I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 10-12.

    One of the questions that comes up from time to time about the Exodus is, “Why did God have to visit such destruction upon the Egyptian people?” If you pay attention to what Pharaoh says in today’s passage you can see some of the reasons. Pharaoh’s response to Moses before and after the plague of locusts show us that even after all of the things which had gone before, Pharaoh thought he could exercise power over the Israelites. Before the plague of locusts, Pharaoh’s officials begged him, almost demanded of him, that he let the Israelites go to worship God. Pharaoh gave into their demands, but he was only willing to let the men go, not the women or children. After the plague of locusts (and the following three days of darkness), Pharaoh was willing to let the people go, including the women and children, but demanded that they leave their livestock. However, after the death of the firstborn of all Egyptians and their livestock, Pharaoh, the Egyptian people, and the Israelite people, all realized that Pharaoh could not exercise power over the Israelites. The Israelites received the unmistakable lesson that their rescue from Egypt was purely at the hand of God. They had done nothing to obtain their own release.

    There is one other aspect of the period of time of the plagues: Moses went from a man unsure of himself to a confident leader of people. When God first called Moses he was a shepherd who spent most of his time by himself with the sheep (and goats?). His confidence in himself as a leader of people completely broken to the point where he begged God to choose someone, anyone, else. On the night before the first Passover, Moses was a confident leader who was willing and able to give people detailed instructions. He knew what people should do and believed in himself enough to give them instructions they could, and would, follow.