Introduction – The Plagues Were Personal

The ten plagues weren’t random disasters. Each one was a direct confrontation between Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth, and Egypt’s gods of stone and story. By the time the 8th plague arrived, Egypt had already endured blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, and hail.

Yet Pharaoh’s pride persisted.
So God unleashed an army so small and yet so unstoppable: locusts.

What came wasn’t just a nuisance. It was a nation-crushing catastrophe—and a dramatic display that no god of Egypt, not even the fearsome Seth, could stand against the Lord Almighty..

In This Blog Post, You’ll Explore:

Life in Egypt before the plague — what little hope Egyptians had left after the hailstorm.
The plague of locusts — how a storm of insects darkened the skies and stripped the land bare.
The false god Seth — one of Egypt’s most feared deities, and why his defeat was so powerful.
The science behind locust plagues — how real swarms form, and why this one was clearly miraculous.
God’s protection for His people — how the Hebrews in Goshen were safe while Egypt was in ruin.
The connection to Jesus — the Bread of Life who provides when the world’s resources run out

Life in Egypt Before the Plague

Egypt’s identity was tied to its fields. The fertile Nile Valley was known as the “breadbasket of the ancient world.” Wheat and barley grew in abundance, feeding not just Egypt but its trade partners across the Mediterranean.

After the 7th plague of hail, there was still a sliver of hope. Barley and flax had been destroyed, but the wheat and spelt—slower to ripen—remained (Exodus 9:31–32). Egyptians believed these surviving crops would carry them through.

But the God of Israel was about to show that when people place their hope in what’s left in the field instead of the Lord of the harvest, that hope won’t last.

Nut — When the Sky Goddess Failed

The Plague of Locusts – When the Sky Turned Dark

“Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; they invaded all Egypt and settled in every area of the country in great numbers… they covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail.”
(Exodus 10:13–15)

Imagine the scene:

A hot, restless east wind howls for a full day and night.
At dawn, the horizon darkens—not with clouds, but with wings.
The buzz grows louder than conversation until suddenly the sun itself is blotted out.

Locusts descend like living rain. They cover the fields, crawl over walls, swarm through homes, and consume every green leaf. The sound of chewing fills the land. By evening, Egypt’s once fertile fields look as though fire has passed over them.

This wasn’t just inconvenient. It was an existential collapse:

Food gone. No grain, no fruit, no fodder.
Trade gone. No exports for Egypt’s economy.
Hope gone. Even the gods seemed silent.

For the Egyptians, famine now loomed as sure as the sunrise.

The Egyptian God Defeated: Seth

The 8th plague struck at the heart of Seth (Set), one of Egypt’s most feared and honored deities.

Domain: Seth was the god of storms, chaos, and destruction—the desert wind and the unpredictable forces of nature.
Depiction: He was shown with the strange “Seth animal” head—part dog, part donkey, part unknown beast.
Reputation: In myth, Seth killed his brother Osiris, waged endless war with Horus, and embodied disorder. Egyptians both feared and revered him.
Worship: Pharaohs aligned themselves with Seth’s power, calling on him for victory in battle and protection against foreign chaos. Temples were raised, rituals performed, amulets carried—all to harness Seth’s strength.

But here’s the stunning irony: locusts came on a raging east wind—Seth’s supposed domain—and Seth was silent.

He didn’t stop the storm.
He didn’t halt the swarm.
He didn’t shield the crops.

The god of chaos was defeated by the Creator who controls even chaos. What the Egyptians thought was Seth’s sphere was revealed to be Yahweh’s stage.

This plague shouted to Egypt—and to Israel watching nearby: “There is no god like the Lord.”

The Science Behind Locust Swarms

Locust plagues are a real threat even today.

Biology: Locusts are grasshoppers that change behavior when crowded. They enter a “gregarious phase,” form massive swarms, and migrate in search of food.
Scale: A single swarm can cover 400+ square miles and contain billions of insects. Each locust eats its weight in plants every day.
Modern Example: In 2020, East Africa suffered locust swarms that caused over $8 billion in agricultural losses.

But the Exodus account shows this was more than natural:

Timing: They came exactly when Moses stretched out his staff.
Scope: “Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again” (Exodus 10:14).
Control: They left only when God sent a west wind to drive them into the Red Sea.

Science explains what locusts can do.

Faith shows why this plague was supernatural: God sent them in power and dismissed them at His command.

Protection for the Hebrews

In Goshen, where the Hebrews lived, there was no locust invasion. While Egypt’s fields turned to dust, God’s people stood under His protection.

This distinction wasn’t just physical—it was spiritual. After 400 years of slavery surrounded by Egyptian gods, Israel saw with their own eyes: Our God is greater.

Pharaoh’s Response – Panic Without Repentance

Pharaoh broke faster this time. He confessed his sin, begged Moses for relief, and promised freedom. But as soon as the locusts were gone, he hardened his heart again (Exodus 10:16–20).

Fear of consequences is not the same as true repentance. Pharaoh wanted relief, not relationship with the Lord.

The Connection to Jesus

The locusts left Egypt stripped bare—fields ruined, food gone, and hope devoured. Sin does the same to us. It chews away at joy, relationships, and peace until we’re empty.

But where Egypt saw emptiness, Jesus gives abundance:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.” (John 6:35)
When Jesus fed the 5,000, He didn’t just give enough—He provided more than enough, with twelve baskets of leftovers (John 6:13). Where locusts leave nothing, Jesus leaves overflow.

The plague also points forward to the cross.

On the day Jesus died, darkness covered the land for three hours (Matthew 27:45). Just as Egypt sat helpless under locusts, humanity sat helpless under sin.
But while Egypt’s story ended in famine, the cross ends in fullness. Jesus bore the destruction of sin so we could be filled with eternal life.
The locusts were swept away by a wind into the sea; our sins are swept away by the blood of Christ, remembered no more (Psalm 103:12).

The message is clear:

False gods fail.
Chaos is not king.
Jesus reigns as provider, rescuer, and Savior.

Where the 8th plague revealed that no idol could sustain life, the cross reveals that Jesus is the True Bread of Life who satisfies forever.

Closing – Helping Our Kids See the God Who Provides

The plague of locusts stripped Egypt bare. Crops, food, and hope were devoured in a single day. Yet for God’s people, the fields of Goshen were untouched.

As parents, this reminds us that our kids are growing up in a world that can feel stripped bare—where culture, peers, and even education sometimes eat away at their faith. But the same God who protected Israel protects His children today.

Here’s what we can show our kids through this story:

False gods fail. Just like Seth was powerless, the “gods” of popularity, success, or science-without-God won’t save them.
Chaos isn’t in control. God commands the wind, the insects, and the storms of life.
Jesus is enough. When everything else feels taken away, He is the Bread of Life that never runs out.

You don’t have to have all the answers, Mom or Dad. You just have to point your kids back to the God who provides—not just food for their bellies, but truth for their hearts.

Because at the end of the day, this plague isn’t just about locusts. It’s about showing our children the incredible God who turns chaos into confidence, emptiness into abundance, and fear into faith.