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The Wrath of God
Going Against the Egyptian Deities
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The Wrath of God and the god's of Egypt
In the last article, we learned that Pharaoh had refused Moses and Aaron's request. This request was in regards to Pharaoh allowing the Israelites to go out on a three-day journey, so they can worship the God of their forefathers: "And Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.'" - Exodus 5:2
Next, we would find that later on in the day, Pharaoh would issue a decree that had increased the Israelites workload.
On top of that, within that decree, we read how Pharaoh mocked God, Moses and Aaron:
"So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 'You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before.
Let them go and gather straw for themselves. And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it.
For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, "Let us go and sacrifice to our God." Let more work be laid on the men that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.'" - Exodus 5:6-9
Next, we would find that later on, I'd somewhat explain how this response from Pharaoh was a direct challenge to the God of Israel. And although God would be challenged by Pharaoh, it would be the deities that Pharaoh believed in that would be targeted by the Most High. And it would be on this day; Pharaoh would issue a decree that would increase the Israelites workload.
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Taking A Brief Look
Before we go further, I would like to do a quick summary of the Egyptian gods that we will encounter during this Exodus record. Understand this will be a quick run-through, for we must remember that we will be re-introduced to these gods and goddesses as we continue our journey throughout the Exodus account. Okay, let's get started.
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Wadjet the Snake goddesses
The contest between this false deity and God didn't come in the form of one of the ten plagues, so, therefore, she could easily be overlooked. But I've placed her as being the first deity that God had judged the Egyptians on:
"So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." -- Exodus 7:10-12
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Hapi & Heket
Hapi the god of Water : The contest between this false deity and God happened when the Lord had turned the Nile River into blood. I find it very interesting that most Bible scholars have "Osiris the god of Death" as the deity that the Egyptians were judged on at this point. And honestly, I'm not sure why. Be that as it may:
"And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood." -- Exodus 7:20
Heket the goddess of Fertility : The contest between this false deity (who was often shown with having a head of a frog) and God took place when God caused the frog invasion upon the land:
"So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt." -- Exodus 8:6
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Geb & Kepher
Geb the Earth god : The contest between this false deity and God took place when God brought forth lice from the earth's dust: "And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt." -- Exodus 8:17
Kepher the Beetle god : The contest between this false deity and God took place when God had swarms of insects (perhaps flies) invade the Egyptians houses: "And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies." -- Exodus 8:24
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Bata & Hathor and the Bull Cults
Bata the Cow goddess & Hathor the Cow goddess : and possibly along with: Apis - Buchis - Mnevis (The gods of the Bull Cults) :
Understand that Hathor and Bata, although two separate cow goddesses, were very similar in their divine powers and attributes (according to the Egyptians). But as time went on, it would be Hathor who had absorbed Bata, and so therefore becoming the more superior between the two (according to the Egyptians). It would seem that Bible scholars ignore both. But I think they deserved to be mentioned because they were extremely popular amongst the Egyptians.
Then there were these three bulls (Apis - Buchis - Mnevis) who were seen as a manifestation of a certain Egyptian god or provided a link to one of the Egyptian false deities. Actually, "Apis & Buchis" were seen as actual gods, and it would be "Apis" that Bible scholars would have listed as being judged at this spot.
Nonetheless, the contest between God and these false deities took place when God brought forth "murrain," the cattle disease that struck the Egyptians livestock: "So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died." -- Exodus 9:6
Notice how the livestock of the Israelites remained unaffected by the disease: "but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died."
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The Magicians
The Magicians : Sure they weren't gods, but they were ambassadors, messengers, and an earthly representation of them. Also, keep in mind that these Magicians operated as both advisors and priests to the mighty Pharaoh. We are also told by the apostle how they stood before and resistant Moses:
"Now as [the magicians] Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith." -- 2 Timothy 3:8
So God brought forth boils and blains struck them with it: "Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast." -- Exodus 9:10
Notice how the next verse specifically singled out and made reference to the magicians: "And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians." -- Exodus 9:11
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Moses, Aaron & The Israelites
Not Affected?
Needless to say, this wasn't good for the magicians, being that they had to be presented as spotless and without blemish when they served and represented their pagan gods. This verse is proof that the magicians weren't able to heal themselves either. This is confirmed by the apostle in regards to how they were shamed: "But they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs [Jannes and Jambres] also was." -- 2 Timothy 3:9
Also, notice how Moses and Aaron, the servants and representatives of the God of Israel, were never in any danger of being turned away or shamed by the Egyptians. I don't mean to rub it in -- I'm just saying, that's all.
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Nut & Osiris
Nut the Sky goddess : The contest between God and this false deity took place when God had rained down hail upon the Egyptians with fire: "So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation." -- Exodus 9:24
Osiris the Corn god :Yes, this is where I've placed the very popular "Osiris" being that we have to keep in mind that he was recognized by two main titles - one being "the god of Death" and he was also known as "the Corn god." So "Osiris" was the deity that the Egyptians saw as not only representing the underworld, but they saw him as representing their crops as well. With that being stated, the contest between God and this false deity would take place when God released the locust upon the corps of Egypt:
"So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them." --Exodus 10:13,14
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Atum & Ra
The Sun-gods : "Atum and Ra" :Although most would only place "Ra" here at this point, I tend to put both Sun-gods here since they were both extremely popular deities amongst the Egyptians at this time. In fact, the two "treasure supply cities" that Pharaoh had the Israelites first build at the start of the "New Kingdom" were dedicated to these two gods:
"Therefore they set taskmasters over them [Israelites] to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply [treasure] cities, Pithom [dedicated to Atum] and Raamses [dedicated to Ra]." -- Exodus 1:11
Be that as it may the contest between God and these false deities would take place when God caused darkness to fall upon the Egyptian kingdom for three days: "So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days." -- Exodus 10:22
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All the Egyptian god's Were Judged
Against all the Egyptian gods? : This is where we find that God would have all the firstborn killed throughout the land of Egypt (including the livestock that the Egyptians owed). In the Egyptian culture, the firstborns were always dedicated to the Egyptian gods. When God decided to enact this plague, it was a direct judgment against the Egyptian deities as a whole. So therefore, this would be only fitting that this would be God's final act against the Egyptian gods:
"And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock." -- Exodus 12:29
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What About Pharaoh?
Now I find it very interesting that most Bible scholars have placed Pharaoh at this last spot because he was looked at as a god. But as you can see, I disagree with this assessment in regards to placing him at this spot. It seems to me that if you'd placed Pharaoh here, it would have marginalized everything that God had done against the Egyptian gods up to this point.
Now don't get me wrong, I could lean towards such a viewpoint if it was only Pharaoh's household that was affected, but it wasn't. And on top of that, we have to remember that the Egyptians were serving over 3000 (three thousand) gods, and for the life of me, I can't see God letting any of them off the hook. So the killing of the firstborn would very well be a judgment upon them all.
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Besides How Do We Really Know?
To be honest with ourselves regarding the Egyptian deities that the One True God would eventually best. Can we know which Egyptian deity God was judging by His divine acts within the Exodus account? Can we?
No, we can't, so we can only go off what the Egyptian deities represented and assume that this was the Egyptian deity being judged. Now don't conclude that I'm trying to take the easy way out, for if I were, I wouldn't have made my own list, to begin with.
Nevertheless, as we will soon see in our journey, God will send a strong message to Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the gods they served. And this message basically declared that the God of Israel, the God of all things created, is indeed the One True God - period.
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