A judgment, and a mercy
The Locusts
The eighth plague sends locusts in a cloud so thick they darken the ground and devour every green thing the hail had left. Even Pharaoh's own servants beg him to relent.
“And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.”Exodus 10:13
What happened
What happened. The LORD told Moses that He had hardened Pharaoh's heart to display His signs, and so that Israel would tell their children in generations to come what God had done, "that ye may know how that I am the LORD" (Exodus 10:2). Moses warned that locusts would cover the face of the earth and eat "every tree which groweth for you out of the field" (Exodus 10:5). This time Pharaoh's servants pleaded, "Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?" (Exodus 10:7). Pharaoh offered to let only the men go, then drove Moses and Aaron out. So the LORD brought an east wind, and by morning the wind brought the locusts, "very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such" (Exodus 10:14). They covered the whole land until it was dark and ate every herb and all the fruit of the trees, "there remained not any green thing" (Exodus 10:15). Pharaoh hastily confessed his sin and asked forgiveness. A mighty west wind carried the locusts into the Red sea, "there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt" (Exodus 10:19). "But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go" (Exodus 10:20).
What it meant
What it meant. The locusts completed the ruin of Egypt's food supply, stripping what the hail had spared and leaving the land bare. Here God states another purpose plainly, that the story would be told to children and grandchildren so that generations would know the LORD (Exodus 10:2). Some scholars connect the locusts to Egyptian deities of crops or protection from pests, and such associations are worth noting, but they remain inferences. Exodus names no god in this plague and gives only the general judgment against all the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12). Two things stand out clearly. First, Pharaoh's own servants now see what he refuses to see, that "Egypt is destroyed," and even they urge surrender. A hardened leader can be more blind than those around him. Second, Pharaoh again tried a compromise, releasing only the men, wanting to keep the families as hostage. God's demand was total, and partial obedience was refusal in disguise.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. The locusts leave Egypt stripped and empty, a picture of a world under judgment where sin devours until nothing green remains. Against that barrenness, Passover offers rescue by blood, not by anything the land could yield, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). God's stated aim, that the mighty acts of redemption be told to the children (Exodus 10:2), finds its fullness in the greater redemption we are to proclaim in every generation, the deliverance won by "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). And Pharaoh's insistence on keeping the little ones is answered by the Savior who says, "Suffer the little children to come unto me" (Mark 10:14). The true Deliverer will not leave one of His own behind in bondage.
Questions people ask
Why did God say He hardened Pharaoh's heart to send these signs?
So His power would be displayed and the story told to future generations, "that ye may know how that I am the LORD" (Exodus 10:1-2). The plagues were not only judgment on Egypt but a lasting testimony of redemption for Israel's children to remember.
What compromise did Pharaoh offer this time?
He agreed to let only the men go, not the women and children (Exodus 10:10-11). It was a strategy to keep the families as hostages so the men would return. Moses insisted all must go, young and old, to serve the LORD.