Moses; Part 6: The First Nine Plagues

God performed several miracles because Pharaoh's heart was hard but also because God wanted to glorify himself among the Egyptians. God wanted the Egyptians to understand that he is the Lord (Exo 7:5). So did many Egyptians, they repented and turned to the Lord (Exo 11:3, 12:36, 38). God sent the plagues not only to free the people of Israel, but also because of his mercy to the Egyptians.

The Lord told Moses and Aaron that when Pharaoh asked for a miracle, Moses would tell Aaron to throw his staff in front of Pharaoh and it would become a snake. They did so. The Egyptian magicians also did the same thing through their secret arts (see Jannes and Jambres (2 Tim 3:7–9)). Each threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he wouldn't listen to them,
just as the Lord had said. (Exo 7:8–13).

Then the Lord carried out plagues over Egypt through Moses and Aaron.
(Psalm 105:23–35, 78:44–49, 135:9):

1. Moses went to Pharaoh when he was on the banks of the Nile, and took in his hand the staff which turned into a snake. Then he would tell Pharaoh that he would know that God is the Lord when he stroked the water of the Nile with the staff, and it turned to blood. The fish in the Nile would die, and the river would stink; the Egyptians won't be able to drink its water. Moses would tell
   Aaron to take his staff and stretch out his hand over the waters of Egypt, over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs, and they would turn to blood. Blood would be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone. Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded and all the water turned to blood. But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they couldn't drink the water of the river. (Exo 7:14–24).
2. Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile. Then the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go so they could worship him. If he refused, God would send a plague of frogs over his entire land. The Nile would teem with frogs. Aaron would stretch out his hand with his staff over the streams and canals and ponds and cause frogs to come up over the land of Egypt. So he did and it happened as God had said. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also caused frogs to come up in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh then asked Moses and Aaron to pray to the Lord to take the frogs away, and he would let his people go to sacrifice to the Lord. Moses agreed that Pharaoh would know that there is no one like the Lord their God. But when he saw that there was relief, Pharaoh hardened his heart and wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 
   (Exo 7:25–8:15).
3. Then the Lord told Moses that he would tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the dust of the ground, and in all the land of Egypt the dust would become gnats. They did so. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they couldn't. They told Pharaoh that this was the finger of God. But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn't
   listen, just as the Lord had said. (Exo 8:16–19).
4. Then the Lord told Moses to confront Pharaoh when he went to the river and tell him that the Lord wanted the people to go so they could worship him. If he didn't, he would send swarms of flies against him and his officials, over his people and into their houses. There would be no swarms of flies in the 
   land of Goshen, so that Pharaoh would know that this was from God. Then Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron that they should go and sacrifice to their God, but within the land. Moses didn't accept that. He replied that they must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord their God, as he had commanded them. Pharaoh said that he would let them go to sacrifice to the Lord their God in the wilderness, but they weren't allowed to go very far. They should pray for him. Moses replied that he would pray to the Lord, and that the flies would leave Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. The Lord did what Moses asked and the flies disappeared. But even this time Pharaoh hardened his heart and didn't want to let the people go. 
   (Exo 8:20–32).
5. Then the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let his people go so that they could worship him. If Pharaoh refused, the hand of the Lord would bring a terrible plague upon their livestock in the field, on their horses, donkeys, camels, and on their cattle, sheep and goats. But the Lord would make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites would die. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. But Pharaoh's heart was unyielding and he wouldn't let the people go. 
   (Exo 9:1–7).
6. Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of soot from a furnace and toss it into the air in Pharaoh's presence. There would be fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils would break out on people and animals throughout the land. That also happened. The magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he wouldn't
   listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had told Moses. (Exo 9:8–12).
7. Then the Lord told Moses to confront Pharaoh and tell him to let his people go so they could worship him. Otherwise, God would send the full force of his plagues against him, his officials, and his people, so that Pharaoh would know that there is none like him in all the Earth. God had raised him up for this very purpose, to show him his power, so that God's name might be proclaimed throughout the Earth. Pharaoh still wouldn't let them go. Therefore, God would send the worst hailstorm that ever fell upon Egypt, from the day it was founded until now. They should therefore give orders to bring their livestock and everything they had in the field to a place of shelter, for the hail would fall upon all the people and animals that hadn't been brought in and were still out in the field, and they would die. Pharaoh's officials fearing the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field. When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck down everything in the fields, both people and animals; it beat down everything that grew in the fields and stripped every tree. The flax and barley were destroyed, because the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. However, the wheat and spelt weren't destroyed, as 
   they ripen later. The only place it didn't hail was at the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were. Then Pharaoh admitted to Moses and Aaron that he had sinned, and he would let them go. Moses prayed to the Lord and the thunder stopped and there would be no more hail. When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: Pharaoh and his officials hardened their hearts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn't let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.
   (Exo 9:13–35).
8. Then the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh. The Lord had hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that God would perform these signs of him among them, so that they could tell their children and grandchildren how he dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how he did his signs among them, so that they could know that he is the Lord. So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and asked him how long he would refuse to humble himself before God. He would let the people go, so they could worship the Lord. If he refused to let them go, he would bring locusts into their land. They would cover the face of the ground so that it can't be seen. They would devour what little they had left after the hail, including all the trees that grew in their fields. Pharaoh’s officials asked Pharaoh to let the people go, so they could worship the Lord their God. Egypt was ruined. Then Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron that they should go and worship the Lord their God. But only the men were allowed to go and worship the Lord. Then Moses and Aaron
   were driven away from Pharaoh's presence. The Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand over Egypt, so that locusts would swarm over the land and devoured everything that grew in the fields, everything left by the hail. So also occurred. Pharaoh then admitted that he had sinned against the Lord their God and against them. Moses then prayed to the Lord, and the locusts were carried into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn't let the Israelites go. (Exo 10:1–20).
9. Then the Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand towards the sky so that
   darkness would spread over Egypt. Moses did so, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move for three days. But all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. Then Pharaoh told Moses that he should go and worship the Lord. Even their women and children could go with him; only their flocks and herds must be left behind. But Moses didn't accept it. The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wasn't willing to let them go with their flocks and herds. Pharaoh told Moses to go out of his sight and not appear before him again. On the day he would see his face, Moses would die. Moses replied that he would never appear before him again. (Exo 10:21–29).

See the meaning of "hardened his heart" explained at time 10:25–12:34 in
Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ July 2023. Also see it explained at time 7:35–12:26
in DAVID GUZIK SERMON ON EXODUS 7 I AM God Alone Part 1.

That the Egyptian magicians could also do miracles (see the miracle above with the staff and the two first plagues) shows that there are miracles that don't come from the Lord. We must be in the word not to be deceived by such miracles.

Moses didn't compromise with Pharaoh when he tried to meet him halfway at the 4th, 8th, and 9th plague. Moses was careful to do exactly what God commanded him to do. Moses is here a role model for how to act on such occasions. Balaam unfortunately compromised, see Balaam and Balak.

In the 5th plague, only the livestock in the field died, meaning that all the other livestock in Egypt weren't affected. At the 7th plague, God told them what to do to get protection from the hailstorm. This shows God's grace.

For the next part, see Moses; Part 7: The 10th Plague.

For all parts, see Moses; Part 1: Introduction.