Exodus 9 reminds me of Route 66. This historic road was designated in 1926, but took 12 years to finish. It joined together many existing roads to make a new highway. While much of it is actively used today, some parts are in disrepair or even washed away completely. We learned this driving from Arizona to California. We had time to take the scenic route, but missed the roadside markers. We found ourselves driving too fast on a road that was falling apart. Today’s lesson is that ignoring God’s warnings can be catastrophic! The chapter continues the familiar pattern; The Lord tells Moses to give instructions to Pharaoh: ”Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.” God adds a warning: “If you refuse… the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field”. Once again, God excludes the Hebrew people: “But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt… no animal belonging to the Israelites will die… Tomorrow the Lord will do this.” At some point, we make a conscious decision to ignore the GPS and the signs saying “unmaintained road ahead”. We read: “The next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died.” We might think Pharaoh would ease off but I have learned that old roads can quickly become hazardous. The next plague comes without any warning. Moses is told: “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace… toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh… and festering boils will break out on people and animals.” Sometimes the consequences are bad enough to get us to pullover. “The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them.” Some of us stubbornly push on: “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen”.
Once again, Moses is told to “Get up early in the morning” to confront Pharaoh. They repeat God’s warning: “Let My people go, so that they may worship Me, or this time I will send the full force of My plagues… so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.” At some point, flashing yellow lights should get your attention. Even in a rented car, you realize it is time to turn around… unless you are Pharaoh. The Lord adds an important detail: “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Nobody wants to become an example of arrogant self-confidence. Friend, are you ignoring the signs?
The chapter ends with the Lord explaining exactly what will happen next: “Tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt… every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field… will die.” Everyone is given an opportunity to react. Those who “feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.” That means that only those who refused to believe God’s promise suffered. People today dismiss God for condemning people to hell. God condemns no one to hell. Salvation is freely offered to all who will believe. We have free will to choose our path. Nobody entering “Death Valley” should be surprised to find out it is hot down there. True to His word: “When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail… hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything.” Too many get mad at God for their own failure to listen and change course. Notice that once again, the people of God were spared: “It did not hail… [in] the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.” Once again, Pharaoh lied to get relief: “This time I have sinned… I and my people are in the wrong… I will let you go”. Once the rain stopped: “he sinned again: he and his officials hardened their hearts… he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.” Driving through the Mojave desert you see isolated buildings dotting the landscape. Why would anyone choose to live in that place? I suspect they took many wrong turns along the way. Jesus taught a parable about bad choices, asking: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). If you have hardened your heart, maybe it is time to check the road conditions ahead. It might be a good time to turn around and find a better route.