6th Plague: The Lord told Moses and Aaron to take ashes in their hands and sprinkle them upward in the sight of the king. They did this and boils came upon the people and animals of Egypt. We can understand what a grievous trouble this would be. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, so they could not help the king.
7th Plague: God next told Moses to warn the king that He would send a dreadful storm of hail and fire and rain, the worst there had ever been in Egypt, and men or animals out in the fields would be hurt and killed. Some of the Egyptians, who heard this, kept inside and put their animals in, but those who did not believe were struck by the storm, and all the grain grown up was ruined. “Only in the land of Goshen there was no hail.” The king was greatly frightened and sent for Moses. He said he had sinned, and if the storm were stopped he would let the people go. Moses went out of the city and reached his hands upward and the storm ceased. Yet the king sinned again and would not let the people go.
8th Plague: Moses told the king that God would send locusts to eat what was left by the hail, unless he would let the Hebrews go. The servants of the king begged him to consent, lest all Egypt should be destroyed; and he said the men could go worship, but they must leave the children in Egypt. But Moses said the young and the old must all go to hold a feast to the Lord. And the king, in anger, had Moses and Aaron driven from his presence. So the Lord caused an east wind to blow all day and night bringing so many locusts that the ground was covered, and the air full. These are large grasshoppers and the young caterpillars eat every green thing. This made the king send in haste for Moses to ask God to take them away. Moses prayed and God sent a strong west wind which carried all the locusts into the Red Sea. Then the king again forgot his promises to let the people go.
To be continued.
ML 02/14/1937