Exodus-The LORD is the lifeblood and source, part 2

When Pharaoh refused to heed the sign of the first plague, the LORD instructed Moses and Aaron to confront him again. The LORD would have Pharaoh know that He planned to deliver His people regardless of Pharaoh’s actions. Pharaoh could have saved himself and his people a lot of suffering by listening to the word of the LORD as delivered to him by God’s prophets, Moses and Aaron. The LORD desired that Pharaoh should know Him as Creator and Sustainer of all things. If Pharaoh refused to let Israel go the Nile, considered Egypt’s lifeblood, would become a source of death. Frogs would spawn in the river and invade the entire land, even the private chambers of the Egyptians, their ovens and kneading troughs.

In Ancient Egypt Heket, the frog goddess was worshipped as protector and guardian of pregnant women.  It was no coincidence that God chose that the frogs should come out of the Nile, the very river into which the cruel monarch had decreed the Hebrew baby boys be thrown and left to drown. The Egyptians, though they worshipped Heket, had shown no compassion for the Hebrew mothers and their newborn sons. God intended to show that He alone is guardian and protector of every person. Not even the cravings of Egypt’s pregnant women would be satisfied when they found frogs in their ovens!

The magicians were able to reproduce the sign, making more frogs come upon the land, but they were powerless to reverse it. Pharaoh acknowledged their powerlessness by requesting Moses to plead with the LORD to remove the frogs from the land. Moses, not wanting Pharaoh to attribute the cessation of the plague to coincidence, set a specific time when he would pray and the plague would cease. However, when the plague abated after Moses’ prayer, Pharaoh hardened his heart and broke his promise to let the Israelites leave Egypt.

The frogs died in the houses, ovens, courtyards and fields of Egypt and the disgusting odour lingered over Egypt. Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to let Israel go was affecting not only himself, but also his people. His hardheartedness was the cause of great suffering to his own people; they were slaves to the consequences of his poor decision-making and leadership. The Egyptians, no doubt, must have been questioning their king’s leadership as their suffering increased and they were literally the ones left to “clean up the mess” in Egypt.

The LORD once again proved to Pharaoh that He is the sovereign ruler of all things, even the Nile and the lowliest creatures that inhabited it. The LORD alone could decide the fate of kings and nations, raising them up or bringing them to ruin. He alone is the lifeblood and source of all things.

Scripture references: Exodus 8:1-15 

 

 

 

Exodus-The LORD is the Lifeblood and Source

Moses and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh to request the freedom of the people of Israel, as the LORD had commanded them. They performed the initial sign that should have been proof enough to Pharaoh that the LORD had sent them to deliver Israel. However Pharaoh hardened his heart, just as God had predicted, and he refused to let Israel leave Egypt.

It was the LORD’s intention that Egypt, as well as His chosen people Israel, would know that He alone reigned supreme over creation and every god conceived by the heart of mankind. The LORD clearly identified Himself with His chosen people even though they were a nation enslaved by Pharaoh. God wanted to show Pharaoh that His authority was not diminished by the weakened state that Israel found themselves in; His authority was in fact so great that He would deliver His people and show the nations His unmatched authority.

In Ancient Egypt, the Nile River was the source of life and fertility. Its annual flooding resulted in nutrient-rich mineral deposits along its banks, enabling the Egyptians to plant and irrigate their crops to obtain an abundant harvest. The Nile was also the main source of drinking water for the Egyptians and their livestock. Egypt was often described as a “fertile crescent” because of the Nile River. As a result of the Egyptians’ dependence on the Nile, various cults developed and many Egyptians worshipped the Nile god, Hapi. Hapi was depicted as a man with long hair, a protruding belly and the pendulous breasts of an old woman. The large belly and breasts signified the fertility of the Nile, the lifeblood of Egypt. An old Egyptian hymn states that if Hapi were to fail in granting the Egyptians the annual inundation of the Nile, all the gods would fall to the earth and mankind would perish. Hapi was often regarded as the father of the gods. Hatmehyt was fish-goddess of Egypt and was believed to reside in the river.

Pharaoh’s hardened heart resulted in the LORD’s first physical judgment on Egypt. When Aaron struck the Nile with his rod at God’s command, all the water in Egypt turned to blood and the Nile began to stink. The fish in the river died. This signified that the LORD reigned supreme over the Egyptian god of the Nile, Hapi, as well as their fish-goddess, Hatmehyt. Even the water in vessels of wood and stone turned to blood, signifying that this act could not be ascribed to any natural cause. However, because the Egyptians dug along the Nile for drinking water and their magicians were able to perform the same sign, Pharaoh once again hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go. It was significant that the magicians were able only to copy the signs the LORD performed, but not reverse them. The deities of Egypt and Pharaoh himself were powerless. The LORD showed Egypt that He is the lifeblood of mankind. He is the Creator and source of all things, even the Nile River on which they so depended.

 

Scripture references: Exodus 7:14-25