BEWARE OF THE PLAGUES
Exodus 7-11
I am sure that most of you have read the story of the Exodus. Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years, driven and abused by the power of Pharaoh to build cities that would be a monument to Egyptian power and gods for many centuries. Some of those monuments are partially visible even today, thousands of years after the deliverance of Israel from bondage by the mighty hand of God.
Most of the time we read through that story and we don’t even give them much thought. That was a story for people who lived a long time ago and in a place far away. We don’t think of those plagues of Egypt that happened some 4500+ years ago as something that has just as much impact upon our lives of today as it did back then.
I don’t know about those who are here this morning, some of you are still new babes in Christ and haven’t had time to learn what others have. Some of you have been saved for a long time and perhaps you have a little more knowledge of the ways of the Lord. Time as a saved Christian isn’t as much of a limiting factor to your knowledge of the Word of God as your commitment to study of the Word. I have seen a lot of young Christians who were far more understanding of God’s Word than some who were much older because the younger ones made a decision and had the discipline to spend a lot of time in studying.
One thing you must know this morning is that the plagues of Egypt were not just a passing story that God used to judge Egypt and to show his power to deliver. Those plagues carry a powerful message right to the front door of your heart this morning. Their warning is just as real right now at it was the day that Moses stood before Pharaoh and pronounced God’s judgment upon the Egyptians.
Firstly, let me say that if you have looked into the legitimate study of what specific numbers mean in the Bible you will see that there are definite reasons that God uses these numbers.
For instance:
7 = the number of completeness or wholeness. God creation lasted for 7 days and on the 7th day he rested from his finished work. It must be a favorite number for God. There are seven days in the week, seven colors in the rainbow, seven continents, and seven notes on a musical scale and many other evidences that it has meaning much beyond its numerical value. The dominant number in the Revelation is the number seven. The 7 churches of Asia represent the whole church and Babylon sits on the 7 mountains representing the entirety of the kingdom of the Antichrist.
6 = the number for being incomplete. The number 6 is said to be the earthly mind of man and the number 666 from the Book of Revelation is a tripled 6 and symbolizes Satan making himself god after the fashion of the true God with Satan symbolizing the Father, the Antichrist representing the Son, and the False Prophet representing the Holy Ghost.
The study of the meanings behind various numbers used throughout the Bible is a fascinating and enlightening study but be very careful not to get caught up in the teachings of Numerology that is combined with occult and unscriptural patterns of numbers. The studies of patterns of numbers in the Bible that are supposed to give us prophetic interpretation of the future are usually based upon false teaching. That doesn’t mean that there are some numbers in the Bible that do have special significance to us.
So what significance does the number 10 have for us today? Why were there 10 plagues? Why not 7 plagues to show God’s complete judgment against Egypt? Why would God use 10?
Those Ten Plagues were:
1. Waters of the Nile River were turned to blood
2. Swarms of frogs are everywhere
3. Mosquitoes and Gnats covered the land
4. Flies covered the land
5. Cattle got sick and died
6. Boils (sores) broke out on both man and beasts
7. Hail, which destroyed more crops
8. Locusts
9. Thick darkness that covered the land, except the Land of Goshen.
10. First born sons died, where the blood of the Lamb was not placed over the doorposts and lintels.
From the study that I have done there is a double meaning to this number 10. Firstly, it is a number that means the end of one cycle of events and the beginning of another. Secondly, it represents worldly power.
If we examine the plagues and their effect we can easily see that they marked the end of bondage for Israel and the end of Egyptian power as well as a new beginning for Israel. The power of Pharaoh to enslave God’s chosen people is broken forever and Israel is delivered to live for God as a free people, who must daily make their choice to obey God and follow where he leads.
In addition to marking the end of the reign of Pharaoh and the beginning of freedom from bondage of God’s people, each of the 10 plagues was also an attack on one of the false idols of Egypt.
1)The water turned to blood was God’s judgment upon “Hapi” – the God of the Nile. Egypt worshipped the Nile god as their daily source of life and sustenance since it was the waters of the Nile that watered their crops and gave them water that was necessary for drinking, cleaning, and bathing. Now that life-giving water carried nothing but death.
2)The frogs were a judgement against “Heqt” – a frog headed goddess that represented the resurrection of the dead of Egypt. A log of frogs was a blessing to the Egyptians because the frogs would not only carry a symbolism of life after death but the frogs would eat the flies that often troubled the land, but God turned that “blessing” into a curse.
3)The plagues of lice and of flies were judgments against “Kheper” – the god of beetles and flies. God’s plague was to prove to Egypt that he had power over the power of their idol to control the population of flies and lice that brought disease to the land.
4)The murrain or sickness upon all the cattle was God’s judgment against “Apis”, the sacred bull of Egypt. This was God’s way of letting Egypt know that the blood of bulls was not sufficient to cleanse their sin and to show that their animal god was no god at all.
5)The plague of boils (huge running sores) was God’s judgment against the Egyptian gods “Imhotep” the physician god, and “Thoth”, the god of magic and healing. No medicine could relieve the pain and suffering, no magic potion could remove God’s wrath. It is a symbol to the Egyptians that their great sin could not be removed by the power of man or of idol gods. It was only by the power of the God of Israel that Egypt could be delivered from judgment.
6)The plague of hail was directed against “Nut”, the Egyptian sky goddess. God rained fire and brimstone, mixed with hail; upon the Egyptians to show that he had all power in earth and sky.
7)The plague of locusts was directed against “Seth”, the god of crops. God’s judgment destroyed those very crops that Seth was supposed to bless, thus breaking the power of their god.
8)The plague of darkness was God’s judgment against “Ra”, the Egyptian sun god. Ra was the Egyptian idol that represented creation for they knew that all life depended upon the heat and light of the sun. God’s judgment against the power of the sun to give light was to prove to the Egyptians that he was the Creator of all things and that no other god could stand before him.
9)Finally, the judgment against the firstborn of Egypt was a judgment against Pharaoh and the bloodline to the throne of Egypt. Pharaoh was also considered a god among the Egyptians. He was a man-god and the God of Heaven judged him as unholy and incomplete. The throne of Egypt would be empty for no man could be god.
All of this may be interesting but I’m sure that you are saying to yourself right now, “so what. Just what does all this judgment against Egyptian idol gods and the plagues that God brought upon them mean to me right here and right now?”
Just as Egypt was a symbol of the power of sin in the world to hold God’s people under its bondage, so the plagues are a symbol to remind us that God will bring judgment upon those things that we treat as idols in our lives. God did not tolerate the idolatry of Egypt and he won’t tolerate it in us either.
How many of us have an idol in our lives right now? What is there in our lives that keeps us from breaking free from the bondage that Satan has placed us under so that we cannot worship God, work in his Kingdom, or be a productive member of the Body of Christ? What do we place on a pedestal that is higher than Jesus Christ or more important than our service to him?
I wonder how many Christians are worshipping the “sun god” this morning out on the beaches of the world instead of being in the House of God worshipping the True God?
I wonder how many Christians are worshipping the “Nile god” this morning because they are out on rivers and lakes fishing, boating or having a party instead of being in the House of God on the Lord’s Day?
I wonder how many Christians are worshipping their “god’s of the sky, the earth, or the “crops” with their activities at the playgrounds, parks, picnics, ball parks, lawn and gardening, instead of worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ in his house?
I wonder how many are worshipping the “god of sleep and rest” instead of coming to God and obtaining that rest that only Jesus can give?
I wonder how many are worshipping the “god of family”, placing the wishes of their children or their wife or husband, or significant other, above the commandment of God to “not forsake the assembling of yourselves together” to worship him?
I wonder how many are serving their “god of lifestyle, finances, and worldly possessions” by chasing after the wealth of this world rather than chasing after the wealth of God’s glory and the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives?
You see, god’s chosen people are still held in bondage to Egypt, or the power of sin in this world! We are still kept from experiencing God’s best because of idol gods. We will never see the streets of gold, or stand in the throne room of God, casting our crown at his feet and worshipping him, because as long as the things of this world hold us under their power, we cannot enter into the Promised Land.
Jesus is coming back after a Bride, a church, a people that without spot of this world’s sin because they have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb. He is coming back after those who are watching, waiting and occupying (working, conquering and overcoming the power of this present world), not those who have set their eyes upon the things of this life that will soon be burned away forever.
We must be careful of where we place our worship this morning lest we incur the judgment of God against those things that have become our idols.
If we make the rivers and lakes our idols - don’t be surprised when God darkens the sky and ruins our little picnic.
If we make our children or our spouse, our idols and place their wants and desires above the commandments of God, to make them happy instead of pleasing God, then we best repent before God brings judgment against them. Is it possible that our marriages would fail because God has allowed Satan to separate us from that one who keeps us from the House of God? Is it possible that God would allow our children to become very rebellious, or even that God would allow us to lose them, because they come between us and our obedience to God?
Is it possible that God would bring judgment against our finances and our jobs because they come between us and serving Him? How can God bless those who are living in total disregard for His law? We had best pay attention to God’s dealing with the sin of Egypt lest we experience it for ourselves. If we allow our jobs to come before God, don’t be surprised if the job disappears. If we allow the making of money to improve our lifestyles to become our idol, don’t be surprised if there is never enough to pay the bills no matter how much we work.
If we have animals that require our attention and they become more important to us than being in the House of God, then don’t be amazed when God begins to remove them from our lives.
No matter what we place between us and serving our Lord according to his commandments, God has a way of bringing a plague that will destroy the power of that idol in our lives unless we repent before the judgment comes.
I do not picture God as a dictator, or tyrant, who stands with a whip in his hand to last out against us the first time we sin. God does not take pleasure in correcting his children anymore than you or I do when we have to use the rod on a child that we love. But God loves us too much to allow us to remain in sin and he will bring judgment whenever necessary to bring us back into obedience to his will.
How long are we willing to tempt God? How long will we continue to serve our idols and pretend that everything is all right? How long will we do our own thing while the work of the Lord suffers and souls are left to die and go to hell because we are too busy?
How long will we harbor sin in our hearts or live in disobedience and expect God to allow us to continue on as we are?
A loving God cannot allow us to remain in sin. A loving God will bring correction; will bring judgment against those things that are sin; and will show us the way back to him.
It’s time we make it right with God. It’s time to repent right now. It’s time to put God first in our lives again.
Either we will put God first in our lives, or we had better beware of the plagues that are surely coming when God begins to judge our idols.
Give it all to God. Surrender to His will. Obey his Word. Only then will the plagues be taken away.
