The third plague of Egypt was a proliferation of pesky gnats (Exod 8:16-19). Again Pharaoh's magicians couldn't remove this plague, and this time they also didn't have a conjuring trick to appear to duplicate it. "This is the finger of God," they had to admit.
Jesus apparently makes reference to Exod 8:19 in Luke 11:20, when he responds to people who accuse him of casting out demons by some demonic power (vv 14-23). His reference to Exod 8:19 implies that he is casting out demons by the same power that carried out the plagues of the Exodus. Pharaoh's pagan magicians acknowledged this power, and Jesus' accusers should as well.
The fourth plague consisted of "swarms" (Exod 8:20-32). Ancient readers often pictured swarms of wild animals for this plague, but the context seems to support the "swarms of flies" that we see in modern translations.
This time Moses announced to Pharaoh that the swarms would not touch the Israelites (vv 22-23). The accounts of several, but not all, of the plagues mention that Israel would not be affected. Commentator Douglas Stuart asserts that the text implies none of the plagues would touch the Israelites. If this were explicitly mentioned every single time, he says, the account would become repetititve and boring. Mentioning the distinction in several cases is enough to make the point that it is in place in every case.
I like Stuart's interpretation. After all, God was moving to save the Israelites, not plague them. Moreover, every time a plague affected the Egyptians and avoided the Israelites, the message was communicated that the plagues came from the God of Israel, and God's power was highlighted.
In those days there were no window screens, and there was nothing to stop the flies from going wherever they wanted. Pharaoh himself was suffering along with the rest of the Egyptians, and he gave a verbal agreement to allow the Israelites to go and worship God in the wilderness. He quickly reneged, however, once the flies had been removed.
And so the fifth plague came, a disease suffered by Egyptian livestock that, again, did not affect Israelite livestock. Exod 9:6 reports that "all the livestock of the Egyptians died." This is another case where "biblical all" does not mean "mathematical all." Indeed, there are additional Egyptian animals that will be affected by plagues seven and ten. The "all" in this case does not mean "every single one." Instead, it means that "all kinds of animals died" or "animals were killed all over the place."
This plague was more than an annoyance; it meant a substantial loss of assets for the Egyptians. Still, Pharaoh did not relent. The sixth plague brought painful boils. Pharaoh's magicians, suffering greatly, advised him to surrender, but he would not (Exod 9:11-12).
At this point Moses communicated to Pharaoh that God so far had been showing restraint. He had kept Pharaoh and his court alive to witness God's power (Exod 9:13-16). Paul refers to this passage in Rom 9:14-18 in a discussion of God's sovereignty.
But God would soon "take the gloves off." The seventh plague would be an unprecedented deadly hailstorm. The Egyptians were given warning to find shelter for themselves and their animals. Some who "feared the word of the Lord" heeded the warning.
A parenthetical note in Exod 9:31-32 gives a clue about the time of year in which this plague occurred. Since the storm ruined the flax and barley crop, but not the wheat and spelt, commentators estimate that this plague took place in February or March.
Pharaoh again promised to let the Israelites go, but he quickly changed his mind when God ended the storm. Although some "feared the word of the Lord", the Egyptians did not yet "fear the Lord (Exod 9:20,30).
On April 3, 2021, Rob Wilson gave a resurrection sermon entitled "Touched by the Finger of God."
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