Exodus 9:1-28 (ESV)

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” 5 And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

This is the Old Testament reading assigned for the Monday of Holy Week. At first it seemed a little funny to me that it would be recommended to read about the 10 plagues during this week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, instead of maybe prophecies about his suffering and death, or something like that.

Something I hadn’t really considered until reading this passage, though, is that in a way, Pharaoh and the Egyptians represent the three enemies of a Christian: Sin, death, and hell. You remember how Israel was enslaved in Egypt, after the Egyptians forgot about Joseph. And the whole history of the Israelites being freed from their Egyptian oppressors is the salvation story of the Old Testament.

What happened when God freed his people from slavery in Egypt is the same thing that we remember this week: our God is freeing his people from slavery. This time it’s not the slavery of hard labor, but slavery to sin. In a way, the 10 plagues are like what Jesus has been doing throughout his ministry: he’s weakening the power of the oppressors. Each new plague brought on Egypt showed the power of God and weakened the Egyptians, whether it was through thunder and hail that destroyed crops, water turned to blood, or the death of the firstborn. 

In the same way, with every move Jesus made as he walked this earth, he weakened Satan’s grasp on God’s creation. But there are positive things this time, not plagues. Instead of destroying crops, Jesus sowed the seeds of the kingdom by his preaching. Bread will become body and wine will become blood, but this time it’s the blood of the new covenant in communion at the Last Supper—it’s Jesus’ blood—and unlike the Nile water that became undrinkable when it became blood, Jesus tells his followers to drink this blood for the forgiveness of sins. And instead of the death of firstborn sons of those who hated God’s people, Jesus himself, the Son of God, called the firstborn of all creation, is the one who dies. And because of his death, there is life for all who believe. 

Glory Be to Jesus (Lutheran Service Book 433)

"Glory be to Jesus, Who in bitter pains Poured for me the lifeblood From His sacred veins!

Grace and life eternal In that blood I find; Blest be His compassion, Infinitely kind!

Blest through endless ages Be the precious stream Which from endless torment Did the world redeem!"

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for freeing us from our bondage to sin, death, and Satan through your death and resurrection. As we walk through Holy Week, bless our reflection on your suffering and death, and teach us to hope in your resurrection. Amen.

For Further Reflection/Discussion:

Where around you have you noticed slavery to sin and death as you experience life in this world? Try to be as specific as possible.

How have you experienced that slavery in your own life, as you strive to live as a child of God?

Describe a time when it was difficult to trust that God has freed you from that slavery.

Describe a time when you felt powerfully the freedom you have in Christ from all your worst enemies.

What's a Bible passage that you keep in mind to help you remember that you're set free from sin?