The Ten Plagues: Introduction and Characteristics

Scripture reading: Exodus 7:3-5

Exodus 7:3 ESV

But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,

Exodus 7:4 ESV

Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.

Exodus 7:5 ESV

The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

Introduction

Hungry rats were put in an environment where a spring was attached to their tails to measure the force they exerted. The researchers put the smell of cheese ahead of the rats, and the rats pulled hard. The researchers put the smell of a cat behind the rats. Do you think they pulled harder than with the cheese?

Tonight is all cat, no cheese.

The ten plagues of God have to do with God’s judgement upon sin. But they also have to do with the salvation of God’s people from the place of sin. So I guess there’s the cheese. And there are three places in the Bible when such plagues happen.

The plagues that saved Abraham’s descendants from Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20)

The plagues that saved Abraham’s descendants from Egypt (Exodus 7-12)

The plagues that saved Abraham’s descendants from Egypt (Revelation 18)

The first time we see this happening is in Gen. 12:10-20, where Abraham goes down to Egypt and Pharaoh takes Sarah for himself. But God sends plagues upon Pharaoh, and he gives Sarah back to Abraham. The descendants of Abraham would come through Sarah, so the plagues saved Abraham’s descendants from Egypt.

The second time is the focus of today’s study, where the ten plagues delivered the Israelites from Egypt in Exodus 7-12.

The third time is in Revelation, where the terrible plagues come upon the great city called Egypt.

Revelation 15:1 ESV

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

So let’s spend the next half an hour looking at the ten plagues in the book of Exodus, and I pray that we will gain courage to cling tightly onto God, especially in these end times.

Aaron’s staff that swallowed up the serpents of Egypt

God told Aaron to throw his staff before Pharaoh. And Aaron’s staff turned into a serpent. Pharaoh’s magicians also threw their staffs as well, and their staffs also turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

Exodus 7:10 ESV

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.

Exodus 7:11–12 ESV

Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

Serpent (תַּנִּין/tannin): Dragon, sea-monster, cobra.

Swallow (בלע/bala)

And by Aaron’s staff swallowing up the serpents of Pharaoh, it points to the future in which the Red Sea would swallow up the Egyptian army.

Exodus 15:12 (ESV)

You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

And when Moses came under attack by the rebel faction of Korah, God threatened to swallow them up.

Numbers 16:32 ESV

And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.

So through the incident of Aaron’s staff swallowing up the serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians, God was showing what He does to those who rebel against His Word.

But God also foreshadows the victory that belongs to the descendants of Abraham.

Isaiah 25:8 (ESV)

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

The ten plagues

Plague of blood

Plague of frogs

Plague of gnats

Plague of flies

Plague of pestilence

Plague of boils

Plague of hail

Plague of locusts

Plague of darkness

Plague of firstborn

The ten plagues are God’s signs and wonders.

Exodus 7:3 (ESV)

But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt,

The first thing we can recognize is that God emphasizes they are His signs and wonders, and no one else’s.

He says I multiply my signs and my wonders. This tells us that every one of the ten plagues came through God’s will and God’s power. Moses and Aaron were only God’s tools to fulfill His work. From a worldly perspective they might have seemed powerful, but it was only God’s power working through them.

Signs (אוֹת/oth)

Wonders (מוֹפֵת/mopheth)

That’s why the staff that Moses and Aaron used wasn’t called the staff of Moses or Aaron, but the staff of God.

Exodus 4:20 ESV

So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Big God, little things: The ten plagues were made of little things

And to highlight that it was God’s power alone, God chose to plague Egypt with the little things.

God worked through the little things

Tiny dust became gnats (Ex. 8:16-19)

Small Flies (Ex. 8:20-32)

Invisible virus that caused pestilence (Ex. 9:1-7)

Two handfuls of soot (Ex. 9:8-12)

Small locusts (Ex. 10:1-20)

By using the little things, God overturned the power of the most powerful nation at the time. So we too, even though we may be small and weak by the world’s standards, if God holds us in His hand, we can be used as a tool for the greatest work of all. What is that work? The work of redemption.

The plagues got worse and worse

The magicians of Egypt could imitate the first plague of water into blood, and the second plague of frogs.

Exodus 7:21–22 ESV

And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Exodus 8:6–7 ESV

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

But these Egyptian magicians couldn’t copy the third plague, and all the following plagues after that.

Exodus 8:18 ESV

The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.

And what we see in the Hebrew is that from the fifth plague onwards, we have the expression kabed meod, which means ‘very harsh’ or ‘very heavy.’

Kabed moed (כָּבֵ֥ד מְאֹֽד): very harsh, very heavy.

Exodus 9:3 ESV

behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.

Exodus 9:18 ESV

Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

Exodus 10:14 ESV

The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again.

In the sixth plague of boils, the magicians couldn’t even stand before Moses.

Exodus 9:11 ESV

And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.

No humans died from the 1st-9th plagues. Only the animals.

But the 10th plague, caused the death of all the firstborns in Egypt.

Exodus 12:29 ESV

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.

The plagues happened according to God’s Word

Plagues which had their arrival forewarned a day in advance

Plague of flies

Plague of pestilence

Plague of hail

Plague of locusts

Plagues which had their departure foretold in advance

Plague of frogs

Plague of flies

Plague of hail

Finally, each plague started and ended when Moses and Aaron obeyed the Word of God.

The first plague happened as soon as Moses and Aaron followed God’s instructions and took the staff and struck the water.

Exodus 7:20 ESV

Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.

The second plague started when Aaron did what God told him.

Exodus 8:5–6 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’ ” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

The third plague happened as soon as Aaron obeyed God’s instruction and stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the earth.

Exodus 8:16–17 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’ ” And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.

The sixth plague happened as soon as Moses stood before Pharaoh and threw the soot into the air.

The seventh plague happened once Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky.

The eighth plague happened once Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt.

Plagues that stopped after Moses prayed for them to stop

In the case of the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 8th plagues, they stopped after Moses prayed for it to stop.

Exodus 8:12–13 ESV

So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.

Exodus 8:30–31 ESV

So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.

Exodus 9:33 ESV

So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.

Exodus 10:18–19 ESV

So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.

The land of Goshen was untouched

If the plagues were a natural disaster, it would be impossible for the land of Goshen to be untouched. But God said it, and it happened according to God’s Word.

Exodus 8:22 ESV

But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.

The meaning of Goshen is “Temple of the Sun”

The Egyptians worshipped the sun as a god. But for us who worship the true living God, He is the sun who shields us from the judgement of the plagues.

Psalm 84:11 (ESV)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Luke 1:78–79 (ESV)

because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart

*font color animation*

Up to the fifth plague, the Bible records that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

First plague

Exodus 7:22 ESV

But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Second plague

Exodus 8:15 ESV

But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Third plague

Exodus 8:19 ESV

Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Fourth plague

Exodus 8:32 ESV

But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

Fifth plague

Exodus 9:7 ESV

And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

But from the sixth plague onwards, the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Sixth plague

Exodus 9:12 ESV

But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Seventh plague

Exodus 10:1 (ESV)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them,

Eighth plague

Exodus 10:20 (ESV)

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

Ninth plague

Exodus 10:27 (ESV)

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

And the Lord even hardened Pharaoh’s heart after the tenth plague, so that Pharaoh and the Egyptians would drown in the Red Sea.

Exodus 14:4 (ESV)

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

Conclusion

Egypt symbolizes the fallen world. The place of sin. And the ten plagues signify God’s judgement upon sinners who dwell in the spiritual Egypt. And the number 10 symbolizes the completeness of God’s judgement. And what makes the ten plagues complete was the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, also known as the Passover.

But the tenth plague also shows us that whereas sinners tremble at the judgement of the Lord, the children of Abraham rejoice. Because the Passover Lamb has been slain, and His blood covers us, and the angel of death will not enter our household, the angel of death will pass over us, because someone has welcomed death with arms wide open.

So in response to this Word, what must we do?

First, we must soften our hearts before God. The book of Revelation warns against those who harden their hearts, even after witnessing the plagues of God.

Revelation 9:20 (ESV)

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

Second, we must wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:13–14 (ESV)

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

What do our clothes represent? Our clothes symbolize our status, who we are, what we do, what we’ve done, the circumstances we were born into, even the profitability of our business. Our awards or accolades, our suffering and hardships. Everything must be washed in the blood. Our entire wardrobe at home must be washed in the blood. It doesn’t matter what we’re wearing, whether we’re in a suit and tie or in our pajamas. God’s Word tells us that in Christ, we are a new creation, our sins have been forgiven, and we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

I recently heard a pastor say this.

“In the early stages of our relationship with God, it’s about surrendering our sins. In the latter stages, it’s about surrendering our successes.”

I’m sure he means that we still surrender our sins in the latter stages, but we also surrender all the good works that we do. All the righteous things we’ve done.

Finally, we must pack up our things and come out of Egypt.

Revelation 11:8 (ESV)

and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

Revelation 18:4 (ESV)

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;

The plagues have happened before, and God’s Word reminds us today that the plague will happen again. The Lord’s judgement upon sin is marked on His calendar. And I pray that none of us will find ourselves in the place of sin when that day arrives.