We are moving into chapter ten of Exodus with our word for today used for the first time in the Bible in our chapter. עָלַל deal with, deal severely with, glean, act or deal wantonly, act arbitrarily, treat harshly. It is used 19 times in the Old Testament. The basic idea of our word is to strip or be harsh. So we see it in the sense of gleaning a vineyard. Leviticus 19:10 And you shall not תְעוֹלֵ֔ל strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 24:21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not תְעוֹלֵ֖ל strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. A good example of our word in the context of treating people in this way is King Zedekiah’s fear he expresses to the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 38:19 I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ mistreat me. We find our word used to describe the same event in our chapter. The Philistines realize that the plagues they were experiencing came from possessing the ark of the covenant. So they are planning on sending it back to Israel and the make a reference to the Exodus. 1 Samuel 6:5-6 Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god הִתְעַלֵּ֣ל dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way? This is how our word is used in our chapter. Exodus 10:1-2 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have הִתְעַלַּ֙לְתִּי֙dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”
This idea of sharing with our children and grandchildren the great things God has and is doing we see throughout the Bible. And we also see how God defeats his enemies that have harmed us or threaten to do so. We also see this aspect throughout the Bible. Our greatest enemy is the devil and his angels or demons who are busy at working trying to keep people separated from God. The good news is because of Christ he has been defeated and the Holy Spirit that lives inside of believers is greater than the evil one who is in the world. This victory that God has accomplished is seen in celebratory ways in the New Testament. Colossians 2:13-15 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. I’ll close with this great encouraging passage. Romans 8:31, 34-35, 37-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?... Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
