Help me! Help me! A voice cries from the pit of oppression! A voice calls from the traps of drugs and alcohol! A voice calls out from an abusive situation whether physical, sexual, or verbal. Voices call out from the deepest depths of despair for God to save them. God hears our cries. Just as He heard the cries from the Israelite slaves in Egypt, He hears our cries. Exodus records amazing events of deliverance. God rescued His people from the firm grip of the Pharaoh. He loves you just as He loved them and He will go to great measures to rescue you if you will let Him.
Why would God cause such plagues to fall on the Egyptians? One of the most often questions asked is why would God take the Egyptian’s first born children? First off, God had not yet given Moses the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were given after the people had been freed from Egypt. You may not know the Ten Commandments. Let me share with you the first of the ten: “Do not worship any gods except Me”. God needed to show all peoples that He, and He alone, was the Almighty God. Each of the plagues had a specific purpose because God would use these events to show all that He was in charge and that no Egyptian god or goddess could prevent His will from coming to pass.
What was going on in Egypt? The Egyptians had a god for everything. They had a rain god (Min), goddess of magic (Isis), a god who pushed the sun across the sky (Khepri), a god for the Nile (Hapi), a god of the dead (Osiris), sun god (Ra), a goddess of war (Sekhmet), etc. For almost every facet of their lives, they had a god they worshiped. The Egyptians even had a god for a dead person’s diseased liver (Imsety)! The Pharaohs were sons of Ra’ and believed when they died, they ascended into the sky to become a part of Ra. The Pharaoh was believed to be a living god who the Egyptians worshiped.
It is important to note that God’s people had been exposed to the Egyptian ‘religions’ for centuries. Moses, the man God chose to lead His people out of bondage, was Egyptian educated therefore Moses knew the entire Egyptian god and goddess lineage. It was important that God set the stage for the first of the Ten Commandments by demonstrating to His people – and to the Egyptians – that none of their gods, not even Pharaoh – was mightier than He, the Almighty God. God would show the people that only He ruled the earth and the heavens.
Each of the plagues specifically proved to the people that the Egyptian gods and goddesses were incapable of preventing God’s commands from being fulfilled. Two of the most important plagues were those that showed Ra and Isis to be impotent. Ra and Isis were believed to be all powerful. God’s turning Egypt dark for three days (Ra couldn’t stop the darkness) and God’s taking the first born (Isis – a member of the Egyptian ‘trinity’ couldn’t stop the Passover) were clear proof to both the Egyptians and to Pharaoh that He truly was the Almighty God. Can you imagine the cries of anguish that night as the angel of the Lord passed over? Cries of “Help me, Isis! Help me, Isis!” echoed through the streets. Cries of anguish that went unanswered. In the movie rendition of the Ten Commandments, Pharaoh lays his dead son in the arms of the goddess Isis and awaits the goddess to restore the child’s life. To Pharaoh’s dismay – and probably to his surprise – the child remains lifeless. Isis was just what it was – a man-made idol incapable of doing anything! God showed the Israelites that their God was the Almighty God able to save, able to protect, and able to deliver them. There is no person in any situation that God cannot deliver. He can deliver you – easily. All it takes is for you to place your trust in Him. God kept His promise to the Israelites that He would provide for them the Promised Land.
Let me ask you this: How many gods do you serve? People worship golf, fishing, cars, money, careers, TV, etc. The list goes on. When you place anyone or anything above the Almighty God, you are creating a ‘god’. Idolatry is a direct insult to God. God is a jealous God as He wants to be the only ‘god’ in your life. He delivered the Israelites from their bondage. He can deliver you from your bondage – regardless of what that may be. Won’t you let Him do that now? No matter what god we were or what we have done, we can cry out to the Lord and he will deliver us. All you have to do is to ask Him. Cry out to the Lord. He is the Almighty God. He will deliver!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
Help me! Help me! A voice cries from the pit of oppression! A voice calls from the traps of drugs and alcohol! A voice calls out from an abusive situation whether physical, sexual, or verbal. Voices call out from the deepest depths of despair for God to save them. God hears our cries. Just as He heard the cries from the Israelite slaves in Egypt, He hears our cries. Exodus records amazing events of deliverance. God rescued His people from the firm grip of the Pharaoh. He loves you just as He loved them and He will go to great measures to rescue you if you will let Him.
Why would God cause such plagues to fall on the Egyptians? One of the most often questions asked is why would God take the Egyptian’s first born children? First off, God had not yet given Moses the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were given after the people had been freed from Egypt. You may not know the Ten Commandments. Let me share with you the first of the ten: “Do not worship any gods except Me”. God needed to show all peoples that He, and He alone, was the Almighty God. Each of the plagues had a specific purpose because God would use these events to show all that He was in charge and that no Egyptian god or goddess could prevent His will from coming to pass.
What was going on in Egypt? The Egyptians had a god for everything. They had a rain god (Min), goddess of magic (Isis), a god who pushed the sun across the sky (Khepri), a god for the Nile (Hapi), a god of the dead (Osiris), sun god (Ra), a goddess of war (Sekhmet), etc. For almost every facet of their lives, they had a god they worshiped. The Egyptians even had a god for a dead person’s diseased liver (Imsety)! The Pharaohs were sons of Ra’ and believed when they died, they ascended into the sky to become a part of Ra. The Pharaoh was believed to be a living god who the Egyptians worshiped.
It is important to note that God’s people had been exposed to the Egyptian ‘religions’ for centuries. Moses, the man God chose to lead His people out of bondage, was Egyptian educated therefore Moses knew the entire Egyptian god and goddess lineage. It was important that God set the stage for the first of the Ten Commandments by demonstrating to His people – and to the Egyptians – that none of their gods, not even Pharaoh – was mightier than He, the Almighty God. God would show the people that only He ruled the earth and the heavens.
Each of the plagues specifically proved to the people that the Egyptian gods and goddesses were incapable of preventing God’s commands from being fulfilled. Two of the most important plagues were those that showed Ra and Isis to be impotent. Ra and Isis were believed to be all powerful. God’s turning Egypt dark for three days (Ra couldn’t stop the darkness) and God’s taking the first born (Isis – a member of the Egyptian ‘trinity’ couldn’t stop the Passover) were clear proof to both the Egyptians and to Pharaoh that He truly was the Almighty God. Can you imagine the cries of anguish that night as the angel of the Lord passed over? Cries of “Help me, Isis! Help me, Isis!” echoed through the streets. Cries of anguish that went unanswered. In the movie rendition of the Ten Commandments, Pharaoh lays his dead son in the arms of the goddess Isis and awaits the goddess to restore the child’s life. To Pharaoh’s dismay – and probably to his surprise – the child remains lifeless. Isis was just what it was – a man-made idol incapable of doing anything! God showed the Israelites that their God was the Almighty God able to save, able to protect, and able to deliver them. There is no person in any situation that God cannot deliver. He can deliver you – easily. All it takes is for you to place your trust in Him. God kept His promise to the Israelites that He would provide for them the Promised Land.
Let me ask you this: How many gods do you serve? People worship golf, fishing, cars, money, careers, TV, etc. The list goes on. When you place anyone or anything above the Almighty God, you are creating a ‘god’. Idolatry is a direct insult to God. God is a jealous God as He wants to be the only ‘god’ in your life. He delivered the Israelites from their bondage. He can deliver you from your bondage – regardless of what that may be. Won’t you let Him do that now? No matter what god we were or what we have done, we can cry out to the Lord and he will deliver us. All you have to do is to ask Him. Cry out to the Lord. He is the Almighty God. He will deliver!