In our study of Exodus chapter ten, we will see that true worship of God is an action word and that it should be led by the Holy Spirit.
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ADONAI said to Moshe, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have made him and his servants hardhearted, so that I can demonstrate these signs of mine among them, so that you can tell your son and grandson about what I did to Egypt and about my signs that I demonstrated among them, and so that you will all know that I am ADONAI."
Once again, Moshe is told to go to Pharaoh and he is told that God is going to use the stubbornness of Pharaoh to make everyone awar of the fact that he is the one true God.
Moshe and Aharon went in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Here is what ADONAI, God of the Hebrews, says: 'How much longer will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so that they can worship me. Otherwise, if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. One won't be able to see the ground, so completely will the locusts cover it. They will eat anything you still have that escaped the hail, including every tree you have growing in the field. They will fill your houses and those of your servants and of all the Egyptians. It will be like nothing your fathers or their fathers have ever seen since the day they were born until today.'" Then he turned his back and left.
The warning this time is that a plague of locusts will be so bad that they cover all of the ground and eat all of the plants that survived the hailstorm.
Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How much longer must this fellow be a snare for us? Let the people go and worship ADONAI their God. Don't you understand yet that Egypt is being destroyed?"
Now, we see a change in attitude of the servants of Pharaoh. They had been giving him bad advice but, now that they have seen the power of God, they urge him to send the Hebrews away before the land is destroyed. In the original Hebrew, they do not say to send all of the people but just the men so it is only partial obedience to the instruction of God.
So Moshe and Aharon were brought to Pharaoh again, and he said to them, "Go, worship ADONAI your God. But who exactly is going?" Moshe answered, "We will go with our young and our old, our sons and our daughters; and we will go with our flocks and herds; for we must celebrate a feast to ADONAI." Pharaoh said to them, "ADONAI certainly will be with you if I ever let you go with your children! It's clear that you are up to no good. Nothing doing! Just the men among you may go and worship ADONAI. That's what you want, isn't it?" And they were driven out of Pharaoh's presence.
Pharaoh pretended to not know who was going to go so he asked Moshe who was going even though he had been told many times the answer. Pharaoh told Moshe that, if he kept insisting on all the people going, he would face the wrath of Pharaoh.
ADONAI said to Moshe, "Reach out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that locusts will invade the land and eat every plant that the hail has left." Moshe reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and ADONAI caused an east wind to blow on the land all day and all night; and in the morning the east wind brought the locusts. The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled throughout Egypt's territory. It was an invasion more severe than there had ever been before or will ever be again. They completely covered the ground, so that the ground looked black. They ate every plant growing from the ground and all the fruit of the trees left by the hail. Not one green thing remained, not a tree and not a plant in the field, in all the land of Egypt.
So, God caused a wind from the east to bring locusts to the land. It was obvious that there had never been a plague like this as they ate everything in the land.
Pharaoh hurried to summon Moshe and Aharon and said, "I have sinned against ADONAI your God and against you. Now, therefore, please forgive my sin just this once; and intercede with ADONAI your God, so that he will at least take away from me this deadly plague!" He went out from Pharaoh and interceded with ADONAI. ADONAI reversed the wind and made it blow very strongly from the west. It took up the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Suf; not one locust remained on Egyptian soil. But ADONAI made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he didn't let the people of Isra'el go.
Upon seeing the effects of the plague, Pharaoh hurried to admit his sin and asked Moshe to pray on his behalf. This shows us that he has matured in his knowledge of God. God answered, reversed the wind, and drove the locusts into the Red Sea but Pharaoh still refused to send all of the Hebrew people from Egypt. This shows us that it is not only hearing the word of God but actually listening and doing it as well.
ADONAI said to Moshe, "Reach out your hand toward the sky, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness so thick it can be felt!" Moshe reached out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. People couldn't see each other, and no one went anywhere for three days. But all the people of Isra'el had light in their homes.
We notice that the next plague is executed without another warning to Pharaoh. A darkness is brought on that lasts three days but we see that it is not just a lack of light as it can be felt. This is a picture of Gehenom (Hell) and the darkness that is there. We are reminded that the number three is associated with the earthly display of God's will and this darkness is going to show us something. Imagine the loneliness and fear of not being able to see anyone and not knowing when it is going to end which is what happened to the Egyptians. This lasted three days but, for the Hebrews there was light in their homes and there was no darkness for three days.
Pharaoh summoned Moshe and said, "Go, worship ADONAI; only leave your flocks and herds behind - your children may go with you." Moshe answered, "You must also see to it that we have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we can sacrifice to ADONAI our God. Our livestock will also go with us - not a hoof will be left behind - because we must choose some of them to worship ADONAI our God, and we don't know which ones we will need to worship ADONAI until we get there."
We see that Pharaoh knew that this was from God and so he called Moshe and said the people could go but they had to leave their livestock behind. Once again, he is trying to get Moshe to compromise but Moshe explained that a part of their worship was sacrifice and so the animals would have to go. We see that behind all of this is a satanic influence because Pharaoh does not want the people to worship God. We see that Moshe did not know what God was going to have them sacrifice and that is a reminder to us that our worship of God has to be led by the Spirit of God and we have to be flexible enough to respond to the leadership of God.
But ADONAI made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he would not let them go. Pharaoh said to them, "Get away from me! And you had better not see my face again, because the day you see my face, you will die!" Moshe answered, "Well spoken! I will see your face no more."
Pharaoh still refused to allow proper worship and said that he was through negotiating. He threatened Moshe with the penalty of death if he showed up again.
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