Let My People Go
(NB: All quotes from the Bible are KJV, as it's Copywrite free.)
The Ten Plagues of Egypt are found in chapters 7—12 of the book of Exodus, it's a good read. The “plagues” were a series of judgments sent by God to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from the slavery and bondage that they had endured for over 400 years.
Finally, God responded to the cries of His people, and he sent Moses to deliver the Israelites. In this judgment, God promised Moses that he would demonstrate His “wonders” as a confirmation that he carried the authority of God.
And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my “wonders” which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that, he will let you go.
(Exodus 3:20).
This confirmation had two purposes: firstly, to reaffirm to the Israelites that their fathers' God was alive and deserving of their worship, and secondly, to expose the insignificance of the Egyptian gods.
Having suffered over 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelite’s faith in God was waning. While they still believed in God and still worshipped Him, doubt was creeping in whether God had the power or the will, to intervene and free them from bondage.
Like many pagan cultures, the Egyptian people worshipped many “nature gods” with whom they associated natural phenomena as their powers. They created gods who they named linking them with the sun, the river, childbirth, crops, and so on. Natural occurrences like the annual flooding of the Nile, which fertilized the land, were seen as evidence of their gods' power and goodwill towards them.
When Moses approached Pharaoh, demanding the release of the Israelites, Pharaoh in his arrogance and ignorance asked,
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”.
Exodus 5:2
With this God began the series of plagues to reveal his sovereignty and power over the nothingness of all the Egyptian gods.
1st plague: Blood.
Here God changed the waters of the Nile into blood. In this judgment, God showed his power over all the Egyptian gods associated with the river Nile. “Apis”, the god of the Nile; “Isis”, the goddess of the Nile; “Khnum”, the guardian of the Nile, and "Hapi"; the god of annual flooding. The Egyptians also believed that the Nile served as the bloodstream of “Osiris”, the god of the underworld who experienced rebirth every year when the river flooded. The river was essential to their daily lives and this first plague destroyed the national economy as the fish died, and the water was undrinkable.
17 Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
Exodus 7:17-18
Pharaoh was informed of the disaster and through this “wonder” his question, “Who is the lord?” was answered!
2nd plague: Frogs
Next came an infestation of frogs that emerged from the Nile. This judgment targeted the Egyptian god “Heqet”, the goddess of fruitfulness, who had a human body with the head of a frog. (Not very attractive, maybe if you kissed her she’d turn into a beautiful princess?,,,, nah!) As likenesses of their god, the ancient Egyptians considered Frogs sacred and therefore not to be harmed. So, in this second plague, God ridicules their frog-headed god, and the Almighty said,
2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading troughs:
And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
Exodus 8:2-4
Having caused the plague of frogs to invade the Egyptians' homes, where they wouldn’t harm them or drive them out, when they died we read,
14 they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank!
(Exodus 8: 14).
Be careful who or what you worship!
3rd plague: Lice,
Lice or Gnats are nasty wee-nipping beasts. And this plague targeted “Geb”, the Egyptian god of the earth.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
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.
Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
Exodus 8:16-19.
Pharaoh’s magicians were unable to replicate this plague and so they admitted defeat and declared to Pharaoh,
"This is the finger of God"
4th plague: Flies
Swarms of flies were sent a judgment targeted against "Khepri”, the beetle-headed god of the morning sun who represented new life. In this plague, God made a clear distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians, because No swarms of flies bothered the areas where the Israelites lived.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.
And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.
And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.
Exodus 8:21–24
5th plague: Death of all livestock
The death of livestock served as a judgment on the goddess “Hathor” depicted as a woman with a headdress of horns, and also the male god “Apis”, depicted as a bull. Just as in the previous plague, God protected His people from this calamity, while the Egyptian livestock perished. Through these plagues, God systematically dismantles the Egyptian economy, whilst demonstrating His ability to protect and provide for those who obeyed Him. We’re told that Pharaoh even sent investigators (Exodus 9:7) to find out if the Israelites were also suffering. Which, when he found out that they weren’t, this only served to harden his heart more against the Israelites.
Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.
And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.
And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.
And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Exodus 9: 1-7
6th Plague: Boils
The sixth plague manifested as boils and was a judgment against three Egyptian gods associated with health and disease, “Sekhmet”, “Sunu”, and “Isis”. Here the magicians, who had previously tried to imitate the plagues, couldn’t even stand before Moses due to their festering boils. Their powerlessness only served to reveal the might of the Almighty.
And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.
And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
Exodus 9:8-11
Four final plagues of “Full Force”
Before unleashing the last three plagues, God sent a message to Pharaoh. These plagues would be more severe than the previous ones as they were intended to convince Pharaoh and the people beyond any doubt "that there is none like me in all the earth".
God even told Pharaoh that he was placed in his position by God Himself: so that God could demonstrate His power and make His name known throughout the earth (Exodus 9:16).
However, in an act of grace God warned Pharaoh to gather any remaining cattle and crops left from the previous plagues and protect them from the forthcoming disaster. Some of Pharaoh's servants heeded the warning (Exodus 9:20), while most didn’t.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.
And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?
Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
Exodus 9:13-19
7th Plague: Hail stones.
The seventh plague was a devastating hailstorm.
This plague mocked “Nut”, the sky goddess; “Osiris”, the god of agriculture and the underworld; and “Set”, the god of storms. This hailstorm was unlike anything Egypt had experienced before. It was accompanied by a fire that ran along the ground, leaving destruction in its wake. However, the Israelites were miraculously protected, and no hail damaged their lands.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
Exodus 9:22-26
8th Plague: Locusts
The eighth plague consisted of swarms of locusts and once again affected “Osiris”, and “Set”. These locusts devoured the remaining crops, including wheat and rye, which had survived the previous hailstorm. This plague brought about a complete loss of harvest for the Egyptians that year.
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:
And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:
And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.
Exodus 10:3-6
9th Plague: Darkness
The ninth plague was a profound darkness that covered the land for three days. This plague mocked the insignificance of “Ra”, the sun god, who was symbolized by Pharaoh himself, the supposed living manifestation of “Ra”. During this three-day period of darkness, the homes of the Israelites remained illuminated, setting them apart.
Q. Does this 3-day period of intense darkness point us to the 3-day period between Jesus’s death and his resurrection? The time when the true light of the world in the person Jesus Christ had been extinguished. For me it clearly does.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:
They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Exodus 10:21-23
10th Plague: Death on the Firstborn
The tenth and final plague involved the death of the firstborn males, and it served as a judgment and mocked “Beset”, the goddess and protector of children, and “Isis”, a goddess of healing and protector of children. By this plague, God taught the Israelites a profound spiritual lesson that was also messianic as it pointed to Christ.
4 And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.
Exodus 11:4-8
Unlike the previous plagues, where the Israelites were spared due to their identity as God's people, this plague required an act of faith. Each Israelite family was instructed to sacrifice an unblemished male lamb and smear its blood on the top and sides of their doorways. Then they were instructed to roast and eat the lamb that night. Any family that didn’t follow God's instructions would suffer the full consequences of the final plague, the death of their firstborn.
God described how He would send a destroyer throughout Egypt to slay the firstborn males in every household, both human and animal.
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:12-13
The only protection was the blood of the lamb on the door. When God saw the blood, he would prevent the destroyer from entering that house pass over it and leave it untouched (Exodus 12:23). This came to be known as the "Passover." a memorial of the night when God delivered His people from bondage in ancient Egypt.
In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul tells us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb who died to deliver us from the bondage of sin. While the Israelites found refuge in their homes under God's protection, every other home in Egypt experienced God's wrath and their firstborns died. This devastating loss broke the hardened heart of Pharaoh and he finally release the Israelites.
By the time God’s plagues ended and the Israelites left Egypt, they had witnessed firsthand the power, protection, and divine hand of God at work. For those who witnessed these events firsthand, they could be no doubt that they served the one true living God. Sadly, many of them would soon forget what they’d witnessed, which led to further trials and lessons from God.
The impact of the plagues extended beyond the borders of Egypt with neighbouring nations developing a deep fear and dread of the God of Israel. Even after the tenth plague. But even after the 10th plague Pharaoh's heart hardened again, and he mustered the army to pursue the Israelites. However, yet again God intervened by parting the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through safely. And when Pharaoh's armies followed across, the parted sea closed, drowning all of Pharaoh's army. This final victory crushed the military might of Egypt. With their gods exposed as useless, the economy destroyed, their harvest consumed and now their army decimated Pharaoh and Egypt became a nation in name only. The wrath of the one true God of Israel spread fear throughout the surrounding nations, fulfilling God's initial purpose from the beginning.
Even today, we can look back on these events as a confirmation of our faith in the true and living God, the Judge of all the earth. The Ten Plagues of Egypt serve as a reminder that our God is the Almighty the all-powerful. He is unwavering in the protection of His people, and His ultimate plan is for our deliverance and our salvation as the God of all nations.
Throughout the story of the Exodus, we see foreshadowed within it the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Who for us became our Passover Lamb, offering everyone the free gift of salvation and deliverance from the bondage of sin. Just as the Israelites witnessed the wonders and judgments of God, we too can find strength, faith, and awe in the one true God, who reigns supreme and overall.
Have a great day, and God bless,
Trev.