The readings are coming at me much faster than I can post. I'll continue to hit some of the high points two or three times a week. Today we will consider the plagues.
The Plagues bring two basic issues to a head (5:1-2). Who does Israel belong to? Pharaoh thinks they are his slaves. But God calls Israel His son (4:22). This is made clear by the conversation between Moses and Pharaoh. Moses tells Pharaoh that Yahweh commands Him to let Israel go that they may celebrate a feast unto Him. Pharaoh then asks a question that will drive the next several chapters of the story, "Who is Yahweh that I should obey Him?" Pharaoh, does not know Yahweh and sees no reason to obey his voice and refuses to let Israel go. This section of the book will answer that question climaxing in chapter fifteen with the Song of Moses which celebrates Yahweh's answer to the question of who Yahweh is.
Just as Moses could only find himself by understanding Yahweh. So Israel and Pharaoh, must understand themselves and each other in terms of Yahweh. Pharaoh believed he was a god w/ a divine claim on Israels Israel seems to believe Yahweh is a god among god’s (Josh 24:14), particularly the god of their forefathers, but they have no idea, as of yet, the scope or depth of His being and power. Consequently they feel conflicted about what they should do. Should the stay and serve Pharaoh peaceably - plenty of food, full employment, secure national defense. Or, should they leave and serve God - who as a Father will require them to mature, which will necessarily involve all kinds of uncomfortable and unknown experiences.
God does not wait passively for them to search Him out. He unilaterally imposes himself. Pharaoh and Israel WILL learn who Yahweh is. Israel WILL leave Egypt as Yahweh’s son. The actions that God takes are designed to reveal Himself to: Egypt – Ex 7:5 "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them." Israel– Ex 10:2 "That you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD." The extent to which this is stressed is impossible to overstate:
a. Ex 7:17 By this you shall know that I am the LORD..
b. Ex 8:22 that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land.
c. Ex 8:10 that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
d. Ex 9:29-30 that you may know that the earth is the LORD's.
e. Ex 14:4 I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.
f. Ex 14:18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. ael go.
The Plagues As A Whole.
As one views the first 9 plagues as a whole, there is a distinct pattern to them. The 9 plagues can be grouped into 3 groups of 3.
The first plagues (1-3) produce discomfort; the next 3 bring about greater damage (4-6); the last 3 (7-9) produce the added dimension of dread.
The first plague of each series (plagues 1, 4, and 7) begins with the expression “in the morning.” The last plague of each sequence (3, 6, and 9) comes unannounced and without the warnings of the others.
In the first series of plagues (1-3), the staff is stretched out by Aaron. In the second series (4-6), no staff is used. In the third series (7-9) Moses uses his staff.
In the first series of plagues, the Israelites are not distinguished from the Egyptians so far as experiencing the plagues is concerned. From the second series onward, a distinction is made.
The rest of this post consists of some of my teaching notes, thus the outline form:
Consider the plagues and how each of them is Yahweh’s challenge to the god’s of Egypt, culminating in a conquest of Egypt’s incarnate god - the crown prince.
I. The plagues were a judgment upon the “gods” of Egypt.
A. Num 33:3-4 The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had brought judgment on their gods.
B. Ex 18:10-11 He said, "Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly."
C. Ex 12:12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
D. The Bible teaches us a strict division between Creator/Creature. There is only One God. The strict monotheism of the Bible does not prevent a comparison of God to all the gods, who are, compared to Him nothing. We should Affirm the existence of principalities, powers, thrones, dominations, angels, archangels, demons, and things that go bump in the night. As Paul put it, they are called gods. They are nothing compared to Yahweh. But they are there. There are gods many and lords many. But for us, there is only one God, the Father of all.
1. If necessary see (cf. 1 Cor. 10:20-21; I Tim. 4:1)
2. Not only did the Egyptians need to renounce their pagan gods, but so did the Israelites, who also worshiped them (cf. Josh. 24:14).
II. The Plagues In Particular
A. Water Turned To Blood (7:14-25). Attack on hapi & khnun god’s of the Nile.
1. Hapi - is in charge of the flooding of the nile
2. Khnun is its source & guardian
3. Moses & Aaron meet Pharaoh in AM. He reviews the demand (let my people go) and reminds Pharaoh of his refusal.
4. Stretches out Aaron’s rod & all water turns to blood.
5. The plague lasted 7 days (perhaps the length of the others is implied)
B. Frogs (8:1-15). Attack on Heqet a frog headed water goddess - fertility.
1. Moses &Aaron meet Pharaoh in Morning w/ command to let Israel go (v.1).
a. Aaron stretches out staff & frogs go wild.
b. Magicians duplicate (v.7)
2. Pharaoh cries “uncle” (v.8)
3. Moses gives him the honor of choosing when the plague will end.
4. Frogs die and are piled up (v. 14)
5. Pharaoh hardens his heart (v. 15).
6. Celebrated in Psalm 78:45; 105:30
C. Lice (8: 16-19) Attack on Geb god of the land.
1. Unannounced plague
2. Strike the dust
3. Magicians could not duplicate. This is the finger of God!
4. Pharaoh’s heart grows hard
D. Flies (8:20-32) Attack on Khephri god of creation
1. Moses goes before Pharaoh early in the morning w/ command to let Isr. go (v. 20).
a. If not flies!
b. Goshen will be set apart (v22-23) & make a difference lit. set a ransom
2. Pharaoh begins to bargain, sacrifice here in the land
a. Moses says no - their sacrifices would be abominable to Egyptians.
b. Counters w/ let us go 3 days journey into wilderness
c. Bargain struck “ok just don’t go very far”
3. Plague lifted & Pharaoh goes back on his agreement (v32).
E. Murrain of the Livestock (9:1-7) Attack on Apis very important cow God chief symbol of fertility and prosperity.
1. Moses warns Pharaoh & Pharaoh refuses to heed.
2. Next day livestock is struck
a. All die (v. 6)? Next Plague more die.
(1) all from Heb kol – “all kinds of” or “from all over” or “all over the place”
(2) w/ reference to “all Israel” means representatives from the whole nation, not every individual Israelite.
b. None in Goshen
3. Pharaoh hardens
F. Boils (9:8-12) Attack on Thoth God of knowledge & medicine - A healer.
1. Unannounced - take ashes from a furnace and throw into the air
a. Caused boils on man and beast.
b. Magicians unable to stand before Moses
(1) either to make more boils
(2) or take them away from themselves or others
2. Pharaoh unyielding.
G. Hail (9:13-35) Attack on Nut sky goddess of wind and rain & Horus sky god
1. Early in Morning w/ demand for release.
2. Intensification - at your very heart vv. 14-16
a. Could have already utterly destroyed you.
b. Building up the drama to reveal ultimacy
3. Warning to bring in people and livestock from field v. 19
a. Some believe and obey
b. Some do not
4. Destroys everything except in Goshen
5. Pharaoh repents v. 27-28
6. Pharaoh hardens v. 35
H. Locusts (10:1-20) Attack on Anubis dog headed god of the dead & protector of the field.
1. Moses goes in before Pharaoh & his words are bolder (vv 3-4)
2. Pharaoh’s advisors talk sense (v. 7)
a. Let the men go
b. Pharaoh asks who will go with you - Moses says EVERYONE v. 9
c. Pharaoh refuses.
3. East wind blows in locusts who devour whatever remained after the hail. (V. 15).
a. Pharaoh repents
b. & hardens
I. Darkness (10:21-29) Attack on Isis protector of fields.
1. Unannounced
2. 3 days of darkness
a. So dense they had to “feel” their way around.
b. Darkness to ancient people
c. Natural world suspended
d. Sense of depression and doom by third day
3. Pharaoh sends word GO, but leave livestock behind (v. 24).
a. Moses says No - we take everything with us
b. And YOU must give us sacrifices
c. Pharaoh hardens
4. Moses warned not to come before Pharaoh again
III. The Point of the Plagues:
A. The plagues were a demonstration of God’s existence and power.
1. To Pharaoh & Israel
2. To the Canaanite tribes who would hear of it.
3. Empires of men are like gargoyles on a cathedral: ugly, high, hard to knock off, but God raises them up to reveal His greater power.
B. The plagues were a judgment on Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their cruelty and harshness.
1. Gen. 15:14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
2. They had shed innocent blood. Been repressive and arrogant.
IV. So then, Who Is YHWY?
A. Sovereign God whose purposes in the world cannot be thwarted.
1. Everything Pharaoh does is for the purpose of preventing God.
2. Everything Pharaoh does fall into the plan of God to:
a. deliver His people.
b. glorify His name among the nations.
B. He is the god who throws down all pretenders to the divine nature.
1. He defeats all the god’s of Egypt.
2. He defeats Pharaoh “the divine son”.
C. He is the God who gives Justice to some, by hardening them in their rebellion and gives undeserved mercy to others by leading them out of their bondage to sin.
1. The exodus is not a story of some really good people (Israel) who were oppressed by some really bad people. (true in a relative sense, but both were idolatrous and sinful)
2. Not about the irrepressible will of the Jewish people, but the irrepressible will of a gracious and merciful God (cf. Deut 9:4-6).
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