The Plagues: Part 1

The Question

Exodus 5:1–3 NIV

Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”

Pharaoh is challenged in his worldview by the Lord stepping in and telling him to listen to the words of God.

Pharaoh believes that he is a god. Who is this God that you speak about that believes that they have power over me?

Our lives and worldview revolves around the very same question, even within the church. Isn’t it interesting that to this day one of the most defining doctrinal positions in the church is centered around this very same question. Calvinism vs Arminianism at its core is the question who is really in control: us or God.

During this COVID time period here in our nation, the polarizing question in the church and Christians has been: who can take our freedoms away in the way in which we worship the Lord. And we have struggled on both sides recognizing where we should be on standing up for religious freedoms and submitting to the governmental authorities above us.

We struggle with this question personally. One of the first questions that I am asked as a pastor when I go to share a meal at people’s homes is what my view is on drinking. That question though is always preceded with an apology if there is visible alcohol in the home or a smug look if there is not. In other words, we have already responded to where our convictions are, but we are looking for validation to make sure that God is in line with our convictions.

God’s Pursuit

Exodus 7:14–24 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’ ” The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.” Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.

As Pharaoh asks the question: Who is the Lord, the Lord is all too ready to pursue Pharaoh and show him who the Lord is. Side note, Scripture is true and accurate when it says that when you seek the Lord, you will fond Him. Pause. For many of us, the plagues and the story of Exodus has either been presented in a very brief synopsis or it has been segmented for us in a very disconnected picture of God’s wrath and salvation. The plagues though show a very vivid picture of God’s pursuit of mankind even in the face of our rebellion. I would argue that understanding what God is doing in the plagues brings clearer understanding of what God will do in the tribulation, and if you would like to hear about that, block out an afternoon and buy me a cup of coffee.

God is going to answer the question that Pharaoh had about who is the Lord by systematically displaying His might over the gods of Egypt. Interestingly enough, God begins with the god of life, Happy. The Nile River brought life to the whole river basin. Without the Nile, Egypt is a desolate, barren land where things would go to die. It is the cinematographic portrayal from all desert movies.

God squares off with the Egyptian god of the Nile, Hapi.

God is the source of life.

Exodus 8:1–15 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’ ” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.” “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

God squares off with Heqet, the goddess of life. According to mythology, Heqet breates life into the body of Horus. Interesting that once again the Lord is systematically dethroning if you will the Egyptians view of the source of life.

Heqet brought fruitfulness to the people of Egypt. But God alone is the giver of all fruit. The only fruit that we can bear in our life that has real lasting and eternal significance can only be found in surrender to the Lord.

It is like believing that the fruit tree created in art class by your kid is real fruit.

Exodus 8:16–19 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.

God squares off with Geb, the god of Earth. This was the God that the Pharaohs were said to descend from. Geb brought comfort and peace, the same responsibility of the Pharaoh

The magicians could not duplicate the plague.

Exodus 8:20–32 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. “ ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ” And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.” But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.” Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.” Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

God squares off with Khepri, the God over rebirth. Khepri had the head of an insect.

Hardening of the Heart