The plagues of Egypt. What an awesome, awful story. It has always made me shudder and wonder why a loving God would bring such curses upon the entire country of Egypt when it was Pharaoh who made all the decisions. I get it: When the wicked rule, the people mourn. It is the same with us today. We suffer from the misguided decisions and debates of Congress. When the government shuts down, we stand in longer lines at airports and worry about our safety. Wars, foreign and domestic, touch all of us whether we agree with the premise or not. Our leaders shape our welfare, like it or not. So it was with Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. God had to get Pharaoh’s attention, and He chose plagues, but why so many, and what does it have to do with me in my life?
What was wrong with Pharaoh? Why couldn’t he see from the beginning he was fighting a losing battle? When Moses and Aaron turned the staff into the serpent in his court, I would have asked myself, “What kind of magical powers does this man possess?” I would have taken special notice when Moses’ serpent swallowed the court magician’s serpents. Pharoah didn’t notice. In fact, he grew angry and sought to punish the children of Israel by making their lives more miserable, requiring them to make bricks without straw.
The Bible says the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but I am inclined to believe that means the Lord allowed Pharaoh to harden his own heart, as He does so often with us. We are so determined to do it our own way that He allows us to do it, knowing full well how it will turn out. Pharaoh had one thing in mind; he was not willing to deviate from his desired course. Those were his slaves. They had been his father’s slaves and his father's before him, and they would remain his forever. No questions asked. They would build his pyramids if he had to beat and kill every last one of them.
As I thought of Pharaoh’s jaw-clenched decision to remain in charge after every plague – water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and finally the death of the firstborn – I realized I have also seen modern people following a self-prescribed course that leads to destruction.
Years ago, flirting with the idea of sex before marriage was just a fantasy in the movies. It was an idea nobody took seriously. Occasionally, there would be a couple here and there living together out of wedlock, but for the most part, families were intact and marriage and families were infallible. Gradually, the bars and values broke, and a flood of plagues began. They were worse than the plague of blood in the water, frogs and lice. Children were born without stable homes; crime rose to unprecedented levels; young, nearly illiterate mothers were left to raise children alone; the mores of society began to gradually crumble. Did society place the blame where it belonged and change? No, society has doubled down in the same direction – just like Pharaoh, who chose to continue to demand that his slaves serve him, even as his chariots sank into the Red Sea. Did God cause it to happen? No. He allowed the consequences of the choices.
I think of myself early in my marriage when I was foolish with my finances and business ventures. I was taught that it is not wise to go into debt. I was trying a new business venture, so I got a credit card. It wasn’t long before I had maxed it out on things I needed. I got a letter saying I could transfer my balance to another card and get a lower interest rate and lower my payment; that sounded good. The Spirit gave me a nagging feeling that it probably wasn’t a good idea, but I ignored it. Several credit cards later, I found myself with $23,000 in credit card debt, with compounding interest, in a failed business. The plagues began. We had to mortgage our house, and I had to go to work. The Lord doesn’t stop our choices, nor does He shield us from the plagues that inevitably come when we ignore His warnings.
I grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona. I saw many horses come and go. The ones that learned to be submissive to their masters were excellent, useful animals. My grandfather had a horse named Silver. He was a tall, sleek dark-reddish bay with a long flowing mane and tail. Grandfather would saddle him and climb on. Silver’s ears would perk up and his eyes would take on a watchful glint. He was ready for the slightest signal from his master.
Silver was a magnificent beast. He had been raised from a colt and was taught to wrangle cattle. Once a man watched Silver work cattle. He saw him dance back and forth keeping a cow from going through the gate. He watched Silver skid to a halt when my grandfather’s flung lasso rope looped around a calf’s neck. He watched him hold the rope tight while the calf was branded. Silver’s focus was impeccable. Nothing could distract him from his purpose, no matter what clattered and clanged around him. The man offered my grandfather $50,000 for Silver. Grandfather wouldn’t sell because he knew the value of the animal.
I rode Silver once in my life. He wasn’t the family pet; he was the top mount, and not just anyone was given that privilege. I was delighted when my grandfather adjusted the stirrups and let me climb aboard. He said, “Now, Yevet, you must watch him and hang on. If he sees a cow leave the herd, he is going after it and will bring it back with or without you.” It wasn’t long before I saw what he meant. I clung to the saddle horn while Silver crashed though the cedar trees after a wayward calf. He was the master, and I was just an appendage to the saddle. Sometimes I worried I wouldn’t even be that. There was blue sky between me and the saddle more than once. Never have I ridden such a horse.
Sego Lily was a different matter. She was an unbroken yearling with a mean streak. Once, I went to feed her, and she bit my arm, leaving a horrid bruise on my under arm. She would have left a nasty hole if I hadn’t yanked away so quickly. Sego Lily would kick and bite anyone who entered the corral. She wasn’t the top mount. In fact, she wasn’t anybody’s mount. We sold her at auction. I am not sure she didn’t end up in the dog-food factory. I was sad to see her go, but she was not safe or useful. She brought plagues to herself and to those around her by her own choices.
People are like these two horses. Some are willing to do whatever the master tells them and become a great asset to the kingdom of God. Others bite and kick at every command of the Master. They insist on their way. They are not only a hindrance to their own progression; they actively promote the spiritual destruction of others and bring upon themselves and others the plagues of Egypt.
C. S. Lewis said in his book The Great Divorce, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. To those who knock, it is opened.”
When I think of the plagues of Egypt, I recognize that God isn’t trying to show me how mean He can be with Pharaoh. He is trying to warn me about the Pharaoh in me. He wants me to avoid the plagues of life that I bring on myself by my wrong choices. He gave me the commandments to help me avoid the pitfalls of life. I need to learn to be submissive and seek His will without saying, in effect, “These are my slaves. This is my life, and I will do it my way, no matter what.”
