10:1 Moses continues to receive direction from God. We are fellow workers with God, meaning that we contribute to the work He does. He is a worker. He serves us blessings. Here is Moses being a prophet yes, but a servant. He is following direction from our Leader in Command. Moses has been sent out by God multiple times now but his passion has not been diminished. Moses has no lost his faith or his trust in God. He continues to actively participate in God's plan because he trusts its eventual destination: the freedom of the children of Israel. Moses never becomes lethargic or disheartened; he employs patience, believing that God continues to create the conditions of freedom.
10:2 God's reassurance to Moses is that even future generations will remember this glory. The release of the children of Jacob will be a elemental event in the history of God's children. It will be a moment where God perfectly exhibits His power over mortal men.
10:3 Moses and Aaron meet with Pharaoh: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before God? The answer of course is that Pharaoh's heart will remain hardened until God has finished instructing Israel through these plagues. The plagues are physical manifestations of evil, tangible evidence of how corrosive corruption is on individuals, families, societies and nations.
10:4 The eight plague: Locusts. There are parallels in this Book of Exodus in the Book of Revelation. For example, in Revelation 9, we learn of the locust army:
"Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them..."
What do locusts do? Locusts ravenously, selfishly, comprehensively devour everything they come into contact with. They arrive in a swarm and completely overwhelm an area. In Exodus and Revelation these insects are figuratively representative of how evil ravenously devours everything in its path. Except, evil is not able to devour you, a child of God. The swarm might enter but it cannot leave with you because the power and protection of God is within you.
10:5-6 Moses and Aaron warn Pharaoh of the incoming locust plague. The plague will destroy the vegetation in Egypt and fill up each person's house. God is implementing these plagues on Egypt in an effort to sway their hearts and minds toward justice and compassion. By showing them what evil yields, He displays the necessity of goodness.
10:7 The works of God through Moses and Aaron are beginning to change the minds of the citizens of Egypt, the servants of Pharaoh. The plagues are having an impact. This is obviously a God Pharaoh cannot compete with and his servants are increasingly desperate for him to realize that.
10:8-12 Once again Pharaoh states that he will release the children of Israel. Yet even though he says he will release them, he threatens that evil with meet them. This is not the release God had in mind and therefore, the locust army is still due to arrive.
10:10-15 The locusts arrive and consume Egypt like never before. There are so many of the insects that they darken the land like clouds over the sun. They ate everything, every piece of green in Egypt.
10:16-17 Pharaoh pleads for forgiveness and requests the removal of the locusts.
10:18-19 Moses brings Pharaoh's request to God and immediately the locusts are removed, swept into the Red Sea.
10:20 Free from the torment of the locusts at last, Pharaoh changes his mind again: the children of Israel will remain enslaved. God is showing us past and future through Exodus. Evil will go to the brink of exhausting itself out before it relents to goodness and logic... but our God will go further.
10:21-23 God sends darkness to Egypt for three days. Our God of light shows humanity the stark difference between Himself and darkness. For three days: another parallel. Jesus remained in the tomb for three days and the world witnessed what life was like without God, without His light. Yet for His children, the light cannot be extinguished. His lantern is within us, guiding and comforting us through every darkness.
10:24-25 Pharaoh tries to bargain with God: a partial release. God orders the full release of His children, each person with all of their belongings and livestock. Moses refuses the offer. God does not make deals; everything He does is complete and perfect.
10:26 The reason Moses tells Pharaoh that the children of Israel must be able to retain all of their belongings is this: they do not yet know what they will need to adequately worship God. He has given them everything and they endeavor to do the same for him in gratitude.
10:27 No deal. Pharaoh's heart is hardened once again. Pharaoh's heart will remain hardened until God exemplifies just how much He will sacrifice to bring about the safety and love of His children (spoiler alert: His son).
10:28-29 Pharaoh commands Moses to stay away from him, even threatening his life. Moses, fully informed of God's plan, expresses to Pharaoh that indeed he will never see Moses again.
