NOTES for Exo 9:1-35

The catastrophe that engulfed Egypt is described very schematically by the biblical author, and the conclusions seem self-evident: a wicked king—an unbelieving people—punishment; and conversely, a prophet—a faithful people—prosperity (none of the Egyptian "plagues" touches the Israelites). At first glance, such theology seems rather primitive. Do believers not suffer? In worldwide catastrophes, do people of different convictions, the "good" and the "bad," not perish alike? And how can the good be distinguished from the bad; is God not "kind to the ungrateful and the wicked"? Behind this ancient and particular language ("execute our enemies, pardon our own") stands another, more universal truth: the evil occurring in the world is a consequence of human evil, even if not directly; death enters the world because of distrust in God, and therefore faith is the path of life, even though we cannot always see it with our own eyes.