Exodus 10-12     Day 28       BARRAGE OF PLAGUES

I had wondered many times before now why God did not get the children of Israel out at once, instead of using the barrage of plagues. A closer look into the scripture suggests one of the thinkable reasons for the action.

Exodus 5:1-2 “And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.”

Truly, he never knew the Lord. he had the impression he was the most powerful person in the world. He only believed in the inherited worship of idols. And most of his idols took their origin from the power of the waters. Moses tried to introduce God to him, but he ignored his words and raged by increasing the labor of the Israelites. Moses took the report to the Lord (Exodus 5:22-23) and God told him (Exodus 6: 6-13) He was going to make Himself known to Pharaoh with a mighty Hand in signs and great judgment.

Exodus 6:6 “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:”

In chapter 7, Pharaoh requested for a sign to prove his God just as the Lord had made Moses to know before getting to Pharaoh. The rod in Aaron’s hand was used. It became a serpent. Pharaoh did not regard that because his magicians could do that as well. Not even when Aaron’s serpent swallowed theirs. There was not a need for any other prove but to judge the nation of Egypt with plagues.

Plagues are conditions identified with illnesses, sicknesses and diseases. They serve as agents of torments and discomfort. Plagues are instruments of punishment on a deterrent to a course or action.

We need to know at this juncture that our counsels, arguments and suggestions matter in life. If it discourages or tend to make one deter on a righteous course, one may be exposed to punishment in form of plagues. If our actions will be hindrances to God’s move, the tendency to be exposed to plagues is high. If somebody has been chosen and empowered by God to make a change and you decide to contend it by instigating or breed frustration because of your personal ambition, there will be punishment in form of plagues. If a man of God is doing what God asked him to do, and because you do not understand and you condemn such actions openly for public disapproval, you will be exposing yourself to great judgment in form of plagues.

In Pharaoh’s case, he demanded a prove of the God of the Hebrews. He was shown a sign which he contended by replicating, judgment of the God came upon him. That God held his heart in hardness just to prove Himself.

Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

There were ten plagues used.

1. Water becomes blood
2. Invasion of frogs from the waters
3. Dust becomes lice
4. Swarm of flies
5. Death of Cattle
6. Outbreak of boils and blains (blisters)
7. Rain of hail and fire
8. Invasion of locusts
9. Darkness
10. Death of firstborns

The first sign of the serpent and first two plagues are related to the powers waters. The Egyptians were worshippers of the waters. They could appease their gods to release that likeness. But the scripture emphasized the use of ENCHANTMENTS.

Exodus 7:11 “Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.” (also 7:22 and 8:7)

But on the forth plague, they could not do likewise because, that battle shifted to the use of the power of the earth in form of the dust. (the explanation of this will be in another volume if the Lord tarries)

Exodus 8:18 “And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.”

At this point, the finger of the unknown God was acknowledged by the magicians. From here the magicians couldn’t go along with Pharaoh. The magicians lost their ground on the sixth plague.

This is the wisdom in dealing with witchcraft and the witch. Witchcraft is a system which remains after the witch has been removed. Witches cast spells which are supervised by demons. You may be seeing the person who casts spells as unharmful, but the effect of the work remains. The wisdom is to deal with the spell and the power behind it just as Moses was led by God to destroy witchcraft, Exodus 8:18, and deal with the evil priests.

Exodus 9:11 “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.”

Eventually, there was confusion in the camp of Pharaoh. His servants fell apart from him.

Exodus 10:7 “And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?”

The falling apart and confusion in the camp was so much that Pharaoh regarded it as death; he was alone, Exodus 10:17.

The barrage of plagues was for two reasons:

1. Prove to Pharaoh that He is the God of the universe
2. To serve as living testimony for the children unborn; a generational witness of God’s mightiness.

Exodus 10:1-2 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: 2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.”

May you and your household not disappear from the radar of God’s deliverance in the name of Jesus