Monthly Archives: May 2022

Bible

loss of income

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The cattle plague, the fifth in Egypt, results in loss of income. Without healthy animals there is no work.

The trouble for Pharaoh was that God made a distinction between the animals of the Israelites and those of the Egyptians. In Exodus 9:7 we read: “Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”

The Egyptians regarded cattle as sacred, even as incarnations of deities. The deity Hathor, a mother deity, resembled a cow. No wonder it would have been an abomination to them if the Israelites had sacrificed in the land.

Despite the clarity of the message, the pharaoh locked his heart. No matter how clearly God speaks, if man does not want to hear, he shuts himself off to God.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Psalm 95:7-8

Bible

Losing the savings

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The fourth plague is about a fall of values. The insects destroy the stores. If you only rely on your savings, you lose what makes up your life.

From now on God separates his people Israel from Egypt. The exciting thing is that Jesus said he would take care of his children. Since from this plague onward a distinction is made between the land of Goshen and the rest of Egypt, we can see that here the gods of preservation are put to shame, such as Buto, a tutelary goddess.

After a separation has taken place between God’s people and Egypt, we see Pharaoh offering compromises. “Go, offer sacrifices to your God here in the land” (Exodus 8:21).

Moses replied, “Let us go three days’ march into the wilderness, and offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commanded us” (Exodus 8:21).

What does this journey of three days mean? It is the way of death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, who rose from the dead on the third day. This is the prerequisite for being able to serve God.

Exodus 8:22 describes why the Israelites were unable to serve God in the land of Egypt: “We must offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, which will cause offense to the Egyptians.”

The reference to the divine sacrificial lamb in Jesus is and remains a stumbling block. That someone has to die in our place is unacceptable to the man who wants to establish his own righteousness.

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This is God’s finger

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The third plague of mosquitoes (Exodus 8:12-15) from the Exodus out of Egypt happen without any warning.

The Mosquitoes arises from the dust of the earth. The earth, like water, was personified in a deity by the Egyptians. This deity was called Seb. Seb was a father of the gods, with a bird on his head – a sign of life.

All people and livestock are affected by the plague. Again, the magicians try to come up with their imitations, but this time their attempt is useless. They say, “That’s God’s finger.”

Mosquitoes are animals that suck blood from humans. We read in Leviticus 17:11 that in the blood is life.

The plague is a symbol of an apostate world in which life is being sucked out of us. Instead of right use, there is abuse. Work does not satisfy but becomes a burden. We are busy with diseases that are often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Instead of helping each other, we’re undermining each other.

In this situation, turning to God, the giver of true life, would be the matter of the day. The answer to the world’s need would be, not to accuse God, but to turn to Him.

When our life disappears in our hands, we should ask us what really matters in life.

Bible

The message behind the frogs

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The ten plagues are a model for the apocalypse of Revelation.

For the ancient Egyptians, the frog became a symbol of life and fertility because it brought fertility and thus life to the otherwise barren land with the alleged Nile flood. The Egyptian goddess of childbirth, Heqet, was depicted as a frog or with a frog’s head.

With the second plague, the message to Pharaoh was, “I, God, give life to every house and take it away, whenever I will.” Pharaoh thought he could determine who should be born and who should die.

The truth is, life is not doable. We can do many things, but it is God who gives a yes to every life and he can end every life when he wants.

Being born and dying affects every house. What is a good divine order can cause much hardship and misery through misuse. What should be a blessing becomes a plague.

Bible

Our life depends on God

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In Egypt, all vegetation depends on the water of the Nile. God says to Pharaoh through the first plague in Exodus 7:17-18, “You are dependent. I can take your livelihood away from you at any time.”

The turning of Nile water into blood is about realizing that our life depends on God. Every moment in our life is a gift from God.

What is interesting is that Pharaoh’s people were able to take life away from them and add to the misery but were unable to heal the damage (Exodus 7:22).

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God sets the limits

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In the biblical context, the serpent is always a symbol of evil. However, evil only has as much power as God allows.

Even though man can imitate evil, it is limited by God. God puts an end when he wants.

From the stick of Moses we know that the serpent could only work until Moses took it again. In Exodus 7:15 we see that the same thing happened to Aaron’s stick and the serpent became the stick again.

The message to Pharaoh in Exodus 7:12 and to all who want to understand it is clear: God has the power to set limits. God intervenes when things get too much out of order.

Bible

The structure of the 10 plagues

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There is an interesting structure in the text. Three times Moses should go to Pharaoh early in the morning. By the first (Exodus 7:15), fourth (Exodus 8:16) and seventh plague (Exodus 9:13) God always makes a new beginning. In all three cases, Moses must appear before Pharaoh early in the morning. Each morning points a beginning of God’s calling to the Pharaoh and Egypt. Continue reading The structure of the 10 plagues →