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. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 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. 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.”’” And the LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
Comment: I don’t know what the fifth plague was. I know that it meant many Egyptian animals died and that there was a total sparing of the Israeli animals, I don’t know of what the animals died but I do know know that Pharaoh had a chance to see that God was able to protect his own people from the disease which killed the Egyptian animals. So then dramatically Moses and Aaron threw kiln ashes into the air in the sight of Pharaoh and not only animals but people, except for God’s own, were afflicted with terrible boils. Were they in fact carbuncles? Did they affect them in terrible places, for example on the throat, so that their breathing was hampered? I can think of many terrible places to get boils! I wonder where the royal boil was! The writing says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart – God is in control of all but I wonder how much hardening God had to do – Pharaoh seems to have been a pig- headed guy! When will Pharaoh listen?
Prayer: Please let me hear and listen to You, long before You have to shout at me, O, Lord.
As I read it! 