Despots seem to tend to stubbornly stick to their plans, even if their people perish in the process. Exodus 10:7 says, “Let the men go… Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”
A power struggle ensues. The Egyptians also had a god for the wind. But now the wind drives innumerable locusts, which also eat the sacred trees. There was also a god named Seraiah who was considered a protector from plagues of locusts. But he was powerless against the God of Israel.
The Pharaoh plays with deception. But you can already see the pitfall in his wording. His admission “Forgive my sin, … and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me” (Exodus 10:7) is only superficial. He does not ask God for deliverance himself, but let’s others pray for him.
Anyone who changes his mind turns by himself to God for mercy.
The locusts consumed whatever was left of the hail. Instead of seeing the light and giving in, Pharaoh’s heart grows dark.
In a talk show on Egyptian television, Ibrahim Issa publicly described the night journey/ascension as a “completely delusional story”. He was heavily criticized for these statements by Islamic theologians in Egypt and also on social media and was then briefly arrested by state authorities.