• Plagues
• • Historicity
  • • Some have attempted to prove the plagues to be a destructive series of naturally-caused disasters - in these disasters Israel and Egypt would have seen God's hand
    • Israel viewed the plagues as the direct work of God, particularly in that He not only sent them but also sent them away when He said He would - God's control of the elements is central to the story
  • Purpose
  • • The chief purpose is to force Egypt and Israel to "know" God (Exod. 1:8; 5:2; 6:7; 7:5,17;10:2; 14:4,18)
    • • Regarding Egypt
      • • From the beginning Pharaoh's problem was that he did not "know" God (Exod. 5:2) - the plagues were designed to create this knowledge (Exod. 7:5, 9:14, 14:4)
        • Some have stated that the plagues were directed against Egyptian gods - this idea has been pressed too far since there is no evidence that the Nile River and various animals were viewed as gods - Pharaoh, however, was seen as guaranteeing cosmic harmony (maat) - the plagues indicated that Pharaoh was superseded by a higher authority
      • Regarding Israel
      • • Most of the plagues did not affect the Israelites living in Goshen in Egypt (Exod. 8:22; 9:6,26; 10:23; 12:23) - Israel became aware of God's power and special provisions for them even though they apparently suffered some of the plagues
        • God sent and removed the plagues exactly as He said He would - Israel viewed the plagues not as coincidences but as direct works of God
    • Some regard the plagues as God's judgment on the Egyptians for enslaving Israel - this could be true but it must also be remembered that what inevitably helps some, inevitably hurts others
  • Theological problems
  • • The destruction of the plagues
    • • For many the destructiveness of the plagues is objectionable - such destruction by a good God seems to be inconceivable - Israel's view of God allowed God to be destructive (cf. the story of Noah in Gen. 6:5-9:19)
      • Israel did suffer some of the plagues (water of the Nile becoming blood, frogs, gnats/mosquitoes, boils, locusts) and the Egyptians who believed were spared the devastation of the hail (Exod. 9:20)
      • The final plague of the death of the firstborn was especially harsh - two things should be remembered:
      • • Israel's firstborn were not exempt - they must also be redeemed from God (Num. 8:14-19)
        • This plague became the basis for the Passover Feast - some scholars would argue the account of the death of the firstborn was invented to explain the origin of the feast and thus God did not actually kill Egypt's firstborn
    • Hardening of Pharaoh's heart
    • • Out of 19 times when the hardening of Pharaoh's heart is mentioned, 10 of those times specifically state that God performed the hardening
      • Three points are significant:
      • • Before Moses ever went to Egypt, God stated He would harden Pharaoh's heart and kill Pharaoh's firstborn (Exod. 4:21-23)
        • As the plagues progressed, Pharaoh stopped hardening his heart and God began to harden Pharaoh's heart (see especially Exod. 9:30-32)
        • God's hardening of Pharaoh implies that of the two, God was the more powerful - Paul later pushed this view even further (Rom. 9:17-18)
      • One point which tempers the problem somewhat is that Pharaoh was considered to be a god by the Egyptians - the contest then was not between God and human as we see it but between God and god as Israel would have seen it
  • The plagues themselves
  • • Also called signs and wonders
    • The ten plagues in order
    • • Water of the Nile River turned to blood (Exod. 7:14-25)
      • Invasion of frogs (Exod. 8:1-15)
      • Swarms of gnats (Exod. 8:16-19) - some suspect the gnats were either mosquitoes or lice
      • Swarms of flies (Exod. 8:20-32)
      • Plague (possibly anthrax) on the animals in the field (Exod. 9:1-7)
      • Boils on humans and animals (Exod. 9:8-12)
      • Hail, thunder, and lightning (Exod. 9:13-35) - hail and rain were and are not that common in Egypt
      • Hordes of locusts (Exod. 10:1-20)
      • Darkness covering Egypt for three days (Exod. 10:21-29) - rare experience in Egypt which was and is accustomed to sunshine all through the year
      • Death of the firstborn (Exod. 11:1-12:36) - the final and worst plague
    • Some interesting points
    • • Initially Moses asked Pharaoh to let Israel journey into the wilderness for a three-day journey and sacrifice to their God (Exod. 5:13) - obviously this was not the truth - why did Moses say this?
      • • He still did not believe God could bring Israel out of Egypt and his request implied his lack of faith - possible but not probable
        • Pharaoh's refusal of the relatively simple request indicated he would never free Israel on his own accord - God would deliver Israel by defeating Pharaoh - Pharaoh's obstinance would increase God's power and glory
      • The Egyptian magicians were able to duplicate turning water from the Nile River into blood and summoning frogs just as they had turned their rods into snakes - with the plague of gnats, the magicians could no longer duplicate the plagues and recognized a higher power at work (Exod. 8:19)
      • The tenth plague became the basis for the Passover Feast, thus creating an annual remembrance of God's great act of deliverance
  • Neither the Hebrew Bible nor the New Testament mention the plagues very much - such destructiveness was not nor should not be celebrated

   

• Exodus
• • Historicity
  • • Few scholars doubt that the exodus occurred - the experience was formative for Israel and was based on historical event
    • Evidence supporting the historicity of the exodus
    • • Understanding of Egyptian customs and practices
      • • Account understands Egyptian labor correctly
        • Magical practices and plagues fit Egyptian conditions
        • Route of the exodus fits in the 13^th century B.C.E.
        • Status of Moses fits the time period
        • Presence of Egyptian names in Israel (e.g., Moses, ) imply a period in Egypt
        • Techniques of constructing the tabernacle (Exod. 25:1-27:21) fit the period
      • Sudden increase in settlement in 12^th century Canaan implies a substantial immigration of people
      • Mention of Israel on the Merneptah stela in 1209 B.C.E. implies Israel was a recognized entity outside Egypt
      • Not a tradition a nation would invent
  • Date - most scholars date the exodus in the mid 13^th century B.C.E. although Bimson dates it in the 15^th century B.C.E.
  • How many people came out?
  • • Scholars do disagree as to how many Israelites came out of Egypt in the exodus
    • Exod. 12:37 mentions 600,000 men - the total number of people, including women, children, and elderly men would have been 2 to 3 million
    • Arguments against the huge number of people
    • • Israel could not have grown that large in Egypt over a period of 400 years - Martin Noth, an Old Testament scholar, noted that for that total number to be reached, each Israelite mother and father would have had to have had 40 male children plus female children to marry off to other people's sons
      • The desert could not have supported or contained that many people - they literally would have met themselves coming and going - some state the lack of massive graves in the Sinai desert imply the number could not have been that great
      • Perhaps not all Israel was in Egypt - the text has been used to support the idea that only the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh), Levi (the tribe of Moses and Aaron), and possibly Judah (tribe of Caleb) were actually in and thus escaped from Egypt - the great number reflects a later census
      • Israel may have collected other peoples in Egypt or on the way to Canaan and those peoples were reflected in the great number
      • Israel was not that heavily populated even under David although 2 Sam. 24:9 implies it was
      • The census figures in Numbers 1 can be interpreted differently - the word translated "thousand" can be translated as "troop" (e.g., in Num. 1:21 "forty-six thousand, five hundred" can be translated "forty-six troops, five hundred men" meaning 46 troop units creating a total of 500 men) - according to the El-Amarna tablets (1500-1000 B.C.E.) a troop usually was composed of 9-10 men - Israel may well have used the same method of listing strength as was used in the El-Amarna tablets from Egypt
    • Arguments for the huge number of people
    • • God could have caused Israel to grow to a huge number in Egypt and then could have fed them in the desert - a God who could manipulate nature in the plagues could certainly multiply His people and nourish them
      • The Bible is correct in saying all 12 tribes were in Egypt - after all there was a spy selected from each tribe (Num. 13:4-16)
      • The census in Numbers 1 is accurate and does not have to be translated differently - notice that the final total is correct (Num. 1:46) which would not be the case if "thousand" were translated as "troop" - in that case you would expect two totals: one for number of troops, one for number of men
      • Other objections can also be overcome
    • No matter how many people came out precisely, the Bible indicates it was a substantial number - Pharaoh did not want to lose their labor
  • Exodus experience was and is formative for Israel
  • • With this experience Israel really began as a people led by God
    • The exodus also revealed the nature of God and thus how we are to follow (compare Liberation Theology)
    • • God is concerned about those who are oppressed
      • God delivers those who are oppressed

Artwork is "Death of the Firstborn" by Bernardino Luini from the Bible Picture Library of Photo Art (c) Christian Computer Art, 1994-97