What is the meaning of Exodus 10:4? But if you refuse • God’s warning opens with a clear condition. Pharaoh still has a choice, yet every earlier refusal (Exodus 7:13; 8:15; 9:34) shows a hardened heart that resists God’s explicit commands. • Scripture consistently presents refusal to obey as willful rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23; Proverbs 28:14). The Lord is not negotiating; He is exposing Pharaoh’s stubbornness so that His power may be displayed (Romans 9:17). to let My people go • “My people” underscores covenant ownership—Israel belongs to the Lord (Exodus 6:7; Deuteronomy 7:6). • The demand is identical to the earlier calls (Exodus 5:1; 9:13), emphasizing God’s unchanging purpose to free His people for worship (Exodus 3:12). • Deliverance is always tied to service; freedom from Egypt points ahead to freedom from sin so we might serve righteousness (Romans 6:22). I will bring locusts • The promised judgment is specific, severe, and supernatural. Locust swarms were known in Egypt, but this plague would be unparalleled (Exodus 10:14). • God controls nature to execute justice (Joel 2:25; Nahum 1:3–4). Even tiny insects become instruments in His hand when human power resists Him. • The ninth plague will later plunge Egypt into darkness (Exodus 10:21–23), but here the eighth illustrates how God dismantles every perceived source of security, including crops and economy. into your territory • Judgment targets “your territory,” personalizing the consequence. Pharaoh’s land will suffer because Pharaoh’s heart is hard (Psalm 107:34). • What the Egyptians trusted—the fertile Nile delta—would be devastated (Exodus 7:19–21; 9:31–32). God’s warnings are precise; no one can claim ignorance (Amos 3:7). tomorrow • The schedule underscores God’s sovereignty over time (Genesis 18:14; Isaiah 46:10). • A fixed deadline leaves space for repentance (2 Peter 3:9) while proving that the coming disaster is no coincidence. • Every “tomorrow” in the plague narratives (Exodus 8:23; 9:18) reminds us that delayed obedience is disobedience. summary Exodus 10:4 reveals a patient yet uncompromising God who confronts Pharaoh’s defiance with a conditional warning. Refusal to release God’s covenant people will usher an overwhelming locust plague that devastates Egypt’s land the very next day. The verse teaches that hardened hearts invite escalating judgment, while timely obedience opens the door to deliverance and worship. |
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