Lutheran Lens Commentary: Exodus 10:1-20

## Lutheran Lens Reading of Exodus 10:1-20

### Tradition-Specific Interpretation

We read this passage of Exodus 10:1-20 as a profound demonstration of the Law in its full severity, revealing the hardness of the human heart apart from God’s intervention. The plagues, and specifically the plague of locusts, serve as a vivid testament to the consequences of sin and the stubbornness of Pharaoh, which mirrors our own rebellious nature. As Lutherans, we see in this the Law's function to expose human inability and drive us to despair of our own efforts to fulfill God's demands. Yet, even in this darkness, we recognize the shadow of the Gospel, pointing to Christ who ultimately delivers us from the bondage of sin, just as Yahweh promised deliverance to Israel.

### Key Language Decisions