The Locusts Have Eaten (Exodus #16)

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Text: Exodus 10:1-20

If Pharaoh does not relent, then God will send the locusts to eat the crops not destroyed in the hailstorm. Pharaoh starts to feel pressure from his own cabinet members now in Exodus 10:7. Pharaoh said, Fine, go, but who is going? Moses said, everyone is going. Pharaoh emphatically rejected Moses, No! The women and the children stay in Egypt, just the men go worship because that’s what you’ve been asking for anyway. And Pharaoh had them thrown out of his presence. Then follows a plague of locusts as no country has ever seen. Here’s what we learn as we watch the locusts devour the crops in Egypt.

The ways in which God is the LORD (vs 2)

The LORD gives Moses his strategy. He has chosen to deal with a stubborn man called Pharaoh in order to reveal Himself thoroughly to the nation of Israel. The expectation is that these events need to become a part of Israel’s history and the LORD’s work on their behalf.
Notice also that this necessity to teach the younger generations the history is a component of the old Mosaic covenant. It’s important because under the Mosaic covenant people entered in by birth with no real understanding of what they were in. In the new covenant, you cannot even be a part of it unless you know what you’re getting into. Old covenant God does things so they’ll know He is the LORD. New covenant you must know the LORD to be in it (1 John 2:27).
Now, to our question, what does it mean that the God of the Hebrews is the LORD. I like the way it’s worded here. Not only that you’ll know that I am the LORD, but you’ll know HOW that I am the LORD.
- It means He is a moral being opposed to pride.
- He is an intelligent God wielding the power of nature as His arsenal.
- He is personal and has people he jealously protects.
- It means He is the final Judge of all works done on this earth by mankind.

No cost is too high for pride (vs 7)

It is getting so bad in Egypt that Pharaoh’s servants who would never have an opinion about his leadership and decision-making now have opinions. They encourage Pharaoh to just let the people go. They call Moses the snare even though the real snare is Pharaoh himself. But these servants are facing death and are no longer afraid to voice their concern about Pharaoh’s pride.
There is no price too high for pride. This is why God opposes the proud because there is nothing that can be done for them.
- I’ll die with my boots on! You’ll die with your boots on fighting God? Give me a break.
- I won’t let them take my honor away! So you’re too dignified to get the help you need? Just a note, when these sinful bodies start failing and you end up having to be cared for by other people, whatever dignity you thought you had is gone.
- Pride is unreachable and it is the most dangerous root of decision-making.

Pharaoh tries to blame Moses (vss 8-11)

Pharaoh attempts to make another compromise with Moses by just allowing the men to go. Pharaoh’s argument bends the truth and puts blame on Moses. He suggests that Moses has only been asking for the men to go anyway, so he can take the men and leave everyone else in Egypt.
Obviously, this is not negotiable because it is not God’s will to leave part of his people in Egypt. Here again, is a compromise by the devil to give up a piece of the will of God.
Moses is faithful and will not compromise on these things that are clearly God’s will. This is why Moses is in the position he is. He is faithful in all the house of the LORD.

Worship is a celebration here (vs 9)

I love this point. When God says to worship Him, that probably sounds tyrannical to us. He just goes around demanding worship.
What if worshipping God means celebrating liberation and freedom? Is that tyrannical? No. Yet, this is exactly what the LORD is calling Israel to do.
It’s no coincidence that worship of God is connected to a feast, while disobeying God will be connected to complete crop failure by locusts.
It reminds me of Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:16) saying rejoice evermore!
- Rejoice in the LORD alway, again I say rejoice!
- The joy of the LORD is your strength!

Just get rid of this consequence (vs 17)

Once again, we hear the voice of the sinner, not the believer. The voice of the sinner under the wrath of God asks for a reprieve from a particular consequence.
Pharaoh says to have your God take away from me this death only.
He’s not concerned about God’s will, he’s not concerned with his own pride, he’s just concerned with the consequence.