Ten Plagues of Egypt
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go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord.” They requested him to
appoint a time when they should pray for the removal of the plague.
He set the next day, secretly hoping the frogs might disappear of
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themselves and thus save him from the bitter humiliation of submitting
to the God of Israel. The plague, however, continued till the time
specified, when throughout all Egypt the frogs died. But their putrid
bodies, which remained, polluted the atmosphere.
The Lord could have caused them to return to dust in a moment;
but He did not do this, lest the king and his people should pronounce
it the result of enchantment like the work of the magicians. The frogs
died and were then gathered together in heaps, evidence that this work
was not accomplished by magic but was a judgment from the God of
heaven.
“When Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart.”
At the command of God, Aaron stretched out his hand, and the dust
of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh
called upon the magicians to do the same, but they could not. The
magicians acknowledged, “This is the finger of God.” But the king
was still unmoved.
Another judgment was inflicted. Flies filled the houses, so that
“the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.” These flies
were large and venomous, and their bite was extremely painful. As
foretold, this visitation did not extend to the land of Goshen.
Pharaoh Hardens His Heart
Pharaoh now offered the Israelites permission to sacrifice in Egypt,
but they refused. “It is not meet,” said Moses. “Lo, shall we sacrifice
the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they
not stone us?” The animals which the Hebrews would be required to
sacrifice were among those regarded as sacred by the Egyptians. To
slay one even accidentally was a crime punishable with death.
Moses again proposed to go three days’ journey into the wilderness.
The monarch consented and begged the servants of God to entreat that
the plague might be removed. They promised to do this but warned
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him against dealing deceitfully with them. The plague was stayed, but
the king’s heart had become hardened by persistent rebellion, and he
still refused to yield.