Chapter 10: The Plagues Begin

Exodus 7:8-8:15

Q1 - What is a miracle? Does it need to happen instantly to be called a miracle, or can it happen over a period of time?

A1 - If you look up the definition of a miracle, you will probably find something like this given in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: “An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God.”

Although we often think of a miracle as something that happens almost instantly, it doesn’t necessarily have to occur in such a manner. You may know of more modern day miracles that have occurred over a period of time, such as healing from a deadly accident or illness.

Q2 - Why did God have Moses inform Pharaoh ahead of time as to what would occur?

A2 - God wanted Pharaoh to know what was about to occur beforehand so there could be no doubt this was the result of divine intervention. Certain of the plagues could possibly have occurred, at least to some extent, because natural conditions were just right, such as the invasion of the locusts. However, they could not have either occurred or ceased on cue as they did when Moses commanded them.

Q3 - Pharaoh seemed unimpressed by the miracles Moses and Aaron performed, but what do you think was going on in the minds of his magicians? How do you think these miracles affected the Egyptian people?

A3 - It’s quite likely the Egyptian magicians were trying to figure out how Moses and Aaron performed these miracles. They were among the first of Pharaoh’s court or officials to acknowledge the miracles were from God and not from man. When they could not reproduce the plague of the gnats, they declared in Exodus 8:19 (NIV), “‘This is the finger of God.’” The magicians were employing slight-of-hand types of tricks to perform their “miracles.” They were imposters, and they knew it.

The Egyptian people had to suffer the repercussions of the miracles along with Pharaoh and his officials. However, Pharaoh had all the resources of the land at his disposal to counter or lessen the impact of the plagues while the people did not. They were likely filled with dread when each new miracle occurred, and they were powerless to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

Exodus 11:3 (NIV) says that the Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the Israelites and that Moses was held in high regard by both the Egyptian people and Pharaoh’s officials. This could have been because the Egyptian people saw how mighty was the God of the Israelites and witnessed how everything Moses said came true.