IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

A Plague of Destructive Hail

Date: Jan. 17, 2026

Passage

Exodus 9:13-35 (ESV)

13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.” 31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 9:20

Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,

Even after Pharaoh had seen six plagues of the Lord’s judgment, he still hardened his heart. So now the Lord threatened the “full force” of his plagues of judgment against Egypt (14). Through this judgment, the Lord would also reveal his own glory for all people to see—even us (16). Mercifully, the Lord even gave the Egyptians a way to be spared from some of the effects of the plague, warning them to bring their livestock inside (19). By now, there were many Egyptians who feared the Lord, even though Pharaoh did not (20).

The plague was a hailstorm, the worst ever seen (24). Once again, the plague did not come on the land where the Israelites lived (26). When Pharaoh saw the destruction, he seemed to repent, saying “this time I have sinned.” (27) But when he learned that some crops were not ruined by the hail, because they had not ripened yet (32), he again went back on his word (35). Sparing some of the crops was purely God’s mercy, but Pharaoh took it to mean that he could still go his own way.

Thank God that he gives us a way out of judgment when we listen to his word. Jesus is our shelter from the storm. If we listen to him, we can both see God’s glory and be saved personally.

Prayer: Father, thank you for showing your glory and giving a way to escape your judgment. Help me heed the warnings in your word.

One Word: God provides a shelter for the humble

Daily Bread

Birth of Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25

Key Verse: 1:24

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

Read More

Intro Daily