Tag Archive | Plagues

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 33 & 34 (Part 1)

Feb3

Day 33. Reading in Exodus 10 -1 2. 

Read the scripture for today. What do you learn about God? Share what you learn with others.

Exodus 10.

After the horrendous hail had stopped, Pharaoh changed his mind yet again. 

The LORD said to Moses, “I have hardened Pharaoh’s heart and the heart of his servants.” Say to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?  LET MY PEOPLE GO, THAT THEY MAY SERVE ME. If you refuse … I will bring locusts, such as you have never seen, to cover the face of the land. They will eat whatever is left from the hail. They will fill your houses.”

Then Moses turned and left the king’s presence.

Pharaoh’s servants begged him, “Let the men go that they may serve the LORD their God! Do you not yet understand that EGYPT IS RUINED??”

Moses and Aaron were called back in.  “Okay! Go! Serve the LORD your God. But who will go?” 

“We will go with our young and old, our daughters and sons, our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

“I will NEVER let you AND your little ones go! YOU HAVE SOME EVIL PURPOSE IN MIND!!” yelled Pharaoh. “No! Only you and the men will go. That’s what you asked for!” 

And he drove them out of his presence.

And God sent the locusts when Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt. The early East wind brought them. The sky was dark. The land was covered with the winged insects, chomping, chomping.

Quickly, Pharaoh called them back. “Oh, I’ve sinned against the LORD your God. Forgive my sin only this once!  PLEAD WITH THE LORD TO REMOVE THIS DEATH FROM ME!!!”

Moses prayed. The LORD heard. He blew every last one of them into the Red Sea.  And … “The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”

Then, without warning, God told Moses to stretch out his hand toward heaven. A complete, deep darkness descended on Egypt for three days. A darkness that could be “felt.” They could not see each other or their hands in front of their faces. They all were confined to their beds. (Goshen had light!)

“GO! Serve the LORD; your little ones may go with you! Only not your flocks and herds.”

“Sorry,” said Moses. “Everything must go. Not a hoof must remain. We don’t know what we’ll need.”

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

“NO! Go away! I never want to see your face again!“

Exodus 11.

“I have one more plague yet,” said the LORD.  “After that, he will let you go.  He will drive you away completely. Now tell your people that every man and woman shall ask their neighbor for gold and silver jewelry.”

“Here’s what will happen, Moses…

“About midnight, I will go out in the midst of EGYPT, and EVERY FIRSTBORN in the land of Egypt SHALL DIE of Pharaoh, his servants, and his cattle. There will be a great cry throughout the land of Egypt. But not a dog shall growl in Israel.  And all Pharaoh’s servants shall say to you, “GET OUT, YOU AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW YOU!”

Exodus 12.

Earlier, God had told Moses about the glorious exodus and how it would go down for the Israelites. In fact, the exit from Egypt would signal a new calendar. This event would signal a new year – a new beginning as the “nation” of Israel.  It would be an event that should be remembered forever, told about to all generations to follow. It was to be “Passover.”

Moses had been instructed by God how to prepare the people.

  • They were to select a spotless lamb, watch him for 3 days to make sure he was perfect,
  • Then all of Israel would kill their lamb at one time and roast it whole. 
  • Its blood was to be caught and swiped on the doorposts and top bar of the door of their house. (VERY IMPORTANT TO DO THIS!!  Because when the Angel of the LORD came to kill all the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt … He would see that blood of the lamb and PASSOVER that house.) Everyone inside the “blood-stained” houses would live.
  • They were to have their things packed (including all the jewelry and clothing the Egyptians had given them) and to eat the lamb standing up in their travel clothes and sandals. 
  • They were not to wait for the bread to rise but bake/eat it without leaven.
  • None of them was to go outside until daybreak.

The people of Israel did all the LORD had commanded them through Moses. 

Midnight arrived.

Israel ate in silence. 

Then, they heard that great cry rise and echo through Egypt. Every house wailing for a loved one dead.

.Pharaoh summoned Moses. “GET OUT FROM AMONG MY PEOPLE!  GO!  Serve the LORD. Take your flocks and herds and everyone!  BE GONE!

All the Egyptians were URGENT with the people to send them out of the land in haste. “We shall all be dead!” they cried. 

So, after plundering Egypt, the promised children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Israel began to move out of Goshen toward the city of Ramses—and then home.  And Moses took the bones of Joseph with them. (13:19)

.

There were 600K men, plus women and children, and livestock. A “mixed” multitude of non-Jews (other slaves?) also went with them.

It was 430 years to the very day they came down, that they went out from Egypt.

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 32

Feb1

Day 32. Reading Exodus 7 – 9.  (February)

Read the scripture for today. What do you learn about God? Share what you learn with others.

Exodus 7.

“Let the “plagues” begin!” 

God renews His commission to Moses to tell Pharaoh to “Let the people of Israel go out of his land.”  He warns Moses that Pharaoh will NOT allow it, but so that the Egyptians will know that He is the LORD, He will perform “great acts of judgment.” When Pharaoh asks Moses to perform a miracle, Moses is to tell Aaron to throw down his staff in front of the king so it will become a serpent.

(Aaron will speak for Moses. Aaron is much more at ease with the Egyptian language than Moses, who has been away for 40 years.)

It goes just like God said, except Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to make their staffs become snakes as well.  Did that surprise/worry Moses?  However, the “rod of God” swallows their “serpents” before Aaron picks it up.

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

Next, God tells Moses to meet Pharaoh by the Nile River as he goes out to get water. Moses is to repeat the request (“Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.”)  To show that the LORD is God (and not their pagan river god), Moses will tell Aaron to strike the water with his staff. When he does, ALL the water in Egypt will turn to blood. Pharaoh ignores the warning, so Aaron hits the water.

All the water in the Nile turned to blood, the fish died, and the river stunk. All the connecting canals, ponds, and pools became blood, and all the pots, buckets, and pitchers of water also became blood. (Egyptians had to dig in the sand along the river to get fresh water, or they would have died of thirst.)

And Pharaoh’s sorcerers did the same. Huh? How? And why not REVERSE the plague instead of making it worse. They couldn’t.

Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened.

Exodus 8.

A whole week later, Moses goes to Pharaoh and repeats the request. “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” If he doesn’t respond, Moses (though Aaron with the staff) will call up frogs from the River. Millions of frogs will swarm over the land and into their houses, bedrooms, beds, cooking pots, ovens, and kneading bowls.  YUCK!! 

(BTW, frogs were considered sacred to Egyptians, so they wouldn’t try to kill them.)

Pharaoh does not respond, so Aaron stretches the “rod of God” over the waters, and Voila! Up come those masses of amphibians.  And guess what!  The sorcerers made MORE frogs.  Seriously?? 

“Moses, Moses! Plead with the LORD to take away these frogs!” says the Pharaoh, now stepping on and throwing off the creatures. “And…. I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”  Whoa! Really??

(I love this.) “Be pleased to command me WHEN I am to plead for you and our servants and your people that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile,” Moses (or Aaron) says. 

“TOMORROW!”   (Huh?  Why not this minute?)

“Okay, so you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God… tomorrow it is.“

Moses leaves and prays. God hears and answers. The frogs die and are gathered into piles. They stink, but they are no longer hopping into houses.

When Pharaoh saw there was a respite, he hardened his heart.

Then, without warning, Moses tells Aaron to strike the dust with his staff. He does, and the dust becomes gnats. (Think “no-see-ums,” you folks in the South.)  They swarmed and buzzed and landed on and bit man and beast. 

Ho, ho, ho! The sorcerers could NOT duplicate this one. “Pharaoh, this is the finger of God!” they cried.

But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

Next, Moses is told to meet Pharaoh again when he goes out to get water. “The LORD says, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else…flies will swarm everywhere! EXCEPT in Goshen where My people live.” And the next day, it happened. No “rod of God” this time. 

“Moses! Go, sacrifice to your God within the land!” Pharaoh cries, swatting at the awful insects.

“Nope. The offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD are an abomination to the Egyptians. (They worshiped cattle.)  “We must go a three-day journey into the wilderness.”

“Okay, okay,” says the fly-covered Pharaoh. “I will let you go and sacrifice to the LORD in the wilderness, but you must not go very far away. PLEAD FOR ME!” 

“Okay, the flies will be gone tomorrow, but YOU’D BETTER NOT CHEAT AGAIN!”

And so, the LORD removed the flies so that not one remained.

But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also.

Genesis 9.

The LORD sends Moses again to Pharaoh. “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me.'” 

This time, it would be a very severe plague on the livestock in the field. Horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks will die.  BUT NOT IN GOSHEN. The animals belonging to the people of Israel would be safe.

The next day, it happened as the LORD said, and the animals of Egypt died. (Pharaoh even sent to check in Goshen and found the Israelite animals well and chomping grass in the fields.)

But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened.

Next, God told Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of soot from the kiln and let MOSES throw it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It will turn to fine dust, spread over Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast, says the LORD.  EEEK! 

So they did it before Pharaoh.  His sorcerers could not even stand on their feet because of the boils, as was true for all of Egypt.

But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

Next, Moses was to go before Pharaoh in the morning and say, “The LORD the God of the Hebrews says ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me.”  Furthermore, He said, “This time I will send all my plagues on YOU, YOURSELF, and the people, so that you may know that there is NONE LIKE ME in all the earth.“

God then explains why He continues to plague (and harden his heart). “For this purpose, I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that My Name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 

Then, through Moses, God proclaimed that the next day would bring hail like they had never seen, VERY HEAVY HAIL.  But, the merciful God warned all in Egypt who would listen to “Send and get any livestock you have in the field into a safe shelter. Every man and beast in the field will die when the hail falls on them.”

(Whoever feared the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into houses.)  Well done, you!

Moses then stretched out his hand toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth (lightning?). There was fire flashing continually in the hail, very heavy hail, not seen since Egypt became a nation.  And all in the fields; man, beast, plant, and tree were stuck down or broken.

But not in Goshen. 

Pharaoh sent for Moses. “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. PLEAD with Him, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”  REALLY… Pharaoh?

“I’ll do it, O Pharaoh, but you do not yet fear the LORD God.”

And Moses was correct. As soon as the rain, hail, and thunder stopped, the king sinned again.

The heart of Pharaoh was hardened.

.

Mass destruction and the final blow will come tomorrow for Pharaoh and Egypt. But deliverance for Israel, as God promised.

 

 

 

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 61

Mar1

    Day 61—  Today we begin the THIRD month of Bible reading! We’ve been reading for over a 1/6 of a year! Praise God! I hope that it’s become a GOOD habit that we will continue.

   Day 61 – Numbers 16 – 17 (Rebellion among the elite & Aaron’s budding staff)

Yesterday, we left the camp of Israel defeated, despondent and angry. They’d been promised the Promise Land, but failed to enter. Now they face 40 LONG years of desert wandering. (The one year at Sinai was bad enough!) They’d even tried to elect a new leader and go back to Egypt.

Grumble, grumble.  In Chapter 15, the rebellion goes to a higher level, to the Levite priests, to the elitist of priests, the ones responsible for the holy objects in the Tabernacle, including the Ark of the Covenant. The Kohathites, led by Korah.

They assemble themselves against Moses and Aaron. “You’ve gone too far!” They claim.  All the congregation is holy, not just you!

In response does Moses argue? No!  He falls on his face (in horror?) He says that God will decide in the morning whom He chooses.  “You’ve gone too far, sons of Levi.”  It’s against God you grumble, not Aaron.

“Who made you a prince over us?” they yell back.

Next morning Korah and all his gang meet at the entrance to the Tabernacle.  God’s glory appeared  to them all, and God told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves and all the “innocent” congregation from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan & Abiram (leaders in the high-rebellion).

Moses then puts a test before them.  If nothing happens to these, then you will KNOW that I am not sent of God. But if the LORD opens the ground and swallows up them and all of theirs, then you will KNOW that they have despised the Lord.

Immediately the earth under them opened and swallowed the three men up, with their households and all the people and goods that belonged to them.  Then the earth closed over them completely.  And fire from God came down and consumed the 250 Kohathites with them who were falsely offering incense. Yikes!

AND STILL!!! the people grumbled against Moses & Aaron. God send a plague that quickly spread through the came.  Moses told Aaron to take fire and incense from the alter and go among the people.  He did, and as High Priest stood between the living and the already dead. And the plague from God that had killed 14,700 Israelites stopped.

Plagues!!  These were supposed to be on the Egyptians, not the Children of God. Oh, how far they had strayed.

In Chapter 17, God further affirms Moses and Aaron as His chosen leaders before the people.  A staff (a dry wooden pole) was gathered, one each from all the heads of tribes. These twelve, along with Aaron’s were placed in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle – next to the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of Almighty God dwelled.  The next day, the one marked with Aaron’s name had brought forth buds, blossomed, and bore ripe almonds. Overnight. Fruit from a dead stick. Proof positive.

(His staff was then stored in the Ark along with the tablets of stone and the jar of manna…. as a remembrance.)

And the people wail that they are “undone” by what they had … done. “Are we all to perish?” they cry.

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 33

Feb2

   Day 33 —  We are in the second month now! We’ve been reading for 1/12th of a year! Praise God. I pray it’s become a GOOD habit that will continue.

   Day 33 – Exodus 10 – 12  (three plagues, Passover, and escape)

The LORD tells Moses that these mighty plagues were not only for Pharoah and all Egypt, but also for Moses to tell to the following generations of Israel so they too would KNOW that He is “the LORD.”

LET MY PEOPLE GO!  Or locusts will destroy your country.

Chapter 10. At this point Pharaoh’s servents tell him to let the slaves go! “Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined??” (Think how Egypt was enriched under the direction of another man of God, Joseph. Now, the entire economy is being destroyed.)

Pharaoh growls out that the Hebrew MEN can go to sacrifice to their God. But when Moses insists that all their children and flocks and herds must go too, Pharaoh erupts in anger, “NO!”  So at the God’s direction, Moses stretched out his hand over Egypt and a great, black hoard of locusts blotted out the sun and covered the land. They devoured the newly sprouting wheat and all fruit and leaves on trees.

Pharaoh agains feigns sorrow and confession of sin and pleads for Moses to ask God to take away “this death” from him. In answer to Moses’ prayer, and in accord to His plan, God caused a great wind to blow every single last locust away from Egypt and into the Red Sea.  And as soon as that was done, the LORD hardened the king’s heart even more.

Without a warning, God brings the ninth plague via Moses’ hand stretched to heaven. Utter and complete thick darkness descends on Egypt for three days (but not in Goshen). It seems that not even a candle could be lit for the people could not even see each other.

The steel-hearted Pharaoh tells Moses that the men AND children can go… but NOT the herds and flocks.  “No deal.” says Moses, and Pharaoh screams for him to get out and NEVER SEE HIS FACE AGAIN.

“Just so,” answers Moses.  In chapter 11, he gives a final warning, telling Pharaoh about the last deadly plague (which God had earlier told Moses about).

“About midnight “I” will go out in the midst of Egypt and every firsborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the slave girl, and even to the first born of the cattle.” But God, through Moses reminds them that not even a dog shall growl against any of the Hebrews.

Then, in hot anger, Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence forever.

Chapter 12. Earlier Moses had given the people of Israel instructions about their “EXODUS.”  First they were to prepare for that dreadful night when the first born sons would die. To keep the angel of death from their homes they were to take a spotless lamb, kill it, and use its blood to mark the doorposts and lintel of their doors. When the Angel saw the blood… he would “pass over” that house and NOT visit it with death.  They would be safe because of the blood of the sacrificed lamb, which ultimately pointed to the sacrificial death of Jesus, THE Lamb of God, to save all who believed and “applied” His blood.

Israel should also prepare to depart Egypt quickly. They were to go to all their neighbors and ask for clothing, silver and gold jewelry. (God gave them favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so they “plundered” Egypt.)  Also their flocks and herds should be round up, their things packed, and a final meal of the roasted lamb, and unleavened bread (no time to let the dough rise) baked.

At midnight, with the last of the meal finished, and dressed in their traveling clothes, backpacks on and staffs in hand, they began to hear “A GREAT CRY” in Egypt. The firstborn sons were dying.  This was the sign, and the people, led by Moses, moved out of Egypt.  All 2+ million of them, which included some Egyptians and other Semitic people who “identified” with Israel’s God, plus huge herds and flocks of animals.

(What a great hole they must have left in Egypt.)

They had been in Egypt 430 years to the day (perhaps counted from when Joseph was first taken there as a slave). God watched until every last one of his “chosen” people walked out of slavery. 12:42

.

(Earlier in chapter 12, God had instructed the people, through Moses, about the meaning of this “Passover,” and how it was to be celebrated annually in remembrance of God’s great deliverance. The blood of the spotless lamb, and the unleavened bread were especially important. These two things are what Jesus points to in the Last (Passover) Supper He celebrated with His disciples, refering to the bread and wine as His body and blood “given for them,” signifying a NEW covenant. Matthew 26:26-28

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 32

Feb1

   Day 32 —  WOW, we are beginnng a new month! We’ve been reading for 1/12 of a year! Praise God. I hope that it’s become a GOOD habit that will continue.

   Day 33 – Exodus 7 – 9  (Powerful proofs, pests, plagues and pestilence)

So far, Moses and Aaron have approached the ruler of Egypt with a demand and a warning. But Pharaoh replies, “WHO is this God that I should obey him? No! And get out!”  And he makes Israel’s slavery even worse.

The brothers (Moses at 80 and Aaron at 83), perform the 3 signs that God showed Moses by the burning bush, but Pharoah is not impressed. “Ha! my magicians can do the same thing!” (And, surprisingly, they do!)  And the heart of Pharoah is hardened.

LET MY PEOPLE GO!  Moses & Aaron stretch their staff over the mighty, worshipped Nile River… and it turns to blood (Plague #1) . Pharaoh’s sorcerers do the same. (WHY don’t they reverse the plague instead of worstening it??!!!) After 7 days, God withdraws the plague. Pharoah’s heart remained hard.

Chapter 8 begins with a repeat demand, LET MY PEOPLE GO! The brothers stretch out the rod over Egypt’s water sources and collections… and they swarm with frogs (Plague #2). The waters, homes, and even drinking pots all are filled with these “sacred” creatures, that the people cannot kill – similar to the cows in India.  (Again the court magicians can make frogs appear!!! But NOT go away.)

EEEKKKKK! Pharaoh pleads with Moses to make them “go away” and he will let the people go away too.  Moses is faithful (he prays). God is faithful (frogs all die the next day). BUT, Pharoah hardens his heart, changes his mind, and says, “No Go!”

LET MY PEOPLE GO!  Then there follows two similar plagues (#3 & #4), both attacking the “bug” gods of the Egyptians. First comes swarms of gnats, and this time Egypt’s finest magicians CANNOT duplicate the gnats. “Hey, King, this is the finger of God!” they proclaim.  BUT Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. He would not listen.

LET MY PEOPLE GO!  Nope! So comes the plague of flies, and this time the Hebrews in Goshen are spared!  Whoa!  Pharaoh calls Moses and says, “Okay, okay, you can sacrifice to your God.” Moses reiterates that they must go out of Egypt to do that.  “Okay, okay!! Just make these flies go away!”

Moses warns him as he leaves, “But don’t cheat this time!” Pharoah waves him away.  Moses prays and God responds. Not a single fly is left. Again… Pharoah hardens his heart. “No flies? Ahhh. But NO GO to the Hebrews.”

LET MY PEOPLE GO!  Or else a plague (#5) will kill YOUR livestock, chariot horses, donkeys, camels, herds & flocks, but NOT those in Israel.  And it was so. Pharaoh even sent people to see if the Hebrews in Goshen were spared. They were!  The wicked king (even seeing all the dead animals) hardens his heart further.

Plague #6 comes without a demand or a warning. Moses throws handfuls of soot from a kiln into the air in Pharoah’s sight and voila! boils all over him, his court & magicians, and the people of Egypt. (The magicians must have had lots on their feet, because they could not even stand up.  Fitting!)

This time GOD hardens Pharoah’s heart. No more chance to repent.

LET MY PEOPLE GO!  As Pharoah resists, God says to him,

“By now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raise you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”

Then God promises to send something on them (#7), that ONLY the God of Heaven can do. Gigantic hail from heaven, and lightning that will run like fire along the ground. This is no sickness, or over-population of algae, amphibians and bugs. This is power from heaven.  In his mercy, God advises the people to bring inside their animals and themselves and they will be safe. Those who listen and obey are saved.

Moses reaches out his staff towards heaven… and the LORD sends thunder, and hail, and fire down from heaven; heavy hail such as has never been seen before, crushing the men and beasts who remained outside, as well as the flax and barley crops.  Except in Goshen.

Pharoah cries before Moses;

  • “I have sinned
  • The Lord is right
  • I and my people are wrong
  • Plead with the Lord. There has been enough hail & thunder
  • I will let you go. You will stay no longer.”

‘Yeah, right, Pharoah!”  Moses knows the king doesn’t fear God, but again shows God is merciful and prays for the judgment from heaven to stop. (The not-yet-sprouted wheat had been spared.)

And guess what? Pharoah reneges again. His heart is like stone.