31. The Nine Linked Calamities Shake the Pharaoh … In the face of a catastrophe, would you be as “tenacious” as he was?

But God chose the foolish in the world to shame the wise. And it is nothing special, in order to abolish those who are self-righteous, so that no one can boast before God. [1 Corinthians 1:27-29]

The darkness that had shrouded the area for three days and nights finally faded; sunlight drove away the black mist and shone into the palace. The Pharaoh sat inside the throne, staring at the two elders standing before him, his eyes full of contempt and burning with rage, but utterly helpless. He had just set aside his royal dignity and asked the two of them to pray to their god to remove the night. The sunlight finally returned, and his fearful heart calmed a little, but his eyes seemed to adapt to the night, and he preferred to sink into the shadowy throne. He remained silent, devising a countermeasure.

His spies had long since uncovered the origins of these brothers: the eighty-three-year-old brother was named Aaron, and the eighty-year-old brother was Moses, both from the Levitical family of Israel. Forty years ago, Moses killed an Egyptian official and has been on the run abroad.

A few months ago, he suddenly appeared before the palace, claiming that God wanted him to lead all Israelites out of Egypt. Thinking of this, Pharaoh’s lips curled into a cold smile as he looked down on Moses with contempt once again.

Overestimating yourself, old fool! He was barely eloquent, yet dared to claim he had met a god on the mountain. Old fox, do you think I, Pharaoh, am a fool? You make up a story out of thin air to make me believe you? Your god? Where is he? He specifically assigned you, a fugitive, such a heavy responsibility? Look at you, like a monkey—your beard, eyebrows, and hair are all connected together like wild grass, and your face is as dark as bricks you fired. Wearing tattered clothes, smelling of sweat.

Now look at the group of slaves you want to rescue! Tsk, besides building houses with clay firing bricks and quarrying stone, what else do they do? Why did God save them? What could they possibly have left? Just looking at their skinny looks makes me sick. Maybe they’ll never know what bathing feels like. They might have more than a few bricks of dirt on them.

Haha. You rabble dare to claim that gods are watching over you? There is a God who will cherish and watch over you. Doesn’t he feel ashamed? I’m embarrassed for you! You filthy Hebrews, worse than pigs and dogs, have been stuck in Egypt for over two hundred years. Why hasn’t your God saved you from Egypt in the past two hundred years? Now I offer you free food and drink in exchange for your labor, and you can leave whenever you want?

Your God is so petty, sending you, Moses, an old man, to save you? If your god truly has the ability, why not send thousands of troops to fight me? Just sending you and your shepherd’s staff in your hand to ignore my gleaming military chariots and valiant troops, and swagger out of Egypt?

Thinking of this, Pharaoh almost burst out laughing, and the fear brought by the darkness over the past few days vanished. He looked at Moses again, just in time to meet Moses’ sharp gaze in return. Pharaoh was shaken by Moses, and he was forced to return to reality from his imagination. Thinking of reality, Pharaoh grew agitated, got up, and walked to the window of the palace, overlooking the land of Egypt outside the palace. The land outside the window is no longer what it once was, its appearance weathered and in utter ruins. If it weren’t for the magic in Moses’ hand, I would have killed him ten thousand times already, Pharaoh thought. But I dared not, for Moses prophesied in the name of his God, bringing disaster upon my land.

This Moses spoke to me and my ministers in the same tone every time: “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.” If you do not let them go, behold, the hand of the Lord will be heavily placed on you and your people. ” Thinking of the disasters that had occurred over the past few months, the Pharaoh felt as if he had fallen into a nightmare again, feeling like thorns were on his back, cold sweat pouring down his back. This Moses—he didn’t fear me; whatever he prophesied, he fulfilled.

He struck the Nile with his staff, and the water turned red like blood, foul and unbearable. He reached out to the river, and countless toads jumped out of the water, jumping into every Egyptian’s home and bed. He struck the dust on the ground with his staff, attracting mosquitoes everywhere, biting us until we all itched unbearably.

Every time disaster strikes, it feels like the end of the world; I can only ask them to stop it. But every time disaster passes, I realize it might just be a coincidence. But they actually had even more spells. After the mosquito disaster passes, the swarms return; their whining sounds like songs from hell, and the ground is covered with their eggs and filth. Then my people’s livestock died in groups, but not a single animal died in the land of Goshen, where the Hebrews were. Next, Moses prophesied that every Egyptian would develop a blistering sore. Just as expected! We were drenched in fluids, aching and itching, living worse than death.

Hailstorms struck one after another, destroying all the crops in my fields and killing all the livestock.

Seeing that I still had no intention of letting them go, Moses had already attracted a swarm of locusts, and Egypt was left without a trace of green. For the sake of royal interests, I gritted my teeth and refused to let them go, yet this Moses actually let darkness shroud me for three days and nights.

In the darkness, I was terrified and helpless, as if sinking into hell, and could only beg them to come again and lift the darkness. Now that light has arrived and the nine disasters they prophesied have finally passed, do they have any new solutions?

Definitely not. I can’t imagine any other tricks they might have. I endured humiliation and hardship, and finally fought them to the end. You want to leave? Wishful thinking! Pharaoh finally smiled, sneering at Moses, “You have caused me so much loss, and you still dream of leaving Egypt?” I’m warning you, leave me and go back to work! Be careful not to let me see you again.

The day I see you will be the day you die! Moses listened calmly, for God had already warned him in advance that Pharaoh would react this way.

He then recalled God’s prophecy: “I will bring another plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, and then he will make you leave this place.” Not only will He let you go, but He will also beg you, see you off, and ask you all to leave. Thinking of this, Moses said to Pharaoh, “As you say, I will never come to see you again!” But you and your servants will come to me, bow down to me, and say, ‘Please leave quickly and with your people!’ ’。 Only then did I leave. ”

After speaking, Moses was filled with anger, holding a wooden staff, and with Aaron in hand, turned and left, leaving the palace. Outside the palace, the sun was setting in the west, and a full moon had long since risen over the Nile in the east.