Breaking His Word Again

Pharaoh broke his promise to allow Israel to go as soon as the hail storm ended.  God explained that he caused pharaoh to be so stubborn so that he could show his power before Pharaoh and the Israelites could tell what God had done for them, in Exodus 10:1-2.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.”

The hail had wiped the livestock industry, and much of their crops.  God warned that if Pharaoh didn’t let Israel go, he would send locusts which would wipe out the rest of their crops, in Exodus 10:3-6.  “And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.  Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.”  The infestation would be the worst they had ever seen. 

The Egyptian people realized how bad things were and begged Pharaoh to let Israel go before it happened, in Exodus 10:7.  “And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?“  In an effort to appease the people, Pharaoh contacted Moses and Aaron asking who all would be going, in Exodus 10:8-11.  “And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?

And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.

And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.  Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.”  When he learned that they were all going and were going to take everything with them, Pharaoh decided it was just a front to get away and refused to allow them to go again. 

Exodus 10:12-15 tells us, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.  And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.  And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.  For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” 

It was the worst swarm of locusts ever, and they wiped out everything that grew.  Like many people, Pharaoh failed to recognize his ongoing pattern of sin, asking for forgiveness just this one time, in Exodus 10:16-20.  “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.  Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only. And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD.  And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.”  People like Pharaoh think it unfair to remember what they did in the past. 

As soon as he got what he wanted, Pharaoh lapsed back into the same old attitude, refusing to let the people go free, in Exodus 10:20.  “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.”