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Plagues (of biblical proportions)

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Mark
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« on: February 28, 2012, 06:28:05 am »

Plagues (of biblical proportions)

Exodus 9:1-35

If you watch news footage of disasters in the third world you see people who know what to do.  This is a sad time.  The people are sad.  They weep and wail and mourn.  And this is entirely appropriate.

But watch news footage of disasters in the west and what do you see? Not weeping and mourning. There’s one dominant emotion on display: shock.

How could this happen?  How could this happen here?  How could this happen to us?

We feel entitled to good health, financial security, national security, job security – any and every kind of safety.  And when these rights are threatened or removed we are completely de-stabilized.

The original plagues of biblical proportions were meant to humble a sinful people.  To bring them to a godly grief – a repentant frame of mind.  But they ended up hardening a proud people who careered towards further destruction.

The purpose of the plagues was two-fold – to reveal the LORD and to humble Pharaoh.

First – to reveal the LORD

The LORD’s repeated phrase as calamity rains down is:

and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God

Through the plagues, the LORD’s Name will be made known to the Israelites (Exodus 6:7), to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:17), to all the earth (Exodus 9:16), and to the generations to come (Exodus 10:2).

You might ask, “What kind of God is known through plagues?”

Answer: A God who’s trying to get through to a deaf people.

There’s a saying: Most people never look up until they’re flat on their backs.  This being the case, disasters can be a severe mercy.

The original plagues of biblical proportions are just the kinds of “wake-up calls” to rouse a stubborn king and his evil regime.

From blood to frogs to gnats to wild beasts to pestilence to boils to hail to locusts to darkness to the death of the firstborn the plagues become more and more deadly. At each point there is an opportunity for Pharaoh to repent and let the Israelites go.  Yet the madness of the human condition is seen in his hard-hearted rejection of the LORD, plunging himself and his land into ruin.

Second – to humble Pharaoh

For 400 years Egypt had ‘humbled’ Israel (Genesis 15:13).  They had afflicted, enslaved and impoverished them.  Moses, at the head of this afflicted people became the most humble man on earth (Number 12:3).  He is therefore the polar opposite of Pharaoh – one raised up before all the earth (Exodus 9:16) and who “refuses to humble himself before the LORD.” (Exodus 10:3)

This is what the plagues are for – humbling.

In Amos 4 we see plagues falling on Israel and the constant refrain is – “yet have ye not returned unto me.”

“I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt… yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.  (Amos 4:10)

The LORD expects that plagues should humble us, not harden us.

Again in Revelation 15 and 16 we see plagues that fall on the whole earth.  And yet those suffering refuse to turn:

and they repented not to give him glory.  (Revelation 16:9)

The plagues on Egypt are foretastes of the judgement that will befall the whole earth.  One day there will be a cosmic shake-down, a mighty revelation of the LORD Jesus, a humbling of everything lifted up.  That is the intention.  And yet, when calamity strikes, there are many who fail to be humbled.  Instead they are hardened.

And that is an immense tragedy:

“God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (Prov 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)

“The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.” (Psalm 147:6)

“For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalm 149:4)

“Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” (Zephaniah 2:3)

In Exodus, the humbling plagues increase until there’s only one place of shelter: the blood of the lamb.  All the plagues lead to Passover.  And all the judgements of God lead to the cross.

The cross is the ultimate plague.  There the LORD’s name is revealed and the LORD’s people are humbled.  Even the Judge of all is humbled in the darkness, perishing under judgement.

The question is this:  Will we be humbled by the judgements of God or hardened?  Will God’s judgements bring us low?  Will they lead us to the LORD Jesus lifted up?  Or will we lift ourselves up and so be cast down by God?

http://kingsenglish.info/2012/02/20/plagues-of-biblical-proportions-2/
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« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2012, 06:33:54 am »

Just a side note that i have always found interesting

The Plagues and The Exodus
http://davelivingston.com/plagues.htm

The Plagues Were Against the Gods of Egypt
For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments -- I am the Lord. (Exodus 12:12)

The Lord had also executed judgments on their gods. (Numbers 33:4)

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people (Jethro's testimony). (Exodus 18:11)

Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord:

And, I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my Salvation;
This is my God and I will praise Him: My father's God, and I will extol Him. . . .
Thy right hand, 0 Lord, is majestic in power,
Thy right hand, 0 Lord, shatters the enemy.
And in the greatness of Thine excellence Thou dost over throw those who rise up against Thee;
Thou dost send forth Thy burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.
Who is like Thee among the gods, 0 Lord?
Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?
Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
The Lord shall reign forever and ever. (From Exodus 15)
He smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast. He sent signs and wonders into your midst, 0 Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants. (Psalms 135:8,9)

And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for Thy land, before Thy people, which Thou redeemedst to Thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? (II Samuel 7:23)

. . . Put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood [Mesopotamia], and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord (Joshua 24:14).

The Plagues
As we consider the plagues, one can discern the purpose of the plagues. In the descriptions that follow, page references are made to the excellent study The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt (Manfred Lurker, Thames and Hudson, 1980).

 
Frieze of cobras on Djozer's mortuary temple of Memphis. Its date in the 27th century BC shows how early the cobra was revered in Egypt. 

Pre-plague: Snake (Exodus 7:9-12):
When Moses came before pharaoh he carried a rod which became a snake. The court magicians' rods also became snakes, but Moses' rod ate theirs.

The cobra or "urae" was a symbol of ruling power(108-109,125). The cobra motif is frequently found in Egyptian "art."  On the forehead of pharaoh's crown there was a cobra ready to strike. On the throne of King Tut is a coiled cobra ready to strike. So, to overcome the cobra symbol is to overcome the power of pharaoh.

 
Glass fish from the El Amarna Period used as a cosmetic vessel. Fish, although regarded as unclean, were also sacred animals. All the Nile fish died in the plague.
Nile River (Exodus 7:14-25):
The Nile River was changed to blood. This plague was against the god Hapi, spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men."  The annual innundation was called "the arrival of Hapi" (57). He was especially worshipped at Gebel Silsileh and Elephantine. The Nile water was the transformed life-blood of Osiris. The fact that the Nile turned to blood, which was abominable to Egyptians, was a direct affront to one of their chief gods. Although the fish-goddess was Hatmeyt, all the fish in the Nile River died!

To illustrate the fact that the plagues of the Exodus were directed against the gods of Egypt, we note some Egyptian prayers to those gods. (The reference to "Nine Gods" apparently did not include pharaoh. It may be of interest that there were just nine plagues before Yahweh killed the sons of pharaoh.)

Praise to thee, 0 Nile, that issueth from the earth and cometh to nourish Egypt . . . That watereth the meadows, he that Ra hath created to nourish all cattle. That giveth drink to the desert places, which are far from water . . . When the Nile floodeth, offering is made to thee, cattle are slaughtered for thee, a great oblation is made for thee . . . Offering is also made to every other god, even as is done for the Nile, with incense, oxen, cattle, and birds upon the flame . . . All ye men, extol the Nine Gods, and stand in awe of the might which his son, the Lord of All, hath displayed, even he that maketh green the Two Riverbanks. Thou art verdant, 0 Nile, thou art verdant. He that maketh man to live on this cattle, and his cattle on the meadow . . ." (Adolph Erman, The Ancient Egyptians, 1966, p. 146.)
The Nile flooded every year, making the land fertile. If the Nile did not flood enough there was famine; if it flooded too much there was famine. The Nile was the lifeblood of Egypt, and thus it became one of their gods. Heathen gods often have some connection with the economics of daily life.

Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15):
The land was filled with them so that they became objects of loathing. The frog-headed goddess, Hekt (52, 62), played a part in "creation."  Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. But she could not control the fertility of a these frogs! Through this plague they became a stench to the Egyptians.

Lice (Exodus 8:16-19):
At present there is no known link between this plague and a god of the Egyptian pantheon. However, the Egyptian magicians, unable to duplicate this plague, attribute it to "the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19), and they withdraw.

 
Underside of a heart scarab from the New Kingdom. It was laid on the heart of a mummy to ensure favorable testimony at the Judgment.
Flies, or Beetles ("insects" -- Exodus 20 - 32):
Although it is not clear which insect the Hebrew word 'arob refers to, this plague may have been against Khephera(74), a scarab-headed (104) god regarded as a manifestation of Atum or Ra. It was supposed to be god of the resurrection, perhaps because the dung ball it rolled around, and in which it laid its egg, produced a "new creation." Priests wore scarabs as charms.

Or It may have been against the fly-god. One sorcerer in the New Kingdom threatened, "I will enter your body as a fly and see your body from the inside." As a symbol of bravery, soldiers who had proven themselves were decorated with the golden fly (52).

Murrain, or Anthrax (Exodus 9:1-7):
This judgment was against the bull god (revered as early as the Archaic Period (35), and the sacred cattle of Hathor, the cow-headed love goddess. It was a special reproach to pharaoh who worshipped Hathor. Hathor, whose name means "house of Horus,"  was sacred as early as the Old Kingdom (41, 58). Other gods associated with cattle were Ptah and Amon.

Great cemeteries of embalmed cattle have been excavated. The symbol of the bull was the symbol of pharaoh himself. In the "Hymn to Amon," it is difficult to distinguish the Pharaoh from the bull. The title is: "Adoration of Amunre (Amon-Ra), Bull of Heliopolus, chiefest of all gods, the good god, the beloved, who giveth life to all that is warm, and to every good herd."

Praise be to thee, Amunre, Lord of Karnak, who presideth in Thebes. Bull of his Mother, the first on his field! Wide of stride, first in Upper Egypt. . . . Greatest of heaven, eldest of earth, lord of what existeth, who abideth in all things. Unique in his nature among the gods, goodly bull of the Nine Gods, chiefest of all gods. Lord of Truth, father of the gods, who maketh mankind, and createth beast. (Erman, p. 283.)
Boils (Exodus 9:8-12):
Against the god of healing, Im-Hotep (69), an outstanding nobleman of the Old Kingdom. Although not actually deified until later than the time of the Exodus, he was no doubt revered at this time. But he could do nothing to help the Egyptians. The goddess Sekhmet was also known for her healing ability (106).

Hail (Exodus 9:13-15):
The sky goddess Nut was "the mother of the sun-god Ra, whom she swallowed in the evening and gave birth to again in the morning" (90). She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Exodus 9:31 mentions that the flax and barley were hit. Destruction of the flax was trying because it was used to wrap mummies and to make clothes.

Grasshoppers, or Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20):
The locust-headed god was Senehem. During the plague, the locusts were so thick that the "eye of the earth" was darkened (Exodus 10:5). One of the epithets of the sun-god Ra was "the eye of Ra." By causing darkness while the sun was shining, Ra was discredited.

 
Gold coffin of King Tut-ankh-amon. Note the signs of authority held in his hands, also the poised cobra on his forehead along with the vulture symbol. These two beasts symbolized Upper and Lower Egypt.
Darkness (Exodus 10:21-27):
One of the greatest gods of Egypt, next to the pharaoh, was the sun (65, 100, 118). The sun-god Amon-Ra was the principle deity of the pantheon. He made all growth possible. Pharaoh called himself "son of the sun." With three days of darkness, the principle deity was scorned. One of many hymns to the sun may help us feel their devotion to this deity:

Beautiful is thine appearing in the horizon of heaven, thou living sun, the first who lived. Thou risest in the eastern horizon, and fillest every land with thy beauty. Thou art beautiful and great, and glistenest, and art high above every land. Thy rays, they encompass the lands, so far as all that thou hast created. Thou art Ra, and thou reachest unto their end and subduest them for thy dear son [the Pharaoh]. Thou art afar, yet are thy rays upon the earth . . . etc., ad nauseum. (Erman, p. 289.)
In all the above, many other gods could have been named which were denigrated by the various plagues. But this sampling demonstrates that Yahweh (YHVH) openly and violently, through his servants, put every one of them to shame.

 
Statue of Amon with crown of sun disk and plumes. He was the supreme state god at the time of the Exodus, and as Amon-Ra was identified with the sun-god.
Pharaoh (Exodus 11-12):
The last plague was not only against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god (Horus) of Egypt.  He was to die on the same level as animals (not as a god), for the prophecy was that the firstborn of man and cattle would die.

Hymns of worship to many pharaohs have been found. Here is one to Rameses II:

The good god, the strong one, whom men praise, the lord, in whom men make their boast; who protecteth his soldiers, who maketh his boundaries on earth as he will. . . . (Erman, p. 258.)
Concerning the divinity of the pharaohs, William Edgerton notes:

As for the organization and powers of the government, everyone knows that the Pharaoh was an absolute monarch and that his authority rested theoretically on his supposed divinity. He is constantly called"the good god." One of his most frequent titles designates him as the son of the sun-god Ra, and we know that his claim of divine parentage was not a mere figure of speech; it was meant to be taken literally. Theoretically, of course, the Pharaoh's right-to-rule rested on his divinity. He was begotten by the sun-god Amon-Ra, who took the form of the previous king for this purpose, and Amon-Ra with the enthusiastic approval of the other gods placed him on the throne and decreed a long and brilliant reign for him. No doubt those theological fictions helped to strengthen the Pharaoh's position. But the really solid basis of his power was his control of the machinery of government, including the army and police. (Edgerton, Journal of Near Eastern Studies: 6, 1967, pp. 153-4.)

A great majority of the historical monuments were intended as official propaganda with the purpose of transmitting to posterity a "correct" impression of the glory and power of the pharaohs. Crises of revolution and that type of inner strife so common in the Orient, as well as military defeats in foreign wars, were either passed over completely or were interpreted so that the monuments conveyed impressions much distorted and unduly colored to the credit of the Egyptians. (Steindorff and Seele, When Egypt Ruled the East, p. 6, our emphasis.)
The above is the reason there is no Egyptian record of the Exodus. The Egyptians simply would not record it because it was such a calamity. That may be true. However, we think evidence will yet be discovered for it. Although his mummy has been discovered, the temple of the man who was likely the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Amenhotep II, has never been found. If it is ever found and opened it may contain evidence of the plagues or the Exodus.

In Exodus 4:22-23 God told the Egyptians, "Israel is my son, my first-born. Let him go! If not, I will slay thy first-born!"  Then in Exodus 11:5-7 and 12:29 we we that the last plague was against the first-born.

As if losing the future pharaoh was not enough, even the god of storms, Baal-Zephon, could not help the army which was pursuing Israel into the desert. In plain view of his temple, the whole army of Pharaoh was destroyed (Ex 14:2,9). Baal of Syria was equated by the Egyptians with their god Seth (19, 109). And the cruel sea was believed to be a manifestation of Seth.

Yahweh's Purpose in the Plagues
The first reason for the final plague was that the Egyptians may know that Yahweh is God! (Exodus 7:5; 8:10; 9:14-16,27; 10:16; 14:4.) The Lord is gracious in that He says over and over that He is doing this for the Egyptians that they might know He is the Lord. In fact, among the Egyptians, those who exercised faith were saved (Exodus 9:20-21; 12:38). Just as we today have an incentive to believe in Christ because of His miracles (John 20:31), so the Egyptians had opportunity to believe because of the plagues.

The second reason for the plagues was that Israel might know Yahweh, their God, is The God and that there is no other (Exodus 10:1-2; 11:7; 14:31; Deuteronomy 4:32-35, Psalms 135:5-10). Some of the Israelites seem to have lost faith in Jehovah during their servitude. Possibly they were impressed with Egypt's gods since they seemed to be helping the Egyptians. But now Israel was to see evidence of Yahweh's absolute sovereignty and superiority over all the gods of Egypt. In fact, in Exodus 10:2 (NASB) we read that the Lord mocked the Egyptian gods.

Why didn't pharaoh believe? Why should he? He was a god! If he believed, he would lose his "divinity."  But God hardened his heart. Why? Because, if he had repented and let Israel go after the first plague, all the gods of Egypt would have retained their greatness in the eyes of the Egyptians and of Israel. People had to suffer to demonstrate that all gods other than Yahweh were nothing.

Jethro summed it up well when he later said, "Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly He was above them!" (Exodus 18:11)

Necessary in the plan for Israel's salvation was that they should do a simple, visible act. That was to take a lamb, kill it, and put some of its blood on the doorpost of their dwelling. Egyptian symbolism is interesting even in this act, for a door was a symbol of both entry and defense (47). And gates played a special role in the journey of the deceased through the nether world. For Israel, putting blood on the doorposts indicated that something done in one's heart is not enough. They had to act out their faith. Pharaoh could have saved his first-born if he had done that. But it would have destroyed the Egyptian system. In doing so, he would have acknowledged Yahweh as God. Furthermore, sheep were an abomination to the Egyptians.

Yahweh's plan of salvation for Israel was not only to put down the gods of Egypt. God was calling out a people for Himself. This was His greater and higher purpose. For Israel to be a special people to the Lord they had to break with the associations they had in Egypt. They had to see that:

He is over all gods (I John 3:8; John 12:31-33);
that the lamb was slain and blood brought deliverance (John 1:29; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18-20; Revelations 5:9);
this is family oriented salvation (Exodus 12:3,4,26).
A final thought -- Jesus (Yeshua, Hebrew, means "salvation") instituted the New Covenant as a Passover meal. Today, the family of faith partakes of this meal, a sign of deliverance (Moshiach, Hebrew, means "deliverer") from the bondage of Egypt and from their gods (Luke 22:1-20). Jeremiah and Ezekiel both prophesied a new covenant which would include not only outward signs, but renewed hearts and minds. Anyone today can enter this New Covenant through acknowledging Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Moshiach) as their Lord and Savior.

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« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2012, 06:36:00 am »

“Against All the Gods of Egypt. . . ”

The 10 plagues of the Exodus were God’s judgment on the Egyptian gods. This included Pharaoh himself, in that he was thought to embody all the gods and acted as their representative.

How could belief in the Egyptian deities be confounded by these plagues? Put simply, everything went wrong: Pharaoh and all the gods, each of which existed to protect and regulate aspects of Egyptian life, were shown to be powerless before the God of Israel.


1. RIVER OF BLOOD
To the Egyptians, the Nile was a gift from the gods. Turning its waters into blood not only struck directly at the life-giving nature of the river, it was also an assault on the gods themselves. In addition, because all the fish died (Exodus 7:17–21), those gods who were worshiped as protectors of various fish, or who took the form of fish or other river creatures, were also targets of this first plague.

2. FROGSA vast plague of frogs emerged from the river and covered the land (Exodus 8:2–6). Several gods and goddesses took the form of frogs, which were considered sacred: killing them was a crime punishable by death. Yet the Egyptians couldn’t help but tread on them and see them all die and rot.

3. LICE
The dust of the land turned into lice that afflicted both man and beast (Exodus 8:16–19). Among those who would have been particularly affected were the Egyptian priests. They were noted for their physical purity: they shaved their heads and bodies, washed frequently and were routinely fumigated with incense. Such a plague would completely disrupt their sense of order and their ability to look after the gods in their temples. Not even the magicians, who attributed their skills to the power of Heka, the god of magic, could match this plague.

4. FLIES
Various forms of flying insects are implied, great swarms of which ruined the Egyptians’ land (Exodus 8:21–24). This plague, too, struck at the Egyptian sense of order and equilibrium (governed by the goddess Maat). A pharaoh’s legitimacy and effectiveness were judged on how well he kept the gods under him performing their responsibilities, and in this he clearly failed.

5. CATTLE DISEASE
The Egyptians’ cattle died in the fields, but none that belonged to the Israelites died (Exodus 9:2–6). The Egyptians worshiped many animals and animal-headed deities, including several that took the form of cows and bulls.

6. BOILSThis plague affected man and beast, even preventing the magicians from performing their craft (Exodus 9:8–11). What was more, the gods who were relied on to end epidemics and to heal the Egyptians of their maladies proved powerless against this scourge.

7. HAIL
This plague destroyed anything—vegetation, man or beast—left out in the open, yet once again the Israelites escaped completely (Exodus 9:18–26). Because the Egyptians believed that agriculture and all the forces of nature were governed by the gods, such a destructive hailstorm would have been seen as yet another failure on the part of those gods.

8. LOCUSTSAny vegetation that was left untouched by the hail was devoured by locusts (Exodus 10:4–15). Once more, the Egyptian gods of crops and agriculture were shown to be impotent.

 

9. DARKNESSGod sent three days of impenetrable darkness, but the Israelites escaped (Exodus 10:21–23). Several gods were identified with or depicted by the sun, principal among them being Re. Egyptians venerated this national god for his consistent provision of life-giving light and warmth, yet even he couldn’t prevent the ninth plague.

10. DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN
The final plague was death for every Egyptian firstborn, animal as well as human (Exodus 11:4–7; 12:29–30). Thereby the God of Israel was exalted over the gods of fertility, of procreation, and of protection over the Egyptians’ homes. Not even Pharaoh’s so-called divine nature was sufficient to prevent the death of his own son.

Taken together, the 10 plagues provided a comprehensive defeat of the pharaoh and of the entire Egyptian pantheon, just as God had promised.

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