The Plague of Locusts
May 12, 2020
Commentary
The Lord says he has made the king and his officials stubborn because He wants to work these miracles (v. 1). He also wants the Hebrews to tell their children and grandchildren about His miracles and the harsh treatment of the Egyptians (v. 2) Then they will know that He is Lord. This time when Moses and Aaron came unto Pharaoh and spoke for the Lord God of the Hebrews they asked, “How long wilt you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me” (v. 3). If you don’t release my people before tomorrow I will cover the ground with so many locusts you won’t be able to see the ground (vv. 4-5).
This time even Pharaoh’s servants ask him to let the Israelites go that they may serve the Lord their God (vv. 6-7). Pharaoh then says the men may go and serve the Lord but the women and children were not to go (v. 8). Moses told Pharaoh that we will all go with our families but Pharaoh wouldn’t listen (vv. 9-10). Then the Lord commanded Moses to stretch out his rod over the land of Egypt and the Lord brought an east wind for all day and night (vv. 11-12). The next morning the wind brought the eighth plague of locusts that covered the whole earth and darkened the air by the swarms of them (vv. 13-15). The locust destroyed every growing green thing in the land. Because the king was frightened, he quickly called for Moses and Aaron. He told them he had sinned against the Lord and against them(v. 16). He asked forgiveness and that God would take the locusts away (v. 17). Again Moses prayed and God sent a strong west wind that drove all the locusts into the Red Sea (vv. 18-19). However, again Pharaoh made his heart hard and would not let the people go (v 20).
Application
I can remember a few times before I was saved that I told the Lord I would serve Him if He got me out of a difficult situation. I believe the first prayer He heard was when I asked Him to save me.
Exodus 10:1– 20 (NET)
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order to display these signs of mine before him, 2 and in order that in the hearing of your son and your grandson you may tell how I made fools of the Egyptians and about my signs that I displayed among them, so that you may know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has said: ‘How long do you refuse to humble yourself before me? Release my people so that they may serve me! 4 But if you refuse to release my people, I am going to bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. 5 They will cover the surface of the earth, so that you will be unable to see the ground. They will eat the remainder of what escaped —what is left over for you—from the hail, and they will eat every tree that grows for you from the field. 6 They will fill your houses, the houses of your servants, and all the houses of Egypt, such as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since they have been in the land until this day!’” Then Moses turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us? Release the people so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Exactly who is going with you?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our sheep and our cattle we will go, because we are to hold a pilgrim feast for the Lord.”
10 He said to them, “The Lord will need to be with you if I release you and your dependents! Watch out! Trouble is right in front of you. 11 No! Go, you men only, and serve the Lord, for that is what you want.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat everything that grows in the ground, everything that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all night. The morning came, and the east wind had brought up the locusts! 14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the territory of Egypt. It was very severe; there had been no locusts like them before, nor will there be such ever again. 15 They covered the surface of all the ground so that the ground became dark with them, and they ate all the vegetation of the ground and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on the trees or on anything that grew in the fields throughout the whole land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you! 17 So now, forgive my sin this time only, and pray to the Lord your God that he would only take this death away from me.” 18 Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, 19 and the Lord turned a very strong west wind, and it picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites.
Illustration: Spurgeon “the devil whispered in my ear”
The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon was keenly aware of the dangers of pride. After his sermon one Sunday, Spurgeon was met by a woman who exclaimed, “Oh, Mr. Spurgeon, that was wonderful.” “Yes, madam,” Spurgeon replied, “so the devil whispered in my ear as I came down the steps of the pulpit.” Spurgeon had it right. Genuine compliments are no sin, but he knew that puffing God’s people up with pride is one of Satan’s favorite tactics. One reason the enemy uses this trick so often is that it is so successful. (Today in the Word, February 27, 1997, p. 34).