Israel Leaves Egypt
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Pharaoh, the proud king, who once inquired, Who is the Lord that
I should obey his voice? humbled himself and said, I have sinned.
The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. He begged
of Moses to be his intercessor with God that the terrific thunder and
lightning might cease.
The Lord next sent the dreadful plague of the locusts. The king
chose to receive the plagues rather than to submit to God. Without
remorse he sees his whole kingdom under the miracle of these dreadful
judgments. The Lord then sent darkness upon Egypt. The people were
not merely deprived of light, but the atmosphere was very oppressive,
so that breathing was difficult, yet the Hebrews had a pure atmosphere,
and light in their dwellings. One more dreadful plague God brought
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upon Egypt, more severe than any before it. It was the king and his
idolatrous priests who opposed to the last the request of Moses. The
people desired that the Hebrews should be permitted to leave Egypt.
Moses related to Pharaoh, and to the people of Egypt, also to the
Israelites, the nature and effect of the last plague. On that night, so
terrible to the Egyptians, and so glorious to the people of God, was the
solemn ordinance of the passover instituted.
It was very hard for the Egyptian king and a proud and idolatrous
people, to yield to the requirements of the God of Heaven. Very slow
was the king of Egypt to yield. While under most grievous affliction
he would yield a little, but when the affliction was removed, he would
take back all he had granted. Thus plague after plague was brought
upon Egypt, and he yielded no more than he was compelled to do by
the dreadful visitations of God’s wrath. The king even persisted in his
rebellion after Egypt had been ruined. Moses and Aaron related to
Pharaoh the nature and effect of each plague which should follow his
refusal to let Israel go. Every time he saw these plagues come exactly
as he was told they would come. Yet he would not yield. First he
would only grant them permission to sacrifice to God in the land of
Egypt. Then after Egypt had suffered by God’s wrath, he granted that
the men alone should go. After Egypt had been nearly destroyed by
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the plague of the locusts, then he granted that their children and their
wives might go also; but would not let their cattle go. Moses then told
the king that the angel of God would slay their first-born.
Every plague had come a little closer and more severe, and this
was to be more dreadful than any before it. But the proud king was