The Story of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, Continued (Exodus 9)

Plague Number 5 – Livestock. God told Moses to go before Pharaoh again and tell him that the Lord God of the Hebrews said, “Let my people go that they may serve me.” Pharaoh was also warned that if he did not let the people go the hand of the Lord would be upon their cattle that were in the field. The cattle, the horses, the oxen, the sheep, would all suffer from murrain and even die from it. The plague infected the livestock in Egypt but not the livestock of the Hebrews who lived in the land of Goshen. The Egyptians considered their cattle as being sacred and worshiped them as gods. Was this plague an act of God’s judgment upon the false gods of Egypt? I believe that may have been true of most of the ten plagues, yet Pharaoh still hardened his heart and would not let the people go. Plague Number 6 – Boils. The sixth plague of boils was a skin disease that harmed both humans and animals. Like the third plague it was not announced beforehand to Pharaoh. It also did not touch the Hebrews that lived in the land of Goshen. The Lord told Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes from a furnace and throw them up into the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. When they did as the Lord had said festering boils broke out both upon man and beast, and you can believe they were very painful. A long time ago I had a friend that was infected by lots and lots of boils. They probably were not the same as the boils in Egypt, but it was hard for him to sit down or lie down because of the pain. It was even hard for him to wear a shirt because any clothing that touched the boils caused a lot of pain. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, still would not let the people go. When will he learn his lesson?