A Short History Lesson: The Ten Plagues of Egypt

My Unusual Journal 49
Wednesday, November 09, 2011, 1:18 PM
A Short History Lesson: The Ten Plagues of Egypt
Let’s quickly get to the heart of this little homily. If you will walk with me a short mile – I’ll not ask you to go twain – I will remind you of the experiences of Israel early in their history. First consider all that God had done for them:
After they had endured several centuries of hard slavery under their Egyptian masters, God delivered the Israelites by ten wondrous miracles that were so devastating they nearly destroyed the land of Egypt. (Ex 7:8 through 12:31) In the list below are the ten plagues and a brief explanation of each one:
The Ten Plagues of Egypt
1. Water turned to blood. (Ex. 7.17-24)
“And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.” (Ex 7:24)
2. Proliferation of frogs (Ex. 8.1-15)
“[Frogs entered Pharaoh’s] house, and into [his] bedchamber, and upon [his] bed, and into the house of [his] servants, and upon [his] people, and into [his] ovens, and into [his] kneadingtroughs.” (Ex. 8.3b)
3. Lice infestation (Ex. 8.16-19)
“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.” (Ex. 8.17)
4. “A grievous swarm of flies” (Ex. 8.20-32)
“…there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.” (Ex. 8.24b)
5. Murrain (cattle disease) (Ex. 9.1-7)
“…all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.” (Ex. 9.6b)
6. Boils (Ex. 9.8-12)
“So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.” (Ex. 9.10-11 NIV)
7. Hail (Ex. 9.18-35)
“And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.” (Ex. 9.25)
8. Locusts (Ex. 10.12-20)
“…they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” (Ex 10.15)
9. Darkness (Ex. 10.21-29)
“…there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days…” (Ex. 10.22b-23a)
10. Death of the Firstborn (Ex. 12.21-39)
“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. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men”! (Exo 12:30-33)
Here are a couple of reasons as to why God did not deliver Israel with one fell swoop of His mighty arm:
A repetition of calamities would leave more of a lasting imprint on the Egyptians than one affliction. The 10th pestilence would have been terrifying enough to effect the emancipation of the Israelites without the other plagues, but God knows the creatures He has made. The memory of the preceding nine afflictions, culminating in the last, most terrifying affliction – the death of the firstborn male in each family of man and beast! – would hang over the land like a monstrous miasma or poisonous atmosphere through many decades.
The record of this ravaging of a nation by God in this awful way would not fade from the annals of human history for as long as the earth exists in its present form. This should be an ever-present lesson to all men and women, but of course the majority of them will ignore it, tripping the light fantastic straight into the fire and brimstone waiting for them.
The story of the Ten Plagues is not included in the biblical record for our entertainment; no part of the Bible is written for that purpose. It serves as a dire warning from God that no one is so powerful or so good that they can buck against the will of God with impunity. No one can afford to say as Pharaoh did, “Who is God that I should do what He wants?”
I don’t have to add anything to the story; its warning is plain to see: Serving God means to prosper and live; rejecting His counsel equates with suffering and death. You have to make the choice. Don’t be deceived – ignore God and you will pay for your sins!