He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed His signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they did not rebel against His word. He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish. Their land abounded with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and lice in all their territory. He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land. He struck their vines also, and their fig trees, and splintered the trees of their territory. He spoke, and locusts came, young locusts without number, and ate up all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, the first of all their strength. (Psalm 105:26-36)

The Stubborn Egyptian Heart

Egypt was the superpower of its day in ancient times. There was no greater nation than Egypt as the Pharaoh assembled vast armies to destroy adversaries. It became the breadbasket of the world. The wonders of Egypt continue to astound modern scholars. It is one of the oldest nations still in existence today. During the period of the “New Kingdom,” a band of Hebrews migrated to Egypt in the time of a famine. Many years later, a young Hebrew infant was taken by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised among all the splendors of Egypt.

Moses was taken by the daughter of Pharaoh and became the adopted son. He was taught the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds. At the age of forty, he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. The next day, Moses learned his deed did not go unnoticed, and he fled the country for forty years. At the age of eighty, Moses returned to Egypt through God’s divine call, who instructed Moses to plead with Pharaoh to free the Hebrews from their bondage. Moses warned the Pharaoh great calamities would fall upon the nation if he refused. Pharaoh refused.

To show the power of God over the gods of Egypt, the Lord sent ten plagues upon the nation of Egypt. These plagues consumed the whole of the Egyptian population. The Hebrews were spared any effects of the plagues. God sent the darkness upon the land, turned the water to blood, and killed their fish. The land was consumed with frogs, flies, and lice in all their territories. The Lord rained down hail and flaming fire on the land, destroying the fines, fig-trees, and the trees of their territory. God spoke, and young locusts came without number, ate up all the vegetation, and devoured the fruit of the ground. The final plague was the most terrible of all. The Lord God killed every firstborn in the homes of the Egyptians, including the firstborn among the animals.

What nation could endure such an onslaught of devastation and disaster? The economy of Egypt was destroyed. There is no competition between the gods of Egypt and the God of the Hebrews. Families were ripped apart with the loss of children. No vegetation or trees were remaining on the land. It looked like a moonscape. Fires simmered from the hail and flaming fire. The stench of dead frogs and locusts filled the land. And Egypt remained defiant against the knowledge of the one true God.

Moses went to Pharaoh to argue his case, but the people of Egypt suffered the most. They endured the terrible plagues at the hand of their ruler, whom they called and revered as a god. Every plague proved the Lord God’s might, and yet Egypt’s heart remained steadfast, believing in the false gods. Soon after the Hebrews left Egypt, Pharaoh sent his army to bring them back. His false religion so corrupted the mind of Pharaoh he believed he could defeat the Lord God, who had just destroyed his nation. How arrogant! His pride closed his eyes to what a greater power can do against human wisdom.

The Bible is the testimony of the Lord God. There are no plagues today brought by the hand of the Lord to punish the people who refuse to submit to Him. All of the majesty and power of God is found in the word of God, declaring how much greater He is than all that man has. There is no greater evidence of the power of God than the living word that testifies Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Most of the world, like Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt, scoff, mock, and laugh at the Bible. In the same manner as the misguided king of Egypt, they think they have greater wisdom than God. And when they send their armies of humanism against the power of God, He destroys them like He destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.

Israel failed to learn the lessons of Egypt. They did not suffer the plagues but saw the devastation that spread across the land. There should have been everyday object lessons for them to learn from and correct their lives. Throughout the wilderness wanderings, they complained and murmured against God, and most of them died in the wilderness. Egypt is a powerful story to show the failure of those who deny God. The stubborn Egyptian heart is still alive today. Do you believe in the power of God? Are you willing to change your life?