This is another dense chapter and I will need to leave out many of the details, so please feel free to read it for yourself.
“Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind ..[which].. brought the locusts. The locusts… settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.’ And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’ …and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” (v13-23 abr)
So the eighth and ninth plagues are locusts and darkness – locusts so thick that “the land was darkened” (ie. you can’t see the sand, ew) and darkness so intense that it could “be felt” and nobody could even leave their bed (instant and complete blindness).
Pharaoh continues to progressively budge little by little, but God continues to “harden his heart” since God’s plan is not yet fully complete. First Pharaoh agrees to let the men go, not the children. Then after the two plagues agrees to let the children go as well, but not the flocks. When Moses and Aaron refuse to budge, Pharaoh tells them off and promises to kill them if he sees them again (I’m sure he used some choice words left out to help keep the Bible family friendly).
I’m not sure what was going through the majority of Egyptian’s minds at this point, but even before these two plagues Pharaoh’s servants plead with him to release Israel – it seems that Pharaoh alone is dead-set against releasing Israel. Why is that (besides the hardened heart)? Why can I sometimes be so stubborn, and the stubbornness seems to scale up when I know that I’m wrong? What is it in the human heart that makes us so determined to do things our way, even when we’re the only one who thinks it’s a good idea?
David cautions us in this regard: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.” (Psa 32:8-10) It seems that those who disobey God, are considered to be stubborn like a mule – perhaps not the most flattering simile.
Father God, we thank You for Your abundant grace and mercy through the gift of the cross. That gift has enabled us to receive a new heart, and a new spirit that You put within us. You remove the heart of stone, and replace it with a heart of flesh. All we need to do is receive You as our Lord and Savior. Praise be to You, our generous and loving God who chose us to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for Your own possession, that You may proclaim Your glory. Thank you for calling us out of darkness and into Your glorious light. (Eze 36:26, 1 Pet 2:9 par)
~ Conqueror in Training