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The Beginning of the End
The storm came—thunder and hail, and fire mingled with it, “so
very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since
it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land
of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail
struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.” Ruin
and desolation marked the path of the destroying angel. The land of
Goshen alone was spared.
Pharaoh at Last Relents
All Egypt trembled under the divine judgment. Pharaoh quickly
sent for the two brothers: “I have sinned this time. The Lord is
righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that
there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I
will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Moses knew that the struggle was not over. Pharaoh’s confes-
sions and promises were not the result of any radical change in
his mind but were forced from him by terror and anguish. Moses
promised, however, to grant his request, because he wanted to give
him no reason for further stubbornness. The prophet went out, ig-
noring the fury of the storm, and Pharaoh and all his attendants were
witnesses to the power of Jehovah to preserve His messenger. Moses
“spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail
ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.” But no sooner
had the king recovered from his fears than his heart returned to its
rebellion.
Then the Lord set out to give unmistakable evidence of the
difference He placed between Israel and the Egyptians. He would
cause all nations to know that the Hebrews were under the protection
of the God of heaven. Moses warned the monarch that a plague of
locusts would be sent, which would cover the earth and eat up every
green thing that remained. They would fill the houses, even the
palace itself. He said that this would be a disaster such as “neither
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your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that
they were on the earth to this day.”
The counselors of Pharaoh were horrified. The nation had suf-
fered great loss in the death of the cattle. Many of the people had
been killed by the hail. The forests were broken down and the crops