Faith & Reason Nexus

Locusts — Exodus 10:1–20

God continued to demonstrate His power through the plagues of Egypt. He told Moses that Pharaoh’s heart had been hardened so that God’s mighty works would be displayed in Egypt and remembered by future generations.

“I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them.” — Exodus 10:1

God wanted the Israelites to remember what He had done for them and to tell their children about His power.

Moses and Aaron were once again sent to Pharaoh with a warning. If Pharaoh continued to refuse God’s command, Egypt would experience a devastating plague of locusts.

• The locusts would cover the land.
• They would consume the crops and plants left after the hail.
• They would eat what remained of the trees.
• They would enter the houses of the Egyptians.
• The devastation would be so severe that Egypt would struggle to recover.

Pharaoh’s Officials Plead — Exodus 10:7

By this point, even Pharaoh’s officials had seen enough.

They questioned Pharaoh’s continued stubbornness and urged him to release the Israelites.

“How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God.” — Exodus 10:7

The officials could see that Egypt was being destroyed by Pharaoh’s refusal.

• They had witnessed the previous plagues.
• They understood that Moses’ warnings were being fulfilled.
• They recognized that continued resistance was bringing more suffering.
• They urged Pharaoh to stop resisting.

But Pharaoh still wanted to control the situation.

Pharaoh’s Compromise — Exodus 10:8–11

Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron back and asked who exactly would be going into the wilderness.

Moses answered that everyone would go:

• Young and old.
• Sons and daughters.
• Men and women.
• Flocks and herds.

The entire nation needed to go because they were going to celebrate a festival and worship the Lord.

Pharaoh refused to accept these terms.

He offered a compromise: only the Israelite men could go and worship, while their women, children, and livestock would remain in Egypt.

This was not genuine freedom.

Pharaoh was attempting to maintain control over the Israelites by keeping their families and possessions as leverage.

Moses refused the compromise because God’s command was for the entire people to leave.

The Locusts Arrive — Exodus 10:12–15

God then commanded Moses to stretch out his staff over Egypt.

Moses obeyed, and God sent a powerful east wind across the land.

The next morning, the locusts arrived.

The swarm was enormous.

“They covered all the ground until it was black.” — Exodus 10:15

The locusts consumed everything that remained after the hail.

They destroyed:

• Plants.
• Crops.
• Fruits.
• Trees.
• Green vegetation.
• Everything edible that had survived the earlier plague.

The devastation was overwhelming.

Egypt had already suffered greatly, but the locusts brought another wave of destruction.

The plague was so severe that Scripture describes it as unprecedented.

Pharaoh Confesses — Exodus 10:16–20

Once again, Pharaoh urgently called for Moses and Aaron.

He admitted that he had sinned against God and against Moses and Aaron.

“I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.” — Exodus 10:16

Pharaoh asked Moses to forgive him and plead with God to remove the plague.

Moses prayed.

God answered by sending a very strong wind that carried the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea.

The locusts completely disappeared from Egypt.

Once again, Pharaoh received the relief he wanted.

But once the crisis was over, his heart became hard again.

He still refused to release God’s people.

This repeated pattern shows that Pharaoh’s words were not evidence of lasting repentance. He wanted the consequences removed, but he did not want to surrender his authority.

Darkness — Exodus 10:21–29

The ninth plague was dramatically different from the previous ones.

God commanded Moses to stretch out his hand toward the sky, and a deep darkness covered Egypt.

It was not ordinary nighttime darkness.

Scripture describes it as:

“Darkness that can be felt.” — Exodus 10:21

For three days, Egypt was covered in complete darkness.

• People could not see one another.
• No one moved around normally.
• People remained inside their homes.
• The darkness created fear and helplessness.
• Egypt was unable to escape or overcome it.

Yet once again, God protected His people.

Light in Israel — Exodus 10:22–23

While darkness covered Egypt, the Israelites continued to have light where they lived.

“Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” — Exodus 10:23

The contrast was unmistakable.

Egypt was experiencing darkness.

Israel had light.

This distinction demonstrated God’s ability to judge Egypt while protecting His people.

It also showed that the plagues were not random events.

God was intentionally carrying out His judgment and displaying His authority.

Pharaoh’s Final Compromise — Exodus 10:24–26

Pharaoh called Moses again.

This time, he agreed that the Israelites could go into the wilderness to worship.

But he still wanted to keep their livestock behind.

Moses refused.

The Israelites needed their animals because they would be required for sacrifices and offerings to the Lord.

Moses explained that they did not yet know exactly what they would need until they arrived at their destination.

Therefore, they needed to take everything with them.

The message was clear: God’s people could not leave their possessions behind as a guarantee that they would return.

Pharaoh still wanted some form of control over them.

Pharaoh Threatens Moses — Exodus 10:27–29

Pharaoh’s anger intensified.

God allowed Pharaoh’s heart to remain hardened, and Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites.

He finally told Moses:

“Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” — Exodus 10:28

Moses responded that Pharaoh had spoken correctly and that he would not appear before him again.

The confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses had reached a critical point.

The ninth plague ended with Pharaoh still refusing God’s command.

A Hardened Heart

The story of Pharaoh raises a difficult question: Can God harden the heart of a wicked person for His own purposes?

According to the Exodus account, God certainly can.

At the same time, Pharaoh repeatedly demonstrated his own stubbornness and resistance throughout the story.

He had received warning after warning.

He had witnessed miracle after miracle.

He had experienced judgment after judgment.

He repeatedly promised to let Israel go when the suffering became unbearable, only to change his mind once the crisis ended.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart therefore became part of the larger demonstration of God’s sovereignty.

God’s Sovereignty

God was using the situation to reveal His supremacy.

Pharaoh believed he had ultimate authority over Israel.

God was showing that Pharaoh’s authority was limited.

The plagues demonstrated that:

• Pharaoh could not control nature.
• Pharaoh could not stop God’s signs.
• Pharaoh could not protect Egypt from God’s judgment.
• Pharaoh could not prevent Israel’s eventual deliverance.
• Pharaoh could not defeat God’s purposes.

God was writing a story that would be remembered for generations.

Guard Your Heart — Application

The story of Pharaoh should make us examine the condition of our own hearts.

A person’s heart does not usually become hardened all at once.

Repeatedly rejecting correction can gradually make someone less sensitive to truth.

Pharaoh had many opportunities to humble himself.

Instead, he repeatedly chose pride.

Therefore, we should be careful about how we respond when God corrects or challenges us.

• Do not repeatedly ignore God’s warnings.
• Do not allow pride to control your decisions.
• Do not become comfortable with disobedience.
• Do not wait until consequences become overwhelming before turning toward God.
• Be willing to admit when you are wrong.
• Remain sensitive to God’s correction.
• Choose humility instead of stubbornness.

Grace Is Not Something to Presume

We should never treat God’s grace as something we automatically deserve.

The story of Pharaoh is a serious reminder that persistent rebellion has consequences.

God’s patience should not be mistaken for approval.

When we recognize that we are going in the wrong direction, the right response is to turn back to God rather than continue resisting Him.

Final Application

Exodus 10 shows Pharaoh becoming increasingly stubborn while God’s power becomes increasingly undeniable.

The locusts destroyed what remained of Egypt’s crops.

The darkness covered the nation.

Even Pharaoh’s own officials begged him to stop resisting.

Yet he continued to refuse God’s command.

The chapter challenges us to examine our hearts before they become hardened through repeated disobedience.

Do not allow pride to make you resistant to God.

The safest response to God’s correction is humility.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” — Proverbs 11:2

God is sovereign, His purposes cannot ultimately be defeated, and His Kingdom will prevail.

The question is not whether God will ultimately have the victory.

The question is whether we will humbly choose to stand with the True King.