Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:30 — 19.1MB)
Subscribe: RSS
The 10 plagues against Mitsraim (Egypt) were judgments against the false deities of the land. They were intended to demonstrate to both the descendants of Yisra’el (Israel) and the people of the land who the true God is.
God told Moshe (Moses) that He would bring the descendants of Yisra’el out of Mitsraim with power and that He would also kill the firstborn of Mitsraim. Moshe was disheartened when this did not happen immediately.
Now we begin to see the extent of the power the Lord would unleash on Egypt before the descendants of Israel were permitted to leave for good. We are to read this account to understand what God intended—not what Moshe, Aharon (Aaron), or Pharaoh desired.
“Then the Lord said to Moshe, ‘See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aharon shall be your prophet.’” (Exodus 7:1)
The Hebrew word for God used here is אֱלֹהִים ’elohim (Strong’s No. H430), which is typically plural and can refer to either the Lord or to pagan deities, depending on context. In this passage, Moshe and Aharon were symbolically portraying God and the Messiah. Aharon did all the speaking, just as Yeshua did during His time on earth. Aharon only spoke what God and Moshe instructed him to say, just as Yeshua only said what the Father told Him to say.
God intentionally ensured that Pharaoh would neither listen to nor heed the words of Moshe and Aharon.
God was not trying to “get back” at the Egyptians. In fact, He said, “Blessed be Mitsraim, My people…” (Isaiah 19:21). This was not an act of vengeance. If God had wanted to “get even” with mankind, He could have ended the human race with Adam and Khavah (Eve). Instead, He made a judgment and then extended mercy. This is consistent with His character—He judges, but He also shows mercy.
The ultimate purpose of these events was the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to Abraham, Yitskhak (Isaac), and Ya’akov (Jacob).
When God “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart—the Hebrew term here is אַקְשֶׁה ’aqsheh, from the root קָשָׁה qasha (H7185), meaning hard, dull, or insensitive—it was not about Pharaoh’s personal endurance. God strengthened Moshe in spirit and power. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened not against Moshe or Aharon, but against God. God did this in accordance with Proverbs 26:4, “Answer a fool according to his folly.” Pharaoh already harbored arrogance, bitterness, and hostility toward God; God simply allowed those seeds to come to fruition.
The staff turning into serpents, the transformation of water into blood, and the summoning of frogs were within the power of Egypt’s wise men, magicians, and sorcerers to replicate. However, they could not reverse these signs—only Aharon’s staff-snake swallowed theirs. They could not turn the blood back to water, nor could they cause the frogs to return to the Nile. Their powers were limited and permitted by God; they were not derived from demons or Satan. Every plague was ultimately a plague of death.
The plague of blood struck Egypt but not Goshen. Life in the Nile perished in the blood, which persisted for seven days. This was the only plague over which Pharaoh had some control regarding its timing.
When Pharaoh again hardened his heart, Moshe initiated the plague of gnats by striking the ground with his rod, raising a cloud of dust. The magicians could not replicate this sign.
God’s purpose in the plagues was to “strike down the ’elohim of Mitsraim”—everything that was worshiped. The first targets were the serpents, then the Nile.
God made a clear distinction between the people of Mitsraim and the people of Israel in Goshen. While God is no respecter of persons, He used this moment to teach Pharaoh a lesson and to fulfill His covenant with the patriarchs.
These displays of power were enough to harden Pharaoh’s heart, even though subsequent plagues could not be duplicated or countered by Egypt’s magicians. Though they could replicate snakes, blood, and frogs, only God had the power to remove them. Yet this still did not soften Pharaoh’s heart.
We tend to fixate on a single villain, but all of us, made of flesh and blood, are capable of hardening our hearts when God’s way is not easy. God led Israel through a difficult 40-year journey in the wilderness.
We cannot rush God, nor can we alter His will. We may struggle with the idea of God allowing the death of an innocent person, yet He allowed the death of His innocent Son—because He loved His creation, formed in His likeness. He gave His Son so that we might commune with Him.
Reader: Jeff. Speaker: Richard Agee. Summary: Tammy.
Discover more from Hallel Fellowship
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.