Exodus 9 “While There Is Still a Chance”

Exodus 9 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Chris Tomlin – Give Us Clean Hands
• Hillsong – I Surrender
• Here’s My Heart Lord – Lauren Daigle

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Plagues of Egypt – Story for Kids
• Create in Me a Clean Heart (Psalm 51) – Song for Kids
• I’m All In | Cave Quest VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• One True God | Scuba VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

Sometime later, God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and warn him that if he does not let the Israelites go, all the livestock of Egypt will become diseased and die (vv. 1–3). However, the livestock of the Israelites will be spared (v. 4). God grants a day of grace, but Pharaoh refuses. The next day, just as God said, a plague strikes, and the Egyptians’ livestock become sick and die (vv. 5–6). Even after confirming that not a single animal among the Israelites had died, Pharaoh remains stubborn (v. 7). This is the fifth plague.

After some time, God instructs Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of soot, toss it into the air in front of Pharaoh, and it will cause festering boils to break out on the Egyptians (vv. 8–9). This time, no warning is given. As Moses and Aaron obey, painful boils break out on the people and animals of Egypt (v. 10). Even the Egyptian magicians, who had been contending with Moses and Aaron until now, are afflicted with the boils (v. 11). Yet Pharaoh still does not yield. This is the sixth plague, and here, for the first time, it is stated that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (v. 12). Until the fifth plague, Pharaoh had hardened his own heart, but now God is the one who hardens it.

Sometime later, God appears again to Moses and Aaron, giving them a new message to deliver to Pharaoh (vv. 13–14). God explains that He could have destroyed Pharaoh and his people with a mighty plague in an instant (v. 15). Still, He chose not to—to lead Pharaoh to repentance and to “proclaim My name through all the earth” (v. 16). God’s intention is not to torment Pharaoh or the Egyptians, but to reveal His power and make His name known. The suffering caused by the plagues is due to Pharaoh’s stubbornness. This time, God warns that He will send a plague of hail (vv. 17–19).

Following God’s command, Moses raises his staff, and an unprecedented hailstorm strikes Egypt, accompanied by thunder and lightning—unlike anything before or after (vv. 22–25). Once again, the region of Goshen, where the Israelites live, is spared (v. 26). At this point, Pharaoh sends for Moses and Aaron and admits, “This time I have sinned” (v. 27). He pleads for the hail to stop and promises to let the Israelites go (v. 28). Moses agrees to pray for the hail to cease. Still, he tells Pharaoh plainly that he knows Pharaoh will change his mind again (vv. 29–30). Moses goes out of the city, lifts his hands in prayer to the Lord, and the hail stops (v. 33). Just as Moses predicted, once the hail ends, Pharaoh sins again and hardens his heart (v. 34). This is the seventh plague.

When reading the story of the ten plagues from Exodus chapters 7 through 10 in one sitting, it may seem that these events happened rapidly over a short period. However, we must read with the understanding that there were significant time intervals between the plagues. Without this perspective, certain aspects become challenging to make sense of. For example, the fifth plague states that all the Egyptian livestock died. Yet in the sixth and seventh plagues, we again read of livestock being affected. This indicates that considerable time must have passed between the fifth and sixth plagues, allowing the Egyptians to replenish their livestock.

The biblical writer conveys only the key events. Today’s readers must carefully consider what might have happened between the lines. The ten plagues were not events compressed into a few days but occurred over several months—or possibly even years.

Meditation:

Though not a believer in God, Pharaoh was certainly aware of His presence. Through his confrontations with Moses, he witnessed God’s presence and power firsthand. Time and again, Pharaoh saw that the gods he had worshiped were powerless before the Lord (YHWH), whom Moses served.

The ten plagues were not merely natural disasters—they were divine assaults and judgments against Egypt’s key idols. Pharaoh was being called to surrender—to lay down his interests and pride before the God of the Hebrews. And yet, to resist that call, he hardened his heart even more.

In the Bible, a “tender heart” refers to a soul that is sensitive and responsive to God, while a “hardened heart” refers to a soul that has become numb and indifferent to God. As the plagues intensified, God increasingly revealed His presence and power. In contrast, Pharaoh hardened his heart to ignore and reject that divine presence. In the account of the seventh plague, the writer tells us: “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again” (v. 34). This shows that hardening one’s heart and resisting the will of God is a sin.

Up to the fifth plague, Scripture describes Pharaoh as the one who hardened his own heart, deliberately rejecting God’s call. But by the sixth plague, the narrative shifts: “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not listen” (v. 12). After repeatedly choosing to harden his own heart, Pharaoh was eventually given over to his sinful resolve—he passed the point of no return. His heart had become so obstinate that God allowed him to be handed over to the consequences of his rebellion. A heart abandoned to sinful desires has no further purpose but to reveal God’s righteousness and justice. It can no longer repent or respond to God’s mercy.

Prayer:

Lord, please keep our hearts soft, sensitive, and pure. Help us not to carelessly give our hearts over to what is unclean. Tune our hearts fully to You, that we may live in harmony with Your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: Even when Pharaoh repeatedly saw God’s power, he chose to harden his heart. God invites us to keep our hearts soft and open to Him so we can recognize His presence, listen to His voice, and follow His ways.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • Have you ever been told to do something good but didn’t want to do it? What happened?
  • What does having a “soft heart” mean toward God? Can you think of something kind you did because you love Jesus?
  • Why do you think Pharaoh kept saying “no” to God even after seeing so many miracles?
    
    
• For Youth
  
  
  • Why do you think people sometimes resist God’s voice, even when they know it’s the right path?
  • In what ways can a heart become “hard” toward God in today’s world? Have you ever experienced this?
  • What practical ways can we keep our hearts soft and responsive to God, especially when life feels challenging or confusing?