You still dam yourself up against my people by not letting them go (Exodus 9:17)The translation is according to the literal Hebrew. The word, salal, means to heap up earth as a dam or rampart; to set oneself as a dam, to oppose.2 Pharaoh is heaping himself up like a dam or rampart against Israel to prevent it from breaking free and leaving Egypt. In setting himself up to dam up Israel, Pharaoh has set himself up against the Strategic Plan of God. Pharaoh with his negative volition and insubordination is standing in the path of the Strategic Plan of God. With colossal arrogance and recalcitrance, he attempted to dam up the Plan of God. Pharaoh holds the record for being the most arrogant jackass who has ever lived. And God wanted it this way to demonstrate all the things He could do to break Pharaoh's grip on power.
Pharaoh has many counterparts, such as believers who are puffed up with arrogance (2 Timothy 3:4, tupho-o), the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14-20), and Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-10). God's power over Pharaoh set up the a fortiori principle: If God could handle Pharaoh, He can handle any arrogant person. For those stuck in a relationship on the job or in a marriage with an arrogant person, the pattern of God's punishment of Pharaoh can be applicable. When a person opposes the Strategic Plan of God, that person will be subject to divine punishment just as Pharaoh was. Of course, the believer must execute the Plan of God just as Moses did in order to receive God's grace solution. Every step of the way, the Lord told Moses what to say and do while the angels of God ripped Pharaoh and Egypt to pieces.
Exodus 9:18-19, NASThe plague of the hail was to be the worst since Egypt was founded, which is further clarified in verse 24 as "since it became a nation." The plague will be so bad that people or animals out in it will die. The plague of hail represented the judgment of Political Babylon because the people could die from it and because hail symbolizes the breakdown of Marriage Culture due to the frigid female. The relationship between a married couple is supposed to be a Y-axis love relationship. Political Babylon attacks that relationship.
18 “Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 “Now therefore send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’”
Exodus 9:20-21, NASBy the seventh plague, Moses and the signs and wonders of Egypt were the top news story. Pharaoh's staff had learned to pay attention to the announcements that Moses made and some believed in the Lord. Those who feared the word of the Lord ordered their servants and livestock inside, but those who failed to believe Moses, left their servants and livestock in the field.
20 The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21 but he who paid no regard to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
Exodus 9:22-24First came the thunder, which is used to announce divine judgment (Revelation 10:3-4). Then came the hail along with lightning, which is described as fire running along the ground - meaning the fire mingled or formed balls. The lightning was in the form of balls of fire. The violent hail storm produced by the weather angels was the worst in the history of the nation of Egypt.
22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran along the ground (formed into fire balls). And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
Storms occur in Lower or Middle Egypt between December and April. Cattle are in the field from January to April.
Exodus 9:25-26
25 And the hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.
The
violent plague of hail was not only destructive to the livestock, but it
also destroyed the plants and trees. Thus, the hail storm severely
damaged the agricultural economy of Egypt. However, in Goshen where
Israel was, there was no hail. Here again, the Lord judged Egypt
but delivered Israel.
Exodus 9:27-30Pharaoh wants the plague to end, but he is still holding back. He said, "I have sinned this time," which was repentance for once - not all the other times. Pharaoh agreed to let Israel go, and Moses agreed to go out of the city and spread out his hands to the Lord so the thunder and hail would cease. However, Moses remarked that Pharaoh and his staff still did not fear the presence of the Lord. They had not been saved and did not have a personal relationship with the Lord. Pharaoh gave lip service to the Lord but did not fear Him. The word for fear (jare') also means to respect. They did not respect the authority of the Lord.
27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 “Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 And Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 “But as for you and your servants, I know that not yet do you fear the presence of Lord God.”
Exodus 9:31-33According to Pliny:2
31 (Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the Lord; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth.
2:10 Forsooth, gates, columns and walls are consumed by fire.However, as soon as the hail storm ceased, Pharaoh and his servants hardened their hearts.
10:3-6 Lower Egypt weeps... The entire palace is without its revenues.
To it belong [by right] wheat and barley, geese and fish.1
4:14 Trees are destroyed
6:1 No fruit nor herbs are found . . . 3
6:3 Forsooth, grain has perished on every side.1
Exodus 9:34-35Both words for hardened are used here. The word for hardened in verse 34 is chabedh, which means hard in the sense of refusing to budge. In verse 35 the word for hard is chazaq, which stresses the strength, or firmness and arrogance, of Pharaoh's convictions against God.
34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
The
8th Plague: LocustsThen the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, (Exodus 10:1, NAS)Here the word for hardened is chabedh again, which means hard in the sense of refusing to budge. The Lord again says that He hardened the hearts of Pharaoh and his staff. He further stated the reason, which was in keeping with His Strategic Plan (Exodus 7:3-5). He hardened their hearts so He could perform His signs among them. The word sign is the Hebrew 'oth, a sign or symbol. The signs, e.g. hail and locusts, have symbolic meaning. Later when they occur in history, Bible Doctrine can be applied using the same symbolic definitions to understand the divine viewpoint of history. Thus, the signs will provide keys for future generations to understand divine viewpoint of history.
And that you may recount in the hearing of your children and your grandchildren: How I made mincemeat of the Egyptians, and how I put My signs on them so you all may know that I, the LORD. (Exodus 10:2)The Lord's purpose was, furthermore, to make such an impressive news story that the Israelites would tell their grandchildren, which means passing the story down to future generations. The story would be so miraculous that it would be told to all future generations. The word for making mincemeat of is the Hebrew `alal, which means to make sport of; make hay of; romp on; publicly humiliate; abuse. It was used for public humiliation (making an ass of) of Balaam by his donkey (Numbers 22:29). It was used for abusing a woman (Judges 19:25). "How I put My signs on them," is a reference to setting the Stage of Life. Knowing "that I, the LORD" means understanding the Lord's superiority to all opposition from man or the Cosmic System of Satan.
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let my people go so they may worship Me.'" (Exodus 10:3)Pharaoh in his arrogance has refused to humble himself before the Lord, which means he has rejected divine authority.
Exodus 10:4-5The name for locusts is the Hebrew 'arebeh, which means multiplier from the verb rabah, to multiply, become many. The "eye of the earth" is based upon the ancient idea that the earth with its covering of plants looks up to man (Numbers 22:5, 11). The locusts would eat all the plants left from the hail storm. Locusts represent the judgment of Cosmic Babylon since they are identified with the air.
4 ‘For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 ‘And they will cover the eye of the earth, so that no one shall be able to see the land. They shall also eat the rest of what has escaped—what is left to you from the hail—and they shall eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field.
The names for locusts in the Bible are based upon their behavior. Joel covers four types of them:
The leftovers of the gnawer the multiplier ate, and the leftovers of the multiplier the licker ate, and the leftovers of the licker the devourer ate. (Joel 1:4)The gnawer is gazam, the locust as the gnawer from gaza`, which means to cut off or saw in two in Arabic. Note: the Hebrew word gaza` is not the same as the name of the city of Gaza, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew tsazah. The multiplier is arebeh, which means multiplier from the verb rabah, to multiply, become many. The licker is jeleq, which means licker; to lick, lick off. The devourer is chasil, which means devourer, from chasal, to finish off, consume.
‘Then your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your forefathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. (Exodus 10:6)The plague will be the worst plague of locusts4,5,6,7 since creation.
Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go so they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed?" (Exodus 10:7)The members of Pharaoh's staff made strong arguments for letting the Israelites go. They called Moses a snare to them. A snare, or trap, is used for trapping animals and is a symbol of destruction. They realized that Moses had forced them into a deadly combat in the Angelic Conflict that was destroying them. Based upon their appeals, Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron brought back.
Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, worship the LORD your God! How many are those who wish to go?" (Exodus 10:8)Pharaoh wanted to know how many of the Israelites would be going out to worship.
And Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” (Exodus 10:9, NAS)Moses informed Pharaoh that all Israel would be going as well as their flocks and herds. This struck a nerve with Pharaoh.
He said to them, "So be it. The LORD be with you when I let you and your little ones go. Look because evil is before your faces." (Exodus 10:10)Pharaoh's reply to Moses was mocking, which would be more clear if the inflection of the voice could be heard in verse 10. The first part of verse 10 is like the idiom, "Heaven help you." Pharaoh is telling Moses, "May the Lord help you in the same way I let you and you little ones go." This was contempt for Moses, Aaron, and God. Then he said, "Look because evil is before your faces," which means you have evil in view.
Therefore, Pharaoh rejected Moses' request and made a counter offer.
Not so! Go then, you men, and worship the LORD for that you are seeking. And drove them out from the presence of Pharaoh. (Exodus 10:11)"Not so" means let it not be as you desire. Pharaoh ordered Moses to take only the men to worship the Lord, and then he had Moses and Aaron escorted out - which is like the expression, "he ran them out of his presence."
Exodus 10:12-15The Lord caused an east wind to blow. This means that the weather angels implemented the divine request. The east wind is a bad omen. The east wind blew all day and all night, which means the locusts came from a great distance. It is not unusual for locusts to breed in one location and then ride the winds to other areas. This is a good example of how the angels implement the Plan of God precisely on schedule. Angels undoubtedly induced the locusts to breed and swarm and then caused the wind to carry them to Egypt precisely on schedule.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every plant of the land, even all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt - extremely dense. Before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15 For they covered the eye of the whole land so that the land was darkened; and they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.
The plague of locusts was the worst in the history of Egypt and the worst that Egypt would ever have. The locusts completely covered the ground and they were so dense in the air that the sky was darkened. They ate everything green in Egypt as testified by verse 15 as well as the Ipuwer papyrus, which said:
5:12 Forsooth, that has perished which was yesterday seen.
The land is left over to its weariness like the cutting of flax.1
6:1 No fruit nor herbs are found . . . hunger.3
Exodus 10:16-19, NASPharaoh confessed his sin against God to Moses and begged for relief just one more time. He asked Moses to forgive his sin and remove the plague that threatened him and the Egyptians with death. Pharaoh was headed for the sin unto death. Yet, he was still in confusion. He could not be forgiven of his sins until he accepted the Lord as his Savior. Although his sins would be judged on the cross, he has rejected the redemption solution and, therefore, cannot receive forgiveness. Moses wouldn't be able to forgive his sins anyway, for only God can forgive sins.
16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 “Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and make supplication to the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” 18 And he went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. 19 So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.
Colossians 1:13-14Colossians 1:14 explains Pharaoh's confusion. "Redemption" and "forgiveness" are a double accusative of direct object and result in Attic Greek. Redemption comes first. It was accomplished when Jesus Christ paid for all the sins of the world, including Pharaoh's. Those who wish to avail themselves of the Redemption solution can do so by believing in Jesus Christ. When they believe in Jesus Christ, then their pre-salvation sins will be forgiven - not before. Pharaoh cannot have forgiveness of sins unless he believes in the Lord and receives Eternal Life.
13 For He delivered us out from the power system (Cosmic System) of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go. (Exodus 10:20, NAS)The word for hardened is chazaq, which stresses the strength, or firmness of Pharaoh's convictions against God. There is a pattern of alternating words for hardened. Before the plague of locusts (Exodus 10:1), the word for hardened was chabedh, which means hard in the sense of refusing to budge; while after the plague, it was chazaq, for the strength, or firmness of Pharaoh's convictions. Thus, Pharaoh stood firm before and was strengthened after the plague. This is the same as withstanding before, which is like defense, and standing strong after, which is like offense. The defensive hardness represents legalism while the offensive hardness represents lawlessness. This is explained in Scar Tissue of the Soul.
The 9th Plague: Darkness |
Exodus 10:21-22, NASThe darkness of the 9th plague was a supernatural darkness in which there was a total absence of light, such as the bottom of a mine. It was much worse than a power outage. The darkness is described as being so great that it could be felt. Further, the description, "thick darkness" in verse 22 is literally "darkness of obscurity" or "dark darkness" where two synonyms for darkness are combined for emphasis like "black dark."
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:23, NAS)The darkness was so great that the Egyptians saw no one nor did they rise from their places for three days. However, the Israelites had light in their dwellings. The number, three, (reference 3 days) represents the Justice of the Holy Spirit, who implemented this plague. According to the Ipuwer papyrus:
9:11 The land is without light.1The "plague of darkness is further described in another ancient Egyptian document, a black granite monolith or shrine at the
EL-ARISH: The land was in great affliction. Evil fell on this earth. . . It was a great upheaval in the residence. . . . Nobody left the palace during nine days, and during these nine days of upheaval there was such a tempest that neither the men nor the gods could see the faces of their next.3Light represents Eternal Life (John 1:4; 1 John 1:5); while darkness represents the absence of that light, i.e. Ecumenical Babylon (John 1:5; 8:12; 1 John 1:6). Thus, the plagues of Egypt began and ended with the judgment of Ecumenical Babylon, which is the point of Satan's counterattack against the Plan of God. Ecumenical Babylon is the worst evil.
Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you.” (Exodus 10:24, NAS)Pharaoh offered the concession of letting the women and children go, but he withheld permission for the flocks and herds to go. He obviously believed in holding some collateral lest Israel keep going and not return. However, Moses objected to this ploy.
Exodus 10:25-26, NASMoses stated emphatically with the expression, "not a hoof will be left behind," that all the livestock had to go with them. Moses had previously stated that the livestock must go with them in Exodus 10:9. However, Pharaoh was still demonstrating his arrogance by trying to negotiate a change in the requirements. From the exchange between Moses and Pharaoh, it can be seen that God does not negotiate and Moses does not negotiate.
25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to the Lord our God. 26 “Therefore, our livestock, too, will go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.”
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. (Exodus 10:27 NAS)The word for hardened here is chazaq, which stresses the strength, or firmness of Pharaoh's convictions against God. This same word for hardened appeared after the last plague. It shows that Pharaoh had again taken the offensive and needed more punishment.
Exodus 10:28-29, NASPharaoh in his denial and project proceeded to blame everything on Moses. He told Moses to leave and that he would die if he ever saw his (Pharaoh's) face again. At this point, Satan had taken over the soul of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh had committed the sin that ends in death (1 John 5:16; Hebrews 10:26-30). Pharaoh, in threatening Moses with death, had pronounced his own death sentence. Moses knew that he would not have to see Pharaoh again because the Lord already revealed it to him. While Moses was with Pharaoh, he announced to him the final plague, which would allow Israel to go.
28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29 And Moses said, “You are right; I shall never see your face again!”
Now the Lord had said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go altogether, he will even drive away. (Exodus 11:1)Exodus 11:1-8 is a summary of the events surrounding the last meeting with Pharaoh. Moses knew this when he was talking to Pharaoh, and that's why he could answer with such confidence that Pharaoh would never see his face again. The Lord told Moses there would be one more plague. The word for plague is nega`, which means death blow, or stoke. However, this is a different word for plague than maggapheh, which was used to describe the nine plagues in Exodus 9:14. The words are synonyms. However, the phrase, "one more plague," means one final plague. In other words, there were 9 plagues plus one final plague of a different kind. The final plague would be the death blow, coup de grace, or sin unto death. Thus, the judgments of God are 9 plagues plus the sin unto death - not 10 plagues. The number, 9, stands for the 9 plagues, which were followed by the final judgment of the sin unto death.
The Lord told Moses that not only would Pharaoh let him go, but he would even pay to get rid of him. The Lord told Moses to speak to the people and tell them to ask for articles of silver and gold, e.g. ornaments, jewelry, and utensils.
Exodus 11:2-3The Lord granted the people favor with the Egyptians, and Moses was also renowned. So the Israelites walked away from Egypt with a fortune - the spoils of victory. This is explained in the next chapter.
2 “Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
Exodus 12:35-36, NASAccording to the Ipuwer papyrus:
35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
3:2 Gold and lapis lazuli, silver and malachite, carnelian and
bronze... are fastened on the neck of female slaves.3
Exodus 11:4-6, NASThe Lord said that about midnight, He would go into the midst of Egypt. The "midnight" was not the day of Moses' visit to Pharaoh during the Plague of Darkness because there would not have been sufficient time for preparation for the Passover, which took four days. The "midnight" was at a later date. The Lord would personally execute the last plague, whereas Moses and Aaron had been used to initiate the all the other plagues. Death is a sovereign decision of God, who alone determines the time, the manner, and place of death. Thus, the responsibility for the death of the firstborn would not be shared with Moses or Aaron.
4 And Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the first-born of the cattle as well. 6 ‘Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.
The plague would begin in the middle of Egypt, which means the center of the throne. It would strike every firstborn from the first born of Pharaoh to the meanest slave-girl grinding at the mill. "The captive who is in the dungeon" is substituted for "slave-girl," or "maid," in Exodus 12:29. Prisoners were often employed in hard labor. Even the first born of the cattle would die. There would be a great cry of grief throughout Egypt that would be unsurpassed in history.
According to the Ipuwer papyrus:
4:3 (5:6) Forsooth, the children of princes are dashed against the walls.The description indicates that it was accomplished by means of an earthquake.
6:12 Forsooth, the children of princes are cast out in the streets.
6:3 The prison is ruined.
2:13 He who places his brother in the ground is everywhere.
3:14 It is groaning throughout the land, mingled with lamentations.1
4:4, 6:14 Forsooth, those who were in the place of embossment are laid on the high ground.3
2:8 Forsooth, the land turns round as does a potter's wheel.
2:11 The towns are destroyed. Upper Egypt has become dry (wastes?).
3:13 All is ruin!
7:4 The residence is overturned in a minute.
4:2 . . . Years of noise. There is no end to noise.
6:1 Oh, that the earth would cease from noise, and tumult (uproar) be no more.3
Exodus 11:7-8During the plague of the death of the firstborn, Israel would be unscathed. The phrase, "not a dog shall point its tongue" is an idiom that means that no dog would growl or bite. The tongue of the dog refers to the sounds of the dog in growling or barking. Israel was on the right side of history and Egypt on the wrong side. After the death of the firstborn all the staff of Pharaoh would implore Moses to leave Egypt. After coming to Pharaoh with nothing but his stick and no support, Moses would be renowned in the eyes of Pharaoh's staff and the world. Moses told Pharaoh all this, and they had their final falling out.
7 ‘But against any of the sons of Israel not a dog shall point its tongue, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 “And all these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he (Moses) went out from Pharaoh in burning anger.
Pharaoh ordered Moses out, and Moses left in burning anger. Moses had shown restraint throughout the plagues, but now he showed anger because God's mercy in dealing with Pharaoh had come to an end. Pharaoh and all Egypt with him were about to be punished with the worst wrath of human history since the Flood. They would not dedicate their babies to the Lord (by their own sanctification - not by infant Baptism), and the Lord would kill their firstborn for living in the Cosmic System under the power of Satan and his demons (such as Baal). The father is the head of the home, but if the father is in the Cosmic System, the rest of the family will be subject to the power of the Cosmic System and cursing of God. Before a child reaches the age of accountability, it is at the mercy of God. The children who died in Egypt before reaching accountability went to Heaven, whereas their worthless parents went to Hades (2 Samuel 12:15-23).
Furthermore, children who live in a home are under the authority of the head of that home regardless of whether the head of the home is the biological father or not (Ephesians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:18). If a woman is raising a child without a husband, then the child is under the woman's authority, regardless of whether the woman is the biological mother or not (Ephesians 6:1). If a mother is living with a man who is not her husband, then that creep (2 Timothy 3:6) has no authority over the children; and furthermore, both the woman and the child will be enslaved to the Cosmic System and under the power of Satan and his demons, such as Baal. If a married couple adopt children, then those children are under the authority of their parents. If a woman is living out of wedlock with a man who has children, then that "silly" (ignorant of Bible Doctrine) female is a slave herself and has no authority over his children. Women who have children out of wedlock are guilty of the worst form of child abuse. Child abuse will lead to intensive punishment from God (Matthew 18:6).
The Egyptians were very moral people and did not generally have the problems of illegitimate children, which is prevalent in the world today. However, when the parents rejected the authority of God, they brought down the severe punishment of child abuse upon their heads. Their children were killed in the sanctification of God, who delivered the Israelite children and killed the Egyptian children. And the children were blessed by dying because they went to Heaven, but the parents were cursed and suffered grief. However, not all the Egyptians were guilty. Some of the Egyptians were saved and left Egypt with Moses.
Pharaoh's heart was yet again hardened per the Plan of God.
Exodus 11:9-10The word for hardened is chazaq, which stresses the strength, or firmness of Pharaoh's convictions against God.
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 And Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Moses started out under God's command with only a stick (his staff) and no support. As a leader he stood alone. Pharaoh, in contrast had the world. However, because of his hardness of heart, Pharaoh caused the destruction of his own life and whole Egyptian empire. Moses became a man of renown, even among Pharaoh's staff. The Lord provided the hearing. Moses started out with nothing and won everything. The Lord gave him everything in grace. Pharaoh started out with the world and squandered it through his arrogance. From these two men come the Doctrines of the Cycles of Personal Punishment and Blessing.
Released December 9, 1999 - Revised September 28, 2011
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