Bible Discussion Thread

Thank God, today was a lovely day.

In this chapter of Exodus, God speaks to Moses, telling him that He will send one more plague upon Egypt, the plague of death. Every firstborn child and animal of the Egyptians will die. God does not say that Pharaoh heart will be further hardened. No, God says that Pharaoh will, indeed, release the Israelites to leave Egypt.

God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors to give them gold and silver articles. God gave the Israelites favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. The Egyptians probably finally realized that Israel's God had brought on all of these terrible plagues, so to appease the Israelites and their God, the Egyptians were willing to part with whatever the Israelites asked of them. I think the term favor here indicates respect and fear rather than congeniality. The Egyptians also held up Moses as one with great authority, perhaps rivaling even the Pharaoh. The people wanted to please Moses even if Pharaoh did not.

Next, Moses addresses the Israelites, telling them that the plague of death will come that night at midnight, but the Israelites will be saved from death. God was going to draw a clear line in the sand between the Egyptians and Israelites, punishing one and blessing the other.

As a result of all of these plagues, but especially the plague of death, the Egyptians will bow down on their knees will beg Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt. Thus, God sets the stage of the Egyptians being convinced that the Israelites must be forced to leave Egypt and the Israelites being convinced that God has a better life for them than in Egypt. The Israelites now knew by the wonders done by God through Moses, that their God was with them, for them, and mighty to bring them out of slavery back into the land promised to their forefathers. It was probably likely that the Israelites had forgotten God through the years of slavery or given up on Him being able to deliver them. they needed convincing.