Exodus 10:8-17 "And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go? And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD. And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only."
Pharaoh’s servants had cautioned Pharaoh against standing against Moses again. They had advised that he agree to let the men of Israel go and worship to forestall the next plague from the LORD of the Hebrews. With this in mind, Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron brought before him. He specifically inquired who it was that would go and worship.
Moses told him that every one of the Israelites and their flocks and cattle would be going. Sacrificing to the LORD was going to require their all.
At his point, rather than agree, Pharaoh decided to be even more heavy-handed. He told Moses that the men and the young could go. If Moses kept pressing the matter, there was going to be trouble. This time, Pharaoh was ready to show them who was boss. He had them thrown out rather than just letting them leave.
We might wonder what would inspire a man to do such a thing, knowing how the past refusals had been met. As we have seen. God simply was not finished with His purpose of displaying His mighty power. God sent locusts that covered the land of Egypt and devoured everything that was left from the hail. No such swarm had ever been seen before, and they left the land of Egypt a barren wasteland.
Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron. He asked them to pray to God on his behalf one more time. He asked for their forgiveness one more time. His purpose was to have Moses and Aaron think that he had learned his lesson, and it would not happen again.
Dear ones, it is never wise for us to decide that we will show God who is boss. Men, in their folly and to their hurt, scorn the word of God. In our self-centered nature, we may decide that it cannot get any worse. Rest assured, when we defy God’s holy command, things can and will get worse. Romans tells us that when men do not want to retain God in their knowledge, He gives them over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28). May we learn to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).