Boils – Plague #6
Exodus 9:8-12
June 5, 2022
In the story of the Exodus of the children of Israel, two leaders are given opportunity after
opportunity to either obey God or refuse to do so. One leader, Moses, obeys God. The other
leader was Pharaoh Amenhotep II who was the 7 th of 15 Pharaohs of the 18 th dynasty. The 18 th
dynasty covered about 250 years in Egypt’s history. He was a ruler in a long, long line of
Egyptian rulers who thought and acted like they were in complete control of almost everything.
Pharaoh had no interest in following God. He saw himself as the intercessor between some 2000
gods and man.
God’s response to Pharaoh’s stubbornness was that one by one, or group by group, God is
showing that these little so-called gods of Egypt are without power or control. Since God is
demonstrating His ultimate power, then sooner or later it would be expected that He would
demonstrate His power over people’s health. The plague of boils was just that – a clear
demonstration that God is immeasurably more powerful that their little so-called gods. In this
sixth plague, God sent boils upon the people and the animals as His judgment against
several gods whom Egypt thought were in charge of their health (Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis).
It is fairly predictable that God would have used the bacteria of the previous plague to bring
about this plague. It is suggested that these boils may have resulted from skin anthrax. This
would have been some sort of a black abscess with this big pimple looking thing rising up out
of it. (Gross to even think about.) It is interesting that the immediate source of this plague
is from the soot of the brick kiln.
The reaction of the magicians, who were religious leaders, is a clear demonstration that they
were powerless against the God of Israel.
I can’t tell you how times I heard, as you may have, a sick person remark, “When you have
your health, you have everything.” I think what people are saying is that our health is so
important to us that when we lose good health, it captures our attention. A couple of
weeks ago I visited some friends that are a few years older than me. They said, “It seems like
we just go from one doctor’s visit to the next one.”
In the story of the Exodus, God is doing whatever it takes to get the attention of the
Egyptians and the Israelites. God’s people are being horribly mistreated to the point that it is
no longer best for them to remain in Egypt. After 400 years, Israel has grown and prospered,
and it is time to move toward the Promised Land of Canaan.
8 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln,
and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches.
9 The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering
boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
10 So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As
Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people
and animals alike.
11 Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had
broken out on them and all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s
heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.
- How do people typically react toward God when their health is at risk?
We cry out to God, promise Him all sorts of things, and many times make our health the very
focus of our lives. When we are seriously sick, our health is what we think about most of
the time. We go to see the doctor regularly. We try everything we know in order to give
ourselves the best chance possible of restoring our health. - What do you think God wanted the Egyptians to remember when they heard the story about
soot becoming boils? (9:8)
8 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln,
and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches.
I think God wanted the Egyptians to remember how they had treated the Israelites. God had
used the Israelites, specifically Joseph, to save the nations of Egypt and Israel. The Egyptians
had seen with their own eyes how God had blessed Israel with their businesses, their families,
and their community. Israel’s prosperity became so clear to see that Pharaoh and the
Egyptians became fearful that Israel might harm Egypt, so they made them slaves. As slaves
to Egypt, the Israelites made the bricks that left the soot in the kiln. - How would the animals having boils impact the people of Egypt? (9:9)
9 The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering
boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
The Egyptians had donkeys that they couldn’t ride, cows they couldn’t milk, or other
animals they wouldn’t eat because the animals were infested with these boils, too. Talk
about impacting an agrarian economy! There was no Cash Saver, World Buffet, or Wendys to
buy your food. God had hit them where it hurt. - What level of boldness do you think it would have taken to stand before Pharaoh and work
with God to start this plague of boils? (9:10) How aggressive should we be today about following
God’s instructions and inviting others to join us?
10 So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As
Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people
and animals alike.
Almost 100 years earlier, another Pharaoh (Thutmose I) started oppressing Israel by making
them do hard manual labor. This had the opposite effect from what he intended. Israel
multiplied and grew stronger. When this first plan failed, he ordered the Hebrew
midwives to kill all the male Hebrew babies at birth. The midwives feared God, so plan B failed.
Then Pharaoh ordered all the Egyptians to throw the Hebrew boys into the Nile. The
Hebrews had been living under oppression for a long time. The worse things became, the better
the Hebrews got. We need to follow God’s instructions exactly as He says, no matter what we
may fear. Faith means actually acting on God’s commands without regard to what we see or
hear. Our lives and our words should always invite others to come to God.
- What was the significance of the magicians being unable to stand before Moses? (9:11)
11 Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had
broken out on them and all the Egyptians.
Previously, they were unable to replicate what God did in creating the gnats. Now they can’t
even stand before Moses. Everything hurt. It would hurt to stand, hurt to sit, hurt to lie
down, and hurt to walk. Relief was evasive. To me, this plague is a picture of a man without
God.
This plague, like all the others, had theological implications. While it was not deadly, it was
painful enough to cause the Egyptians to cry out to their deities for help. Their gods were
completely unable to deliver any relief. While the magicians were still working to oppose God,
they, too, were impacted by this plague of boils. This was just one more reminder that the God
of the Hebrews was the one and only true God. - Since God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, does this fact lessen Pharaoh’s accountability? Explain.
12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to
Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.
While some might read the account of the plagues in Exodus and assign some of the
responsibility for Pharaoh’s hard heart upon God Himself, that is not the case. This pressure that
God would occasionally put on Pharaoh was always temporary. Pharaoh was free to make his
own choices. God neither forces Pharaoh to reject Him or to accept Him. The Message says,
“God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness.” I don’t claim to have all this reduced to a simple
slogan, but I think it teaches us that when we ignore God’s prompting over and over, He will
eventually confirm our resistance. After that point in time, belief may be impossible. - What should we learn from this passage about God and our treatment of people?
What should Pharaoh and the Egyptians have learned from God using the soot from the brick kiln
to initiate this plague?
I suppose this is a reminder of the slavery of the Israelites and the bricks they made. Moses
refers to the boils again in Deuteronomy 28. They were very painful and affected the soles of
the feet, the knees, and legs of the Egyptians and their animals. God hears the prayers of the
oppressed. In this case, Israel had been oppressed for a long time. But, in God’s own timing,
He delivered them from Egypt.