Walking With Christ

I’ve always been fascinated by ancient mythology.  Greek, Roman, Chinese, Egyptian, and so many more.  Perhaps because of this, I tend to take for granted that people will catch some bible references.  I was recently reminded of some references that people might miss if they have not studied the mythologies at work.

In Exodus, we see Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh in Egypt demanding that he release the Israelite people.  Pharaoh was warned that not doing so would result in judgement being brought to the land of Egypt.  Pharaoh, raised to believe he was a god, was not just refusing Moses—he was standing as a direct opponent to Yahweh.  Every plague wasn’t just punishment; it was a strategic takedown of the Egyptian religious system, proving their gods were powerless against the God of Israel.  The arrogance of Pharaoh meant that he could not fathom the notion of anyone being more powerful than he was.  I’d wonder if his first reaction to Moses and Aaron was anger at the seeming arrogance of these two or laughter at the absurdity of the notion.  When Aaron throws down his staff and it becomes a serpent, Pharaoh calls his own wise men and magicians.  I’d almost bet that Pharaoh was surprised just a bit that someone outside of his magicians could make a staff become a snake, but his response almost seemed bored, as if to say, “So what?  I have people who can do that.”

This was the only warning Egypt would have before the plagues began.

Exodus 7:17  Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord:  behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.

Exodus 8:6  So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Exodus 8:17  And they did so.  Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast.  All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.

Exodus 8:24  And the Lord did so.  There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses.  Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

Exodus 9:18  And the next day the Lord did this thing.  All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.

Exodus 9:18  It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:18  Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

Exodus 10:4  For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country

Exodus 10:22  So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.

Exodus 11:4-5  (4)So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord:  ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, (5)and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.

It’s important to note here that the text does not explicitly state that the first three plagues avoided Goshen and the children of Israel, it is safe to assume that none of these plagues touched any house belonging to the children of Israel.  They were completely untouched. From the fourth plague on, it is expressly stated that the land of Goshen (where the children of Israel lived) was spared effects of the plagues, including the 9th plague of darkness.

Now, in many cases, when God moves, He will not attack people directly, but He will work to refute their beliefs.  In this case, He dismantled an entire religious system.

Plague	Reference	Egyptian Reference
Water to Blood	Exodus 7:14-24	Attack on:  Hapi – god of the Nile, fertility, and life 1. The Nile was the lifeblood of Egypt—without it, the nation would perish. 2. Turning it to blood was a direct assault on Hapi, proving Yahweh had power over Egypt’s life source. 3. The fish died, and the river stank—this was a sign of corruption and decay in Egypt’s spiritual system.
Frogs	Exodus 8:1-15	Attack on:  Heket – goddess of fertility, depicted with a frog’s head 1. Frogs were sacred and couldn’t be killed under Egyptian religion. 2. By overwhelming the land with frogs, God mocked their reverence for Heket. 3. When the frogs died in massive piles, it showed that Egypt’s gods were not in control of life and death.
Gnats/Lice	Exodus 8:16-19	Attack on:  Geb – god of the earth 1. The dust of the earth became lice (or gnats), showing God’s dominion over the land. 2. Egyptian priests prided themselves on ritual cleanliness, but this plague defiled them, rendering them unable to perform religious duties.
Swarms of Flies	Exodus 8:20-32	Attack on:  Khepri – god of rebirth, depicted as a beetle 1. Flies and insects swarming meant corruption, death, and decay—all opposite of Khepri’s supposed power. 2. Unlike previous plagues, this one did not affect the Israelites, proving Yahweh could protect His people while striking Egypt.
Death of Livestock	Exodus 9:1-7	Attack on:  Hathor (goddess of love, depicted as a cow) & Apis (sacred bull god) 1. Egyptians worshiped cattle and used them in sacrificial rituals. 2. God slaughtered the livestock, proving Egypt’s gods could not protect what was sacred to them. 3. Israel’s animals were untouched, proving that God made a distinction between His people and Egypt.
Boils	Exodus 9:8-12	Attack on:  Imhotep – god of medicine & Sekhmet – goddess of plagues and healing 1. Egyptian magicians and priests couldn’t cure themselves, showing their gods were powerless against Yahweh. 2. This was also a personal affliction on the people, humiliating Pharaoh’s most trusted advisors.
Hail & Fire	Exodus 9:13-35	Attack on:  Nut (sky goddess) & Osiris (god of crops & fertility) 1. Egypt relied on weather gods for agriculture and survival. 2. Fire & hail together were unnatural, showing that Yahweh had complete control over the elements. 3. Crops were destroyed, signaling economic collapse.
Locusts	Exodus 10:1-20	Attack on:  Seth – god of storms and chaos 1. Locusts finished what the hail started, consuming any crops left. 2. Egypt’s gods were meant to bring order, but this plague brought total devastation. 3. There was nothing left for the Egyptians to survive on.
Darkness	Exodus 10:21-29	Attack on:  Ra – the supreme sun god 1. Pharaoh was considered the son of Ra, making this a direct challenge to Pharaoh’s authority. 2. Three days of total darkness meant that Ra was completely powerless against Yahweh. 3. Israelites still had light, proving that Yahweh was the true source of light and life.
Death of the Firstborn	Exodus 11–12	Attack on:  Pharaoh – considered a living god 1. Pharaoh himself was seen as divine, the physical representation of gods on earth. 2. The death of his firstborn meant his dynasty was broken. 3. This final blow showed that Pharaoh was not a god, but just a man who had no power against the God of Israel. 4. Only those covered by the blood of the lamb were saved—a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice.

This was the final and most devastating blow—a direct attack on Pharaoh himself.  His dynasty was broken, his claim to divinity shattered, and the Egyptian gods silenced.

Only those who applied the blood of the lamb were spared—foreshadowing the ultimate Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice would free us from spiritual slavery.

The Egyptians believed Pharaoh was not just a ruler but the earthly embodiment of the gods, particularly Ra, the sun god.  The plagues systematically dismantled Egypt’s pantheon, proving that Pharaoh was not divine and had no control over life, nature, or even his own family.

This wasn’t just an ancient story—it’s a battle between truth and deception, real power and false idols.  Egypt’s gods fell one by one, proving that only Yahweh reigns supreme.  And just as God delivered Israel from slavery, He delivers us from spiritual bondage through Jesus Christ.  The plagues remind us that no false god, no human power, no earthly system can stand against the living God.

Pharaoh asked, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?’ (Exodus 5:2) — and through these plagues, God answered loud and clear.