A pestilence on animals: 5th sign. Exodus 9:1-7 The Lord God's demand to Pharaoh remained consistent because God was determined to deliver His people from bondage. The sign of pestilence on Egypt's domesticated animals demonstrated that God had power over both life and death. While previous plagues caused hardship, this sign—affecting livestock under human control—resulted in significant economic loss. Cattle, sheep, and goats provided food, while horses, donkeys, and camels were used for transportation and security.
One act of God’s sovereign will can remind us that what we have always taken for granted can be lost quickly. Even the fear of a shortage of some items will cause panic buying among many who do not want their normal way of life disturbed. Food and water shortages can bring a nation to its knees faster than an army. Food, or the lack of it, is a life-and-death issue.
In mercy, God gave the people until “tomorrow” to get some of their animals out of danger. Perhaps they took some of them to Goshen, knowing that God protected the children of Israel. Unbelief exposes people to judgment that is bound to fall on sinners, even though the execution might come at a later time. When God makes a declaration of a fact, it will surely happen at His chosen time. To many, it is unthinkable that what we have become accustomed to will ever be taken away. Some scoff and ridicule the word of God that provides warning signs of the last days that we are in. Their reaction does not change the word of God and His promises, "Yea and Amen!”
As the plagues continued, for the first time, death was introduced as a consequence of human disbelief and rejection of God. Pharaoh had heard the warnings but kept resisting and rejecting God. God didn't harden Pharaoh's heart by overriding his ability to choose; He simply confirmed what Pharaoh had already decided. Egyptian gods included animals like bulls, cows, and rams. They even crafted idols with animal heads on human bodies and vice versa. The pestilence that struck the animals not only caused physical loss but also exposed the false gods of Egypt as powerless against the Lord God of Israel.
Ignoring God's voice repeatedly will eventually cause one not to hear it at all. It is difficult to be reminded that our decisions and choices have far-reaching consequences. The livestock of the Egyptians died because one man chose to disobey God. This impact of human sin is felt worldwide and will not end until the lion lies down with the lamb during the millennium. Pharaoh discovered that none of the Israelites' cattle had died, yet he hardened his heart against them and the God of Israel. Later accounts of the plagues suggest that he might have confiscated some of the Israelites' animals when others died.