Episode Transcript  

One

The Plagues of Egypt

Most of us have heard of the ten plagues of Egypt, the plagues God inflicted so that Pharaoh would finally set the Israelites free. These plagues are sensational, astounding plagues: the Nile River turned into blood, three days of total darkness, and the death of all the firstborn sons. The first point of these plagues was practical. They were inflicted to convince Pharaoh to give the Israelites their freedom. And since Pharaoh insisted on keeping the Israelites in slavery, the severity of the plagues kept escalating.

But there was another purpose to the plagues as well. The plagues symbolized something important; they signified God’s supremacy over the false gods of Egypt. And that matters not only to the Israelites and the Egyptians. It matters also to us.

Two

“Over the gods of Egypt.”

In Exodus 12, just as God is preparing to implement the final plague against the Egyptians, he says, “Thus will I render judgment on all the gods of Egypt.” How is that? The ten plagues obviously show that God is mightier than Pharaoh, and that Pharaoh will only bring about his own destruction by opposing the Lord.

But the plagues also show that God is mightier than the false gods of Egypt. The Egyptians, like other pagans, worshipped things of nature and things that they had themselves made. That’s one of the reasons God has to bring the Israelites out of Egypt in order to worship the Lord. And tragically, Israel had adopted those same idols. Israel had become addicted to the same idols as the Egyptians. Ezekiel later tells us, “none of them cast away the idols of Egypt” (Ezek 20:8). But since the Egyptians won’t allow the Israelites to leave, God has to expose the falsity and weakness of the Egyptian idols.

So, for example, the Egyptians worshipped the Nile River as a god. And to show everyone the Nile River is not a god, the real God turned the Nile into blood. The Egyptians worshipped the Sun. To show everyone the Sun is not a God, the real God turned out the lights for three days. The Egyptians worshipped Pharaoh, and the firstborn son of the Pharaoh, and God showed everyone that neither Pharaoh nor his son was a god by allowing his son to die, and Pharaoh couldn’t stop it. 

Each of the plagues was against one of the false gods of the Egyptians 

Do you see that the plagues were revelations of the emptiness of what the pagans worshipped? Now, can you imagine what a plague in our time would look like if God decided to bring our idols crumbling to their feet?

Three

What are the false gods of our society?

What are our false gods? What do we pretend is the most important thing, more important than the true God? What would our plagues look like?

Well, as a society, we certainly place the gaining of wealth as a priority over God. We worship money and saving for retirement. Imagine a plague that just evaporated everyone’s savings and retirement accounts, and everyone just had to start from scratch again. That would freak a lot of people out. We worship sex, particularly recreational sex without consequences. What if everyone’s contraceptives suddenly stopped working, and everybody’s sterilizations were suddenly reversed? That would freak a lot of people out, too. We tend to spend all our free time looking for mindless entertainment. What if God made it impossible watch any news, shows, or sports again? Imagine if God crashed YouTube. People would have a tough time with that, too.

We tend to worship health and freedom. What if there were a plague that made everyone terrified of getting sick and forced everyone to stay in their homes all day? Oh, wait, that kind of happened, didn’t it?

These kinds of things wouldn’t just be inconvenient for our society; they would show our society what it was too attached to. But the main question isn’t: what is society too attached to? The main question is this: what are we, personally, too attached to? What do we love and want more than God? Those things are idols. 

Four

Accepting Trials from God

When God sent the plagues to Egypt, it was a chance for the Egyptians and the Israelites to rethink who was God and what wasn’t. More importantly, it was a chance to rethink what they wanted most, things of this world, or union with the True God. Whenever God allows a trial, a health trial, a relationship trial, a financial trial, a reputation trial, it is an opportunity to rethink what we want most: God, or this created thing.

If these trials overwhelm us, that reveals something. It shows that we may want achievement and recognition more than God; or good health more than God; or the love and companionship of a man or woman more than God.

Whatever it is that, if threatened, makes us anxious, angry, resentful, or despairing, that is the thing we are treating as a god. And the trial is not sent to destroy us. It is permitted to expose and topple that idol, so that we can desire God above all. That’s why every trial from God is a gift. Because it’s a chance to remember that there is only one God, that He is the only thing we absolutely need.

Five

What are you Afraid to Lose?

An idol is something we treat as if we cannot live without it. So, here is the question: What is the thing you are most afraid of losing? What, if threatened, makes you anxious? What makes you angry when it is blocked? What leaves you resentful or despairing when it is taken away? That is the place where your heart is clinging too tightly. That is your Nile. That is your Pharaoh. That is your idol.

Lent is the time to let God set us free. Do not wait for God to tear the idol from your hands. Loosen your grip now. So what can we do?

Make our relationship with God the priority. Spend time with Him in friendship and prayer as you are doing now. And accept His invitation to spend more time with Him, giving Him your undivided attention. 

When some trial comes that threatens or removes one of your idols, that thing you think you can’t live without, turn to the Lord and say, “Lord, I know with you I am safe and that you will carry me out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.”

If you enjoyed this meditation, subscribe below.