The Bible is one tome that never ceases to amaze me. At times placidingly simple, it can also be deeply profound and rudely awakening (in a good way). Nevertheless, it has provided me a wealth of information with regards to the puzzle we call life and often provided a direction amidst the confusion that surrounds us. It is not surprising to feel that the Bible speaks to us as John 1:1 says 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'. So as we pray and seek God, He speaks to us through His Word - the Bible.
Recently, I came across some study material which dwelt into the ten plagues that hit Egypt when the Pharoah refused to release Moses and the Israelites. Having watched the Ten Commandments (with Charlton Heston - woo hoo!) as a kid and later on the cartoon (or 'animated feature' as they like to be called these days) Prince of Egypt as an adult, I always wondered why those specific afflictions. Were they just random outbreaks designed to badger the Egyptians to the utmost? Most definitely not.
I've always been told that every single detail recorded in the Bible was allowed by God to happen for very specific reasons. Similarly, these outbreaks were purposed to attack the spiritual heart of Egypt as each one of them had a specific relation to the nature-based religion of Egypt. Through this, God would prove His authority by using His creations to wreck the idolatory beliefs of the Egyptians and the so-called gods that were supposed to protect them.
So for the beneift of everyone (myself inclusive lest I forget this), these are the ten plagues and why God brought them upon Egypt:
1. The Nile turned to blood (Exodus 7:14-25)
The Nile was the centre of Egyptian religion and the agricultural lifeblood for the nation. The gods Hapi and Osiris supposedly protected the river.
2. Swarms of frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
In Egypt, Heqt, the frog god, was the symbol of fertility and resurrection.
3. Dust became lice (Exodus 8:16-19)
The Hebrew word for lice, kinnim, refers to gnats.
4. Swarms (Exodus 8:20-32)
The exact nature of this swarm is not certian, but some commentators believe it was the dog fly, a bloodsucking insect that laid eggs on other creatures and "swarmed with a voracious appetite, attacking every man, inflicting painful wounds". Kheper, represented by the scarab beetle, was the insect god shown to be impotent by the third and fourth plagues.
5. Pestilence (Exodus 9:1-7)
This was a fatal disease for cattle, which were also considered sacred and supposedly protected by the bull-god Apis and cow-goddess Hathor.
6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
These painful sores were seen as a failure of their personal god of healing, Thoth.
7. Storm and hail (Exodus 9:13-35)
This plague destroyed the crops and food supply. Nut, the sky god, failed to stop this weather-borne disaster.
8. Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
A locust can eat its own weight daily, and locust swarms of 400 square miles have been recorded (a single square-mile swarm could contain 100 to 200 million locusts). Osiris, protector of agriculture, was seen as the ineffective god in this plague.
9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29)
Ra, the sun god of Egypt, was the god mocked by this plague - a plague of darkness that was so thick it could be felt.
10. Death of the firstborn of man and animal (Exodus 11:4-5; 12:29-30)
This plague marked the failure of Pharoah himself, who was considered a god. He was powerless to stop it - even losing his own firstborn.
The above is an excerpt from the Discovery Series booklet Moses: His anger and what it cost him from RBC Ministries, publishers of Our Daily Bread.
Recently, I came across some study material which dwelt into the ten plagues that hit Egypt when the Pharoah refused to release Moses and the Israelites. Having watched the Ten Commandments (with Charlton Heston - woo hoo!) as a kid and later on the cartoon (or 'animated feature' as they like to be called these days) Prince of Egypt as an adult, I always wondered why those specific afflictions. Were they just random outbreaks designed to badger the Egyptians to the utmost? Most definitely not.
I've always been told that every single detail recorded in the Bible was allowed by God to happen for very specific reasons. Similarly, these outbreaks were purposed to attack the spiritual heart of Egypt as each one of them had a specific relation to the nature-based religion of Egypt. Through this, God would prove His authority by using His creations to wreck the idolatory beliefs of the Egyptians and the so-called gods that were supposed to protect them.
So for the beneift of everyone (myself inclusive lest I forget this), these are the ten plagues and why God brought them upon Egypt:
1. The Nile turned to blood (Exodus 7:14-25)
The Nile was the centre of Egyptian religion and the agricultural lifeblood for the nation. The gods Hapi and Osiris supposedly protected the river.
2. Swarms of frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
In Egypt, Heqt, the frog god, was the symbol of fertility and resurrection.
3. Dust became lice (Exodus 8:16-19)
The Hebrew word for lice, kinnim, refers to gnats.
4. Swarms (Exodus 8:20-32)
The exact nature of this swarm is not certian, but some commentators believe it was the dog fly, a bloodsucking insect that laid eggs on other creatures and "swarmed with a voracious appetite, attacking every man, inflicting painful wounds". Kheper, represented by the scarab beetle, was the insect god shown to be impotent by the third and fourth plagues.
5. Pestilence (Exodus 9:1-7)
This was a fatal disease for cattle, which were also considered sacred and supposedly protected by the bull-god Apis and cow-goddess Hathor.
6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
These painful sores were seen as a failure of their personal god of healing, Thoth.
7. Storm and hail (Exodus 9:13-35)
This plague destroyed the crops and food supply. Nut, the sky god, failed to stop this weather-borne disaster.
8. Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
A locust can eat its own weight daily, and locust swarms of 400 square miles have been recorded (a single square-mile swarm could contain 100 to 200 million locusts). Osiris, protector of agriculture, was seen as the ineffective god in this plague.
9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29)
Ra, the sun god of Egypt, was the god mocked by this plague - a plague of darkness that was so thick it could be felt.
10. Death of the firstborn of man and animal (Exodus 11:4-5; 12:29-30)
This plague marked the failure of Pharoah himself, who was considered a god. He was powerless to stop it - even losing his own firstborn.
The above is an excerpt from the Discovery Series booklet Moses: His anger and what it cost him from RBC Ministries, publishers of Our Daily Bread.
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