Quick review of the 10 plagues of Egypt in Exodus:
1. Blood in water everywhere (started in Nile river)
2. Frogs everywhere
3. Lice/gnats everywhere
4. Flies everywhere but Goshen
5. Livestock disease/death unless animal belonged to Israelite
6. Boils on everything breathing
7. Hail everywhere but Goshen
8. Locusts everywhere
9. Darkness everywhere but Goshen
10. Death of first born except for marked Hebrew homes and Pharoah
The major takeaway from the ten disasters sent by God and administered by Moses was that the leader of Egypt, Pharoah (a title like "king", not a specific name of a person) needed some repeated convincing to release the Israelites from 400 years of slavery. But God sent the plagues to serve three other specific purposes:
1. Confirm Moses' God given authority. Exodus 3:19-20 (God speaking) But I know that the king of Egypt (Pharoah) will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. Moses would be God's chosen leader for the next 40 years, and the devastating plagues directed by Moses kicked it all off. Unfortunately Moses would be questioned numerous times by his own Israelite people, and each incident was also meant with God's outstretched hand.
2. Show the Egyptians that their gods were nothing compared to Him. Exodus 7:5 (God speaking) "The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst." Plague 10 was the icing on the cake. Exodus 12:12 (God speaking) "For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments - I am the Lord." Pharoah was the only Egyptian first born spared this death so that he would be around to see all the other death.
3. Show the Israelites that He had not forgotten about them and it was time to enact His promise to Abraham. Exodus 6: 6-8 (God speaking) Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord."
Pharoah and his people were hit hard by each of the 10 plagues. But how were the Israelites impacted by the disasters? Did they need some convincing themselves that Moses was sent by the God of their forefathers and that it was time to leave not only the physical state of slavery, but also the mental state?
In 5 of the 10 plagues (4,5,7,9,10) the biblical text specifically says that the Hebrew slaves/Israelites who lived in Goshen were protected from the devastation. Omitting Goshen not only spared the Israelites, but it also was another indication of God's power since there was no natural boundary between Goshen and the rest of Egypt. But did God afflict the Hebrews with the first 3 plagues to convince them that it was time to leave Egypt? What about plague 6 and 8? Did the Hebrew's question where God had been for 400 years? How many considered the pros/cons of a slave's life versus the unknown leadership of Moses?
Regarding the first plague, Exodus 7:21 The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile. The Hebrew slaves were never considered Egyptians. Were they granted access to some clean water or was God shaking their world, waking them up to the idea that it was time to go?
Regarding the second plague, Exodus 8:3 The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants. The Hebrew slaves were never considered "Pharoah's people". Were their homes prohibited to the frogs?
Plague three is unique. Exodus 8:17 And Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. Gnats were on all and beast. Dust became gnats through all the land of Egypt. It is hard to argue here that the Israelites escaped this plague. Were they seeing in 1 and 2 what was happening to the Egyptians and not understanding God's plan? Did getting hit with gnats convince them that this was God's work and He had not forgotten about them? Perhaps this plague was a motivator since they were then biblically noted as "exempt" from the next two plagues, 4 (flies) and 5 (livestock disease).
Regarding the sixth plague, Exodus 9:11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. Again, the Hebrews were never considered Egyptians, so perhaps their bodies were saved from blisters.
Regarding the eighth plague, another unique one. Exodus 10:4 (Moses speaking) For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped, what is left from the hail, and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field. Then your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians. Sounds like the Israelites might loose their crops, but the locusts will only invade the houses of Egyptians. When Pharoah refuses, Exodus 10:12 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. Well Goshen was the only place in Egypt that didn't get hail, so maybe they too are getting locusts, just not in the houses.
Doing a very literal read of the biblical text, and then making a few assumptions about plagues 1,2,3,6 and 8 I put forth this thought....
It was time for the Hebrew slaves to leave Egypt and head to the promised land. Pharoah would never agree so God sent Moses to administer blood in the water (1) and frogs (2). The Hebrews saw the devastation but were not directly impacted. Instead of praising God and packing their bags, they were scared and not convinced that Moses was doing anything special as the magicians could copy these acts. To get their attention, God included the Hebrews in suffering with gnats (3) and it is biblically pointed out that the magicians could not copy this feat. Between gnats (3) and flies (4) the Hebrews had a major attitude change and started to believe Moses was working for the God of their forefathers. They were spared flies (4), livestock disease (5), boils (6), and hail (7). But evidently they were not packing up fast enough so their crops which they were too focused on were destroyed by locusts (8), but God kept the pests out of their homes so they could get packing. Finally after plague 8, the Hebrews were as convinced as they were going to be and were spared from darkness (9) and death of first born (10).
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