The Sixth Plague: Painful Boils
(Exodus 9:8-12)
God told Moses and Aaron to go and stand before Pharaoh. This time, God gave Moses an unusual set of instructions. He said: "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh."
Soot from a furnace was connected to Egyptian religious rituals. The Egyptians held ceremonies where priests threw ashes or soot into the air as a blessing toward the four corners of the earth. By having Moses take soot from a furnace and throw it into the air, God was turning one of their own religious acts into a sign of judgment instead of blessing. What Egypt used as a religious symbol, God used as a tool to show who really held the power.
Moses threw the soot into the air in front of Pharaoh. The fine particles spread across the whole land and settled on every person and every animal in Egypt. Wherever the soot landed, festering boils broke out. These were painful, open sores that covered people from head to foot. There was no ointment or medicine that could stop them. The entire nation of Egypt, from the greatest to the least, was covered in sores.
The Bible notes something important at this point: "The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians." The men who had tried to compete with God's power in the first two plagues, who had been unable to stop the gnats in the third, were now so sick that they could not even enter the room. The opposition to God's messenger was completely unable to function.
And still, God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh would not listen to Moses, just as the Lord had said.
A Curious Question
God turned Egypt's own religious ceremony into a judgment against them. He used the soot they threw as a blessing and made it the source of their suffering. What does it say about God that He can take anything, even something people use to reject Him, and use it to accomplish His purposes?
Jesus Connection
The plague of boils is a painful picture of what sin does to people. Sin is not just breaking a rule. It is a sickness that spreads, covers us, and causes real damage. No human effort, no ointment, no magic, and no religious ceremony could cure the boils in Egypt. The magicians could not even stand up. Human power was completely helpless to fix the problem.
The prophet Isaiah wrote about the Servant of God who would come: "By his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). That Servant is Jesus. The boils covered the Egyptians because of the hardness of their hearts toward God. But Jesus willingly took wounds on His body so that our spiritual sickness, the corruption that sin spreads through every part of us, could be healed. He did not come to offer a religious ceremony or a self-improvement program. He came to do what no human effort could ever do: cure the disease at its root.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus healed people of physical sickness, including people covered in sores and leprosy. Those healings were not just acts of compassion. They were signs pointing to the deeper healing He came to bring. God's grace in Christ does what no human effort can accomplish: it makes us clean from the inside out.
Discussion Questions
- The magicians had been competing with Moses since the beginning. Now they are too sick to even be in the room. What do you think the Egyptians watching this scene were thinking?
- God used Egypt's own religious soot ceremony against them. What does it tell you about God that He can redirect even the things people use against Him to accomplish His own purposes?
- Isaiah said, "By his wounds we are healed." What kind of healing do you think Jesus most wants to bring to people today?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
The boils could not be healed by anything the Egyptians had. Only God could have removed them. Think about one area of your life where you have been trying to fix something on your own, something in your attitude, a relationship, a fear, and it just is not working. This week, bring it to Jesus specifically. Tell Him: "I cannot fix this. I need You to heal it." That honest prayer is exactly the posture God responds to.
Memorize God's Word
Isaiah 53:5: "By his wounds we are healed."
Hand Motions:
- "By his wounds" Hold both hands out in front of you, palms up, and look at them as if seeing nail marks.
- "we are healed." Cross both arms over your chest and bow your head for one moment, then look up with a smile.
Praying with Kids
Lord Jesus, You took wounds on Your body so that we could be healed. No human effort, no magic, and no ceremony could do what You did. Thank You that You do not ask us to fix ourselves before we can come to You. You come to us in our mess and make us clean. Heal the things in our hearts that we have been trying to fix on our own. We trust You with them. Amen.
Craft: "By His Wounds" Bandaged Cross
Children wrap a small wooden or cardboard cross with strips of white gauze bandage, creating a visual reminder that Jesus took wounds so we could be healed.
Materials Checklist:
- Before wrapping, have children use a red marker or paint to make small marks across the cross to represent wounds.
- Wrap the gauze strips loosely around the cross, leaving some of the red marks visible through the gauze, like bandages over injuries.
- Secure the gauze with a dab of glue or a small piece of tape.
- Attach a small label that reads: "By his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
- Tie a length of ribbon at the top so children can hang the cross at home.
- As children work, say: "The boils in Egypt could not be healed by any human. But Jesus took His own wounds so that our deepest sickness, sin, could be healed forever."
Effective Teaching Techniques
Open the lesson by asking: "Has anyone ever had a really bad bug bite or sore that just would not go away no matter what you put on it?" Let a few kids share. Then say: "Imagine that, but all over your whole body, and no medicine anywhere in the country worked." That physical empathy sets up the weight of the plague before you even open your Bible.
The moment to play up dramatically is when the magicians cannot enter the room. They have been present in every plague story up until now. Draw attention to their absence. Say: "Remember the magicians who kept trying to show they were just as powerful as God? Where are they now?" The answer, flat on their backs covered in boils, is both striking and a little satisfying for the kids who have been tracking this story.
For younger children, land on the simple truth: Jesus heals us in a way that nothing else can. For older children, connect Isaiah 53:5 to what was happening at the cross and help them understand that the healing Jesus offers is not just physical. It is the healing of the sin problem that has been spreading through humanity since Genesis 3.