9:8-12
The sixth plague is a plague of boils. This is another plague where there is no prior warning, or command. It is more a judgement upon Pharaoh’s earlier disobedience. Before all these plagues there is usually a demonstration of some sort, either Aaron waving his staff, or some such action. Here it is Moses who performs the action, and he is to throw soot from the kiln into the air. These actions are to demonstrate that the results are happening because of a deliberate act of God. So boils would break out on both man and beast. This would occur throughout the land of Egypt, Since it is the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart that is the cause of all this, one might think that this is rather unfair on the people. First, it is a simple fact, repeated throughout history, that what the rulers do, for good or ill, has a profound effect on the nation as a whole. Secondly, we are to some extent responsible for the leaders we have. “We get the leaders that we deserve” has a significant element of truth in it. Of course, the leaders themselves bear the greatest degree of guilt, but they cannot gain and keep power without some consent from the people.
The boils came upon the magicians as well. By now they had completely given up on trying to replicate the signs, and now they were directly affected by them as well. We now read that the Lord had hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Hardening of the heart is a combination of an act of God, an act of Pharaoh, and the “natural” effects of sin.
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