Snoopy Examines Exodus

[Waterfall]

It's interesting how history repeats itself sometimes.
In our day we are watching Kamala Harris speaking on behalf of Joe Biden due to his changed ability to speak effectively, similar to Aaron speaking on behalf of Moses....I wonder if it was Moses' age that contributed partly to that problem of speaking or if it was a medical condition like RFK JR. or just plainly not a gift he possessed.
Either way, God eventually fulfils his promise doing most of the heavy lifting with the various plagues to convince Pharoah.
In present day movies, Moses is usually presented as larger than life with an authoritative voice....

 

[paradox3]

God doesn't seem to be one bit concerned about the limitations in Moses's speech. I wonder if the lack of eloquence was mostly in Moses's own mind.

 

[Waterfall]

God doesn't seem to be one bit concerned about the limitations in Moses's speech. I wonder if the lack of eloquence was mostly in Moses's own mind.

Could be....

 

[jimkenney12]

Or he was cowardly and did not want to confront the pharoah

 

[paradox3]

Or he was cowardly and did not want to confront the pharoah

Also possible.

Which explanation will seem most likely when we read on in Exodus?

 

[paradox3]

Bible Gateway passage: Exodus 7 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply my...

www.biblegateway.com

Snoopy will return after the long weekend with a summary and snappy review of Exodus 7.

Feel free to comment in the meantime.

 

[paradox3]

Here in Exodus 7, God once again hardens Pharoah's heart.

God tell Moses he will be as God to Pharoah. And his brother Aaron will be his prophet.

Moses performs the signs given to him by God, but Pharoah does not listen. All of the water in the Nile turns to blood and blood covers the land.

Seven days pass.

 

[paradox3]

Snoopy's Snappy Review: Exodus 7

Snoopy is still puzzled by God hardening the heart of Pharoah. (Wasn't it hard enough already???)

There are a couple of interesting echoes from Genesis in this passage . . . 7 days and a flood of sorts.

 

[GordW]

Snoopy's Snappy Review: Exodus 7

Snoopy is still puzzled by God hardening the heart of Pharoah. (Wasn't it hard enough already???)

Quite likely....so maybe the story is told in retrospect and having God harden the heart of pharoah to explain why Pharoah was slow to respond?

TBH the God we meet in Exodus, the tribal warrior God fighting for the "chosen" ones to the detriment of the 'enemies' is not always a comfortable image of God. I know of a midrashic story that deals with that but will save it for the appropriate spot in the narrative (assuming I remember to post it then)

 

[paradox3]

Bible Gateway passage: Exodus 8 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Second Plague: Frogs - Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your...

www.biblegateway.com

Pharoah's heart remains hard throughout three more plagues and he refuses to let the people go.

Frogs

Gnats

Flies

 

[paradox3]

Snoopy's Snappy Review: Genesis 8

A story like this needs a villian, no?

Anyone else thinking of Judas Iscariot just now?

 

[unsafe]

having God harden the heart of pharoah to explain why Pharoah was slow to respond?

GordW ---God before the foundation of the world was formed had Pharaoh in mind for His purpose ---Pharaoh was part of God's plan from the very beginning ------God already knew that Pharaoh would sear his heart against Him and He allowed Pharaoh to keep His Hardened Heart ----so that when the time came that he was sending Moses to free the Israelites Pharaoh was worshiping another god and could perform magic ---as he showed when Moses through down the staff and it turned into a snake and Pharaoh did the same thing ------Pharaoh was not going to bow down to what he saw as magic as he could perform his own magic ---

God could have softened Pharaoh's heart and no plagues would have happened ---Israelites would have been set free when Moses got there ------- but that was not God's Plan ------

God had a purpose for this display -----He gets the Glory for freeing the Israelites not pharaoh

Romans 9:17

AMP
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “I raised you up for this very purpose, to display My power in [dealing with] you, and so that My name would be proclaimed in all the earth.”

 

[Mystic]

fact-checking the fjnal plague, the death of the first-born Egyptian sons:
The scholarly concensus is that Raamses was the Pharoah at the time of Moses and the plagues. His eldest son, Amun-her Khepeshef, did not survive his father. He died in his 40s or early 50s, after participating in a number of Ramses' military campaigns as an army general and an overseer of the chariotry.

 

[paradox3]

Bible Gateway passage: Exodus 9 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased - Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, the hand of the LORD will strike with a deadly...

www.biblegateway.com

Three more plagues take place:

Livestock diseases

Boils

Thunder and hail

Pharoah almost relents but his heart is hardened and he does not let the people go.

 

[paradox3]

Snoopy's Snappy Review: Exodus 9

Interesting that Pharoah is starting to waver.

 

[Jaebius]

Bible Gateway passage: Exodus 9 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased - Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, the hand of the LORD will strike with a deadly...

www.biblegateway.com

Three more plagues take place:

Livestock diseases

Boils

Thunder and hail

Pharoah almost relents but his heart is hardened and he does not let the people go.

Often reflect on the Bible's stories to grasp God's will and the lessons he imparts. The account of the plagues reminds me of God's power and the importance of obeying him.

Pharaoh's hardened heart serves as a cautionary tale about pride's dangers. Resisting God's will leads to hardship. As we read these passages, we're encouraged to stay humble.

Let's always seek to follow God's path with faith learning from the examples set before us in Scripture

 

[Waterfall]

There are some scientific explanations for the plagues and since the Egyptians don't seem to be a bunch of dummies, judging from their many achievements in many areas, the plagues could be explained by natural progression of what happens when certain species die en masse. One species dying crates havoc and disease for the next species depending on that species for food or something.
Pharaoh's heart hardening my have been caused by knowledge provided from the thinkers of the day.
I am still looking for a reasonable explanation for the eventual eldest sons deaths.
All this doesn't rule out God's intervention for those less informed.

 

[paradox3]

There are some scientific explanations for the plagues and since the Egyptians don't seem to be a bunch of dummies, judging from their many achievements in many areas, the plagues could be explained by natural progression of what happens when certain species die en masse. One species dying crates havoc and disease for the next species depending on that species for food or something.
Pharaoh's heart hardening my have been caused by knowledge provided from the thinkers of the day.
I am still looking for a reasonable explanation for the eventual eldest sons deaths.
All this doesn't rule out God's intervention for those less informed.

Yes, the plagues (so far) could very well be explained by natural phenomena. The Nile waters which covered the land with "blood" might even have been red algae.

 

[Jaebius]

There are some scientific explanations for the plagues and since the Egyptians don't seem to be a bunch of dummies, judging from their many achievements in many areas, the plagues could be explained by natural progression of what happens when certain species die en masse. One species dying crates havoc and disease for the next species depending on that species for food or something.
Pharaoh's heart hardening my have been caused by knowledge provided from the thinkers of the day.
I am still looking for a reasonable explanation for the eventual eldest sons deaths.
All this doesn't rule out God's intervention for those less informed.

God, I believe, is King over all that he's made. The plagues show his power. Scientific explanations for them don't take away from the events' theological significance. The Egyptians’ advanced knowledge didn't preclude the possibility of God's intervention. His use of natural processes to do His will's consistent with my grasp of God’s providence, where He sustains and rules over all things.

Regarding Pharaoh’s hardened heart, Scripture attributes the hardening to both Pharaoh’s own stubbornness and God’s sovereign will. This dual agency highlights the mystery of God's Kingship and human responsibility.

The firstborn sons' death's a difficult detail. It shows God's willingness to rescue his people. The theological message's clear: God’s judgment and mercy are real. The Passover points forward to the final rescue thru Jesus, God's Lamb.

Scientific explanations don't negate God's reality. For those who believe, these events testify to God’s power

 

[Waterfall]

The firstborn sons' death's a difficult detail. It shows God's willingness to rescue his people. The theological message's clear: God’s judgment and mercy are real. The Passover points forward to the final rescue thru Jesus, God's Lamb.

Is God not capable of showing he's God without smiting the Israelites enemies?