentleman who recognizes the human dignity and the free will with which I created You; I will not force my way in. I will not go where I am not welcome. I've said all it's possible to say to you and I've done all it's possible to do. You've chosen your destiny. You've rejected all you could have had and you've rejected being who I created you to be. I don't agree with your decision but I respect it. Have it your way."
Pharaoh's heart is so hard that four more plagues will fall before he relents and lets the people go. Even then he'll change his mind and send his army after them. Join us tomorrow to study the seventh plague.
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