MOSES: TEN PLAGUES
Bible Study Resource – People in the Old Testament
Moses, Pharaoh, Aaron
Moses: the Bible explains the name ’Moses’ by saying it is related to the Hebrew masha- ‘to draw out’ – but it is more likely that it comes from the Egyptian word for child, as in Thut-moses’(child of Thut) or Ra-msis (child of Ra).
Pharaoh: the great monarch of Upper and Lower Egypt, with absolute power
Aaron: Moses’ older brother and helper; spokesman for Moses, he also helped Moses with the Ten Plagues, stirring up the frogs and gnats, and turning the Nile water to blood.
What the Story is About
This story is essentially about God’s power – over earthly rulers no matter how powerful, and over Nature itself.
It also illustrates one of God’s strange habits: using an unworthy person (Moses, who is an inept speaker and a reluctant instrument of God) to change the course of human destiny – in this case to confront the most powerful ruler in the world and out-manoeuvre him, and lead a disorganised rabble of slaves into a new life and a new land.
The story of Moses contains 6 episodes, of which this is the third:
- The baby Moses is cast adrift in the waters of the Nile: Exodus 2:1-10
- The Burning Bush, God tells Moses to save the Hebrews: Exodus 2:23-4
- Moses and Pharaoh, ‘Let My People Go’, Ten Plagues: Exodus 5-12
- Wandering in the Desert, Crossing the Red Sea: Exodus 13-18
- The Ten Commandments: Exodus 20
- The Golden Calf: Exodus 32
For a short version of Moses’ story, see Moses – Bible Hero
Background to this story
Semitic workers making bricks in ancient Egypt
Moses, a Hebrew baby rescued from the Nile, was adopted into the Egyptian royal household. When he learned of his origins he began to take an interest in his kin.
One day he saw an Egyptian maltreating a Hebrew slave. Moses killed the Egyptian and therefore had to flee Egypt. He found refuge in Midian where he became a shepherd for Jethro, the local priest. He married Jethro’s daughter Zipporah and had two sons.
Moses Returns to Egypt
Then he had an extraordinary encounter with God, who spoke to a reluctant Moses, appearing to him in the form of a Burning Bush.
God commanded Moses to return to Egypt, confront Pharaoh, and lead the Hebrews to freedom. Moses was reluctant to do this. How could he, a relative nobody, do such a thing?
God reassured him. God would be at his side and give him the necessary courage and skills to carry out this task.
Moses Confronts Pharaoh
Reluctant and resolute at the same time, Moses returned to Egypt and, helped by his older brother Aaron, he faced up to Pharaoh (one wonders how he gained access to the royal presence).
He asked Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go.
Naturally, Pharaoh declined.
The Ten Plagues
As a sign that they were backed up by an all-powerful God, Moses and Aaron engaged in a sort of contest of prestige with the court magicians.
One of the ten plagues: boils
They performed a variety of miraculous feats designed to show the superiority of one type of magic over another.
In spite of this, Pharaoh continued to refuse the demand for freedom. The Israelites had to stay in Egypt – and what is more, they had to work harder.
In response, God afflicted Egypt with the Ten Plagues:
- the River Nile turned to blood
- frogs
- lice and mosquitoes
- flies
- diseased livestock
- boils
- thunder and hail
- locusts
- darkness
- death of the firstborn
Diseased livestock
The Plagues were not punishments, but a demonstration of God’s power. Moses, under God’s guidance, predicted each one, and his predictions were fulfilled each time. This made it appear to the Egyptians that his magic was stronger than theirs and that he could command the support of a more powerful god than they had.
The First Passover
Pharaoh was finally moved to allow the Israelites and their families to go, but he insisted that they leave their animals behind. This was clearly impossible, since they depended on their flocks for food on the journey.
When Pharaoh still refused Moses’ (and God’s) command, Moses proclaimed the death of the first-born of all Egypt.
Death of the Pharaoh's Firstborn Son, Lawrence Alma Tadema
The Hebrews were spared when they daubed the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their door jambs. They ate a hasty meal, the first Passover, gathered up their few belongings, and prepared to leave.
This time, Pharaoh consented to the Hebrews’ departure, and they set out on what was to be a very long journey.
BIBLE STUDY ACTIVITIES
There’s a short biography of Moses at Leader, Lawgiver, Legend
Some Topics for Discussion or Meditation
1. The Journey
Trite but true: life is a journey, and we are all at different places on the road.
Think about your own life, with happy and sad times as hills and valleys. What has been the landscape of your life? Too many valleys and not enough hills? A rather flat plain? Visualize your life as a landscape. How do you see it? What is there in front of you? Behind you? A road not taken?
2. Believe in Yourself
Moses felt inadequate to the task ahead, but he accepted God’s commission to free the Hebrews and lead them out of Egypt – even though he was reluctant to do so. Perhaps he saw his own failings too clearly, or let them blot out his potential. Only when God persisted did Moses give in.
Duststorm in the Middle East - the darkness that came over the land?
Do you over-emphasise your failings? Do you let your lack of confidence shape your life, stopping you doing things you might be capable of? What are the best things you have achieved? Forget about modesty for the moment: make a good long list of the good things about yourself. Then thank God for being what you are!
Summary
God told Moses to free the Hebrew people and lead them out of Egypt, to the Promised Land. Moses hesitated at first but then, almost despite himself, took on the task and succeeded. It did not happen without a struggle. Pharaoh did not want to let his labor force to leave the country. Moses was forced to inflict a series of plagues on Egypt before Pharaoh agreed to relinquish his hold. The worst plague was the last: the death of every firstborn Egyptian. Only then could the Hebrews, led by Moses, escape.
