Exodus 7-12 There is just no other way
There are many questions rising reading through these eventful chapters such as why God went through all the troubles so patiently planning every detail since He could've just brought the people of Israel out right away. But He insisted that they go to a desert and have festival in honor of Him. As a human being, our instinct would've had the Israelites flee from the oppression of Pharaoh as soon as possible.
Metaphorically speaking, all of the events represent circumstances in our lives that might happen or have happened. And God is willing to go through all the troubles and details patiently with us despite we might not understand it. And Pharaoh represents the tenacious challenges and hardships that keep striking us.
When I read that God turned the water into blood through the hands of Aaron, I think of Jesus sacrificing Himself and spilling his own blood for the whole human race. Before Jesus came, water was turned into blood and later Jesus turned water into wine which symbolizes a great hope and joy as well as his own blood.
I cannot help but wondering if the God in the old testament is the same One as Jesus, why they are depicted so differently. I can only come to my own conclusion that that God in the old testament was depicted by humans' understanding of what He was like. Then, Jesus came to show who He truly is.
The ongoing event after event started from blood turned into water, frogs, gnats, flies, death of first born livestock, abscess outbreaks, hailstorm, locusts, darkness and ended with the death of first born Egyptian offsprings. These ten plagues signify the hardships in life that keep deteriorating. And Pharaoh's hardened heart means that the situations aren't likely to change for the better.
I don't believe God actually "made" Pharaoh's heart hardened, but somehow he was already like this because of his own ego, because God created humans to be of free will. If God did control his mind, doesn't that make God responsible for all the bad things Israel needed to go through? Besides, Pharaoh's hardened heart is also a way to show how God went through all these steps and troubles not just for helping the release of Israel but to reveal Himself and His power to another group of his creation, the Egyptians who did not recognize Him. So they would start acknowledging Him. It was a metaphor for showing God's salvation was not just for Israel but for the whole human race.
Some of the events were likely the natural disasters or pandemic that actually happened back then to the people and they were awed and mystified. So they went on to deem them as God's hand was at work. There is also a huge contrast between Joseph's time of Egypt with a Pharaoh that honored God and His people and Egypt of Moses' time whereas a Pharaoh's hardened heart that led to one disaster after another. It's as if God pulled water into the cup of Egypt at Joseph's time and then He emptied out the water from the cup of Egypt at Moses' time. I suppose the Pharaoh of the latter time must have had been bewildered in his heart and wondering why the God of Israel having everyone going through all these troubles just for the Israel to celebrate a freaking festival instead of just having them leave right away.
Frankly speaking, it was very cruel that God had all the firstborn sons of Egypt killed and it troubled me as that's not what Jesus would have done. I can only assume that if this was a true event, the mortality rate of children at that time was very high and people back then attributed it as an act by God as a punishment. And the death of firstborn sons must have meant something important. For first born sons are usually considered precious and important especially for the royal family, as the first born son is bound to be the next ruler in a kingdom. God's striking of first born sons symbolizing an act of humbling process as Jesus said, "The first will be the last and the last will be the first."
Another thing I have also noticed is the word, "yeast" was emphasized so many times. I do not comprehend the meaning behind it but it just reminds me of the yeast (sweet talk without substance) of Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes mentioned by Jesus. And one year old, intact, free of blemishes lamb symbolized the sacrifice of Jesus. It prophesied that Jesus would be killed by Israel people's own hands and in front of them. I don't know the meanings behind the customs of Israel but I interpret that eating entire animal roast over a fire means following and accepting God wholeheartedly. And the fire means trials that purify and strengthen. God ordered them to follow through the custom as there was no any other way to live by without God.
In the end, I still got various questions waited to be answered. How exactly does Jesus manifest Himself in this story of a God that killed people? How can it be explained and understood that they were actually the same God? Did God actually have all the firstborn sons killed? To me it was such a cruelty even if Israelites were being oppressed and mistreated in Egypt. That's like to pay evil with evil. What is the purpose for such a story that was in no way Jesus-like to be preserved and let God to be remembered in this way? I really struggle with believing that it was an actual story that truly happened. The only conclusion that makes sense is that it is just a fable written by men trying to depict unexplainable things happened to humans back then mixed with some epic fiction and how they used to perceive God.
Bewilderment aside, I have learned that God's with us in our every step, even though there are difficult things and circumstances that we might not understand but there is a purpose and lesson through them for us to learn to trust Him and follow Him.
Metaphorically speaking, all of the events represent circumstances in our lives that might happen or have happened. And God is willing to go through all the troubles and details patiently with us despite we might not understand it. And Pharaoh represents the tenacious challenges and hardships that keep striking us.
When I read that God turned the water into blood through the hands of Aaron, I think of Jesus sacrificing Himself and spilling his own blood for the whole human race. Before Jesus came, water was turned into blood and later Jesus turned water into wine which symbolizes a great hope and joy as well as his own blood.
I cannot help but wondering if the God in the old testament is the same One as Jesus, why they are depicted so differently. I can only come to my own conclusion that that God in the old testament was depicted by humans' understanding of what He was like. Then, Jesus came to show who He truly is.
The ongoing event after event started from blood turned into water, frogs, gnats, flies, death of first born livestock, abscess outbreaks, hailstorm, locusts, darkness and ended with the death of first born Egyptian offsprings. These ten plagues signify the hardships in life that keep deteriorating. And Pharaoh's hardened heart means that the situations aren't likely to change for the better.
I don't believe God actually "made" Pharaoh's heart hardened, but somehow he was already like this because of his own ego, because God created humans to be of free will. If God did control his mind, doesn't that make God responsible for all the bad things Israel needed to go through? Besides, Pharaoh's hardened heart is also a way to show how God went through all these steps and troubles not just for helping the release of Israel but to reveal Himself and His power to another group of his creation, the Egyptians who did not recognize Him. So they would start acknowledging Him. It was a metaphor for showing God's salvation was not just for Israel but for the whole human race.
Some of the events were likely the natural disasters or pandemic that actually happened back then to the people and they were awed and mystified. So they went on to deem them as God's hand was at work. There is also a huge contrast between Joseph's time of Egypt with a Pharaoh that honored God and His people and Egypt of Moses' time whereas a Pharaoh's hardened heart that led to one disaster after another. It's as if God pulled water into the cup of Egypt at Joseph's time and then He emptied out the water from the cup of Egypt at Moses' time. I suppose the Pharaoh of the latter time must have had been bewildered in his heart and wondering why the God of Israel having everyone going through all these troubles just for the Israel to celebrate a freaking festival instead of just having them leave right away.
Frankly speaking, it was very cruel that God had all the firstborn sons of Egypt killed and it troubled me as that's not what Jesus would have done. I can only assume that if this was a true event, the mortality rate of children at that time was very high and people back then attributed it as an act by God as a punishment. And the death of firstborn sons must have meant something important. For first born sons are usually considered precious and important especially for the royal family, as the first born son is bound to be the next ruler in a kingdom. God's striking of first born sons symbolizing an act of humbling process as Jesus said, "The first will be the last and the last will be the first."
Another thing I have also noticed is the word, "yeast" was emphasized so many times. I do not comprehend the meaning behind it but it just reminds me of the yeast (sweet talk without substance) of Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes mentioned by Jesus. And one year old, intact, free of blemishes lamb symbolized the sacrifice of Jesus. It prophesied that Jesus would be killed by Israel people's own hands and in front of them. I don't know the meanings behind the customs of Israel but I interpret that eating entire animal roast over a fire means following and accepting God wholeheartedly. And the fire means trials that purify and strengthen. God ordered them to follow through the custom as there was no any other way to live by without God.
In the end, I still got various questions waited to be answered. How exactly does Jesus manifest Himself in this story of a God that killed people? How can it be explained and understood that they were actually the same God? Did God actually have all the firstborn sons killed? To me it was such a cruelty even if Israelites were being oppressed and mistreated in Egypt. That's like to pay evil with evil. What is the purpose for such a story that was in no way Jesus-like to be preserved and let God to be remembered in this way? I really struggle with believing that it was an actual story that truly happened. The only conclusion that makes sense is that it is just a fable written by men trying to depict unexplainable things happened to humans back then mixed with some epic fiction and how they used to perceive God.
Bewilderment aside, I have learned that God's with us in our every step, even though there are difficult things and circumstances that we might not understand but there is a purpose and lesson through them for us to learn to trust Him and follow Him.
Comments
Post a Comment