The Ten Plagues – Part IV
Introduction:
Many years
before God sent the plagues upon Egypt, the Lord told Abram the
following:
Genesis 15:12-14
Body:
IX.
Ninth Plague – Darkness (Exodus
10:21-29)
-
Thick
darkness came upon Egypt for three days. No doubt this
brought terror upon the Egyptians. It impacted them
emotionally and psychologically. Artificial light sources
would not work either.
-
This
same Hebrew word for darkness is used in Genesis 1:2.
-
This
plague was against several Egyptian deities.
-
Amon-Ra,
the sun god, who was originally two separate deities.
Ra was represented with man’s body and a falcon’s head
topped with a solar disk.
-
Horus
was the sky god of Upper Egypt, the god of light.
-
Atem
was the sun god and creator.
-
Ptah
was the god who created the sun, moon, and earth.
-
The
three days of darkness remind us of Saul’s three days of
blindness. (Acts
9:8-12)
But the three days of darkness didn’t lead Pharaoh to open
his eyes to the identity of Jehovah.(Verses
24-29)
-
Darkness separated them from God and kept them away from His
presence. At the end of the parable of the wedding feast,
the man who had no wedding garment is to be cast into
darkness. (Matthew
22:11-14)
-
Darkness is also described by
Jude
in
verses 6 and 13.
X.
Tenth Plague – Death of the Firstborn (Exodus
11:1-10, 12:29-32)
-
The
tenth plague was very selective. Only Egyptian first-born
males, human or animal, were affected. This was too
selective to be a childhood epidemic. The death of the
first born was especially significant. (Genesis
49:3)
-
This
plague was against all the gods of Egypt as God directed
judgment. (Exodus
12:12)
-
Meskhenet
was the goddess who presided at childbirth.
-
Heqt
was the goddess of birth.
-
Min
was the god of procreation.
-
Selket
was guardian of life.
-
Renenutet
was guardian of Pharaoh.
None of
these had any power against this plague.
Invitation:
Read
Exodus 12:33-36, 40-42.
Then read
Psalms 78:51-55.
Bobby
Stafford
December
11, 2011
