Exodus Chapter 9 Verses 13-17

:13 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?” 

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.”  The LORD continues to give Moses the same message to deliver to Pharaoh.  This teaches us that the LORD does not change.  Moreover, we are to deliver the message as the LORD gives it to us.  While some would object to hearing the same message over and over again, yet the LORD knows exactly what message needs to be delivered and for how long that it is to be delivered.  In the above, the intended outcome is that Pharaoh will let the people go and that the people will go and serve the LORD.   

“For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.”  The LORD is very specific in his message to Pharaoh as to the consequences of not taking heed to the LORD’s message.  The consequences stated here for failing to obey the LORD is that the LORD would send all his plagues upon the heart of Pharaoh and upon his servants and upon his people.  The result of those plagues is that the people will know that there is no God like Him in all the earth.  There are always consequences to failing to obey the LORD.  By studying the word of God we find that these consequences are spelled out for us in His word.  The Lord gave us an example of this in Matt. 7:13, 14: 13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”  Everyone that enters the wide gate and walks the broad way will have the consequence of destruction in their lives.  Likewise, everyone who enters the strait gate and walks the narrow way shall experience that it leads to a life of joy, peace, comfort, rest and fellowship with the Lord and his obedient people.  

“For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.”  Pharaoh’s failure to obey the LORD not only affected Pharaoh, but also affected his people.  When the LORD stretches out his hand in judgment, that judgment is not always limited to the perpetrator, but often many others suffer because of the actions of the perpetrator.  In the above, Pharaoh’s disobedience resulted in pestilence and being cut off from the earth upon him and his people. 

“And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.”  Here we see the LORD took the man who was considered at that time to be the most powerful man upon the earth and used him to demonstrate that God was much greater in power and to use him as an example of the power of the God of the Hebrews to be manifest to all the peoples of the earth.  Moreover, we find the above statement to be used in demonstrating he sovereignty of God in that God can does as He pleases.  This is found in Rom. 9:15-18: 18 “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”   

“As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?”  The problem with Pharaoh is that he did not yet believe that God was greater than him and that Pharaoh could still be victorious over God in a test of will and strength.  This is a problem that the unregenerate have in that they are full of pride and do not want to admit that there is a God who is sovereign and mightier than they and to whom they should submit themselves.   

Verses 18-21 

:18 “Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 19 Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21 And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.”   

“Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.”  Hail is used numerous times throughout the scriptures as an instrument of God’s judgments.  Hail is associated in nature with thunderstorms.  Thunderstorms can be very furious.  Likewise, God can and does at times send forth his furious judgments upon the disobedient and wicked sinners.  Hail is destructive in nature.  Hail is frozen water.  Sometimes in the scriptures water is used to represent the word of God.  As spiritual born again children of God we are to desire and drink of the refreshing water of God’s word.  Yet, God’s word also has a quality about it teaching us of God’s fierce judgment of sin.  Hail is used in the scriptures as a symbol of God’s fierce judgment of sin.  God promised to Pharaoh and subsequently to the Egyptians that he was going to send his judgment of hail upon them.  Moreover, he set a fixed time for that promise to be fulfilled.  Fully, as we should have expected, that promise was fulfilled at God’s fixed time. 

“Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.”  In this judgment God provided a way for the people to minimize the effects of that judgment.  They were to gather their cattle, and all that they had in the field home to protect them.  Those who believed the word of God and obeyed him would see the judgment of God minimized in their lives, but those who did not believe the word of God would experience the full force of God’s fierce judgment.   

“He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21 And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.”  Here we find that God had a people even among the Egyptians.  An unregenerate has no fear of God.  However, among the servants of Pharaoh there were those who feared the word of the LORD and brought their servants and cattle home to escape the wrath of God’s judgment.  Whereas those who did not regard the LORD or fear God left their servants and cattle in the field.