- [[Exodus 7]], [[Exodus 8]] # My notes and first read exercise answers ## General notes - snake staff, first three plagues (blood, frogs, gnats) ## Write down what [[Yahweh]] is trying to achieve and how he starts to achieve it here - [[Exodus 7]]:5 "Then the [[Egypt]]ians will know that I am the [[Lord]] when I extend my hand over [[Egypt]] and bring the [[Israel]]ites out from among them" - [[Exodus 7]]:17 "By this you will know that I am the [[Lord]]" - [[Exodus 8]]:10 "so that you may know that there is no one like the [[Lord]] our [[God]]" ## Note down the two or three big things that are being developed across the three plagues - [[God]]'s control over life - [[Pharaoh]] refusing to genuinely acknowledge the [[Lord]] ## Consider the magicians, who are able to replicate the sign and the first two plagues. Write down why you think they are included in these scenes (what point is being made through them?) - ...? - magicians being able to replicate the plagues bolsters [[Pharaoh]]'s resistance - but yet when magicians can't recreate the gnats, [[Pharaoh]] still resists ## Reflect on what has most impressed you about [[Yahweh]] here (how has the passage expanded your view of him?) - ...? # [[Zondervan NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible]] - snake isn't a plague, but still a wonder -- a prelude where the [[Lord]] demonstrates his power but [[Pharaoh]] refuses to learn from it - the word for snake used in [[Exodus 7]]:9-12 is different than elsewhere; it's a more terrifying primordial reptile - plagues are done in groups of three besides the last one - first plague in each group is introduced by warning delivered to [[Pharaoh]] in the morning as he went out to the nile - the last plague in each group comes without any warning - the [[Israel]]ites in [[Exodus 4]] were persuaded when they saw the same signs but [[Pharaoh]] is unimpressed - [[Exodus 8]]:8 -- first acknowledgement by [[Pharaoh]] of [[Lord]]'s power and promise of emancipation, though he later takes it back - [[Exodus 8]]:15 -- first instance of self-heart hardening (prev mention in [[Exodus 4]]:21 was a promise that [[God]] will harden [[Pharaoh]]'s heart - gnats plague -- first one that magicians can't recreate # [[Exodus FG leaders notes.pdf]] ## [[Exodus 7]]:8-13 - magicians could be sleight of hand or could be real - regardless, [[God]] demonstrates at least as much power as the magicians here with snake summoning, and [[God]]'s snake eats the magicians snake demonstrating superiority as well - [[Pharaoh]] doesn't listen ## (Focus) [[Exodus 7]]:14-25 -- First plague (blood) - now [[Yahweh]] is acting in judgement against [[Egypt]], as opposed to the snake which was just a sign - we should recognize that [[Yahweh]] didn't need to do 10 plagues and deliberately hardened [[Pharaoh]]'s heart to draw out the conflict. Thus emancipating the [[Israel]]ites is not the only goal - he is **revealing himself and getting glory over [[Pharaoh]]** - he is **revealing his unique power** - staff strike casuing the plague in the [[Nile]] links it to the staff-snake miracle - nile was [[Egypt]]'s life source and it is now turned into death - shows how easily [[Yahweh]] can turn [[Egypt]]'s prosperity to nothing, and that he has power over life and death - reversal of [[Genesis 1]] where [[God]] separated waters from land and filled them with life - now [[Yahweh]] **is beginning to reverse his created order in [[Egypt]]** ## [[Exodus 8]]:1-15 -- Second plague (frogs) - another echoing of [[Genesis 1]] -- filling the earth with life, but this time turned against [[Egypt]] as judgemnet - Unlike before, [[Pharaoh]] now asks [[Moses]] to plead with [[Yahweh]] to undo the plague - contrast with asking "who is this [[Yahweh]]?" - [[Moses]] in [[Exodus 8]]:10 wants to drive home that "there is no one like [[Yahweh]]", that he is the only [[God]] - [[Pharaoh]] immediately turns and hardens his heart when the plague is over ## [[Exodus 8]]:16-19 -- Third plague (gnats) - first plague that the magicians can't recreate - they acknowledge that [[Yahweh]]'s power is greater than theirs - frogs are technically more complex than gnats; difficulty of magicians arise from the creation from dust - yet another echoing of [[Genesis 2]], where [[God]] formed man from dust - another sign pointing to how [[God]] is creator ## Summary | Category | Purpose of the plagues | What do we learn about YHWH’s power? | Outcome for Egypt and YHWH | | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | First plague: blood | Know that I am YHWH (7:5, 7:17) | YHWH is using his unique creator power (Gen 1) against Egypt. Magicians replicate the plague. | A sign against Egypt; [[Yahweh]] knew [[Pharaoh]] wouldn't listen | | Second plague: frogs | Know that there is no one like him (8:10) | Frogs: abundant life (Gen 1), now turned against Egypt. Magicians replicate the plague. | Another sign against them. | | Third plague: gnats | | Gnats: life created from the dust. Magicians can’t replicate: “this is the finger of God!” | Increasing discomfort. | **[[Yahweh]]** isn't simply a god, he has the power of the unique creator ## Application - **there is no one like [[Yahweh]]** - that's why there's so much echoing of [[Genesis 1]] creation narrative - in our daily lives that concept might be distant to us, especially if going off just [[Genesis 1]] - but [[Exodus]] is a record of [[Yahweh]] demonstrating his creatorness within human history - he's not just a gnostic creator, but actively wields power to influence nations and rulers - even when the world around us rejects [[God]], [[God]]'s power is still the same (see [[Pharaoh]] and magicians still getting wrecked even when they don't recognize him) ## Leading the study - remember that the focus of the plagues is **revealing who [[Yahweh]] is** - so we should frame that goal in the study, maybe looking back to [[Exodus 5]]:2 or [[Exodus 7]]:5