Hello and welcome to today’s Exodus 9 bible study for beginners. In this chapter we will read about the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues of Egypt. According to Bible scholars, the events of Exodus 9 took place in 1446 B.C. approximately.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Exodus 9 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Exodus 9. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Exodus 8, we read and learned about the second, third, and fourth plagues of Egypt. Today, we will explore the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues of Egypt. It keeps getting interesting especially when we dive deep into the significance behind these chapters and God keeps revealing Himself to us through these chapters.
Backstory on Exodus 8
God sent the second, third, and fourth plagues upon Egypt. The second plague was frogs, the third was lice, and the fourth was flies. Each of these plagues caused great discomfort for the Egyptian people and Pharaoh’s servants. While Pharaoh acknowledged the Lord as the Lord, he refused to let His people go to worship Him in the wilderness. He pleaded with Moses to intercede with God and remove the plagues. However, each time Moses interceded and God withdrew the plagues, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sinned against the Lord.
Without any further delay, let us study together and learn what is Exodus 9 about, shall we?
Exodus 9 Summary
The Lord commanded Moses to approach Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. He warned Pharaoh that if he refused, a severe pestilence would strike Egypt’s livestock, but the Israelites’ livestock would be spared. The Lord set a specific time for this event to occur. The next day, all of Egypt’s livestock died while none of the Israelites’ livestock perished. Despite witnessing this miracle, Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he did not let the Israelites go.
The Lord instructs Moses and Aaron to take ashes from a furnace and scatter them in Pharaoh’s presence. This act causes painful boils to break out on both humans and animals throughout Egypt. The Egyptian magicians are unable to stand before Moses due to the boils affecting them as well. Despite this affliction, the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart, and he refuses to heed their warning, fulfilling what the Lord had previously told Moses.
The Lord commands Moses to confront Pharaoh, demanding the release of His people and warning him of impending plagues to demonstrate His power. A severe hailstorm is foretold, which will devastate the land and kill both people and livestock left outdoors. While some of Pharaoh’s servants heed the warning and make their servants and livestocks take shelter, others do not.
Moses follows God’s instructions and stretches out his hand, resulting in a destructive hailstorm accompanied by thunder and fire. The hail causes widespread devastation across Egypt, but the land of Goshen, where the Israelites live, remains unharmed.
Pharaoh acknowledges his wrongdoing and asks Moses to pray for relief, promising to release the Israelites. However, after the storm ceases, Pharaoh hardens his heart again and refuses to let the people go, defying God’s command.
Exodus 9 Commentary
1. Exodus 9:1-7
God struck the Egyptian livestock because it was their means of living and earning a livelihood. This was a direct attack on their prosperity. At the same time, He protected His own people, creating a clear distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Pharaoh tested the Lord by sending people to verify whether any livestock had died in Goshen, where the Israelites lived, and he found that it was true—none had perished. Despite witnessing this miracle, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to relent.
Similar to the other plagues, this was yet another direct assault by God against the Egyptian deities, particularly Hathor—the cow goddess and fertility goddess—and her son, the Apis, a bull associated with the underworld. God attacked their kingdoms to demonstrate to both the Egyptians and the Israelites that there was no one like Him. God’s power is unmatched. As we read Exodus 9 and all the previous chapters, we can’t help but stand in awe of God’s strength and might. No Egyptian deity could withstand His power, and no false god was able to protect the Egyptian cattle and livestock from the very severe pestilence sent by God Almighty.
2. Exodus 9:8-12
The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes from a furnace and have Moses scatter them towards the heavens in the presence of Pharaoh. As a result, this dust broke out into sores on both man and beast throughout Egypt, and the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils. Pharaoh’s initial call to the magicians, when Aaron’s rod turned into a serpent, was already an act of defiance against God’s power, suggesting that God’s signs could be replicated by mere mortals. That was a sin in itself. However, after the second plague of frogs, Pharaoh’s magicians were unable to replicate anything that God did. Even their first two attempts to copy God, I imagine, were made with great difficulty and numerous enchantments.
Why boils?
Now, why boils? God first affected the Egyptian livestock, making it clear that the next target would be the people themselves. This was a direct challenge to the Egyptian deities Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis. Sekhmet was worshiped by the Egyptians to prevent diseases, while they wore amulets of Sunu to ward off illness. Neither could protect the Egyptians from the judgment of the One True Living God. They suffered from oozing and leprous boils all over their bodies.
They also worshiped Isis, who was believed to have healing powers, but even she could do nothing against God’s judgment. Serapis, the Egyptian god of healing, and Imhotep, the god of medicine, were equally powerless to help the Egyptians withstand God’s severe judgment. As we read through Exodus 9, we can imagine the Egyptian people frantically discussing the plagues and then doing their rituals and praying to their gods for help, but there was no one to help them. God Himself had to withdraw the plagues from them every single time when Moses prayed because of Pharaoh’s pleas for relief and the false promise of letting God’s people go.
At this point, everyone in the land of Egypt would have understood who held ultimate power. They were witnessing a force unlike any other—the Lord God Almighty, the Maker of the heavens and the earth.
3. Exodus 9:13-35
When the Lord sent the seventh plague of hail, He was merciful and warned Pharaoh and the Egyptians to gather their livestock and everything they had in the fields. He stated that the hail would come upon every man and animal left in the fields, and they would die. The laborers and slaves in the fields were vital to many Egyptians, and the livestock represented their means of livelihood.
By the end of the sixth plague, Pharaoh’s servants had witnessed a power they had never experienced before. None of their so-called powerful false gods could save them from the judgment of the Almighty God. Some of them heeded the warning and quickly brought their laborers and livestock indoors. They understood that God was serious, so they did not just walk or run; they fled. However, some other Pharaoh’s servants disregarded the warning and left their servants and livestock in the fields. The calamity consisted not only of heavy hail, but also thunder, and fire that fell from the sky, striking the ground and everything in its vicinity.
Only Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was free from hail, demonstrating once again that the Lord made a distinction between His children and the Egyptians.
Pharaoh admits his sin for the first time
This time, Pharaoh acknowledged to Moses that he had sinned and admitted that the Lord was righteous while he and his people were wicked. He proclaimed that he had enough and would let the people go. Moses prayed and the hail, thunder, and fire stopped because God heeded Moses’s prayer. However, Pharaoh hardened his heart again when relief came. Some people never learn; as is the case with Pharaoh.
Why hail?
This plague was also a direct assault against the Egyptian false goddess Nut, who ruled the skies, and Set, the Egyptian god, who was a trickster and considered the master of storms and disorder. Yet neither of their gods could prevent the hail, thunderstorms, and fire that resulted from God’s judgment even though they were considered gods, by the Egyptians, who controlled these elements.
The Egyptians would have been shocked to realize that they were worshiping gods who had no power against the Lord of Israel. These false gods were, in fact, demons. Tricksters and God do not belong in the same sentence. Satan is the ultimate trickster; anything apart from God is not of God. It is interesting to note that there is also a similarity between the shape of the boils and the shape of the hail. God’s divine order can be seen even in the order of the plagues and their shapes and similarities to each other.
Exodus 9 Lessons
What can we learn from Exodus 9?
1. God is omnipotent
In Exodus 9, we see the Omnipotence of God; He is All-powerful and Almighty. He is the highest authority in the entire universe and beyond. No false god and no human can match His power and might. It is a dangerous situation to fall into the hands of the living God, as Pharaoh and his servants did, along with the Egyptian people.
This same God also delivered the Egyptians through Joseph as part of His rescue plan for Jacob and his sons during the severe famine that affected Egypt and the surrounding lands. None of the Egyptians’ false gods could help them during the famine in Joseph’s time, nor could they protect them from the judgment of Almighty God in Moses’s time.
2. God is mercifiul and gives many chances to the wicked to repent
Even though humans often rebel against God at the slightest opportunity, He does not punish them immediately. Instead, He extends mercy. Regarding the Egyptians, God warned Pharaoh many times to let His people go, but he did not listen. In Exodus 9, we see God being merciful to the Egyptians once again by giving them a chance to bring their servants and livestock inside their homes before the hail struck. Fortunately, some listened and took cover, while others did not and faced the consequences. He is the God of both Jews and Gentiles because He is our Maker and Creator.
3. God is able to protect His own
God is both able and willing to protect His people. The Israelites had no reason to fear what befell Egypt; they were completely shielded from all harm and danger. God intentionally demonstrated His protection to show that He had come to rescue them, creating a clear separation between them and the Egyptians. He is the redeemer of Israel, revealing this aspect of His nature to the Israelites so they would recognize and believe that the God of their forefathers and the covenant made with Him is still active. God will do everything in His power to defend His covenant with His people. When you become a born-again believer, you enter into a covenant with the living God through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Just as He protected the Israelites, He is able to safeguard His people (you) today.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Exodus 9. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Exodus 9. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!