Plagues

“On all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments” (Exodus 12:12).

The Ten Plagues (Shlomo Katz)

When I was a little girl, one of my favourite movies was a very old technicolour production of the story of Moses and it was called “The Ten Commandments” and starred Charleton Heston.  It was a long film and beautifully coloured with costuming and gorgeous storylines.  And I loved watching it – I still like to watch it when I have four or so hours to spare…

In the film there is a portrayal of the plagues in Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites free…

Water turned to blood (we now think that there was a form of algae or mineral imbalance that turned the water red and undrinkable).  Frogs infested the land (we now think this was in response to the contaminated water which killed the fish that ate the frogs, allowing them to overpopulate and expand beyond their natural habitats).  Lice infested the land (we now think these bred in the stagnant water and therefore grew at exponential rates and caused a nuisance).  Files infested the land (we now think that these fed off the rotting dead fish and frogs and therefore had amply opportunity to overbreed).  Livestock were affected by disease and died (we now think that the flies spread a disease similar to anthrax, which caused the livestock to become infected and die).  People were infected by boils (we now think this was a severe bacterial infection that affected a weakened population causing them to be contaminated and contaminate others).  There was massive hail (we now think that this was triggered by the atmospheric ash prevalent in the atmosphere following the volcanic eruption of Thera).  A plague of locusts (we now think was triggered by the change in climate following the eruptions and evident in the hail-storms).  The three days of darkness (we now think was caused by the ash of the volcanic eruption blocking the sun).  And finally, the death of the firstborn Egyptian male (and animal), except for those protected by the blood of the lamb on their doors.  This one is harder to explain physiologically…

These plagues were not random acts escalating to crisis.  They were a deliberate war against the false gods of Egypt…  “On all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments” (Exodus 12:12).

And it was pharaoh’s rejection of the True God that remained at the centre of the problem, because it was pharaoh who perpetuated the beliefs in the gods who were responsible for the water, land, sky and humans…  “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2).

The plagues answer this question because they are not merely punishment, but they are a lesson in the true power of God.

This is why the final plague represents God’s power over life and death.  He chooses who will live and who will die and when and where and how and why. 

And today, I wonder why I ever put any effort on worrying about a thing – after all, God has it sorted.  He has it all sorted…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.