EXODUS: The Lord God Sends the Seventh Plague in Egypt; "Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: 'As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt.'"

He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed His signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. (Psalm 105:26-27) 

He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land. (Psalm 105:32) 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. (Exodus 9:13-16)

First, the Lord God attacked the "lifeblood" of Egypt, turning the water in the rivers to blood; then He attacked them with the image of one of their many gods, frogs; then He attacked their bodies with lice; then He attacked them and the land with swarms of flies; then He destroyed a very important part of their livelihood and one of their symbols of wealth, their cattle; then He attacked their skin again, with boils. 

Now, He would send His seventh attack, "As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.”’” He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. (Exodus 9:17-21) 

The Lord God was sending these plagues in Egypt to prove Himself as JEHOVAH, not just to the Egyptians and the children of Israel, but also that His name may be declared in all the earth. Some of the Egyptians began to fear the word of the Lord. Oftentimes we may go through one very difficult situation after another and wonder why is God allowing this to happen to us. Not always, but many times it's for Him to reveal Himself to others through us. "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) When we realize that we can do nothing of our own, but only through the power of God in us, then we will come to the place where God was trying to get Pharaoh, to reverently fear Him so that he would soften his heart and obey God's Word.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail. (Exodus 9:22-26) 

We have the obvious line of separation again between the children of God and the people who refuse to believe. Interestingly though, there were children of God among the Egyptians now, because he who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. Even though we are in this world, Jesus once prayed, "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." (John 17:15-16) We may not be able to move from our old surroundings, just like the Egyptians didn't move to Goshen with the children of Israel; but we can change our behavior where we are based on the Truth, once we hear it and believe it.

And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.” (Exodus 9:27-30) 

Just like the previous six plagues, Moses would intercede on the Egyptians behalf and the Lord God would cause the plague to cease, but he was wise enough to know that Pharaoh was not going to change because he still hadn't been struck by a plague that would soften his heart, yet. The previous plagues affected their water supply, their animals, their skin.  This plague affected their crops but not completely; Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. (Exodus 9:31-32) The Lord God allowed this just so Pharaoh would still think there was hope outside of God. He would soon find out God has the final Word on everything!

So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. (Exodus 9:33-35) Therefore, the Lord God continued to multiply His signs and His wonders in the land of Egypt...