Extreme Weather

Exodus 9:13-29

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? ” (Exodus 9:13-17)

Satan had used man’s pride to deceive Eve, promising she’d be like God. Humans have been trying to act as Gods so they can make the rules themselves ever since. The Egyptian culture had exalted Pharaoh as a God, and he was capitalizing on his exaltation.
Had Pharaoh simply given them the freedom to worship as they asked, his authority would never have come into question. By refusing their request he could demonstrate his godlike power over them, satisfying his pride.

God had chosen to make Pharaoh king because his stubbornness and pride would prevent giving in until all the Egyptians knew his position and power did not make him a god. They would know who God was and understand that his power did not derive from their approval. A less stubborn person might have yielded when the waters of the Nile turned to blood, preventing God from demonstrating his power.

We sometimes get frustrated with the attitude of our leaders, but God has placed them there. They may well be there to enable God to demonstrate his power in our country, because the people have forgotten who God is. I’m sure that had a poll been taken at the time, it would have shown growing discontent with his policies. The people gained nothing from his refusal to let the Israelites go, but they suffered from the frogs, lice and flies more than he did. The effects of each of the prior plagues except the death of the cattle was relatively short lived. The effects of the next plague would last a long time.

“Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.” (Exodus 9:18-19)

Epidemics seldom wipe out entire populations because of the body’s ability to produce antibodies to destroy antigens, and because not all have equal exposure, although they may reduce the population to such a level as to make it susceptible to other factors. Some of each species of cattle had survived the murrain, although it crossed all the species. The hail that God would send would beat anything that was exposed to death. Moses warned them to get themselves and their surviving cattle into shelter if they wanted to have any left.

“He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.” (Exodus 9:20-21)

Time after time advance warnings have been give about wildfires, floods and hurricanes. There seems to always be a group of people who ignore the warnings and refuse to evacuate or take appropriate action. Having seen what happened when Moses warned them before, some heeded the warning and took action while others refused to believe it would be that serious.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.

And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.” (Exodus 9:23-26)

People who have seen the Hail storms in the plains or the southwestern deserts have some understanding of what this storm may have been like. Hail as large as golf balls is common and some larger than a baseball has been recorded, and it may last for a prolonged time. I have seen as much as a foot on the ground after a storm. Animals and birds are sometimes killed by such storms. Fortunately such storms are usually confined to a relatively small area.

Severe lightening may accompany such a storm, and because dry soil is such a poor conductor of electricity it runs along the surface of the ground creating what is known as St. Elmo’s fire or starting wild fires. This storm was more widespread than normal, covering all of Egypt, except for Goshen where the Jews lived.

“And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Entreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.” (Exodus 9:27-28)

Egypt was dependent on their crops for their survival. Always before such a hailstorm had been limited to a small area, and few had been so intense as to destroy crops and livestock throughout the land. Pharaoh acknowledged that perhaps God did have power and authority greater than his own and that he and his people had been wrong in refusing to obey. Frequently such storms come in groups and he asked Moses to pray that there wouldn’t be any more. In return, he promised to allow them to go as they had requested.

“And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.” (Exodus 9:29-30)

Moses was sure it was just another campaign promise to get what Pharaoh wanted, but he agreed to pray and get the storm ended, to further reinforce the fact that God was control. He knew that as soon as there was no longer a threat they would change their mind, probably insisting it was just a fluke of nature.

“And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.” (Exodus 9:31-32)

While most of the crops were not developed sufficiently to be seriously damaged, the barley was almost ready to be picked and the seed heads were shattered by the hail, scattering all the grain on the ground, making it impossible to recover. Modern day wheat farmers usually carry insurance against such damage. The flax was almost ready to harvest, and the stalks were brittle. The hail broke down the stalks, ruining the fibers they would have produced. It was a major blow to Egypt’s economy, and might require years for full recovery.

“And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.” (Exodus 9:33-35)

Just as Moses had said, as soon as they felt safe, Pharaoh and his advisors again decided to break their promise. Sometimes it seems ridiculous that a ruler would be so stubborn, but things are really no different today. Governments in both Europe and the United States have persisted in seeking an end to the present crisis while refusing to address the underlying spiritual and moral issues that caused it.