Matthew Henry Commentary Exodus 9
Matthew Henry Commentary
Exodus 9
Matthew Henry Commentary
Exodus 9
"Then Jehovah said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, behold, the hand of Jehovah is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks: [there shall be] a very grievous murrain. And Jehovah shall make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the children of Israel. And Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow Jehovah shall do this thing in the land. And Jehovah did that thing on the morrow; and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go." — Exodus 9:1-7 (ASV)
God wills for Israel to be released, but Pharaoh opposes it, and the test is whose word will stand. Immediately, the hand of the Lord is upon the cattle, many of which—some of all kinds—die by a deadly livestock disease. This was a great loss to the owners; they had made Israel poor, and now God would make them poor. The hand of God is to be seen even in the sickness and death of cattle; for a sparrow does not fall to the ground without our Father.
None of the Israelites' cattle were to die; the Lord shall sever. The cattle died. The Egyptians worshipped their cattle. Whatever we make an idol of, it is just for God to remove from us. This proud tyrant and cruel oppressor deserved to be made an example by the just Judge of the universe.
No one who is punished according to what they deserve can have any just cause to complain. Hardness of heart denotes that state of mind upon which neither threats nor promise, neither judgments nor mercies, make any lasting impression. With the conscience stupefied and the heart filled with pride and presumption, they persist in unbelief and disobedience. This state of mind is also called the stony heart.
Very different is the heart of flesh, the broken and contrite heart. Sinners have no one to blame but themselves for that pride and ungodliness which abuse the bounty and patience of God. For, although the Lord hardens human hearts, it is always as a punishment for former sins.
"And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust over 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. 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. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken unto Moses." — Exodus 9:8-12 (ASV)
When the Egyptians were not moved by the death of their cattle, God sent a plague that seized their own bodies. If lesser judgments do not work, God will send greater.
Sometimes God shows people their sin in their punishment. They had oppressed Israel in the furnaces, and now the ashes of the furnace are made a terror to them. The plague itself was very grievous.
The magicians themselves were struck with these boils. Their power had been restrained before; but they continued to withstand Moses and to confirm Pharaoh in his unbelief, until they were forced to give way.
Pharaoh remained obstinate. He had hardened his own heart, and now God justly gave him up to his own heart's lusts, permitting Satan to blind and harden him.
If people shut their eyes against the light, it is just for God to close their eyes. This is the gravest judgment a person can be under, short of hell.
"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will this time send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth: but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? Behold, to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; [for] every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared the word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses. And he that regarded not the word of Jehovah left his servants and his cattle in the field." — Exodus 9:13-21 (ASV)
Moses is here ordered to deliver a dreadful message to Pharaoh. Providence ordained that Moses should have a man of such a fierce and stubborn spirit as this Pharaoh to deal with; and everything made it a most remarkable instance of God's power to humble and bring down the proudest of His enemies. When God's justice threatens ruin, His mercy at the same time shows a way of escape from it.
God not only distinguished between Egyptians and Israelites, but between some Egyptians and others. If Pharaoh will not yield, and so prevent the judgment itself, yet those who will take warning may take shelter. Some believed the things that were spoken, and they feared, and housed their servants and cattle, and this was their wisdom.
Even among the servants of Pharaoh, some trembled at God's word; and should not the sons of Israel dread it? But others did not believe, and left their cattle in the field. Obstinate unbelief is deaf to the clearest warnings and the wisest counsels, which leaves the blood of those who perish on their own heads.
"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: Jehovah is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Entreat Jehovah; for there hath been enough of [these] mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto Jehovah; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is Jehovah`s. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear Jehovah God. And the flax and the barley were smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten: for they were not grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto Jehovah: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, as Jehovah had spoken by Moses." — Exodus 9:22-35 (ASV)
Woeful havoc this hail caused: it killed both men and cattle. The grain above ground was destroyed, and only that which had not yet come up was preserved. The land of Goshen was preserved. God causes rain or hail on one city and not on another, either in mercy or in judgment.
Pharaoh humbled himself to Moses. No man could have spoken better: he acknowledges he is wrong; he acknowledges that the Lord is righteous, and that God must be justified when he speaks, though he speaks in thunder and lightning. Yet his heart was hardened all this time. Moses pleads with God: though he had reason to think Pharaoh would repent of his repentance, and he told him so, yet he promises to be his friend.
Moses went out of the city, notwithstanding the hail and lightning that kept Pharaoh and his servants indoors. Peace with God makes people thunder-proof. Pharaoh was frightened by the tremendous judgment, but when it was over, his fair promises were forgotten. Those who are not made better by judgments and mercies commonly become worse.
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