Exodus Chapter 10 Verses 12-15

:12 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.”   

We make the following observations from the above passage of scripture: 

1.  The plague of locust was brought on by an east wind.  An east wind travels west.  West is the direction of righteousness.  God’s judgments are altogether righteous.   

2.  The plague was brought on by the commandment and power of God.  Moses stretched forth his rod in obedience to the command of God, but it was God who caused the plague to come. 

3.  As promised the locusts destroyed ate all the herb of the land the fruit of the trees and every green thing in the trees or in the herbs of the field. 

4.  This was the greatest plague of locusts that had ever been experienced on the earth or that shall ever be experienced on the earth.   

5.  The locusts covered the face of the earth in Egypt and darkened the whole land.    

Verses 16-20 

:16 “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only. 18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.” 

“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.”  Pharaoh has already shown that he would lie to get his way.  He is not showing true repentance, but repentance in word only.  We see this a lot in the world that we live in that people will fake humility and repentance to make people believe that they are sincere and then turn around and prove by their actions that they were never sincere.  Moses has learned this lesson and will entreat the LORD not because of Pharaoh’s fake repentance, but because he knows the LORD has promised to show all his plagues upon Pharaoh. 

“And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.”  The miracle of bringing this plague of locusts upon Pharaoh, his servants, and Egypt was indeed a notable miracle.  The miracle of taking the locusts away was just as great, if not greater, miracle.  Notice that the LORD took away every last locust in all the coast of Egypt.  This is an encouragement to me in that I know that the Lord can and has taken away every last sin of every one of his elect family.  Thus, all the elect stand before God without a single charge being laid against them as Christ has justified them totally.   

“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.”  The LORD is not through with his judgments upon Pharaoh and Egypt yet.