Exodus 9:8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.
11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
The stubbornness of man can make life extremely difficult. Pharaoh would not yield to the authority of the LORD. He was a fool. In our text the LORD told Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes from the furnace and Moses was to throw them into the air in the sight of Pharaoh. Pharaoh needed to see the creative nature of the LORD. He can do all things, and He chose to take ashes and use them as His next object lesson for Pharaoh.
You would think that Pharaoh had enough of the misery he had chosen. He was a brute for punishment. He was certainly not someone to look up to. He makes a very clear lesson of what not to do.
As is usual, those few ashes that Moses sprinkled toward heaven, became small dust in all the land of Egypt. That was definitely a work of God. The literal dust from those ashes would never have been enough to cover the entire land of Egypt. However, the LORD can take a little and make much of it. He can do that with good things, but He can also do that with bad things. He does all things for His glory.
Pharaoh and his people chose to experience bad things at the hand of the LORD. It was their choice. God could not allow them to continue to abuse His children the way they were. They needed to understand that no one should be treated the way Pharaoh was treating the children of Israel.
Our text tells us that this dust that God created became boils with blains braking out upon man and beast in Egypt. The “blains” refers to blisters. A boil is a painful thing. God made sure that the nation of Egypt would experience a full effect of the boils upon them. They did not want to listen to reason. They would need to experience pain in a unique manner.
We read in verse 11 that the magicians could not stand before Moses due to the boils. They were not immune to this plague. They had already realized that what was happening was the finger of the LORD. However, they were not willing to renounce their wickedness. They were still pretending to be magicians.
In our text we read that the boils were upon the magicians and all the Egyptians. In spite of this fact, we read that the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh. God stepped this situation up another level. Pharaoh had assumed that he could manipulate the LORD for his benefit. He thought he could humour Moses and Aaron and eventually things would go his way. The LORD was going to show him that his plans were completely void of any truth.
Pharaoh had no choice here. He could not repent now. His doom was sealed. Pharaoh had crossed a line with God from which there was no turning back. Only the LORD knows where that line is. History tells us that He has sealed the doom of others prior to their death. There is a good reason why the LORD challenges every person to listen to the LORD while there is opportunity.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah was given wise counsel to pass on. It is still wise counsel for us today. Far too many people are stubbornly pushing forward with their own plans. They are listening to bad counsel. Movies and novels do not portray truth. Man’s imagination does not replace God’s truth. The Bible is the Word of God. God never lies. He is TRUTH.
The LORD had warned Moses that Pharaoh would not let the people go. The LORD had warned Moses that Pharaoh would face death due to his stubbornness. Moses needed to understand that his resistance against the LORD was not wise. He needed to understand the importance of submitting to the will of the LORD.
The LORD was teaching Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel that He was in charge. He was going to bring them out of the land of Egypt. He was going to bring them into the land of Canaan. He made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God does not break His promises. He is able to fulfil all His promises in His time.
The children of Israel needed to trust in His timing. They found it difficult to trust Him. They were like we often are. They wanted results now. They were not prepared to wait on God’s timing. God is not one to be pushed around. He loves man and He knows what He is doing.
The wise person submits to His will and learns the way of blessing is through submission to the LORD. Be sure you are listening to the LORD in your life. There is nothing to gain through rebellion. There is much to gain through submission to the will of God.
Pastor Bartel
