Week 3 | Day 5
THE SIXTH PLAGUE: BOILS
Exodus 9: 8-12
In Exodus 9:8–12, God commands Moses and Aaron to throw soot from a kiln into the air before Pharaoh. The soot becomes fine dust that spreads across Egypt, erupting into painful boils on people and animals alike. The plague is so severe that Egypt’s magicians—once confident imitators of God’s signs—are incapacitated and unable to stand before Moses. What once looked like spiritual parity is now unmistakably exposed as powerless imitation.
This moment is significant because it marks a turning point. Pharaoh’s resistance is no longer mere stubbornness; Scripture tells us the Lord hardened his heart. God’s judgment reaches even the “experts,” revealing that no system, title, or spiritual counterfeit can shield a person from accountability before Him. At the same time, Israel is learning that deliverance is not just freedom from slavery, but a call to reorient their worship and allegiance to the Lord alone—holy, just, and unmatched in power.
This moment is significant because it marks a turning point. Pharaoh’s resistance is no longer mere stubbornness; Scripture tells us the Lord hardened his heart. God’s judgment reaches even the “experts,” revealing that no system, title, or spiritual counterfeit can shield a person from accountability before Him. At the same time, Israel is learning that deliverance is not just freedom from slavery, but a call to reorient their worship and allegiance to the Lord alone—holy, just, and unmatched in power.
Application
1. Respond Quickly to God’s Conviction
Repeated refusal is never neutral; delayed obedience always hardens the heart over time.
2. Examine Where You Turn When Life Hurts
Pain exposes our functional saviors—replace substitutes like control or distraction with prayerful dependence on God.
3. Let Discomfort Lead to Repentance and Realignment
God may use what is impossible to ignore to address what we’ve been avoiding. Sometimes, God has to use difficulty and even pain to get our attention. We’d be wise to pay attention.
4. Hold Dear and Near to Your Heart God’s Holiness and Presence
God’s power is meant to draw us to humble worship, not despair or denial. It’s intended to encourage and draw us near to His heart and will for our lives.
Repeated refusal is never neutral; delayed obedience always hardens the heart over time.
2. Examine Where You Turn When Life Hurts
Pain exposes our functional saviors—replace substitutes like control or distraction with prayerful dependence on God.
3. Let Discomfort Lead to Repentance and Realignment
God may use what is impossible to ignore to address what we’ve been avoiding. Sometimes, God has to use difficulty and even pain to get our attention. We’d be wise to pay attention.
4. Hold Dear and Near to Your Heart God’s Holiness and Presence
God’s power is meant to draw us to humble worship, not despair or denial. It’s intended to encourage and draw us near to His heart and will for our lives.
Closing Prayer
Lord, forgive me when I take You for granted—and when I take grace and righteousness lightly. Help me cherish truth and holiness and pursue them with urgency. Keep my heart tender to Your movement in my life, and protect me from the hardness of my flesh toward sin. Create in me a pure, responsive, and humble heart before You. Amen.