By Dr. J. Ligon Duncan 3rd
We come today to the sixth and seventh plagues sent by God as judgment on Pharaoh and Egypt. Several themes have emerged thus far in our study, perhaps none so overwhelmingly as the proposition that God is sovereign over all. That theme continues today in Exodus 9:8-35. Take a moment and read that passage now.
The plagues become progressively worse and more dangerous. This plague impacts and impels human life. The fifth plague had been against the livestock. This plague, however, explicitly is against man and beast. Here you see God moving from attacking the possessions and the household of Egypt to attacking the bodies of the Egyptians. If lesser judgments do not work, God will send greater ones.
This plague identifies the vulnerability of our bodies to disease and death. And thus, it is a warning against Pharaoh and those who support him. God will reckon with those who aid the wicked in wickedness. And he reckons with the magicians, and even they are infected along with the rest of the Egyptians.
And it reminds us too that Satan is unable to protect those who are in a league with Him. God protects His people, but Satan is unable to protect his, and the magicians fall before Moses.
Secondly, in verse 12, we see the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. This is unique in the plague stories. For the very first time in the plague narratives, we are told that God hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Now what are we to make of that?
We are being told here that in God’s sovereignty, there is an administration of judgment on Pharaoh in which God gives Pharaoh exactly what he wants. Pharaoh’s heart is hardened not by pressing him to go against his desires, but in hardening him in the very desires of his heart.
This is the sorest judgment this side of hell, when God grants the wicked to go their own way and to follow their own pleasure. Pharaoh once again refuses to listen to Moses and Aaron. This is the practical manifestation of a hard heart. And this is precisely what Paul is speaking of in Romans, chapter 1, when he repeats that horrible phrase “God gave them over.” “God gave them over.” “God gave them over.” Pharaoh gets exactly what he wants and it ends up being self-destruction.
In verses 13 through 21 God reveals His twin purposes for the plagues. This passage is crucial for our understanding of God’s providence. God’s providence often has dual purposes. We can see that He is calling out His people to serve Him, and He is at the same time teaching the Egyptians that He is God.
On the one hand we see God’s grace and His mercy as He patiently visits progressively more serious plagues (when He could have simply wiped out the Egyptians from the very beginning), and on the other hand, He displays His sovereignty by utterly destroying the false gods of Egypt.
On the one hand, He’s bringing His people out of bondage; on the other hand He is raining judgment on His enemies. God can do many things with the same action. It’s a display of His sovereignty. We are usually unable to kill two birds with one stone. God does it all the time.
And then finally in verses 27-35, during this encounter between Moses and Pharaoh, we see God’s sovereignty in Pharaoh’s admission of sin. Pharaoh, in verse 27, does something fairly amazing. He confesses his sin. Look at his words.
“I have sinned this time.” And Moses responds by saying, “I will pray for you, but I will pray for you so that you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. God is in charge of the world, and the reason that I’m going to pray, is not because I believe what you just said, but because I want you to know that the world belongs to God.”
And he goes on to say in verse 30, “I’m not impressed by your confession. I don’t believe yet that you fear the Lord God of Israel, but I’m going to pray anyway.” And so Moses prays and then Pharaoh lies. Having promised to release the people, he hardens his heart, and he changes his mind, and he lies. And so not only do we have a passage in which the god of Egypt confesses his sin, but we have a passage in which he lies.
You see, the God of Israel is mocking the god of Egypt and is showing His sovereignty even in Pharaoh’s admission of his sin. God is sovereign over the world, and we see it even here in His command of the sky. He’s sovereign over His enemies, He’s sovereign in His grace, and He’s sovereign in His judgment.
The Rev. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan 3rd is senior Minister of The First Presbyterian Church of Jackson. He can be reached at 601-353-8316 or by e-mail at sarahu@fpcjackson.org.
