Exodus 9
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13–18 The plague of hail was introduced by a long warning given by Moses to Pharaoh. The people of Egypt had not yet seen the worst. They had not yet truly understood that there was no one like [God] in all the earth (verse 14). God could have destroyed them all instantly, but He chose not to because He wanted to make Pharaoh a permanent example to all people of the folly of resisting Israel’s God (verse 16). Evil men are sometimes raised . . . up so that God can demonstrate His justice and power in dealing with them (see Romans 9:17). No ruler—good or evil—sits in power without God having placed him there (Romans 13:1).
19–21 Once again God gave the God-fearing Egyptians the chance to bring their livestock back into shelter, along with their slaves. Some of these Egyptians would leave Egypt together with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38); they were the ones whose hearts had been softened, not hardened.
22–26 The hailstorm fell upon all of Egypt—except the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived (verse 26).
27–32 No hail like this had ever fallen on Egypt before. The hailstorm came during the winter, when flax and barley were most vulnerable (verse 31). For the first time, Pharaoh realized he had sinned, and that he and his people were receiving their just punishment from God. However, Pharaoh was not yet ready to turn from his sin, from his mistreatment of the Israelites, from his deceitfulness. And Moses knew it (verse 30). Moses knew that Pharaoh and his officials still did not fear God; they were remorseful but not repentant (see Exodus 8:28–32 and comment).
Talk is cheap; it’s easy to say “I’m sorry” and not mean it. True repentance is always accompanied by a change of life. Without such a change, words of repentance are as empty as those of Pharaoh.
Just as God had brought on the hail, so He stopped it in response to Moses’ prayer, so that it would be known that the earth and everything in it—including lightning and hail—belonged to God and was under His control(verse 30).
33–35 Once again Pharaoh broke his promise; just as the Lord and Moses had predicted, Pharaoh’s heart remained harder than ever.