Exodus: A Group StudySample

What is this passage saying?

Yahweh sends plagues killing the livestock of Egypt, afflicting the people with boils, and sending severe hail and thunder on the land.

What is this passage teaching?

The increasing severity of the plagues correlates to Yahweh’s increasing judgment on Pharaoh. Every plague was an opportunity to repent and obey, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened towards Yahweh and His commands. The death of the livestock was a particularly potent blow against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. There were several Egyptian gods and goddesses connected with livestock, representing masculinity, sexuality, beauty, and love. The next plague, boils, was the first to be inflicted on the people directly. Moses tells the reader that the magicians could not even appear because of the debilitating effect of the boils (Exodus 9:11). After this, the magicians are never mentioned again, a clear sign of Yahweh’s triumph over Pharaoh’s primary advisors. Finally, Yahweh sends a devastating hailstorm on the land. Some sought shelter, but those that did not lost servants, livestock, and crops.

How do I respond?

There may not be an idol sacrificed to more in our culture than sexuality. The industries proliferating from uninhibited sexual gratification – pornography, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and sex slavery – are manifestations of the insidiousness of this idol. Christ-followers are often caught in a demonic web of distraction, secrecy, and spiritual impotence. The deeper you go into sexual sin, the harder your heart becomes. However, just like in Exodus, God provides a space for repentance. If you are caught in sexual sin today, lay the idols of your heart before God and ask Him to slaughter them like he did the livestock in Egypt. Be earnest in confession and repentance. Consider confiding in a trusted brother or sister in Christ. Fight against every ounce of flesh that tells you it’s not serious, other people cannot be trusted, or you’re too sinful to be forgiven.