Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exodus 27–28
Chronological Order: Genesis 38–40
New Testament Only: Matthew 17
Yahweh Is Lord Of All
Today we read of the ten plagues God brought upon Pharaoh in order to force him to release the Israelites from bondage. God was doing more than twisting Pharaoh’s arm with these plagues. God was demonstrating His superiority to the Egyptian’s man-made gods. Each plague defeated an Egyptian god demonstrating in the most dramatic and powerful way the ultimate supremacy of the One True God. Below is an excerpt from “The Bible Knowledge Commentary” regarding these plagues. Make sure you check out the chart comparing the plagues with the Egyptian gods and goddesses.
“Ten judgments were poured out on the Egyptians. These judgments, commonly called plagues, may be grouped in three units of three plagues each, with a 10th culminating in judgment. The 1st, 4th, and 7th judgments, at the beginning of each cycle of three, are introduced by the words, “in the morning” (7:15; 8:20; 9:13). The 1st three (blood, frogs, and gnats) were loathsome; the 2nd three were bothersome (flies) or painful (death of livestock and boils on people and animals); and the 3rd three were “natural” plagues (hail, locusts, darkness). The 3rd plague ends with the defeat of the magicians (8:19), the 6th with their inability to stand before Moses (9:11), and the 9th with the separation of Moses and Pharaoh (10:28).
In plagues 1-3 Aaron used his staff (7:19; 8:5-6, 16-17) and in plagues 7-9 Moses used his staff (9:22-23; 10:12-13, 21-22; though 10:21-22 mentions only Moses’ hand, the staff may have been included).No staff was used by either man in plagues 4-6.
The 10 plagues may have occurred over a period of about nine months. The 1st occurred when the Nile rises (July-August). The 7th (9:31) was in January, when barley ripens and flax blossoms. The prevailing east winds in March or April in the 8th plague (10:13) would have brought in locusts. And the 10th plague (chaps. 11-12) occurred in April, the Passover month. By the plagues God was judging the gods of Egypt (of which there were many) and showing Himself superior to them (12:12; 18:11; Num. 33:4). See the chart “The Plagues and the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt.”[…]
[…]Also the plagues may have been designed to oppose and show up the impotency of the Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s people considered him the god Horus, son of Hathor. Hathor’s father was the god Amon-Re. The plagues also showed the Pharaoh and the Egyptians that He is the Lord (Yahweh; Ex. 7:5, 17; 8:10, 22; 9:14, 16) and showed Israel the same truth (10:2).”
The Plagues and the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt
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Plagues
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References
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Possible Egyptian Gods and Goddesses of Egypt Attacked by the Plagues
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1. Nile turned to blood
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Exodus 7:14–25
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Hapi (also called Apis), the bull god, god of the Nile; Isis, goddess of the Nile; Khnum, ram god guardian of the Nile; and others
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2. Frogs
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Exodus 8:1–15
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Heqet, goddess of birth, with a frog head
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3. Gnats
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Exodus 8:16–19
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Set, god of the desert
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4. Flies
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Exodus 8:20–32
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Re, a sun god; or the god Uatchit, possibly represented by the fly
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5. Death of livestock
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Exodus 9:1–7
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Hathor, goddess with the cow head; Apis, the bull god, symbol of fertility
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6. Boils
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Exodus 9:8–12
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Sekhmet, goddess with power over disease; Sunu, the pestilence god, Isis, goddess of healing
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7. Hail
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Exodus 9:13–35
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Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, god of crops and fertility; Set, god of storms
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8. Locusts
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Exodus 10:1–20
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Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, god of crops and fertility
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9. Darkness
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Exodus 10:21–29
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Re, the sun god; Horus, a sun god; Nut, a sky goddess; Hathor, a sky goddess
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10. Death of the firstborn
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Exodus 11:1–12:30
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Min, god of reproduction; Heqet, goddess who attended women at childbirth; Isis, goddess who protected children; Pharaoh’s firstborn son, a god
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Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Brothers, there is no god but Yahweh! He is supreme! He is Lord of all!
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
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