The Healers Need Healing
Exodus 9:8–12 (NASB95)
8Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9“It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.” 10So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. 12And the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
Commentary - The Healers Need Healing
The sixth plague arrives without warning. Moses and Aaron take soot from a furnace, toss it into the air before Pharaoh, and suddenly boils break out on people and animals across Egypt. This is not just another round of discomfort. The very magicians who once stood toe-to-toe with Moses now find themselves covered in sores, unable even to stand in his presence. The text says they could not stand before Moses, much less before Yahweh. That detail matters. In Egyptian culture, standing before a ruler or a god was a sign of fitness, authority, and favor. Now the spiritual elite of Egypt, the men who claimed to channel the power of the gods, are brought low. Their bodies betray them. Their rituals are useless. The collapse is total.
This plague is a direct assault on the heart of Egypt’s religious system. The gods under attack are the ones the Egyptians trusted for healing and protection. Sekhmet, the lioness goddess, was supposed to send and cure plagues. Isis was famous for her magic and healing powers. Imhotep, once a real man and later worshipped as a god, was the patron of medicine. Thoth, the god of wisdom, was credited with inventing medical science. Even Amon-Re, the king of the gods, was believed to hold the key to life and health. The magicians, as priests, were seen as extensions of these gods’ power. But none of them could stop the boils. None could heal the sores. The gods of Egypt are silent. Their priests are defeated. The message is clear: only Yahweh holds the power of life and restoration.
There is a deep irony in the way this plague unfolds. The soot comes from the brick kilns, the very furnaces where the Israelites had suffered as slaves. The Hebrew word for boils, shekhin, comes from a root meaning to become hot. The heat that once burned the backs of the oppressed now burns the skin of the oppressors. The tools of injustice become the instruments of judgment. God is not just punishing Egypt. He is turning their own history against them, showing that He can use even the residue of suffering to bring about justice.
By this point, Pharaoh’s advisors and magicians are starting to see the truth. They cannot stand before Moses. They cannot stand before Yahweh. The plagues are working. The people who once mocked the God of Israel are now forced to admit that He is almighty. But Pharaoh refuses to listen. His heart is set. He will not yield, even when his own people are suffering and his own priests are defeated. The story is shifting. The Egyptians are beginning to believe, but their king remains stubborn. The gap between Pharaoh and his people is growing wider with every plague.
Sometimes, the people who seem most secure in their power or their systems are the last to admit when things are falling apart. I have watched leaders ignore the advice of their own teams, even as everyone else can see the writing on the wall. I have seen people cling to old habits or beliefs long after it is clear that change is needed. The story of the sixth plague is a warning about the dangers of pride and the refusal to listen. It is also a reminder that God’s power is not limited by human stubbornness. Even when those in charge refuse to change, God keeps working. He keeps revealing Himself. Sometimes, the people on the ground see the truth before the ones at the top do. The plagues are not just about judgment. They are about revelation. God is making Himself known, and the world is starting to pay attention, even if Pharaoh is not.
In His Service,
Ryan Goodnight