Chapter 13: Locusts

Exodus 10:1-20

Q1 - Why did Pharaoh state that only the men could go worship God?

A1 - Pharaoh knew that if he allowed anyone to go, they must have a reason to return. He must have felt confident the men would come back if their families were still in Egypt. The women and children left behind would still be able to perform a great deal of work and keep things going during the mens’ absence.

Q2 - Go back through all the plagues performed up to this point and try to envision the destruction that had been dealt upon the land, the people and the animals. What do you think was left after plague eight? What impact do you think the plagues were having upon Moses as he saw God protect His people from the destruction, even while He was revealing Himself in such powerful and undeniable ways?

A2 - It doesn’t sound like much could possibly have been left after plague eight. Here’s a brief review of the first eight plagues. (Number nine will be darkness and number ten will be the death of the firstborn.)

Plague 1—Water turned to blood—the fish in the Nile River died, and the water could not be drunk.

Plague 2—Frogs—they were a major nuisance and became a public health hazard after they died, with the piles of dead frogs heaped everywhere.

Plague 3—Gnats—another major nuisance, unless they were actually lice as some Bible versions state, or mosquitos as some commentaries suggest, in which case the people and animals may also have been covered in bites.

Plague 4—Flies—dense swarms of flies were everywhere and the land was ruined (Exodus 8:24). Some commentaries suggest these pests were actually beetles which chewed up all sorts of materials, including the crops.

Plague 5—Livestock—all the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats of the Egyptians died (the animals listed vary, depending on the Bible version).

Plague 6—Boils—festering boils came upon the people and any animals they had left (maybe the pigs and poultry had been spared earlier, and possibly household pets).

Plague 7—Hail—it struck everything in the fields, both people and animals, beating down everything growing in the fields and stripping every tree. Only the wheat and spelt were not destroyed because they had not yet ripened (Exodus 9:31–32).

Plague 8—Locusts—they devoured anything that had been left by the hail, such that nothing green remained on tree or plant in all of Egypt (Exodus 10:15).

It’s likely that with every plague, Moses’s faith in God was strengthened. At the very least, the plagues were a learning time for both Moses and the Israelite people. They were all coming to know God in a way their ancestors never had. How gratifying it had to have been for them to witness both God’s power as well as His protection of the Israelites from all the destruction.

Q3 - The Egyptians had a god for almost everything. With the various plagues, God systematically showed His might over their gods. How do you think the people felt with each new plague that was inflicted upon them?

A3 - With the God of the Israelites showing His might over Pharaoh and the various forces of nature, the Egyptians had to have doubted the power of their gods. While some of the Egyptian people may not have had knowledge of Pharaoh’s dealings with Moses and the God of the Israelites, they certainly bore the pain and suffering the plagues caused. Each new plague had to have added even more dread and created an increasing level of fear in their hearts.