Exodus 11: 1 – 10
Friday the 13th
11 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. 4 Then Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. 9 But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
The oldest reference to bad things befalling people on Friday the 13th is found in Egyptian literature that is over 3000 years old. The Ancient Egyptians believed life was a spiritual journey that unfolded in stages. They believed that 12 of those stages occurred in this life, but last, the 13th was a joyous transformative ascension to an eternal afterlife. So the number 13 represented death to the Egyptians, but not death as in decay and fear, but as an acknowledgment of a glorious eternal life.
The Israelites had been under bondage by the Egyptian people and labored under extremely difficult conditions for hundreds of years. Their cries to God for deliverance were heard and He sent Moses to demand that Pharaoh let them go. Pharaoh would not, and God sent a series of plagues upon Egypt to convince him that He was the one true God and that the Israelites were His chosen people.
So far we have been looking at the ten plagues that were sent and why they were specifically chosen to get the Egyptians’ attention. But the tenth plague was the event that broke the Pharaoh’s will and caused him to order the Israelites to leave Egypt. It was the plague of the death of all of the firstborn in Egypt.
We are going to see that the Israelites were exempt from this slaughter because they had been told by Moses on behalf of God to sacrifice a lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts of their houses. The Death Angel would pass over that blood, and any firstborn that was in those houses would be spared.
So, how is all this relating to Friday the 13th? You see that the Egyptian calendar went from sunrise to sunrise, while the Hebrew calendar went from sunset to sunset. Since the Egyptian day started at sunrise, the Death Angel went through Egypt at midnight on Friday the 13th. To Egyptians, the 13th of Friday now became the vilest and most wicked day in their recorded history. Forever afterward the number 13 was considered an unlucky number and Friday the 13th became a day of infamy and ruin.
One of God’s ridicule of mankind’s activity is that in time you will become like what you worship (the word “worship” is a derivative of two words put together: “worth” which means to show value; and the suffix “ship,” which means something displaying; therefore “worship” is any act that displays the worth of something to the worshiper.
I believe that when Our Holy God judges the unbeliever, while the main violation will be their refusal to accept God’s provision for their sin, the atoning death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which means they will pay for their sin, themselves. In His passing out the eternal level of suffering God will also judge people according to their own standard.
I have stated that the main conflict was not against the so called gods of Egypt but involved principally a faceoff between the real and only living God and a man who walks around with the claim that he is god on earth. Of course this should flash in your thoughts that there will be another man in the future given the title of The Antichrist who will attempt to do the same thing. History will be repeated.
I also mentioned that the 10 plagues have similarities to the judgments that we learn about in the book of Revelation. When our Holy God cleans house he sweeps everything clean. So, to me this is why we see all the variety of plagues come against the worship of things that the people think of as gods climaxing with the dealing with the despot who thinks he is god on earth.
Prior to the 10th and final plague each of the nine previous plagues targeted specific ancient Egyptian gods, they were part of an invisible cosmic war against the demons of darkness. The plagues were a powerful and dramatic demonstration of the supremacy of our true and living God. So, quickly let us see what each one deals with.
The first of the judgments was upon the waters of Egypt. The Nile was the highway of this ancient land, as it still is today. Not only was the Nile turned to blood, but the other waters of the land were as well, even the water that was drawn for use in the houses in wooden and stone jars. For seven days the whole land was in horror, with dead fish and a stench from the river.
To better appreciate what was going on, we must examine the numerous gods of the river: Osiris, one of the chief gods of Egypt, was first of all the gods of the Nile. He, with his companion, the mother god, Isis, and their child, Horus, were human-headed gods (in contrast to the many that had heads of birds, beasts, and reptiles). There were other gods of the Nile, too: Harmon in the north, and Tauret at Thebes, and the hippopotamus goddess of the river. There was also Nu, the god of life in the Nile. The supernatural pollution of the waters of the land were a humiliation to these gods the Egyptians worshiped.
The second of the wonders further proved the powerlessness of the gods of Egypt. The land was covered with a plague of frogs in such abundance that they infested the Egyptians’ houses and beds. One of the principal goddesses of the land was Hekt, the wife of the creator of the world, who was always shown with the head and the body of a frog.
The frogs came out of the sacred Nile and Egypt’s devotion to them prevented them from dealing with them: they soon had decaying carcasses throughout the land, resulting in a stinking horror. (It is interesting that the climactic war against God in Revelation is assembled by three frog-like spirits.)
The third of the judgments on Egypt came out of the soil in Egypt. The Hebrew word ken, is translated “lice” in our English translation, with “sand flies” or “fleas” in some other references.
The Hebrew word comes from a root meaning to dig; it is probable that the insect was one which digs under the skin of men. This was an embarrassment to their great god of the earth, Geb, to whom they gave offerings for the bounty of the soil. Also, the presence of the fleas or lice was a barrier to their officiating in their priestly duties!
The fourth of the plagues were “swarms” (“of flies” is not in the original). The word is `arob, a swarm, possibly suggesting incessant motion. The deification of the scarab beetle is still conspicuous – even today – in the jewelry and artifacts celebrating ancient Egypt. Amon-Ra, the king of the gods, had the head of a beetle. Some of the giant scarabs were even accorded the honor of mummification and entombment with the Pharaohs. This is particularly bizarre since the scarab is actually a dung beetle.
The insect is about the size of a nickel and feeds on dung in the fields or the side of the road. When animals defecate, these insects swarm from their holes in the ground and collect their provender for future meals by forming it into round balls about the size of golf balls, which they roll across the ground to their underground dwellings. Since they seemed to “come from nowhere,” and perhaps because these perfectly round balls were possibly associated with the sun, these beetles became associated with creation.
The plague of swarms of scarabs, with mandibles that could saw through wood and destructive qualities worse than termites, must have caused extreme consternation since they were so venerated and thus were not to be interfered with! Pharaoh called Moses, pleaded for a cessation, hinted at the possibility of compromise, and even asked to be prayed for. But God doesn’t compromise; the judgments continued.
The fifth plague was against the domestic animals of Egypt, and thus Apis, the bull god, and the cow-headed Hathor, goddess of the deserts. These were so widespread that even the children of Israel had become tainted by their worship, which led to the fiasco of the golden calf in the image of Apis.
The plague was a contagious disease among the cattle, and even the sacred bulls in the temple died. Other domestic animals were sacred also, and their images adorned many of the idols, such as Bubastis, the cat goddess of love, feminine matters and fashion, etc. (The veneration of cows still creates a sight in India, when cows appear on the streets and even in stores and shops.) The cattle of the Hebrews, of course, were not touched.
The sixth wonder was manifested against the bodies of men. The plague of shechiyn, translated “boils”, may hide something more terrible. The root means “burning” and the same word can be translated as leprosy, and as the Egyptian botch, which was declared to be incurable.
Among the gods to which cures would have been ascribed were Thoth, the ibis-headed god of intelligence and medical learning, and Apis, Serapis and Imhotep. Here even the magicians did not escape and could not carry on their priestly functions. It was their custom to take the ashes of human sacrifices and cast them into the air. Borne by the wind over the milling populace, they were viewed as a blessing. (It is inferred by some that this heathen custom was the source of the practice of putting ashes on the forehead on the first day of Lent.) Moses launched this plague with a parody of this practice, and may even have had access to the very furnaces used in the sacred precincts of the royal temple.
Egypt is a sunny land with virtually no rain. The seventh wonder was a tempest of hail and fire. Where was Shu, the wind god? And Nut, the sky goddess? Where was Horus, the hawk-headed sky god of upper Egypt? When Pharaoh confessed his sin and the sin of his people, he even used the Hebrew names for God:
Some of the earlier plagues may have been separated by extended intervals, but the eighth plague followed immediately on the heels of the seventh: locusts came upon the land. Every twig and leaf that had somehow escaped the hail and fire was now taken by the locusts. Where was Nepri, the grain god? Where was Ermutet, goddess of childbirth and crops? Where was Anubis, the jackal-headed guardian of the fields? And where was Osiris, great head of their senior trinity who was also their agricultural god? Having lost faith in their gods, rebellion was now in the air.
The ninth wonder was a darkness that could be felt! We read in the historian Josephus’s writings:
“But when Moses said that what he [Pharaoh] desired was unjust, since they were obliged to offer sacrifices to God of those cattle, and the time being prolonged on this account, a thick darkness, without the least light, spread itself over the Egyptians, whereby their sight being obstructed, and their breathing hindered by the thickness of the air, they were under terror lest they be swallowed up by the thick cloud. This darkness, after three days and as many nights was dissipated.”
Where was Ra, god of the sun? In the school of On, or Heliopolis, city of the sun, the worship of Ra was virtually almost monotheistic. He and Aten, the sun’s disc, were worshiped with the ankh, symbol of life from the sun, as almost a sort of trinity. Where was Horus, the god of the sunrise?; Or Tem, the god of the sunset?; Or Shu , the god of light?; Or the deities of the moon and planets?
In our last study of chapter 10 we read in verse 29 ‘And Moses said, “You have spoken well. You will see my face no more.”
This verse belongs to the last passage but I want to list it here again so as to maintain the continuity of the interaction battle of Moses representing our Holy Lord God and a man who thinks he is a god - Pharaoh.
The words of Pharaoh would have struck fear into many a heart. But Moses was now too strong. He was no longer afraid of Pharaoh, for he knew that something was about to happen that would shake both Pharaoh (and the whole of Egypt) to the very core of his being, to his heart (9.14), and he was very angry. Furthermore he alone on earth knew what was about to happen. What God had promised from the very beginning was about to come about because Pharaoh had refused to release God’s firstborn son in order that they may worship Him (4.23). Now Pharaoh’s own firstborn would be smitten.
This statement describes a lot, ‘You have spoken well.’ Moses wanted Pharaoh to know that he had spoken better than he knew. This would indeed be their last meeting until a broken Pharaoh called for him to tell them to go. Little did Pharaoh know what the consequence of his rejection was going to be? It would hit at the very heart of Egyptian life, at the heart of every family, and equally at Pharaoh’s very heart as well.
But Moses did not as yet leave, for he had more to say. 11.1-3 is simply an interlude explaining why Moses now had such confidence in the face of what must have seemed a great disappointment. It tells us that Yahweh had shown Moses that this was finally to be the last of the plagues, that soon all would be over, and what the consequences were going to be for the children of Israel as far as wealth was concerned. And it declared what the status was that Moses now had in Egypt, not just as a prince but as having divine powers. This being in Moses’ mind the conversation would continue. It was an assurance to him and to Israel at what must have seemed their darkest moment of the certain victory that was to be theirs. They were about to leave Egypt burdened with riches. We are justified in seeing it as expressing the thoughts which were buoying him up as he faced Pharaoh,
11 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
It was important that Yahweh should be seen to be the victor. To us the receiving of wealth from the Egyptians may have seemed a secondary matter. To us what would have mattered was the freedom. But in those days the spoils went to the victor, and Moses was therefore careful to demonstrate that the children of Israel were to receive the spoils of victory. This had been emphasized in chapter 3.19-22 when God was outlining what lay ahead. Now it is described in order to show that things had now reached their climax. Here was an indication that the victory of Yahweh was now certain, and the ‘spoils of war’ are given prominence. They had been told from the beginning that they would not have to flee like dogs with their tails between their legs but that they would leave as triumphant victors. Now this was to come to fulfillment. Thus the plagues come to their climax with this promise of glorious victory.
But we must not forget that Israel had been steadily impoverished by the Egyptians. They had had to work on their building projects and on their canals and irrigation systems for nothing except possibly food. Some of them had suffered terribly and their own interests had to be neglected. And they would be leaving behind their houses and any possessions that they could not take with them. It was therefore just that they now be reimbursed. This was not robbery. It was seeking just treatment.
And thirdly, it is brought out that Moses himself was to be vindicated, and restored to more than his former greatness. He had set aside greatness, and now no one on earth was greater than he.
From the beginning our Holy God Yahweh had known what it would take to bring Pharaoh to his knees (4.23) and to such a state that he would finally seek to get rid of the children of Israel altogether once and for all. For this was always His plan. Now Moses could know that the end had been reached. At last they would be sent away to freedom. Pharaoh will be made to do what Yahweh wishes and he will do it forcefully. He will be glad to let them go.
From the beginning Yahweh had promised that when the children of Israel received their freedom they would leave in triumph. They would receive the ‘spoils of war’. But it was stressed that these would not have to be forced from the Egyptians they would be given freely. Such is the wonder of God’s ways. They would ask for, and would receive, gold and silver jewels, and these would be bestowed on them generously and given to them gladly, in order to encourage them to go. It was little recompense for all that they had suffered, but it was better than nothing and would ease their way in the future, as well as enabling them to furnish Yahweh’s Dwelling place.
Just as He had said He would from the beginning (3.21), He ensured that they were treated with favor. These slaves would now be treated as those who deserved great honor. Pharaoh still looked on them with a suspicious eye, but his people would see them otherwise. Whether the gifts were to appease this dreadful God Who did such things, or whether they were given in friendship, or whether they were given in gratitude because they had heard of what was happening elsewhere and recognized that they had been saved the worst because they lived among the Israelites in Goshen, or whether they hoped that by giving the gifts they would win favor with Yahweh, does not matter. The motives were probably varied. But the point is being made that they freely gave, and loaded God’s people with wealth.
Moses, who had once been a prince of Egypt and had then slipped to being a tribal prince, had now become more than a prince, he had become like a divinity (7.1), both to the high officials of the land and to the Egyptians and to Pharaoh. He who had once said, “Who am I?” (3.11) was now in a position of the highest honor. So Yahweh’s triumph is complete.
This mixture of humility and yet recognition in wonder of what Yahweh had of made him smacks of Moses having written it in his own words. Who else would have insisted that he was but the man Moses?
And at this point we now renew the meeting with Pharaoh following Moses’ words, ‘You will not see my face again’ (10.29)
4 Then Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’
This is the first threat which has spoken of inescapable death. Previously death had been escapable but now it would be so no longer. It would be experienced by every family in Egypt. And it would take place during a night in the very near future. And Yahweh Himself would do it. And no one else would have any part in it.
‘All the firstborn’ were those who were looked on as most favored, those who were to be heads of families, those who were seen as most important of the future generation.
The whole point at issue has been the honoring of Yahweh as God of the whole earth. Those who honored Him would be safe (and this would apply even if they were Egyptians if they followed His instructions), those who refused to honor Him would experience His judgment. Note the use of ‘Israel’. What was happening was separating them off as a people. But the contrast was with ‘Egypt’ as representing the Egyptians.
8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
The scene is awesome. There in the throne room of Pharaoh Moses looked around at all the high officials in Pharaoh’s court and indicated them. They were standing there horrified and angry and possibly a little apprehensive at the boldness of Moses, and yet were totally subservient to Pharaoh. The last thing they had in mind was bowing to Moses. But he pointed out that despite themselves they would shortly ‘come down’, that is they would descend from their stately pride, and they would bow to him and would plead with him to leave Egypt along with all his people. And then, once they had done that, he would go.
We can imagine how they must have felt at that moment. They hated this man and what he had done to Egypt, but they were also terrified of him for they had experienced what power he had. Yet they knew that Pharaoh had endured through it all and was still adamant, and they dared not oppose Pharaoh. What then could he possibly do to change Pharaoh’s mind? And yet in their heart of hearts there must have been fear at some unknown that they could not conceive of which might yet strike Egypt. And it was because they were not sure what he could do, that they let him go.
It was not only Pharaoh who was angry (10.28). The contest was between equals. This was no longer the timid Moses. He was now equal to Pharaoh, no, even above him. And he was angry at all Pharaoh’s duplicity. Pharaoh had constantly made promises and then reneged on them. His word could no longer be trusted. Furthermore Moses himself had suffered the humiliation earlier of being hustled out of Pharaoh’s presence, no doubt with little ceremony. And that had been a humiliation for Yahweh too, for Moses was His ambassador. And so Moses strode out in hot anger without another word leaving Pharaoh bristling on his throne. But it was the righteous anger of Moses that would prevail.
9 But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
These words summarize all that has gone before. They refer to what is past and indicate that the story is now coming to its climax. All that now remains is the final episode. The tension is mounting.
There is an indication here that Yahweh had given Egypt a unique opportunity. They had seen what He could do. They could have come to Him and sought Him. But they did not do so. Like Pharaoh their hearts were hardened. But in the end it was Yahweh Who had brought this about, so that with one last judgment He might obtain the release of His people. However much Pharaoh might have felt himself in control it was Yahweh Who had brought things to this stage in order that His great wonders might be revealed in a never to be forgotten way. For Yahweh had declared from the beginning that He would smite Pharaoh’s firstborn because of his obstinacy. And that is what happened.
Those who think that signs and wonders are the answer to bringing people to Christ should consider what happened here. There had been signs and wonders enough. But none had softened Pharaoh’s heart or convinced most of the Egyptians. People convinced by signs and wonders soon turn away once the signs and wonders are forgotten. Even the final wonder that ‘multiplied the wonders’ for it affected so many would leave people distraught rather than believing.
And, of course, we will see the application of the well-known tenth and final plague was the death of the firstborn – on those homes not covered by the lamb’s blood on the doorposts or lintels. We all know the story of the Passover in Egypt, remembered by the Jews to this day. And, of course, Jesus is our Passover: John the Baptist introduced Him twice as “The Lamb of God.”
We all need to take to heart that the invisible war goes on. These same demons are still worshiped today. The Scriptures tell us that we become like the gods we worship (Psalms 115:4-8).
Idols of stone are cold, unresponsive, and immovable. If you worship idols of stone, you, too, will become cold, unresponsive, and immovable. Is the world materialistic?; Harsh?; and Unforgiving? If you worship the world, you, too, will become materialistic, harsh, and unforgiving.
But if you worship the only true God, as seen in the person of Jesus Christ, Who loved us and gave Himself for us, you will become more like Him.
