CITYLIGHT NOTES o Hathor was revered as a protective deity for cattle.
By striking the Egyptian
The Plagues
(Countering the False gods of Egypt)
Exodus 7-12
“...I will bring judgment to all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."
Exodus 12:12 NIV
God unleashed ten plagues upon Egypt to demonstrate His superiority over the false gods of the land
and to deliver His people, the Israelites, from slavery.
1. The Nile Turned to Blood (Exodus 7:14-25)
o Counterattack against Hapi, the god of the Nile
o The Nile was the lifeblood of Egypt, and by turning it to blood, God showed His
power over the supposed deity of the river. The water source that Egyptians relied
upon for sustenance and worship was rendered useless.
"Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants
he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.
And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the
Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by
their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord
had said."
Exodus 7:20-22 ESV
2. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
o Counterattack against Heket, the goddess of fertility and water
o Heket was often depicted as a frog-headed goddess. By sending a plague of
frogs, God exposed the impotence of Heket and showcased His control over
creation.
"So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the
land of Egypt…But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not
listen to them, as the Lord had said."Exodus 8:6, 15 ESV
3. Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19)
o Counterattack against Geb, the god of the earth
o Geb was believed to be the earth god, symbolizing stability and fertility. By
sending swarms of gnats, God demonstrated His power over the very ground that
Geb was supposed to govern.
"And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there
were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. Then
the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he
would not listen to them, as the Lord had said."Exodus 8:17, 19 ESV
4. Flies (Exodus 8:20-32)
o Counterattack against Khepri, the god of creation and rebirth
o Khepri was often depicted as a fly or a scarab beetle. God's plague of flies
challenged the notion of Khepri's creative power, showcasing that true creation
and life come from the Almighty God.
"And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and
into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the
swarms of flies…But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people
go." Exodus 8:24, 32 ESV
5. Livestock Diseased (Exodus 9:1-7)
o Counterattack against Hathor, the goddess of love and protection of livestock
livestock with disease, God revealed His authority over the very animals that
Hathor was believed to safeguard.
"And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not
one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of
the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let
the people go."
Exodus 9:6-7 ESV
6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
o Counterattack against Imhotep, the god of healing
o Imhotep was considered the patron god of medicine and healing. God's infliction
of painful boils on the Egyptians demonstrated that true healing power rests with
the Lord alone.
"So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air,
and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast…But the Lord hardened the
heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses."Exodus
9:10, 12 ESV
"…they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they
began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and
confused…So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired…
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking
and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of
wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning,
and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and
have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet
they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
Romans 1:21, 24, 28-32 NLT
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When
you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their
ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot
hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’Matthew
13:14-15 NLT
7. Hail and Thunder (Exodus 9:13-35)
o Counterattack against Nut, the goddess of the sky
o Nut was the sky goddess, believed to bring nourishment and fertility to the land.
Through a devastating hailstorm, God showcased His control over the elements,
including the sky and weather.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and
say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that
you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and
struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for
this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all
the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this
time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was
founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe
shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls
on them.”Exodus 9:13-19 ESV
"Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran
down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. There was hail and fire flashing
continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of
Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of
 Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of
the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail… But when
Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened
his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of
Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses."Exodus 9:23-26, 34-35 ESV
8. Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
o Counterattack against Serapis, the god of crops and fertility
o Serapis was revered as the protector of crops and the provider of fertility. The
invasion of locusts, devouring all the vegetation in Egypt, revealed the impotence
of Serapis and God's sovereignty over the agricultural abundance.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart
of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in
the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians
and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” Exodus
10:1-2 ESV
"So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind
upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought
the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole
country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will
be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they
ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green
thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. But the Lord
hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go."Exodus 10:13-15, 20
ESV
9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29)
o Counterattack against Ra, the sun god
o Ra and Amen-Ra were considered the supreme deities associated with the sun
and creation. By covering Egypt in a thick darkness that could be felt, God
demonstrated His power to extinguish the light of the supposed divine entities and
reaffirmed His authority over creation.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over
the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there
was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, nor did
anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. But the
Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go."
Exodus 10:21-23, 27 ESV
10. Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 11:1-10; 12:29-30)
o Counterattack against Pharaoh, believed to be a god and the ultimate authority
o Pharaoh, considered a god in Egyptian culture, represented the pinnacle of earthly
power and authority. By striking down the firstborn in every Egyptian household,
including Pharaoh's own son, God shattered the illusion of Pharaoh's divinity and
showcased His ultimate authority over life and death.
At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the
firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in
the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he
and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was
not a house where someone was not dead…The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt
was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out
from the land of Egypt…And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the
land of Egypt by their hosts. Exodus 12:29-30, 40-41, 51 ESV
The plagues demonstrate that there is no power or deity that can rival the sovereignty of our God. He
alone is the one true God who reigns over all creation.
"...I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so
you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth." Exodus 9:14 NIV
The plagues showcased God's power to deliver His people. We are encouraged to trust in His power
and promises, knowing that He is able to intervene in our circumstances and bring about deliverance.
"to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt-
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel out from among them-
His love endures forever.
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm-
His love endures forever." Psalms 136:10-12 NIV
The plagues serve as a call to examine our lives and identify any false gods or idols:
• Materialism and Consumerism
• Self-Idolatry and Narcissism
• Technology and Entertainment
• Power and Success
• Relationships and Approval
• Ideologies and Philosophies
"As long as you want anything very much, especially more than you want God, it is an idol." -
A. B. Simpson
Loving the Lord our God with all our being is the antidote to idolatry.
"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know
him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God
and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."
1 John 5:20-21 NIV
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
Matthew 28:18 NIV
1.Loving the LORD our God means learning His word daily.
2.Loving the LORD our God means living out His word daily.
3.Loving the LORD our God means longing to fellowship with Him daily.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth,
many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they
longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it."
Matthew 13:16-17 NLT
It is important to recognize that anything that takes the place of God as the central focus of our
lives and the ultimate source of our identity, security, and purpose can become a false god. Our
hearts and intentions need to be constantly examined, seeking to align them with the worship of the
one true God.
OUR RESPONSE
1.In light of the plagues that countered the false gods of Egypt, what idols or false gods have
subtly crept into our lives that we need to identify and renounce today?
2.Are we truly trusting in God's power and promises in the midst of challenging circumstances,
or are we relying on our own strength and turning to false gods for help?
3.How can we actively cultivate a lifestyle of worship and devotion to the one true God,
ensuring that no idols or false gods take His rightful place in our hearts and lives?