PLAGUE #6: OUTBREAK OF BOILS AND BLAINS UPON MAN AND BEAST:

“When Pharaoh saw that Egypt was free from the grievous swarm of flies, he hardened his heart again and refused to let Israel go. Then God confronted him with this response:

(Exo. 9:8-9)

“And the Lord said unto Moses, and unto Aaron, take unto you, handfuls of ashes of the furnace and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven, in the sight of Pharaoh.

And It shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains (blisters /inflamed swellings) upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.”

These twin plagues came forth as God commanded Moses and Aaron to do so:

• The twin plagues broke out on Pharaoh’s body as well as every one else.

• Pharaoh’s Magician, Sorcerers, and Soothsayers tried to combat them with their incantations, enchantments or divinations, but could not stand before Moses.

• God had it predestinated that enchantments and divination would be of no match for God’s power. (Num.23:23); It is written:

“Surely, there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

• As God had decreed, boils and blains came upon all beasts, and all Egyptians.

• Again, the same divine protection was exceptionally given to all the Hebrew children dwelling in Goshen and their beasts too.
• PHARAOH, his MAGICIANS and SORCERERS, and all the Soothsayers and Egyptian had no Court of appeal to take Moses and Aaron to, for charges. They had no healing power to administer to themselves or to others.

• No doubt, all Egyptians had several sleepless nights, let alone the discomfort of sitting on their couches and Sofas. Pain from Boils was all over their boil-infested bodies.

• When Israel was on their way to their Promised land, after leaving Egypt, they broke the 5^th COMMANDMENT, in the land of the Moabites, and also committed whoredom with their girls. (Exo. 20:5). God did not take lightly.

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them: (man-made gods; in image forms) nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

• Moses and Aaron were still their Preachers. For provoking God by their defiance, God promptly, and severely, punished them with a plague which took a toll of 24,000 casualties in a matter of hours. (Num.25:9)

“And those that died in the Plague were twenty and four thousand”

• Is it a surprise to NONE-BIBLE READERS and/or BELIEVER to see the numbers being reported in the media, what COVID-19 is claiming daily worldwide? Such deaths are unusual as Moses explained in another onslaught of different plagues.

(Num. 16:29-30; 32): (The earth opened up and buried people alive)

If these men die THE COMMON DEATH of all men, or if they be visited AFTER THE VISITATION OF ALL MEN; then the Lord hath not sent me.

But if the Lord make A NEW THING, and THE EARTH OPEN HER MOUTH, and SWALLOW THEM UP, with all that appertain unto them, and they GO DOWN QUICK into the pit; then you shall understand that these men HAVE PROVOKED THE LORD.

The earth that was under them, indeed clave asunder; opened her mouth; and swallowed them up, and their houses; and all the men that appertain unto Korah, and all their goods.

• The Boils upon Pharaoh, the Magicians and all the Egyptians didn’t soften Pharaoh’s heart nor aroused any compassion from Pharaoh to his own subjects, to plead for mercy from God.

• God simply decided to send more terrible Plagues upon Egypt, while they were still suffering from Boils and Blains.

• Other plagues with unusual death tolls will come later.

PLAGUE #7: A GRIEVOUS HAIL STORM, MIXED WITH THUNDER AND FIRE ON THE GROUND:

God through Moses, questioned Pharaoh in this manner: As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? (Exo. 9:17)

(Exo. 9:14-16): “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.

This is Pharaoh’s 7^TH, provocation of the LORD, and upon that, he went into action against him as he had declared.

“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.

God forewarned Pharaoh that any beast, or person not brought home for shelter, will die from the Hails storm.

• Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven as God commanded: The Lord sent Thunder and hail, and fire ran along upon the ground.
• 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 broke every tree of the field.

• Only in the land of GOSHEN, where the children of Israel lived, was there no hail.

• For the first time, Pharaoh, as Ruler of Egypt, as a result of six consecutive plagues, finally and openly, admitted, and confessed the righteousness of God. He also acknowledged his own sinfulness and the wickedness of his people.

• God has a time and means to humble the proud; and bring them to their knees. Pharaoh took a long time to learn this lesson, but he finally came to grips with it.

• Again, the Egyptian’s means of livelihood was destroyed. Farm crops, and fruit trees perished with animals which survived the murrain. God knows what to touch to bring man to his knees.

• The Bible said this about this plague: “... there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation” (Exo. 9:24)

LESSONS TO LEARN: FROM THIS PLAGUE UPON PHARAOH & EGYPT AND ITS OBJECTIVE:

(i). Anything that is grievous in nature and magnitude, will bring a man to his knees, first.

(ii). Grievous tests and trials will bring into manifestation, whether a person is of the seed of God or of the devil. Satan’s seed cannot and does not repent. see below:

(Rev 9:20-21).

“And the rest of the men which were not killed BY THESE PLAGUES yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts,”

Pharaoh, was squeezed to a point where he had to acknowledge God, and his own sinfulness. But he did it only to get some relief. When the plague was abating, he quickly went back to his impenitent nature. Then God sent more severer plagues.

PLAGUE #8: A GRIEVOUS SWARMS OF LOCUSTS OVER THE FACE OF THE EARTH IN EGYPT:

(Exo. 10:12-13). 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 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 Locusts.

• The locusts filled the houses of Pharaoh, his servants, and all Egyptians, like never before, neither will be thereafter.

• Nothing like that was ever seen by them, their fathers and their fathers’ fathers, since the day they were upon the earth, unto that day.

• The locusts did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left, until there remained not anything green

• Pharaoh’s servant ultimately took courage and spoke out; “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?

• Does that sound familiar with subjects of a nation, drawing attention to their leader about the calamity befalling their nation? When that happened in Egypt, the day came when some Egyptians knew that it was God doing it, and, they spoke out. But Pharaoh continued to remain adamant to their voices.

• Pharaoh eventually, conceded to let them go, while wishing them evil where they were going. (Exo. 10:10).
• When Pharaoh saw that there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field in all the land of Egypt, he called and told Moses and Aaron:

(a). I have sinned against The Lord your God, and against you.

(b). Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and

(c). Intreat The Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

• For the first time Pharaoh, accepted he had sinned against God and his two servants Moses and Aaron. and pleaded for forgiveness; and the removal of the eminence of

death from him. When death comes that close, then leaders are moved.

• God told Moses, why he hardened Pharaoh’s heart: (Exo.10:1-2):

“... That I might SHOW THESE MY SIGNS BEFORE HIM; and

that THOU MAYEST TELL IN THE EARS of thy sons 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.

• God wanted these objectives to be understood and be known as coming from him and executed by him.

• Then, the Lord, turned a mighty strong West Wind which took away the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea, until there remained not one locust in all the coast of Egypt.
• Then God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he, again would not let Israel go. Then The Lord sent another Plague.

Continue on to [Part 3].

Pastor Martin Tombe.

Restored Bible Truth Assembly.