Ep. 29 | PLAGUE 6: Turning the Tables

Text: Exodus 9:8-12

8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

We need to UNDERSTAND...
(1) The IMAGERY in the Picture

a. MEMORY—the kiln/soot and brick-making
b. MOCKERY—the priests who would throw the dust in the air to protect the land from disease
c. MATCH—a wrestling match is pictured in the fine dust being thrown up from the soot...but is this a match, for there is no match for our God!

(2) The IRONY/INTENSIFICATION in the Plague

(3) The INFLEXIBILITY of Pharaoh

Adam Clarke:"...a congruity between the crime and the punishment. The furnaces, in the labor of which they oppressed the Hebrews, now yielded the instruments of their punishment; for every particle of those ashes, formed by unjust and oppressive labor, seemed to be a boil or a blain on the tyrannical king and his cruel and hard-hearted people."