READ: Ex. 9:13–35: … for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart … that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth …
The plagues now reach a new level of intensity. The LORD warns that lives will be lost. Until now, He has spared Egyptian lives to show His power—not just to Israel and Egypt, but to the whole world (v.16). All must know that God is not to be mocked and that He protects and saves His people with a mighty hand.
The punishments Pharaoh and his people are suffering are not random misfortunes. They were repeatedly warned and had already experienced earlier judgments. Now the plagues are aimed specifically at Pharaoh, his servants, and his people (v.14). It is still not too late for them to repent, worship, and obey.
The word for “plague” used here is different—it literally refers to a horn-blow from a bull—a violent strike. From now on, these are forceful blows from God. The first will be hailstones, large and heavy like never seen before in Egypt. Anyone left outside will die.
The LORD warns them. Some of Pharaoh’s officials now believe the word of the LORD (spoken through Moses) and bring their slaves and livestock indoors. Others ignore it.
At Moses’ signal, the deadly hail falls—accompanied by thunder and fire from the sky. Everything is struck down, even the trees. But in the region where Israel lives, no hail falls.
Now Pharaoh appears to soften. He confesses his sin and asks Moses and Aaron to pray earnestly to stop the hail. He even promises to let the people go.
But once the plague ends, and the hail stops, Pharaoh hardens his heart again.
What does it mean that God continually wants His people to serve Him?
Sing: Ps. 18:4,5