Let my people go that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” “And Pharaoh said――Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” Am not I king over all Egypt? Do you tell me there is some higher king than I and bid me obey his command? I know nothing of your Jehovah: I will never submit to his authority! And as if to show how fearlessly he could resist their summons he at once puts heavier tasks upon the people, in proud defiance, daring the vengeance of their Great Defender! Verily the issues hasten to their crisis! The suffering people are entirely disheartened and evince a painful lack of faith in the God of their fathers. When Moses rehearsed to them the inspiring words recorded Ex. 6: 1–8, “They hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.” Ah, how frail is poor human nature! How weak is the faith of this long-oppressed people! But God’s compassions are a great deep and he does not frown severely upon them, broken down though they were in their manhood and in their religious trust.――――Moses too seems to falter before this stern reception from Pharaoh and this disheartening attitude of Israel (6: 12); but the loving kindness of the Lord endures, despite of these sad imperfections in his servants. For the glory of his own name and not for the worthiness or virtue of his people, he has entered upon this redeeming work and he will carry it through. The narrative pauses a moment more (Ex. 6: 16–27) to give us the genealogy of Levi, for the obvious purpose of showing the place of Moses and of Aaron in this record; and then proceeds (Ex. 7 and onward) with the impressive scenes of _the ten plagues on Pharaoh and on Egypt_. * * * * * A brief preliminary explanation of some of these plagues will be in place, after which the following points will have special attention: 1. That these ten plagues on Egypt were really supernatural, miraculous. 2. That several of them were very specially adapted to Egypt. 3. The case of the magicians. 4. The divine purpose and policy in shaping the demand made upon Pharaoh to let the people go. 5. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. 6. The final result as shown in the last of the ten plagues. * * * * * The ten plagues in their historical order stand thus: 1. Water turned to blood (Ex. 7: 14–25); 2. Frogs (8: 1–15); 3. Lice (8: 16–19); 4. Flies (8: 20–32); 5. Murrain upon cattle (9: 1–7); 6. Boils (9: 8–12); 7. Hail (9: 18–35); 8. Locusts (10: 4–20); 9. Darkness (10: 21–27); 10. Death of all first-born (11: 4–8, and 12: 12, 29–33). References to these plagues by name may be seen in Ps. 78: 43–51, and 105: 27–38.