Fifthly, they were intended to confirm the Israelites in their belief in the one true God and in confidence in Him who protected them in such a wonderful way; and to fill their hearts with gratitude towards Him.
The Justice and Patience of God. By these plagues, Almighty God not only manifested His terrible justice, but also His merciful patience. He sent the first plague only after the miracles worked before Pharao had produced no effect. The plagues gradually succeeded each other, beginning with the least; and when these availed nothing, they became more and more dreadful. Moreover, they did not follow each other day after day, but between the several plagues there was an interval of days, sometimes of weeks.
Impenitence. Pharao is a warning example of impenitence and obduracy. God did not warn him only outwardly, by Moses’ words and by the ten plagues, but also inwardly, by His grace. But Pharao would neither listen to the admonitions of God, nor obey the movements of divine grace, and thus, by rendering himself unworthy of further graces, he at last became quite hardened. Once or twice he made good resolutions about letting God’s people go, but as soon as the pressure of necessity was removed he did not keep them. God foretold to him the last and worst plague some fourteen days before it was sent, and would, in His mercy, have spared Pharao and his people this last terrible visitation, if only he would have consented to let the Israelites go. Pharao, however, despised the divine warning as an empty threat, and remained hardened. He is the type of a defiant sinner who will not listen to any exhortations, does not carry out good resolutions, perseveres in sin, and finally becomes quite hardened.
Application. Are you at all like Pharao? Do you pay attention to the admonitions of your parents, confessor &c. ? Have you made good resolutions with your lips only, or have you taken real pains to give up your bad habits? Have you ever made a bad confession, and concealed your sins? All this would be the beginning of impenitence, and would lead you to obduracy and the loss of your soul. Pay heed, then, to the warnings of those set over you; listen to the inspirations of divine grace, and the voice of your conscience, so that your heart may not grow obstinate and hard. St. Paul is urgent in his warnings against obduracy: “According to thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God” (Rom. 2, 5).
