In Exodus 9:23-26, Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and the LORD sent thunder and hail; and lightning flashed down to the earth The narrator wants us to see God’s redeeming ways in real history. Listen to the text: “Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and the LORD sent thunder and hail; and lightning flashed down to the earth. The LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was very severe hail, and lightning…”
The plagues expose Egypt’s gods and Pharaoh’s hardness while making a distinction for Israel. God’s justice is patient and purposeful: that His name be known in all the earth.
Livestock die, boils afflict, and devastating hail falls; some Egyptians fear the word of the LORD while Pharaoh still refuses to let Israel go. In the plague and Passover chapters, the LORD judges Egypt and redeems Israel by blood and power. This passage belongs in that movement: Exodus 9:23-26 is not an isolated anecdote but a step in God’s unfolding purpose. Exodus reveals the LORD who hears the oppressed, judges proud power, and redeems a people for worship and holy life.
A pastoral word for today: Ask where hardness of heart resists God’s word; soften before Him today.
Handle the moral weight of Exodus 9:23-26 with humility. Scripture records cruelty, hardness, and idolatry to warn and to magnify grace, not to entertain. Let conviction lead to Christ, our Passover and Mediator.
As you sit with Exodus 9:23-26, ask what it shows you about the God who redeems, commands, and dwells with His people. Exodus is not only ancient national memory; it is living Scripture that forms faith, repentance, and worship. Let the text steady your trust in the LORD’s faithful character.
Reading Exodus 9:23-26 inside the whole book keeps rescue and holiness together. Freedom without Sinai becomes self-rule; commandments without Passover become crushing. Hold this passage in Exodus’ larger story that leads toward Christ.