Each Biblical Plague Rebuked a Specific Egyptian Idol. Exodus 12 and 13.

When Moses returned from Midian–the 80-year-old prophet who had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace, then fled a murder charge at the age of 40–the Hebrews were pleased. At first. But then Pharaoh told his task masters to make the Hebrews build bricks just as before, but with no straw supplied to them. The bricks were basically mud and straw in a square frame, left to dry in the sun. The straw is the fiber, the “skeleton” that holds the bricks together. Now the Hebrews had to find their own straw—without making fewer bricks. They were angry at Moses for bringing this problem on them.

Moses prayed, asking God why.

“But the Lord replied to Moses, NOW YOU ARE GOING TO SEE WHAT I WILL DO TO PHARAOH” Exodus 6:1.

Do you remember what followed? God brought to his knees the most powerful and arrogant man in the world. God proved to Pharaoh how big God is and how small Pharaoh is. How? By destroying the Pharaoh’s gods. Everything the Egyptians believed in was humiliated. The plagues were a judgment against Egypt’s idols, everything from the sun and crops to animals and insects.

“I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt” Exodus 12:12.

“The Lord executed judgment against their gods” Numbers 33:4.

Here are the plagues and the idols they humiliated:

1. The Nile turned to blood. Egyptians considered the Nile to be the bloodstream of Osiris.
2. Frogs covered the land. They worshipped two fertility gods with frog heads.
3. Dust was turned to gnats or lice, depending on the translation. Egypt worshipped “Geb,” the god of the dust of the earth. (This was the final plague to affect the Hebrews. The other seven did not impact the land of Goshen where the Jews lived.)
4. Flies covered the land. Egypt worshipped “Uatchit,” the fly god.
5. Pestilence: Diseases caused the cattle to die. Egypt worshipped four “cow gods.”
6. People were covered in boils. This showed the impotence of Egypt’s gods of healing and diseases, and was so bad, Pharaoh’s priests could not even come to court to speak to Pharaoh and Moses the next day. They could not stand on their feet.
7. Hail. This was a slap in the face to gods of the sky and weather—and Egypt had never seen a hailstorm.
8. Locusts devour grain. This was a rebuke of the gods of crops and “Serapia,” the protector from locusts.
9. Darkness. A rebuke of RA, the sun-god, Egypt’s highest deity. It was pitch black for three days; so dark that “the darkness could be felt.” This must have seemed like the last straw, the final blow. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.
10. Death of the firstborn of man and beast. This was a rebuke of Pharaoh himself. Kings are seen as the “first-born” of the nation, the way a President’s wife is called the “First Lady.” And 80 years before, a previous Pharaoh had ordered the killing of Israel’s male children (from which Moses was miraculously spared). Now God shows Pharaoh who really has the power of life and death. And God was merciful—He provided a way out, and God did not kill ALL male children, but only the first born.

Through all of this, God is merciful. Through Moses He says to Pharaoh, “I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth.” Exodus 9:16. After all, isn’t it better to suffer on earth—even ten Biblical plagues—than to live an easy life for 80 years, then spend eternity separated from God?

These horrible plagues were the perfect way for God to shake the Egyptian people to their core. By the time the Hebrews left Egypt, the fear of God had so overwhelmed the Egyptians that they sent the Jews away loaded down with jewelry and riches. And in case that seems unfair, remember that the Egyptians were rich because they had enslaved the Hebrews for generations. These riches—the “plunder”—was merely what the Egyptians owed the Hebrews.

So in the end, the Exodus was an amazing story for the Hebrew people, one that would enrich their culture and their worship for centuries—even many of the least observant Jews still celebrate the Passover today. But the Exodus is also a testimony of God’s faithfulness to the pagans of Egypt. I believe thousands and thousands of them must have converted to the monotheistic God of the Hebrews. Thousands must have finally dropped their idol worship and embraced faith in the one true god.

That is one of the most amazing parts of this story: Egypt suffered from history-making Biblical plagues. But Egypt was blessed by those plagues too, because the suffering helped many of them to discover the one true God.

Dear God, help us to love you and trust you even when we suffer. Remind us that you have amazing purposes, that you are telling an amazing story in our lives. Help us remember that you will “cause all things to work together for good, to those that love God and are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28. Help us to love you more every day, and to have confident faith in any trial, knowing that you are at work and you are busy doing something great through our adversity. Mold us and shape us and make us who you want us to be. We love you.

ΑΩ