The Long Journey Home
“Destroying the Competition”
by Aaron Gesch
Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord.” — Exodus 7:15-17
Most people, even those unfamiliar with the Bible, have heard the story about Egypt and the 10 plagues. After all, there have been numerous movies made depicting them from the 1956 Blockbuster “Ten Commandments” starring Charlton Heston to the 1998 Dreamworks animated classic “Prince of Egypt.” But few people who know the story or have seen the movies are aware of just what is going on and the significance of each plague.
On the surface we see Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world at this time, facing down the creator God of the universe. But the plagues are not just God’s way of facing down the Pharaoh. The plagues are God’s way of climbing into the ring with the different gods of the nation of Egypt and systematically destroying the competition.
When Moses approaches Pharaoh on the banks of the Nile River, he is approaching Pharaoh in his place of worship. The god of the Nile River, ”Hapi,” was seen as the god of prosperity, fertility and life. After all it was the rich soil of the Nile’s delta that had made the country of Egypt a commercial power and brought it prosperity and security. The Pharaoh began every day down on the banks of the mighty Nile to welcome the day and thank the god of the river. And it is here that the creator God comes and declares war by turning the water to blood. He is not just showing power; He is showing power over the gods of the day. Each subsequent plague steps into the ring with another of Egypt’s gods and shows them to be unequal to the real creator God. These include the plague of frogs which challenged Hequet the fertility god, the livestock plague challenged Apis the bull god, the darkness plague challenged Ra the sun god. And each of these plagues is not just meant to show Pharaoh that God is more powerful than him, but God is more powerful than the gods or things that Pharaoh had looked to to make himself great.
So what does all that have to do with you and me, other than a great story? Well, just like Pharaoh, our biggest problem is a failure to recognize God for who He really is and bend our knee. Romans chapter 1 tells us that man trades what is clearly seen and known about God for something he creates with his own hands. We may laugh at people or cultures that build idols from wood or stone and find it quaint and primitive … but we are no different and our own western culture has its own array of false gods that we look to and honor.
The late Tim Keller wrote, “Idols are things that absorb our heart and imagination more than God … things that we cannot live without.” But just like the little g gods of the Egyptians and Pharaoh, our gods are sorry counterfeits unable to produce on what they promise…There is only one God who keeps every promise and who has the power and authority to come through for us. He has systematically destroyed the competition and shown it for the emptiness that it is and invites any who have eyes to see, to bend the knee, and acknowledge Him as The Lord!
(Aaron Gesch is pastor of Basin First Baptist Church.)