10. The Ten Plagues

What the Story Says

1. How did Pharaoh respond when Moses told him that God wanted him to let the Israelites go?

   Pharaoh not only refused to let the Israelites go, he also made work harder than before (#10-01).

2. What did God do to Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go?

   God sent ten terrible plagues that caused the people of Egypt to suffer greatly and to even die (#10-02).

3. How did Pharaoh respond to Moses when the frogs covered Egypt?

   Pharaoh begged Moses to take away the frogs. However, he still did not let the Israelites go (#10-04).

4. How did Pharaoh act deceitfully about the plague of the flies?

   Pharaoh promised Moses that the Israelites could leave Egypt if Moses stopped the plague. But when Moses did that, Pharaoh changed his mind and did not let them go (#10-05).

5. How did God treat the Egyptians differently than the Israelites during the plague of the skin sores?

   God caused the sores on the Egyptians, but not on the Israelites (#10-07).

6. How did Pharaoh again act deceitfully about the plague of the hail?

   Pharaoh again promised Moses that the Israelites could leave Egypt if Moses stopped the plague of the hail (#10-08). But after the hail stopped, Pharaoh again changed his mind and would not let them go (#10-09).

7. How did God again treat the Egyptians differently than the Israelites during the plague of the darkness?

   God caused the darkness on the Egyptians, but there was light where the Israelites lived (#10-11).

8. What did God decide to do to the Egyptians since Pharaoh refused to obey God after the first nine plagues?

   God decided to send a final plague that would be worse than the other nine plagues. This one would cause Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt (#10-12).

What the Story Means to Us

1. Did God know that Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go when Moses asked him?

   God already knew that Pharaoh would be stubborn and would not agree to let the Israelites go at first. However, he expected Moses and Aaron to tell Pharaoh what God had said and to wait for God to change Pharaoh’s mind.

2. Why did God send the ten plagues on Egypt?

   God wanted to show Pharaoh and all the people in Egypt that Yahweh is more powerful than Pharaoh and all the gods of Egypt. Even the other nations would hear about how God had forced Pharaoh to obey him and let the people go.

3. What kind of things did God cause to be plagues on the Egyptians?

   God used the normal things of Egypt to punish them. He turned the Nile River, animals, insects, and even the sun into plagues that caused them to suffer. The Egyptians used to worship all of these things as gods before the plagues happened.

4. Why did God cause some of the plagues to happen only to the Egyptians, and not to the Israelites?

   Through the plagues, God was showing the Egyptians and the Israelites that the Israelites belonged to him as his people. He protected the Israelites from many of the plagues so everyone would know that he was their God.

5. Why did send ten plagues instead of sending only the last plague?

   God knew that the first nine plagues would not convince Pharaoh to obey him. However, those plagues showed all the people how powerful God was. When God had done that, he was ready to send the final plague to force Pharaoh to let the people go.

Summary

God knew that Pharaoh would be stubborn and would not easily let the Israelites leave Egypt. But God wanted to show that he was more powerful than Pharaoh or the gods of Egypt. Therefore, God sent nine plagues the punished the Egyptians for not obeying God. Each plague was more severe and caused the Egyptians to suffer more. During the plagues, God also protected the Israelites to show them that he was their God and that they were his people. Pharaoh continually refused to let the people go even as the Egyptians suffered from the plagues. However, God planned to send a final plague to force Pharaoh to obey him.