Exo 9:10 | KingComments | STEP | Like the third plague, the sixth plague comes without any announcement. Moses and Aaron stand before Pharaoh again, so that, according to God’s command, they can “throw … in the sight of Pharaoh” the soot toward the sky. By doing so they bring the soot, as it were, into connection with God, Who will let it descend upon people and animals and turn it into boils. On humans and animals throughout Egypt, but not in Goshen, boils break out with sores. For the Egyptians, who pay special care to the appearance, this is an appalling humiliation. The purity and beauty of the body is a part of their religion. This plague once again proves the worthlessness of their religion and the helplessness of their idols. Internal contaminants, infections, break outwards in the form of sores. It is a picture of the sinful nature of man who, in terrible deeds, makes his actions visible (cf. ). The boils on man and beast are caused by soot thrown toward the sky from the kiln. Soot speaks of death as the result of burning in a kiln. Until then, Egypt has been a fire oven of oppression for Israel. The plague that comes upon Egypt has its origin in their abuse of God’s people. Soot, the consequence of consuming fire, is an evidence of God’s consuming judgment ( ). This judgment is already finding its way and is a precursor to the final judgment that will take place when the books are opened before the great white throne ( ). Then will be revealed all the sins which all the unbelievers are guilty of. Convinced of their guilt, they will be referred to hell by the righteous Judge, the Man Christ Jesus. All the plagues they have caused shall be their portion forever. In the land of Goshen, where Israel lives, no boils break out. The bodies remain unscathed. This does not mean that sin cannot break out in a believer, but he will confess his sin in self-judgment before God. If he doesn’t, the plague will disfigure him. This disfigurement can literally be physical, but also caused because of his horrible behavior. The LORD warns His people that He will smite them “with the boils of Egypt” ( ) if they disobey Him. This plague also seems to refer to the origin of the following three plagues. The soot is thrown skyward. The next plagues, hail and grasshoppers, descend from the sky and the sun in the sky is darkened. Also with the magicians, Jannes and Jambres, the sores break out. It is a confirmation of the word of Paul who names these magicians by name and says of them: “Their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also” ( ). The corrupt actions of the nominal Christian false teachers will be evident to all in their pernicious and stinking practices. Pharaoh’s servants are as hardened as Pharaoh himself. They are punished with him, just as later also the magician Elymas is punished by Paul because he does not cease “to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord” ( ). He tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith when he sought to hear the Word of God. Paul smites him with blindness, so that he wanders around like a fool. “And he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand” ( ).

‏ Exodus 9:10

The Sixth Plague: Boils

Like the third plague, the sixth plague comes without any announcement. Moses and Aaron stand before Pharaoh again, so that, according to God’s command, they can “throw … in the sight of Pharaoh” the soot toward the sky. By doing so they bring the soot, as it were, into connection with God, Who will let it descend upon people and animals and turn it into boils.

On humans and animals throughout Egypt, but not in Goshen, boils break out with sores. For the Egyptians, who pay special care to the appearance, this is an appalling humiliation. The purity and beauty of the body is a part of their religion.

This plague once again proves the worthlessness of their religion and the helplessness of their idols. Internal contaminants, infections, break outwards in the form of sores. It is a picture of the sinful nature of man who, in terrible deeds, makes his actions visible (cf. Mt 15:19).

The boils on man and beast are caused by soot thrown toward the sky from the kiln. Soot speaks of death as the result of burning in a kiln. Until then, Egypt has been a fire oven of oppression for Israel. The plague that comes upon Egypt has its origin in their abuse of God’s people.

Soot, the consequence of consuming fire, is an evidence of God’s consuming judgment (Heb 12:29). This judgment is already finding its way and is a precursor to the final judgment that will take place when the books are opened before the great white throne (Rev 20:11-15). Then will be revealed all the sins which all the unbelievers are guilty of. Convinced of their guilt, they will be referred to hell by the righteous Judge, the Man Christ Jesus. All the plagues they have caused shall be their portion forever.

In the land of Goshen, where Israel lives, no boils break out. The bodies remain unscathed. This does not mean that sin cannot break out in a believer, but he will confess his sin in self-judgment before God. If he doesn’t, the plague will disfigure him. This disfigurement can literally be physical, but also caused because of his horrible behavior. The LORD warns His people that He will smite them “with the boils of Egypt” (Deu 28:27) if they disobey Him.

This plague also seems to refer to the origin of the following three plagues. The soot is thrown skyward. The next plagues, hail and grasshoppers, descend from the sky and the sun in the sky is darkened.

Also with the magicians, Jannes and Jambres, the sores break out. It is a confirmation of the word of Paul who names these magicians by name and says of them: “Their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also” (2Tim 3:9). The corrupt actions of the nominal Christian false teachers will be evident to all in their pernicious and stinking practices.

Pharaoh’s servants are as hardened as Pharaoh himself. They are punished with him, just as later also the magician Elymas is punished by Paul because he does not cease “to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord” (Acts 13:10). He tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith when he sought to hear the Word of God. Paul smites him with blindness, so that he wanders around like a fool. “And he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand” (Acts 13:11).