When your dad IS bigger
Bigger is better.
Have you ever heard a child brag their dad was bigger? Stronger? I don’t know that I ever said that, although I’m sure I thought it more than once. After all, my dad was known to go to my high school (during class change time, of course) and tip the pop machine onto his back and move it. Alone.
Oh, yeah. My dad was the local Dr Pepper bottler, and he owned the vending machine, so this wasn’t COMPLETELY random. But word traveled fast, and it made an impact. Later in life I heard from several guys who said my dad was too scary for them to ask me out. [insert eye roll here]
Today, let’s look at another stack of miracles: the 10 plagues. In order to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave slavery, God used one miracle after another to prove that He, the LORD God Almighty, was bigger than the many gods of Egypt.
Stinky desert heat
1. Blood – (Ex. 7:14-24) The Nile River turns to blood before Pharaoh’s eye. He’s not impressed. His own magicians show they can do the same thing on a much smaller scale. (Wouldn’t the bigger feat be to change it back to water?) It stayed blood for a week. Dead fish rotting in the desert heat. No water to drink. And Egyptians were very big on cleanliness. And who wants to bathe in blood? But more than that, the god of the Nicole (Hapi) was defeated. It could also be seen as retribution for all the Israelite babies Pharaoh had thrown into the river (Ex. 1:22) God impacted: Water supply, food supply(fish), god of the Nile. But Pharaoh didn’t blink.
2. Frogs – (Ex. 8:1-15) Frogs came out of the river and god into everything – food, clothing, etc. very distressing to the folks who haven’t had a bath in a week… The magicians could bring more frogs, but only Moses could stop this chaos. They died where they were, causing an even bigger stink. Heket , their god of fertility, water, and renewal, had the face of a frog. And Heket didn’t show up to help. God: multiplied life, impacted fertility god, and increased the stench and discomfort. But Pharaoh stood firm.
3. Dust – (Ex. 8:16-19) Without a warning this time, Moses strikes the dust and a cloud of flying insect arises. While there is debate on if they were lice, gnats, or mosquitos, it was clear that the Egyptian god of the earth, Geb, was no match for the God of Israel. And the magicians couldn’t imitate this. We don’t hear from them anymore after this plague because they KNEW this God is bigger. God: created life from dust, defeated the god of the earth, and continued to mess with their cleanliness. Pharaoh’s heart grew hard.
4. Flies – (Ex. 8:20-32) This time God’s action only bothered the Egyptians. His people didn’t have to deal with flies. Khepri, Egyptian god of creation, sun movement, and rebirth had the head of a fly, but he couldn’t get rid of these pests. God: again created life, defeated yet another god, annoyed Egypt with pesky flies, and protected Israel. And FYI, Beeazelbub, one name for Satan, means “fly lord.” Pharaoh again hardened his heart.
5. Livestock – (Ex 9:1-7) After the warning that Pharaoh ignored, this plague attacked the livestock and Hathor, goddess of love and protection who had the head of a cow. This plague only hit the Egyptians, but it had a bigger economic impact than the others. Livestock means food, transportation, military supplies, and farming were all weakened. And dead animals added to the stench. God: defeated another god, weakened every aspect of Egyptian society, protected His people again, and continued to stink up Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn.
Let’s get personal:
6. Boils – (Ex. 9:8-11) This unannounced miracle was the 1st that directly touched the Egyptian people. Instead of throwing dust in the air, this time Moses threw ashes. The resulting boils and skin sores hit the Egyptians and ignored the Israelites. These sores made the Egyptians unclean. Magicians couldn’t stand before Pharaoh when unclean. This is a direct shot at Isis, Egypt’s goddess of medicine and peace. God: shows a 6th god to be powerless, protects His people, and literally get under Pharaoh’s skin. Pharaoh wouldn’t listen.
7. Hail – (Ex. 9:13-25) This miracle is very dramatic: giant hailstones fell. God had Moses warn Pharaoh to have the people bring their remaining livestock and slaves out of the fields and into shelter because this storm will be deadly. Some of the Egyptian officials hurried home to comply because they believed what YHWH said. And they knew they couldn’t rely on Nut, goddess of the sky, to protect them. God: eliminates a 7th god, shows He is bigger than the weather, protects Israel again, offered a chance to save people and livestock, impacted the grain crops. Pharaoh summoned Moses and said they could go, but once the storm stopped, he changed his mind.
8. Locusts – (Ex. 10:1-20) God explained that this miracle was specifically to teach future generations the power of God. And the food supply takes another hit. Whatever grain was left after the hail is now gone. Death is imminent, and the3re is nothing Seth, Egypt’s god of storms and disorder can do. God: demonstrates His power over god #8, and creates widespread suffering to get Pharaoh’s attention. Pharaoh hardens his hear and refuses to let them go.
9. Darkness – (Ex. 10:21-29) The most-worshipped god in Egypt was Ra, the sun god. So God put a complete darkness over the land as this unannounced miracle. For 3 days, God proved He was bigger by removing all lights and sent a warning to Pharaoh. Darkness represents death and hopelessness. God: shut off the lights in Egypt, beat our the sun god, foreshadows Christ’s 3 days after His death, and ensures all of Egypt takes notice. Pharaoh offered to let them leave if they left their livestock behind. But you can’t bargain with God. He ultimately refused. Plus, he threatened to kill Moses if he came back.
10. Death of the 1st Born – (Ex. 11 & 12:1-30) For the first time in all the plagues, Israel must now ACTIVELY participate to be exempt. As soon as the darkness lifted, they left their animals behind. Pharaoh was worshipped as the ultimate power in Egypt and was even called “Son of Ra.” He was warned – death of all the first-born. The Hebrews were given strict instructions of how God would identify the homes of believers to the angel of death would PASSOVER. God: demanded His people identify themselves, weakened the next generation of Egypt, caused Pharaoh to ORDER the Hebrews to go, and broke the stubborn will of Pharaoh.
What is all means for me:
- The 10 plagues were far from random. They were a systematic attack on the beliefs of Pharaoh.
- God was clear in what He ultimately wanted – “Let My people go” and to make His power known.
- God allows consequences to pile up like stacks of dead frogs. If I don’t want to deal with the stink, then I need to be obedient early on.
Thanks for dropping by today. Stop by social media or drop me a note and let me know if you already knew the plagues were actually attacks on god. (I didn’t!)
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