Tuesday, July 3, 2012

THE TEN PLAGUES


THE TEN PLAGUES

Did you ever pause to wonder about the ten plagues of the book of Exodus? Maybe why was that Pharaoh so stiffnecked toward our God? Why did God allow His people to get into such a perdicament? What significance is wrapped into this story that actually starts in Genesis before it climaxes in Exodus. What shall we find?

Yes, the plague story starts in Genesis, Gen. 37, to be exact. Joseph's brothers are jealous of him for seeming more loved than they by their father, so they end up selling him into slavery. Hmmm. Do you realize here that because the brothers sold one of their own into slavery, their whole nation would end up in slavery to that same nation they sold their brother into? Does God know how to fabricate poetic justice, or what?

"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, 'Bow the knee': and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt." (Gen. 41:41 - 43) Joseph arrived in Egypt at the tender age of 17, and by the age of 30, he was now 2nd in command in Egypt. God's favor can be astonishing, can't it? This Pharaoh has a heart for Joseph and his people, and during a 7 year famine, Joseph's family was invited to Egypt to stay, and they made Goshen of Egypt their home. At 110 years old, Joseph died, and his family was abundantly fruitful, and became a multitude in Egypt.

At the death of the Pharaoh, a new king of Egypt emerged, and this Pharaoh knew not Joseph, but that he had a generation of people that seemed more and mightier than they, so this Pharaoh fullfilled the prophecy made to Abram before his name was made Abraham; "And He said unto Abram, 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.'" (Gen. 15:13 - 14) Ah, now we see that these 10 plagues are all part of a prophecy! And even Moses' story is interesting...

The grandson of Levi married his aunt Jochebed, and Moses was born, the tool of the Lord to cut the strap of Pharaoh's bondage from His people. Despite Moses' initial objections, he went to Pharaoh, and twice Pharaoh's initial reaction to meeting with Moses was his hardening of his heart, but God had a purpose for this, to put in motion these 10 plagues, judgements against this Pharaoh and Egypt! "But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them." (Exod. 7:4 - 5)

So now the Lord sends Moses in to heart-hardened Pharaoh, and Aaron, Moses' prophet (brother), is told to stretch his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the first plague is borne on Egypt, and even Israel was not exempt from this week long plague. The Nile and all its tributaries were as blood! "And the LORD spake unto Moses, 'Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.'" (Exod. 7:19)

Two more plagues would afflict the entirety of Egypt, but the last 7 Israel was exempt from, the last, conditionally. The next two plagues were frogs, then lice. "And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants." (Exod. 8:4) "And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt." (Exod. 8:17) In this 3rd plague, Pharaoh's magicians acknowledged the finger of God, but Pharaoh disregarded this counsel.

The 4th plague, that of flies, is where God begins the distinction between His people and the Egyptians. Let me note here also that it is where all involved would be shown how blind Pharaoh was. Blind to the one true God's demand to let His people go! "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between My people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be." (Exod. 8:22 - 23) Even today, there is division between God's people and the wicked, isn't there? And the wicked receive their consequences, don't they?

The 5th plague is released on the beasts of the Egyptians, a very grievous murrain, but the Israelite animals were unafflicted. "And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel." (Exod. 9:4) The 6th plague God wrought from Moses' hands, handsful of ashes from a furnace, released in eyeshot of Pharaoh, that he might know where the boils and blains on the skin of his people came from, and even at this, he did not yet soften his heart.

This 7th plague was significant in Egypt and in Pharaoh, because for the first time, he spoke of a crack in his armor, and he acknowledged Moses' God, the God of Israel; "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." (Exod. 9:27) Inasmuch that Pharaoh admitted Egypt's sinfulness (Pharoah and Egypt are considered one and the same from those days), yet, with a hardened heart, he continued to hold Israel hostage in bondage!

At the 8th plague of locusts, Pharaoh's armor is cracking even more so, as now he not only asks forgiveness, but puts himself in a strait of words, asking for forgiveness only this once! Oh, but you're going to sin again, aren't you Pharaoh? "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, 'I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.'" (Exod. 10:16 - 17) There is a lesson here, in that we should never ask God to forgive any sin we make only once, for we know not at all that we may commit that sin again, and by our own words then, what shall we speak with God, if peradventure we sin that sin again? How wonderful it is that we have a very forgiving God! "Jesus saith unto him,
'I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven...So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.'" (Matt. 18:22, 35) "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." (Luke 17:3 - 4)

Now the 9th plague was the last time Pharaoh's heart was hardened, because the 10th was unbearable for all of Egypt. The 10th plague also gave rise to the institution of the passover, which involved an unblemished lamb, killed and eaten roasted, its blood smitten on the 2 side posts and upper doorpost of the house entrance, the meal also consisting of unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If anything of it remained, it was to be burned before morning. During this last plague of midnight, the Lord killed in entirety the first born of Egypt, even of their cattle! "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead." (Exod. 12:29 - 30) What a blockhead! He had to experience an entire 10 plagues before letting God have His way! Makes a person think, though...how many times were we a blockhead when He wanted to have His way with us?

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